This time she extracted the Double Fudge Whammie with almost tender care. Held in such a wayalmost like a priest holding the Communion hostthat told him she wanted him to leave so she could get busy with the rest of the food.
'I'll be talking to you,' Mitch said.
'No, you won't.'
Mitch looked at her a long momentshe really did have a perfect little face, the kind of innocent eroticism that middle-aged men found so devastatingand then opened the door and let himself out.
He had not gotten ten feet down the dark narrow hallway before he heard her break out in sobs.
She was the one, all right.
Jill spent two hours that morning with her attorney. It seemed more like ten hours.
Deborah's well-tailored tweed suit and white silk scarf gave her an elegance that belied her scrappy personality. She was almost belligerent in the way she questioned Jill sometimes, almost as if Jill were a hostile witness.
They went through Eric's initial phone call. 'Think carefully. Did he mention anybody who was with him in the office then?'
'I don't think so.'
''Don't think so' isn't good enough, Jill. Think.'
'No, I'm sure he didn't mention anybody.'
'How about when you arrived there? Close your eyes and think back. You're walking in the lobby door. What do you see?'
Jill described what she'd seen.
'All right. You see the elevators. How many are there in that building?'
'Three.'
'All lined up?'
'Yes.'
'Now: do you see any of the doors opening?'
Jill thought a moment. 'Yes.'
'Which one?'
'The one in the middle.'
'Is anybody getting off that particular car?'
'No.'
'You're sure?'
'Yes.'
'You get on the car and you go up to Eric's office?'
'Right.'
'Does that car stop at any other floor first?'
'No.'
'You said that pretty fast. Think a moment.'
'It didn't stop at any other floor. I'm sure.'
'All right, the car stops on Eric's floor and the doors open and' Deborah's intercom buzzed.
Jill opened her eyes to the nice new office, all glass and chrome and gray carpeting and dove-gray couches and matching chairs.
Deborah said, 'Yes?'
'There's a call for Jill. He says it's urgent.'
'Thank you.' Deborah nodded to the phone console on her desk.
Jill picked up.
Mitch said, 'I found her.'
'Really!'
'Really. Her name's Cini.'
'God, I can't believe it.'
'That's the good news.'
'There's bad news?'
'I'm afraid so. She doesn't want to cooperate. She won't admit anything.'
'But why?'
'I'm not sure.'
'God, what can we do?'
'If I don't hear from her by tomorrow, I'll run back out there and talk to her.'
'You're sure she's the right one?'
'You know that list of bar names I had where Eric hung out at various times? I found this bartender in number twenty-six who remembered seeing him in there the night he was murdered. He also happened to know who the girl was, this Cini. He thought she was maybe a Northwestern student and he was right. We lucked out.'
'Now if we can just get her to talk…'
'She'll talk. Eventually.'
'I can't wait to tell Deborah.'
'I'll see you tonight at your place.'
'Our place.'
'Our place, then. I didn't want to sound presumptuous.'
'That's not presumptuous at all.'
'See you tonight.'
'Dad?'
'Hi, honey.'
'Is it a bad time?'
'C'mon, now, where my little girl's concerned it's never a bad time.'
'She told you, huh? Mom, I mean.'
'She told me.'
'I'm sorry.'
'We're looking at it as only a temporary setback, Cini. And that's how you have to look at it, too.'
'I'm still eating.'
'You'll stop eventually. Then we'll deal with it again.'
'Dad, I didn't tell Mom everything.'
She heard a buzz. 'Could I put you on hold for a second, sweetheart?'
'Sure.'
She hated bugging him at work, knew how driven he was, but today she had no choice. Successful physician or not, he always managed to find time for his beloved daughter. She just wished she and her mom could get along this well. They couldbut never for long.
'Sorry. Now you were saying that you didn't tell your mom everything.'
'No, I didn't. I mean, I told her I was overeating again but I didn't really say why.'
'Then you know why?'
She paused. 'Yes.'
'Cini, are you in some kind of trouble?'
'Yes, I am, Dad.'
'You want to talk about it?'
'Not on the phone.'
