on the top floor.
'Wow,' I said when I sat down. 'On a slow day you can sit and watch the planes fly in and out of Logan.'
'My days aren't usually that slow,' Rita said. 'I understand you're working for me.'
'I prefer to think of it as 'working with,'' I said.
'I'm sure you do,' Rita said. 'On the other hand, your pay comes through my account.'
I said, 'Yes, boss.'
'Actually,' Rita said, 'I'm very glad you're aboard.'
'Because I am a crackerjack detective,' I said.
'That,' Rita said, 'and it gives me time to pursue my seduction.'
'How's that worked out for you in the past?' I said.
'Not as well as I'd hoped,' Rita said.
'If it's any consolation,' I said, 'I enjoy the attempt.'
Rita shifted in her chair and crossed her legs in case I wanted to admire them. Which I did, in a sort of abstract way.
'If it's any consolation to you, you're not the only one I'm attempting,' she said.
'I suspected that,' I said.
'Susan's well?' Rita said.
'Susan is perfect,' I said.
'Probably not,' Rita said. 'But I find it lovely that you think so.'
'Tell me about Jumbo Nelson,' I said.
'It's going to be a bitch,' Rita said. 'He's a perfect pig of a man, and everybody hates him, including me.'
'You think he's guilty?'
'He's guilty of a lot,' Rita said. 'And he is such a degenerate that it's tempting to let him take the fall for this. . . . Plus, have you seen any of his movies?'
'No. You think he killed her with malice aforethought?'
'I don't know,' Rita said. 'I do know that it's not clear that he did. And I do know that he has the right to the best defense available. Which is me.'
'He's not been charged,' I said.
'No,' Rita said. 'He remains a person of interest, but he's not been arrested. Some of the ADAs probably know the case isn't a lock. The way Quirk does.'
'You think he will be arrested?'
'Probably,' Rita said. 'I think the pressure will be too much, and they'll cave.'
'So you have any specific assignments for me?' I said.
'I suspect you know what to do. We'll need all we can know about the girl.'
'Dawn Lopata,' I said.
'Yes.'
'So you'll be able to impugn her reputation if you need to.'
'If we need to,' Rita said. 'Also, we need to know all we can about Jumbo Nelson.'
'So you can counter the prosecution if they impugn Jumbo's reputation,' I said.
'It's how these things sometimes work,' Rita said. 'But I'll bet you have found that the more you know about the principals in the case, the better able you are to work the case?'
'I have found that,' I said.
'Beyond that,' Rita said. 'I suggest you use your intelligence, guided by experience.'
'Lucky I have a lot of experience,' I said.
'You're too modest,' Rita said.
'I know,' I said.
5
THE LOPATA FAMILY lived in Smithfield, twelve miles north of Boston. Susan had once lived there a long time ago, when she was a guidance counselor at the junior high school, before Harvard and all that followed, so I knew my way around better than I sometimes did in the suburbs. Or wanted to.
As I drove through town, I was reminded once again of why Susan left. If you Googled 'bedroom community,' there'd be a link to Smithfield. It was a Saturday morning in spring, and nothing was happening. There were no kids in the school yard throwing the ball around. There was no one shopping, maybe because there was no place to shop. No dogs were racing about, no Frisbees were being thrown, no bicycles were being pedaled. The town
