them in the dishwasher along with the plates and pans from last night's supper. Then I made some coffee.
I was on my second cup when Susan emerged from the bathroom naked with her hair done and her makeup on. I took coffee into the bedroom while she dressed.
'What are you going to do?' she said.
'I guess I'll see if I can find Jocelyn.'
'Could we be wrong?' Susan said.
'Could someone else have copied that poster when they tied her up? And she really is a captive?'
'We could be wrong,' I said.
'But we're probably not. If I find her, we'll know.'
Susan nodded.
'So we go with our best guess,' she said.
'Don't you?' I said.
'In therapy? Yes, I suppose so, guided by intelligence and experience, and something else.'
'What else?' I said.
'I hate the word,' Susan said, 'but, intuition?'
'Whatever,' I said.
'You use a little science and a little art.'
'Yes.'
'Me too,' I said.
'And rather well,' she said.
'Could you snap this for me?'
I did. When she was gone, and the air still eddied with her scent, I took a shower and dressed and turned on CNN for Pearl to watch while she was alone, and went to my office.
First check the mail, then find Jocelyn.
CHAPTER 46
When I got there, Rikki Wu was sitting on the floor in the hall outside my office door. She had her knees pulled up to her chest and her face buried in her folded arms. When I stopped in front of her, she looked up and her eyes were red from crying. Some of her eye makeup had run. I put down a hand and she took it, and I helped her to her feet. I held her hand while I unlocked my door, and led her inside, and put her in the chair in front of my desk.
Then I went around and sat in my chair on the other side of the desk and leaned back and looked at her.
'What do you need?' I said.
She hugged herself a little and shivered.
'Would you like some coffee?' I said.
She continued to hug herself and shiver. She nodded her head slightly. I got up and put coffee in the filter and water in the reservoir and pushed the button. Then I came back and sat down.
Neither of us spoke. The coffeemaker muttered. Rikki continued to hug herself and stare at nothing. The coffeemaker subsided, and I got up and poured some.
'Milk?' I said.
'Sugar?'
'Milk,' she said in a small voice.
'Two sugars.'
I brought her coffee, placed it on the edge of my desk in front of her. I took mine and went around and sat down again. She picked up the coffee cup with both hands and sipped some coffee.
Her lipstick made a bright crescent on the edge of her cup.
'I don't know who else,' she said.
'Un huh,' I said.
'There's no one I can trust.'
I nodded.
She sipped her coffee again and raised her eyes from the cup and looked straight at me for the first time since I'd arrived.
'Can I trust you?' she said.
'Yeah,' I said.
'You can.'
'My husband's gone.'
