never told. They weren't supposed to.
There was some sort of oath… it never hurts to keep your mouth shut.
'My mother used to say that women would take me for all they could get.'
She smiled slightly and nodded.
'Iguess she meant money. That they'd go out with me for my money.'
'Did you have a lot of money?'
'Me? No. My father had some, but I never had any, and, I mean, I was a kid; kids don't have money.'
Today she was wearing a light gray suit with a high round collar and some pearls. Her stockings and shoes were white.
'So maybe there was something else they'd take, 'she said.
'Like what?'
She shrugged.
'I always felt bad when she said that. It was like nobody would go out with me for, you know, just what they could get. And it made me feel like I was stupid, like if any broad wanted to take me for everything she could get, she could, and I'd be too weak to stop her.'
'Weak,' she said. It wasn't exactly a question, and it wasn't exactly a comment.
'Dumb, whatever.'
She nodded.
'Must have made girls seem pretty scary, when you were a boy.'
'Well, not scary. I mean a boy doesn't have to be scared of a girl'
'Um hmm.'
'I used to fantasize sometimes. 'He would feel the surge of passion, almost ejaculatory, as he flitted closer to revelation. 'I used to think about tying them up.' He could barely speak for the rush of excitement. He felt the sexual thrill of it dance through him.
'Um hmm.'
They were both quiet. I could tie you up, he thought. If I had my stuff with me. I could make you stay there and tie you up.
'What do you suppose those girls were going to take?' she said again.
He felt as if he might explode.
'Me,' he heard his voice. 'They'd take me.'
'Away from?' she said.
'Her. 'His voice seemed loose from him, out there on its own in the room.
Susan and I were having dinner in Davio's on Newbury Street, in a booth in the back. Susan had developed a taste for red wine, so that lately she was putting away a glass at a single sitting. We had a bottle of Chianti between us and a salad each.
Susan guzzled nearly a gram of Chianti and put the glass down.
'Um,' she said.
'We've got a list of seven possibles among your clients,' I said.
'Possible Red Rose killer?'
'Possible guy who left the rose and ran.'
'How did you come by the list?' she said.
'We staked out the office and followed anyone who fit the description.'
'Who's we?'
'Quirk, Belson, and me. Hawk stayed with you.'
'Because you were the man who'd seen him,' she said.
'Yes.'
'Did you compromise them?'
'No,' I said. 'They never knew they were followed.' I handed her the seven names typed on a piece of white paper. She picked up the paper without looking at it.
'Of course I speculated on who it could be,' she said. 'To outrun you they had to fall within certain broad categories.'
I nodded. There was some bread in a basket on the table and I broke off a piece and used it as a pusher when I ate some salad.
She looked at the list. Nodded her head.
