We drank some more coffee. Yesterday's fresh coffee isn't as good as today's fresh coffee, but it is far, far better than no coffee.
'I am only a simple hooligan,' Hawk said, 'and you the detective. But I notice every time we run down some sort of lead it connect us to O'Mara.'
'Keep thinking like that,' I said, 'and maybe you can be a detective.'
This time when the phone rang it was Rita.
'The two town houses on West Newton Street,' Rita said, are both owned by Darrin O'Mara.'
'Any mention of anyone named Lance Devaney?'
'Lance Devaney?'
'Um-hm.'
'Of course not,' Rita said.
'Okay,' I said. 'Hawk says kiss kiss!'
'You're lying to me,' Rita said.
'Yes, I am,' I said. 'But with the best of intentions.'
She hung up.
'O'Mara owns both units,' I said to Hawk.
Hawk slid into a British public school accent.
'By God, Holmes,' he said. 'This bears looking into.'
'It do,' I said. 'Perhaps you could stay on Lance Devaney for a while longer.'
Hawk stayed with his Holmesian accent.
'Be interesting,' he said, 'to establish the precise nature of their relationship.'
'You're thinking they might be more than friends?'
'Happens sometimes,' Hawk said.
'Happens quite often,' I said, 'in the South End.'
'Be kind of cute,' Hawk said, 'champion of courtly romance turns out to be Oscar Wilde.'
'All kinds of love,' I said.
'For sure,' Hawk said. 'And what do you think happens to Matters of the Heart if O'Mara turns out to be homosexual?'
'Might broaden his audience base,' I said.
'Might.'
'Or everything might go right into the tank,' I said.
'Might.'
'Why don't you look into it,' I said.
'I believe I will,' Hawk said.
54
I was part of the family at Kinergy by now. I smiled at the woman at the reception desk and headed for the elevators without anyone saying may I help you. Kinergy was humming right along, just as if things were going good. Up in Gavin's old office Marty Siegel and his two assistants were deep into their computers. Adele sat close to Marty, I noticed, looking over his shoulder. Vinnie sat tilted back in a high-backed leather swivel chair near the window. He shot me with his forefinger when I stuck my head in the door.
'Progress?'
Marty didn't even look up from the computer.
'You'll be the first to know,' he said.
'Attitude?' I said. 'After I got you this lucrative gig?'
'Go track down a criminal,' Marty said.
'Okay,' I said.
A dele smiled at me, though I think Marty had replaced me in her affections, or Vinnie, or maybe both. Inconstancy, thy name is Adele.
I went on down the hallway to Bob Cooper's big corner office and past the platoon of secretaries in his outer office to the desk of the secretary in chief in her inner office. And she ushered me into the vast digs of the CEO. Cooper stood when I came in and gave me a huge smile.
Welcome wherever I went.
'Spenser,' Cooper said and came around his desk, which took him a while because the desk was nearly the
