A moment later they were all stepping over Darling, sniffing at him, pressing at him with their snouts. they panted and drooled on his pin-striped suit. It was a very pretty sight.
I knelt and continued to shoot, finishin2 out my roll. I got several great shots of him iithering-up against the dog walker's knees, writhing to escape the muzzles of her dogs. He had by then lost all his dignity.
And I had the shots to go with the ominous ones taken by Rakoubian.
'Call Mrs. Z,' I told him.
'From now on we'll be dealing through her.' My last memory of the scene was of the tall girl in the backwards baseball cap trying to help him to his feet, while her barking wards, all high-strung and overbred, tangled their leashes into a Gordian knot.
It was 2:00 that afternoon when Kim and I hit the Duquaynes. Kim had their private number-the three of them had had, after all, a very private relationship-and so we stopped at a phone booth on the corner of West Broadway and Prince so she could call and make sure that they were home.
As soon as Amanda Duquayne answered, Kim hung UP.
'I know Harold's there. He always paints in the afternoons,' Kim said.
We walked down to Spring Street, found their building. Kim pushed the buzzer.
'Yes? Who's there?' I had no trouble recognizing Amanda's fancy whine.
Kim grinned at me, then brought her mouth to the intercom.
'Hi, Mandy. It's me-Kim.'
There was a pause and then an intake of breath.
'Oh, dear!' Amanda moaned.
'Buzz me in, Mandy. It's important.'
'I don't know. This is so… unexpected.
'Mandy! Push the goddamn buzzer!' Kim spoke as if she expected to be obeyed. And sure enough, after an involuntary sigh of resignation over the intercom, the buzzer gave a long and splendid sigh of its own.
Harold, unshaven, in his paint-flecked sweatshirt, was standing beside Amanda when we walked-in. She, in her at-home equestrian outfit, looked the perfect spoiled little wife.
'You didn't say he was with you.' Amanda glared at me. Again I noticed her freckled chest.:'Geof and I are partners now, Mandy.' 'I think you'd both better leave,' Harold said.
Kim didn't bother to look at him.
'Pretty hard to take you seriously, Harold, considering I've had you licking the bottoms of my shoes.' Harold recoiled like a man who'd been slapped, while Amanda tried valiantly to regain control.
'You can't just burst in on us like this!' she sputtered.
'You have no right! And to come with him!' She moe tioned toward in.
'He insulted Harold. Said awful things to both of us.'
'Oh, can it, Mandy!' Kim used the dominant tone again.
'Stop playing the offended party.'
'But we are offended,' Amanda whined.
'We're old friends. Don't be silly.' Kim turned to me.
'Did I tell you Harold likes to play doggie?. And little Mandy here has drunk deeply of my-how do you call them, Mandy?-'vital juices'?'
Even as I felt for them in their moment of humiliation, I couldn't help admiring Kim for the way she'd taken command. Suddenly both Duquaynes were docile. Harold hung his head, and Amanda, who'd played proud princess last time I'd seen her, wore an expression of deeply injured pride.
'We didn't come here to insult you, Mandy.' Kim's tone was soothing again.
'We came to give you some advice. There's bad stuff going down, and the two of you may be involved. We wanted to talk to you before the police.
But if having us here upsets you so much-'
'they already called,' Amanda said.
'they didn't say what it was about. Just that they wanted to come over here and talk.'
While Harold showed a pained half smile, Kim gave me an emphatic look.
'I know what it's about,' she said. We all moved to the couches and sat down.
'It has to do with Mrs. Z. One of her clients killed an actress.' The Duquaynes recoiled.
'Remember Sonya?' they nodded.
'It was her. When I threatened to expose this client-it's safer for you if I don't mention his name-they kidnapped Shadow to find out where I was. And when she wouldn't talk…' Kim drew her finger across her neck, then sadly shook her head. The Duquaynes were starting to show signs of extreme distress.
'But why us?' Amanda asked.
'We had nothing to do with any of that.'
'Of course not, darlings. But now the whole thing's coming unwound. You were clients too. You had private sessions. Harold's a celebrity. A famous painter. He's been on the cover of Art News. You've both been on the cover of New York. '
'But still, Kimberly, I still don't see.
'Now everything's going to come out. All the glittering names. Yours too. Unless.
'What?'
'Mrs. Z comes to her senses and agrees that reparation should be paid.'
Harold squinted at Kim.
'You're talking about money?'
'What else, darling? What other kinds of reparations are there in this world?'
'Money from us?' Amanda was tense.
'Not from you, silly. From the client.'
As the Duquaynes looked at each other, I observed their relief-this was not going to cost them any cash.
'But then how-' Harold asked.
'How are you involved?' they both nodded.
'You're not. Except that the cops have got your names. they won't be able to prove anything, of course, not unless certain evidence comes to light. Only Mrs. Z and her client can prevent that. That's why we think one of you should speak to her.'
'What should we say?'
'You could say, very simply, very frankly, that you understand a situation has arisen that could be embarrassing to people who have supported her over the years. And that your advice is that she do whatever has to be done to see that the injured parties in the-affair are satisfied. Anyway, darlings, this is just a suggestion. But, you see, if this does go to the cops, all the trees in the forest will fall, and that, I'm afraid, includes the two of you 'We'll make the call,' Harold said.
'What about the police?' Amanda asked.
'Refer them to your lawyer.'
'Shouldn't we talk with them?'
'That's absolutely the last thing you should do. But I'd talk to Mrs. Z pretty soon, this afternoon if possible. Darlings, you don't want to leave this hanging. Not a thing like this.'
Kim nodded to me, we rose, then the four of us moved to the door. Harold and I shook hands, Amanda and Kim exchanged a kiss, Kim whispered to her, giggled, whispered something to Harold, giggled again, and then we left.
On the street I asked her what all the whispering had been about.
'A jest,' she said.
'I told Mandy we'll get together when this is over, have ourselves some fun. I told Harold next time we played I was going to tie up a very intimate part of his body-. He loved iti-He adores being tied. I suspect he even likes being hit.'
Ilaughed.
'Geoffrey'' She kissed me.
'You're really amused.'
