'I'm not attractive. And I'm desperately obsessive about men, and I grew up the only Hispanic in an Anglo school district. Juanita Omelet.'
I thought about a pitcher of margaritas and a thick glass with salt on the rim: two thick glasses and me and Susan having nachos in L.A. at Lucy's El Adobe out on Melrose Ave. where it would be sunny.
'And now I have two college degrees. I am a professional. I have an office at the hospital. I can't not be that anymore. I would die.'
'I don't want anyone to know about Bailey,' Caroline said.
I looked at Susan and then at Hawk. 'Swell,' I said.
'You are not obligated to respect their wishes,' Susan said.
'True,' I said.
'We needing a plan,' Hawk said.
'I'll say.'
'How you feel 'bout whacking them out,' Hawk said.
'The idea has merit,' I said. 'Let us consider it.'
There was a pause. Hawk and I both looked at the women.
'Want us to go in the kitchen and boil water?' Susan said.
I grinned at her. 'Nope. We'll step out there. Care to join us?'
Susan shook her head. 'I don't care to know,' she said.
'Wise,' I said, 'as well as winsome. When this is over will you get drunk with me?' 'Yes,' Susan said.
Chapter 34
We had a plan, but it took a little time. Juanita went home, Caroline stayed home. Susan and Hawk and I went back to Boston, in Hawk's car.
'Shoulda got me a cap,' Hawk said. 'And practiced up saying yassah and opening the car door.'
'Leather puttees,' Susan said. 'I think you'd be simply scrumptious in leather puttees.'
'Yasum,' Hawk said.
'Are you worried about Juanita?' Susan said to me.
'No,' I said.
'She's unstable as hell,' Susan said. 'She could go straight to Esteva.'
'Doesn't matter. Our plan will work either way.'
' 'Less of course old Cesar shoot us both in the head when we show up,' Hawk said.
'We should avoid that,' I said.
'Felice probably the gunny anyway,' Hawk said. 'Cesar look more hands-on.'
'You care to share your plan,' Susan said. 'It doesn't sound fail-safe.'
'Still needs some polishing,' I said. 'Do you think you can get Caroline a job in Boston?'
'I'm going to talk to a man I know at Widener Library. It would be good, I think, to get her out of Wheaton.'
'Maybe she care to try my famous African beef injection,' Hawk said.
'Oh, oink,' Susan said.
'Yasum,' Hawk said.
The snow had stopped and the night sky was clear and black with no moon but a lot of stars. Hawk dropped Susan and me off in front of my place on Marlborough Street about two hours before dawn.
'Be back at noon,' Hawk said. 'With the van.'
'Rent it,' I said. 'We got enough problems without driving a hot truck.'
Hawk smiled and drove away and Susan and I stumbled up to my apartment and fell on the bed and went to sleep without undressing.
Showered and shaved and smelling like an early lilac, I made two phone calls before I left Susan eating whole wheat biscuits and drinking coffee at my kitchen counter when Hawk showed up in a yellow rental van at noon.
'The sour-cherry jam,' I said, 'is unusually good with those.'
'Take care of yourself,' she said. 'I'll be back,' I said.
'I'll be here,' she said.
'There is, you know, also a therapy featuring Irish beef . . .'
'I'm familiar,' Susan said, 'with the treatment.'
'Perhaps when I get back ... '
