me she went directly to the mirror over my washbasin and began to reapply lip gloss.
“Where shall we lunch?”
“We could go straight to my place,” I said.
“Un uh,” she said. “And eat about four in the afternoon?”
“We could order out,” I said.
“Sure, and while we waited…? I don’t think so.”
“Where would you like to go?” I said.
“Anyplace where you won’t try to undress me.”
“You’re the one that came in here with the big kiss,” I said.
“Because I love you, does that mean I have to lie down immediately on my back?”
“I think so,” I said. “Though I’ve never been a stickler for position.”
“I’ve noticed,” Susan said. “Let’s go to the Ritz Cafe.”
“Sounds good,” I said.
I smiled to myself.
“Why are you smiling.”
“Just happy,” I said.
We walked Pearl down to my place and put her in my living room. I put fresh water in Pearl’s dish, and turned on the radio so she’d have music to listen to. She hated talk radio. Susan kissed her good-bye, and we went out. We came back out of my apartment and turned left on Marlborough Street and right on Arlington.
“Talk to me a minute about people who stalk people,” I said.
“Sure,” Susan said. “I suspect you know what I know. It is some sort of attempt to maintain or, I suppose, acquire the feeling of power over someone. Following a person may not give you real power, but it gives you the feeling of it. You watch them. You know where they go, what they do, who they see.”
“Knowledge is power,” I said.
“Exactly,” Susan said.
“Are stalkers dangerous?” I said.
“Not necessarily. Sometimes the need for power extends to physical coercion, sometimes not. Sometimes dirty tricks, sometimes not.”
“And the purpose?”
“Fear of loss,” Susan said. “A lover, say, from whom you are estranged. You fear if she gets out of your power you’ll lose her. And the feeling of power is a way to feel as if you haven’t.”
We were at the corner of Commonwealth less than a block from The Ritz when Susan spotted KC Roth. She stopped dead in her tracks and stared at her. KC realized that Susan had seen her and tried to look as if she were just strolling along and didn’t notice us.
“What the hell is this?” Susan said to me.
“The lovely and tenacious KC Roth,” I said.
“She’s stalking you again?”
“Yep.”
“You knew it?”
“Yep.”
“And you didn’t say anything?”
“I thought it would be more dramatic if you discovered her yourself.”
“It is,” Susan said.
She was quiet for a moment, then she turned toward KC Roth and yelled.
“KC!”
KC tried to look startled.
“Susan?”
“Get over here,” Susan said.
KC walked over to us.
“Susan, what are you…?”
“Shut up,” Susan said.
She jabbed at a bench on the mall.
“Sit down,” she said.
Her teeth were clenched and her face was hard-edged and kind of white except for red splotches on her
