honey, that they're going to jail. If they're lucky, the feds will let Pennsylvania try them. We don't often send people to the chair.'
' 'We' don't?'
'We, the citizens of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, ' he said, rather unpleasantly. 'Okay, first question. Did you have any prior knowledge that Chenowith was going to blow up the Biological Sciences building at the University of Pennsylvania?'
Susan shook her head and said, softly, 'No.'
'No knowledge of any kind? He-and when I say 'he,' read Chenowith, the scumbag with the acne, and either of the women. Or any friends we don't know about-never discussed this with you, even in idle conversation, with a couple of drinks in him? 'What we should do is blow up the building'?'
'I told you no, Matt,' she said, then added, 'God, you sound like a policeman.'
'I am a policeman,' he said. 'I have to be absolutely sure of this, honey. Let me ask it in another way. When they blew up the Biological Sciences building, were you surprised, or did you sort of expect something like that to happen?'
'Matt, would you believe me if I said I'm sick about the Biological Sciences building? I was sick then, and I'm sick now.'
He looked at her carefully, and she realized he was making up his mind whether or not to believe her. And then she saw in his eyes that he did.
'That wasn't the question, honey. The question was, did the bombing of the Biological Sciences building come to you as a surprise, or not?'
'I really didn't even know Bryan Chenowith when that happened,' she said.
'Then how the hell did you get involved with these people? Has he got something on you?'
'Now he does,' she said.
'What?'
'I know what he did, and that the police are looking for him. Isn't that what you said-I'm an accessory after the fact, for helping him?'
'What's he got on you?'
'That I've been helping him.'
'Why have you been helping him?' Matt asked impatiently.
'Room service!' a cheery voice announced, and there was a knock on the door.
'Just a minute,' Matt called.
He gestured for her to give him the robe again. When she did, he saw that she was wearing underpants.
'What did I do? Shame you back into maidenly modesty? ' he asked.
'Don't you ever shut your mouth?' she snapped.
'Go hide in the bathroom like a good girl,' he said, stuffing his arms into the sleeves of the robe.
She went into the bathroom and closed the door, and listened while he dealt with the waiter, and to the sound of furniture moving, and metallic clanks she presumed were the plate and dish covers that come with room- service meals. But when the noise died down, he didn't come to the bathroom door. She wondered if the waiter was still there, or if there was some other reason.
Curiosity finally got the best of her. She opened the bathroom door carefully and walked quickly to the door to the sitting room.
Matt was sitting at the table, wearing the terry-cloth robe, putting an oyster on a cracker.
'Pity you don't like oysters. These are first-rate,' he said.
'I've been waiting for my robe,' she said indignantly, walking across the room to him, concealing as much of her breasts as she could with her arms.
'Our robe,' Matt corrected her. 'And you were standing behind the door, right, so that you could put your hand-only-through the door and snatch it from my hand so that I wouldn't get to see anything?'
'Give me the damned robe,' she said, tugging at the neck of it.
He got out of the chair, shrugged out of the robe, and held it out so that she could put her arms in the sleeves.
'I cannot tell a lie,' he said. 'I'm glad I did that. You wearing nothing but your underpants and a look of high indignation is truly a sight to see.'
'What are you?' she said, furious with herself for blushing. 'Some kind of a pervert?'
'No. I don't think so. I'm in love. Or maybe lust. Or both. I think 'all's fair in lust and war' is also true.'
She shook her head and then, robe modestly belted, looked at him.
'That can't possibly be true,' she said.
'What can't?'
'Love.'
'Why not? You hear about it all the time. Love at first sight, and they lived happily thereafter.'
'That's the… bullshit… you keep talking about. Things like that just don't happen.'
'Well, I think it happened to me. With my luck, it probably won't be reciprocal, but I'm willing to settle for half a loaf.'
She looked at him with a strange look on her face.
'I'll be damned if I don't think you're serious.'
'I have never been more serious in my life,' Matt said.
Susan suddenly had a very strong urge to cry.
'Can I have one of your oysters?' she asked, her voice sounding strange.
'I thought you didn't like oysters?'
'I was being a bitch. You bring that out in me.'
He turned to the table and picked up an oyster in its shell and handed it to her.
She ate it from the shell.
'Very good,' she said.
'I told you. Shall I get you a dozen? I ate most of-'
'There won't be time,' she said.
'Why not?'
'This one's already working,' she said.
'Meaning what?' he said, and then took her meaning. 'Oh, really?'
She raised her eyes to his and nodded solemnly. He unfastened the belt on the robe and she shrugged out of it.
'You want to go out there?' Matt asked. 'Or should I try to roll that cart in here?'
'You weren't thinking of food two minutes ago.'
'That was two minutes ago.'
'Since we have only one bathrobe between us, I don't think I want to go out there. I've had enough new experiences for one night. Eating dinner in the nude will have to wait for another time.'
'In other words, roll in the tray?'
'I'm not all that hungry. Why don't you just bring in one plate, and we'll share it?'
'Okay. I'll get a plate. I'm delighted you didn't think of the other option: getting out of bed and getting dressed.'
'I wish that I could spend the rest of my life in this bed,' she said.
'Oh, really?'
'Yes, really.'
He got out of bed and went into the sitting room. And returned pushing the cart. Susan raised her eyebrows questioningly.
'I wanted to bring the champagne, too,' he said. 'And there's two oysters left. I didn't want them to be wasted.'
She felt herself blush again.
'We can't spend the rest of our life in this bed,' she said.
'Not this one. Maybe in another one,' he said.
He handed her a napkin, silverware, and a plate of roast beef. Then he poured champagne in a glass and got
