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R O B E R T B . P A R K E R
“He wouldn’t have told you anything. He’s a very hard case.”
“Just right for you,” Jesse said.
Rita shook her head slowly.
“Fat chance,” she said. “He’s in love with a shrink.”
“Probably handy to have one in house,” Jesse said.
“Certainly would cut down on the travel time,” Rita said.
“What’s your interest in the Plum girls?”
“They might be a little less innocent in all this than they claim.”
“But no smarter.”
“God, no,” Jesse said.
“Tell me,” Rita said.
Jesse drank some of his Coke.
“All of it?” he said.
“Keep you talking,” Rita said, “you may weaken.”
“Especially if you ply me with Coca-Cola,” Jesse said.
“Have another,” Rita said.
They both smiled. And Jesse told her what he knew about the death of Florence Horvath. When Rita listened, Jesse noticed, the sexual challenge left her face.
“Wow,” she said when Jesse was through.
“Yeah,” Jesse said.
“I’ve been a prosecutor,” Rita said, “and a defense attorney. I’ve been on one side or another of criminal law all my adult life.”
Jesse nodded.
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S E A C H A N G E
“I have also probably slept with more men than you’ve arrested.”
“And I’m a good cop,” Jesse said.
“And I’m shocked.”
“Yeah,” Jesse said. “It’s pretty bad.”
“It’s disgusting,” Rita said.
“But only some of it is illegal,” Jesse said.
“Enough of it,” Rita said. “These aren’t people society has abandoned. They didn’t grow up with no parents in some goddamned project someplace. They’re not victims of racism, or class contempt or poverty. They have no excuse for being trash.”
“True,” Jesse said.
“This is bothering the hell out of me,” Rita said. “And I’m not even involved.”
“I know,” Jesse said.
“Doesn’t it bother you? The obsession with sex, devoid of affection? The exploitation of young girls? The . . .” Rita waved her hands. “The lack of any feeling anywhere among any of these fucking automatons?”
“I have my own problems with it,” Jesse said. “But I try not to let it interfere with the work.”
Rita sat back a little on the bar stool and looked at Jesse and nodded slowly.
“And,” she said, “you haven’t had two martinis on an empty stomach.”
“Sadly, no,” Jesse said.
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42
J esse sat with the Plum twins on a bench in the Public Garden, across from the hotel, near the Swan Boats.
“Our room is such a mess,” Corliss said.
“The maid hasn’t cleaned up yet,” Claudia said.
“This is fine,” Jesse said. “Right here.”
“What would be a trip,” Corliss said, “would be to get high and take a ride on those boats.”
“At night,” Claudia said.
“You took the pictures of your sister and the two men,”
Jesse said.
