‘Harper.’
While she made him a fresh drink she said, ‘You know, I’m not conning you now. Do you know that?’
He sat down on the sofa. ‘Yes.’
‘How can you be sure?’
‘Because,’ he told her, ‘you can be sure you can’t do anything about my yes or no, no matter what happens here. If I stay, if I go, no matter what, you won’t have any reason to make another call.’
She nodded. ‘That’s right.’ She came over and handed him his glass and sat down beside him. ‘That’s right,’ she said. She smiled; she had an elfin smile, a pixie smile. ‘And if now I told you it’s just that I’m intrigued about you and curious about you, and I’d like to find out about you, what would you say?’
The terms were better now. He put his drink down and reached for her.
4
HE rolled over under the sheet and put his hand on her thigh and rubbed upward, putting some pressure in it, rubbing upward over her belly and breasts to her shoulder, then putting his hand back down to her thigh and rubbing upward once again. Her flesh was warm and dry and resilient.
The second time he did it she made a moaning sound deep in her throat, and squirmed under his hand, and moved her arms in a lazy way. The third time, she opened her eyes as though surprised.
‘Oh!’ she said. She blinked rapidly, and yawned, and stretched her arms up so her breasts were pulled taut. He stroked his hand across them and she laughed and said, ‘It’s you! Good morning!’
‘Not yet,’ he said.
‘Oh? Oh! Oh, yes, of course
‘ She held her arms out to receive him. ‘Yes, of course,’ she murmured.
The pattern was changing here, but he understood why. His sexual appetite was cyclical, at its peak right after a job, waning slowly, disappearing entirely when he was involved in the planning and preparation of the next job. According to that pattern he should be having little or no interest in a Crystal right now. But the usual pattern was based on his working only once or twice a year, and that was where the difference lay; the football stadium heist had only taken place six weeks ago. He was working again so soon because of a combination of an unusual need for money and the timely request from Walter Karns, So, for one of the few times in his life, he was combining business with pleasure.
As they were getting out of bed, she said, ‘Did you get an answer on your call yet?’
He’d put in a call last night, after he’d looked over the pictures, to Grofield’s contact. ‘No,’ he said. ‘It’s still too early.’ Grofield mostly liked to sleep till noon.
She said, ‘Does it mean you’re going to do it? Making the call, does that mean?’
‘Stop working,’ he said.
She no longer took offence with him. She just laughed and shook her head. ‘I’m not working, I’m curious. I want to know for myself.’
‘You’re curious all the time.’
‘All right, never mind. May I ask what you want for breakfast?’
‘I don’t care,’ he said. ‘Whatever you make.’ Food was functional with him, he didn’t think about it.
She said, ‘There’s one thing I’ve got to say.’
‘Say it.’
‘I’d like to stay here, as long as you want. But if you stay, I’ll have to tell my boss, so he won’t give me anything else to do.’
Parker considered. It would take a week or two to get set up, and the choice was between here and the motel room. After he was more fully involved in the job the usual pattern might reassert itself, but until then this place had advantages over the motel. He said. ‘Tell your boss to have somebody pick up my stuff at the motel and bring it here.’
‘Good.’
She made breakfast while he showered, and afterwards they went back to bed for a while. Someone brought Parker’s suitcase a little after ten and Crystal’s nesting instinct took over. She had to unpack everything and stow everything away, and then she had to get dressed and take things down to the cleaners. While she was gone Parker looked over some of the pictures again they were all first-rate black and white prints and when she came back he took her clothing off and returned her to bed.
The phone rang at eleven-thirty. They were sitting up, smoking cigarettes, and she reached to the bedside extension, spoke into it, and then passed the phone to Parker, saying, ‘It’s for you. Thank him for not calling five minutes ago.’
Parker said, ‘Hello.’
‘Was that a lady I heard, with that bedroom voice?’
‘Grofield?’
‘Talking to you is like having a chat with one of the statues on Easter Island. How are you, Parker?’
It was Grofield, always amusing himself with his own dialogue. But he was a good man, reliable on a job and perfect for this one. Parker said, ‘There’s an investment you might be interested in.’
‘Having just had a theatre shot out from under me by the Philistines, I can tell you your statement is succinct and pithy but perhaps underplayed.’
