'When you had trouble, was it about drinking?'
'Yeah. She was right, I drank too much.'
'I noticed when we were… fooling around at the party that night, she urged you to fight me.'
'Yeah, she liked that. She liked to see me be a tough guy.'
'Is that why you acted the part?'
'When I was drunk, sure. I mean, here I am living off her old man in her old man's house. I needed to show her I was worth something.'
'She get on you about living off her father?'
'Nope. I think she liked it.'
'Control?' I said.
He shrugged.
'I ain't a smart guy,' he said.
'She faithful to you?' I said.
'Far as I know.'
He was right. He wasn't a smart guy.
'But you fooled around.'
'I never cheated on her with anyone she knew,' he said. 'Just some whores. I treated her with respect.'
'That's why you kept the apartment.'
'Yeah.'
'SueSue knew about that?'
'Not from me,' he said.
'SueSue drink a lot?' I said.
'We both liked a cocktail,' he said.
'How did Cord react to all this?'
'In the barn office, when we got… fired, he never said a word, just kept staring at Stonie. Like his mother was leaving him.'
'And afterwards?'
'After the barn office he just disappeared and the next time I saw him he's knocking at my apartment door. He looked like shit. Said he'd been sleeping in the back room of a queer bar.'
'Bath House Bar and Grill,' I said.
'Yeah.'
'How'd he know where to come?' I said.
'I let him use the place every once in a while.'
'For romantic interludes?'
'Whatever.'
'You and Cord seem an unlikely pair,' I said.
'Yeah. Me pals with a fairy. But you know, we were both in the same boat, coupla pet spaniels.'
He ate the last of his breakfast.
THIRTY-THREE
CORD CLEANED UP well. When he joined us, showered, shampooed, clean-shaven, smelling of an understated cologne, and casually dressed, he looked like a successful broker on his day off. He slid into the booth beside me and smiled pleasantly.
'Sorry I sort of slopped over up there. I've been under some stress.'
The waitress came over, filled our coffee cups, and asked Cord if he wanted anything to eat.
'You have any bran flakes?' Cord said.
She shook her head.
'Lunch menu,' she said. 'It's after eleven.'
'Oh. All right, could I have some toast please, and a cup of tea?'
'Tea?'
'Yes please, with lemon.'
'Sure.'
