Silent Treatment

A little company. Harry's attraction to the womanhad begun within minutes of their meeting at her apartment, and had grownsteadily since. It was dumb, he knew. Dumb and dangerous. Both of them werefragile and vulnerable. His wife had been dead just a few weeks. Maura hadfallen off the wagon. And they had business to attend to — a madman who wantedboth of them dead.

'Harry, I've decided to go home tomorrow,'she said suddenly.

He tried to mask his surprise and hurt.

'You don't have to do that.'

'I know. But sooner or later I do. It'snot to get away from anything here. I hope you know that. It's just that all ofa sudden, my head is full of the paintings I want to do. They're flashingthrough my brain like comets.'

'That's terrific. But I don't think it'ssafe yet.'

'Not from the killer, I agree. But thatdanger's here, too. It'll be everywhere I go until we nail him. What I am safefrom now is the booze. That was the big worry for me — even more dangerous thanthe killer. The AA meeting tonight made me even more certain. I'm not takinganything for granted, and I'm going to keep going to the meetings, but I knowI'm going to be all right. With all the terrible things that've happened,that's one good thing to come out of this mess.' She smiled at him. 'But now Ifee like I ought to be alone, and I know you need some space.'

She sat with her legs tucked underneathher. Her body was silhouetted by the hall light. Harry tried to remember thelast time he had held Evie — the last time they had sex. The last time he hadreally cared. He sensed the stirrings in his body. Over the past days he hadmanaged to overcome them. Now? He reached out tentatively and took herhand.

'I don't need space, and I don't want youto go,' he said.

She moved closer. He breathed in the scentof her and knew that whatever resistance he had been clinging to was gone.

'You don't know me, Harry,' she said. 'I'mtough. I've been known to eat nice, kind men like you for breakfast and spitout the seeds.'

He backed away and peered at her.

'That sounds like something you heard in amovie.'

'It is, actually. I think it might havebeen Garbo. But I've sort of always wanted to try the line out myself.Unfortunately, though, it's true. I can't remember the last lover I cared aboutas anything more than some sort of perverse validation that I was a worthwhileperson.'

'You are a worthwhile person,' hesaid, 'and incredibly sexy.'

'Even with no hair?'

'You have plenty. Besides, that minimalistcoif just lets me focus more on the rest of you.'

He drew her toward him and gently cuppedher breast. She made a soft, excited sound, pressed his hand in more tightly,and nestled her head against his chest.

'Harry, I've wanted you to want me since Ifirst saw you walking up the stairs to my place. Now I really am frightened.We're both going through so much — we've had so much hurt.'

'Maura, we don't have to make love. We canjust lie here and hold one another.'

She slid her hand down his shorts.

'Don't let me talk you out of this,' shesaid.

Propped against the headboard, he kissedher lightly on her lips, on her neck, on her throat. She knelt astride him andpulled off his T-shirt. Then, with his lips just inches from her breasts, sheswept off her tank top and threw it aside. Instantly his mouth was on her,sucking her, caressing her nipple with his tongue.

'Making love sober is going to be a hellof an experience for me.'

'We don't have to do it tonight.'

'Shut up … Harry, listen, though. Ireally don't feel right making love with you unless it's safe. It's been quitea while for me, I think. But you know how us blackout drinkers are.'

'Don't worry. Evie was the condom queen.The latest box is in the drawer by the bed. It's been there for months. I don'tthink it's even been opened.'

'Well, it's about to be.'

They kissed, gently, longingly. He workedhis hand inside her pants over her buttocks, farther and farther, until hecould touch her new dampness. Instantly, she was wet. She let him stroke herthat way for as long as she could stand. Then she slid down him, pulling hisshorts free and running her lips and tongue over him again and again.

'Go slow, Maura,' he begged. 'I'm reallyout of practice and I want this to last.'

'Where does it say you only get one try?'she murmured, moving up to his lips and helping him slide her pants down.

Completely nude, with wonderfully whiteskin and only the shortest, soft bristles of hair on her head, she was thesexiest woman he had ever been with. She lay stretched out on her belly now,toes pointed. He knelt beside her and ran his hand down her long, silky body,pausing to stroke her buttocks again and again. Then he rolled gently on top ofher, kneading the muscles in her back, spreading her legs apart with his knees.He was so aroused, so large, he ached. He kissed the inside of her thighs andtouched between her legs. She was ready, too — incredibly ready.

'Please, Harry,' she moaned. 'Not thisway. I want to look at you this first time. I want to see your face. I want tosee your wonderful face.'

He kissed her behind the neck and helpedher roll over. She drew her knees up and took him in her hand. For severalmagical suspended seconds they remained that way, their eyes fixed on one another.

'Keep looking at me,' she whispered as sheguided him inside her. 'Baby, please, keep your eyes open. Just a littlelonger. Keep your eyes open and see how happy this makes me. See how much Ilove doing this with you.'

The light of morning was filtering throughthe blinds when the phone began ringing. Harry couldn't remember when they hadfinally drifted off to sleep, but he knew it couldn't have been very long ago.They had made love, then rested, then made love, then showered and ate, andthen made love again.

'If this is you at fifty,' Maura hadgasped at one point, 'I'm sure glad I didn't meet you when you weretwenty- five.'

'You would have been eleven,' he said.

'That's just the point.'

An hour later, as she lay beside him, shegently touched the patchwork of scars covering his back. He had already toldher about Nha-trang.

'Hey, you can tell me the real story now,'she said. 'I'll certainly understand. What was her name?'

The ringing persisted. He reached acrossher for the phone just as she was beginning to stir. The digital display on hisclock radio read 7:50.

'Hello?'

'Harry?'

'Yes.'

'Harry, it's Doug. Sorry to wake you.'

'Hey, I've been up for hours.'

Maura, now almost fully awake, reachedplayfully under the sheet to touch him. He pushed her hand aside, stifling alaugh.

'Harry, what in the hell is going on?'Atwater asked.

From the tension in Doug's voice, it wasclear he was not referring to what was going on at that moment in Harry'sbedroom.

'With what?' Harry asked.

'With those posters, dammit. Harry,please, we're friends. Don't play games with me.'

Harry was wide awake now, sitting boltupright. Maura, sensing trouble, was up, too.

'Doug, you have to believe me, I don'tknow what you're talking about.'

'There are posters on every bulletin boardin the hospital, and in at least two other hospitals we know of. Posters witheight versions of that drawing of the man you think killed your wife. Owen isfurious, Harry.'

Harry groaned and put his hand over thereceiver.

'The posters are up all over the hospital,godammit. It's got to be Concepcion.' He returned to Atwater. 'Doug,