Hush Money

“Where?”

“No.”

“He out any people who might have resented it?”

“Lot of people who are outed resent it, but it has to be done.”

“For the greater good,” I said.

“Absolutely,” Willie said.

“Anyone that might have been really mad?”

“Not to throw Prentice out a window,” Walt said.

“Any to-be-outed that might have wanted to forestall him?”

“Oh, come on,” Walt said. “This isn’t some cops and robbers movie.”

“How’d he find the names of people to out?”

“You go to the gay bars, you hear talk at parties, you talk to your friends, see some big contributors to gay-type charities, you sort of nose around, see what you can find out.”

“Investigative reporting,” I said.

“Exactly.”

“You have a file?”

“A file?”

“Of people you suspect that you may out if you can compile enough gossip?”

Willie’s eyes went to the desk and flicked away. I’m not sure he was even aware that they’d moved.

“That’s not fair,” Walt said. “It’s more than gossip.”

“You have a file?”

“No.”

I went to the desk and opened the center drawer.

“Hey,” Walt said. “You got no right to be looking in there.”

I paid no attention. And neither Walt nor Willie pressed the issue. I found nothing in the center drawer. The side drawer was locked.

“Open it,” I said.

“I have no key,” Walt said.

I nodded and went to the window. I leaned on it hard and after a struggle got it closed.

“Prentice about your size?” I said to Willie.

“Un huh.”

“Open the window,” I said.

“You just closed it.”

“Humor me,” I said. “Open it.”

Willie shrugged expressively and went to the window and pushed. It didn’t move. He strained until his small face was red. The window didn’t move. Walt watched frowning.

“Let me try,” he said.

He was bigger and looked like he worked out some. He couldn’t budge it either.

“So what’s that prove,” Willie said. “That you’re macho man?”

Walt shook his head.

“Prentice couldn’t have opened that window,” Walt said.

“So if he jumped he either got someone to open it for him,” I said, “or he waited around until it was open.”

“My gawd,” Willie said, “he really didn’t jump.”

“Probably not,” I said. “You got a key to that drawer?”

“Sure,” Walt said.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

The drawer contained a long list of names of people being considered for outing. I took it with me and back issues of OUTrageous. It wasn’t like Belson to have missed the window. It was probably open when he arrived and he never tried it. I took the stuff back to my office and put it on my desk in a neat pile and looked at the pile. Maybe tomorrow.

I pulled the phone over and called Hall, Peary.

“Louis Vincent, please.”