Sapp nodded and drank some more coffee.
'Place closes the month of August so everybody can have vacation.'
'What could be more convenient?' I said.
'You planning on hiring anybody else?'
'I have a few more in mind,' I said.
Sapp looked at Susan.
He said, 'How do you feel about all of this?'
'I wish he were a portrait painter,' Susan said, 'but then he wouldn't be him, would he?'
'And that would be a bad thing?' Tedy said.
Susan smiled.'Yes, God help me, that would be a bad thing.'
'And you a shrink,' Sapp said.
'When you two get through doing Sonny and Cher,' I said, 'could we sort of focus on the reason I'm here?'
'Which is to recruit me,' Sapp said.
'Yes.'
'Okay,' Sapp said.
'Okay we'll focus? Or okay, you're in?'
'Okay, I'm in,' Sapp said. 'Though I may have to have Susan talk to Ben.'
'The ophthalmologist?' Susan said.
Tedy nodded.
'Him,' he said.
'How long have you been together?' Susan said.
'Twelve years.'
'Do you think Ben wants you to be different than you are?'
'No,' Sapp said and grinned. 'I guess he only has eyes for me.'
Susan sighed.
Chapter 21
IN LATE JuLY, in southeastern Nevada, the temperature is 100 and the sun shines every day. No one much cares about this in Las Vegas, because everything is air-conditioned and everyone is inside. Losing money.
I was at the bar in the Mirage, nursing a beer, playing the dollar slots, and waiting for Susan to get rid of fifty dollars playing blackjack. She had brought fifty dollars to gamble with and, since she didn't really know how to play blackjack, it wouldn't take long. I had tried to explain to her that the object was not to spend it, but to try to win more with it. I'm pretty sure she didn't believe me.
Bernard J. Fortunato was across the way with a dark-haired woman in spike heels who would have been taller than he was in her stocking feet. They were playing blackjack. Bernard was looking good in a blue seersucker suit, pink shirt, pink-and-white striped tie and a snap-brim straw hat with a pink hatband. I waited. It was bad form in Vegas to break someone's concentration while he was losing his money. I was in no hurry. I had ten more dollar coins to give to the slots at the bar. Occasionally I would win. But I was undeterred. I would keep feeding coins into the slot until they were gone.
After awhile Bernard J. Fortunato and his tall companion had won enough, or lost enough, I couldn't tell which, and headed for the bar where I sat. He spotted me while he was still halfway across the casino floor. He stopped and stood motionless while he looked at me, trying to remember. Then he came the rest of the way to the bar and stood in front of me.
'Spenser,' he said.
I nodded. Bernard looked around. 'Hawk with you?'
'No.'
Bernard nodded as if this information confirmed his suspicions. He put a hand on the brunette's arm. 'This is Terry,' he said.
Terry smiled and put her hand out. She had on a short flowered summer dress with thin shoulder straps. She was quite beautiful, with big eyes and a wide mouth. All of her that showed, which was considerable, was pretty good. She was carefully made up, and probably somewhat older than she looked.
'Very pleased to meet you,' she said.
'And you,' I said.
They sat at the bar. Bernard sat beside me and Terry sat beside him.
'Whaddya drinking?' Bernard said.
'I'm all set,' I said.
The bartender came down the bar.
