the deep pillows of my oversized sofa to wallow in the revelation that Jed and Isabella had betrayed me in the most profound way two humans could torment a third. “Jesus, Alex, calm down a minute.You can’t tell from one of these pictures who this guy is,” Mike said as he went to retrieve the telltale photograph and study it again.
“That store must have sold dozens of shirts like that one, and stores all over the country sold hundreds more. There’s no way you can say who that arm belongs to on the basis of an inch of plaid material in a blown-up photograph. Don’t start with the self-pitying martyr bullshit you can’t jump to any con-‘
”Maybe you’re too fucking stupid to make conclusions at this point, Mikey, but don’t bet the farm against me on pieces of fabric and clothing. That’s like you and the Mamelukes. I have been stabbed in the back no, in the heart by that miserable bastard. It’s not just the shirt, it’s everything else that’s falling into place.“
“Please don’t start crying on me again tonight, Cooper. Let’s look at this very care-‘ I interrupted him again, amazed he couldn’t see that there should have been smoke coming out of my ears by this point.
“Cry? Cry?” I was practically shrieking at him now.
“Do you actually think I’m going to waste any more of my very short supply of emotion on that man? You must really have a very low opinion of me after all this time. Don’t worry, no more tears.” I stood up and reached across the tab let’s grab the picture out of Mike’s hand.
The section of the photo containing the man’s hand and sleeved-arm represented about three inches of surface in the enlargement. I looked at it again, hoping that the distinctive fabric I had found so attractive the day I had gone shopping had changed to stripes or polka dots or pink elephants.
Instead, the second glance confirmed all my fears. I lowered myself back onto the sofa as I inspected Jed’s fingers on the film fingers that had caressed my breasts, stroked my thighs, and knew exactly how to make me respond excitedly to their pressure and touch.
“It’s not just the shirt, Mike.” I didn’t have to tell him out loud about Jed’s fingers. He would know what I meant just as well as I did.
“Take this away from me before I tear it in shreds,” I said, handing the painful image back to Mike.
“I could kick myself for missing all the little clues. You should have seen the way his mouth dropped open when he got off the elevator on Saturday and saw me standing here wearing those silk pajamas Iz had given me you know, like the pair we saw in my bedroom when we packed up her stuff. He must have thought he was seeing a ghost.” Of course, the one thing Isabella wanted that I had provided for her: a respectable man.
“I could kill him with my bare hands.”
I was out of control and Mike didn’t know how to bring me back.
“Calm down, Alex. You’ll wake the neighbors.” A light seemed to go off in his head when he said the word ‘neighbors.“
”Hey, you think maybe your shrink friend is still awake at this hour? Maybe he could come in and help-’
“Help what? There’s nothing wrong with me. I’m just angry and pissed off and mad and miserable and-‘ ”And maybe he should like tranquilize you or something. I don’t know. I don’t want you to hurt yourself over this. I can’t leave here with you in this condition.“
“Leave David out of this. There’s nothing wrong with me. No wonder I couldn’t reach Jed at the Ritz the first time I called there on Thursday. He probably hadn’t even gotten to Paris yet of course he couldn’t get back here till Saturday. That whole trip must have been just a sham to cover his rendezvous with Isabella.” I stood up and started pacing around the living room to calm myself down. Mike and most of my other colleagues had seen the Cooper temper in a flare-up, and most tried to avoid it. It finally occurred to me to move toward the bar and fix myself a drink.
“Not a prayer, blondie. No drinking. C’mon, let’s deal with this rationally. I should have known, too. Anybody who drank bottled water with fried clams had to be a yuppie and an asshole. What a fucking phony.”
“Oh, jeez, Mike. Worse thought. Do you think I should phone Battaglia and wake him up at this hour? He hates to be the last to know. Oh, I think I’m going to be sick – no kidding.” I sat in one of the armchairs and doubled over with my head pounding against my hands.
“That’s your call, Alex. You have to answer to him, I don’t. I suppose if you get to the office at the crack of dawn and tell him then nobody’s gonna find out before that. I mean, I think the chief has to know tonight, but-‘
I snapped my head up to protest that idea. “Why does the chief have to know anything about this? Suddenly my aborted love life is going to be fodder for the department? No way, Mike, no way. No way.“
Chapman squatted down directly in front of me, put his hand on my knee, and tried to force me to look him directly in the eye.
“You don’t get it yet, kid, do you? If that sleeve really does belong to Jed Segal and that’s the very first thing we have to find out for sure then this is not just about someone cheating on you with one of your friends. If you’re right about Jed, then we’ve got to look at him as a suspect in Isabella’s murder.“
My head started shaking back and forth slowly in disagreement with what Mike had just announced. I hadn’t thought of that at all, as busy as my mind was with its own unhappiness, but I could not accept or absorb that concept when it emerged from his lips.
“That’s ridiculous, Mike. That’s that’s not possible,” I stammered as I tried to reason why someone who was capable of such deceit and who lied so facilely and convincingly could not have carried out the cold-blooded murder of his consort.
“Better face it. Jed Segal goes to the head of the class. He has some very serious explaining to do before he gets cleared from the list of possibles. If he was the guy sharing the clams with Isabella an hour before she was killed, he’s got the access and the opportunity and-”
“But no motive, Mike, he’s got absolutely no motive to kill her. She’s the goose with the golden egg, for Chrissakes. The guy is making love to a gorgeous, world-famous movie idol it ain’t getting better than that for Jed Segal what the hell would he kill her for?“ I almost gagged on the expression ‘making love.” Clearly, those had been Jed’s condoms in my wastebasket. No wonder he was so concerned when I said we could do DNA testing to find out who Iz’s lover had been.
“No motive? Ha, that’s more bullshit. Suppose she threatened to tell you about their tryst? Suppose she told him he wasn’t as good in the sack as Johnny Garelli? Suppose she pissed him off like she did almost everyone else I’ve spoken with who was in her presence for more than ten minutes?”
I rocked back and forth in my chair, my arms crossed over my stomach as though they could quell the sickening as waves that rippled underneath their grip. “I can’t handle this Mike, I really can’t handle this. ”
”Sure you can, Coop. We’ll get you through it. What do you think you’re doing now?“ Mike asked as I brushed past him and headed for the door to my coat closet. I reached in for my trenchcoat and threw it on over my outfit, grabbing my keys, some cash, and moving toward the apartment door.
“Take those photos out of here with you when you finish your coffee and leave. I’m doing this one face to face. I know exactly where to find this lying piece of shit and I’m going to be the first one to accuse him of murder. It’ll be a pleasure.”
“Your old man is right about one thing, blondie this job really has trashed your vocabulary. Where’re we going? It’s after midnight.”
“Uh, uh, Mikey, I’m alone. I’ll grab a taxi. Point of honor. I can’t wait till tomorrow to look this guy in the eye and tell him all the things I want to say.“ Mike had a grip on my arm, holding me inside the apartment.
“I’ll handcuff you to this closet door and leave you here unless you tell me where Segal is and let me go with you. At worst, he’s a killer and he’s dangerous and at best, you’re a killer and I gotta protect him. C’mon, be reasonable. You need me there as a witness, if nothing else. Don’t do this, Alex, please don’t make a scene.“
My despair of ten minutes ago had turned to an almost manic punchiness at the prospect of confronting my infidel.
“Fine, Chapman, you want to be there with me, that’s fine. Wish I could get hold of Court TV this could be one of my better cross-examinations.“
We were out the door together and I turned to lock it as Mike warned me to remember my job and behave myself.
“Balls, Mikey! You better have balls tonight. I don’t care if I lose my job and I’m working at the Chilmark dump next week.”
“Where to?” he asked again as we began our descent in the elevator.
“The University Club. Tap Room. Lights and sirens, please, Detective Chapman.”
