'Can I help you? ' a voice asked over the din. There was the slightest guttural hint of a German accent.
Jack turned to face the smiling maitre d'.
'We've a reservation, I assume, ' Jack said.
'And the name? '
'Montgomery, I suppose, ' Jack said.
The host consulted his list. 'Ah, yes, of course. Miss Montgomery is not here yet, but one of the other members of your party is. He's at the bar. I'll have your table in a moment.' Jack worked his way among the standing clientele, heading in the general direction of the bar.
He saw Lou sitting on one of the tall stools, clutching a beer and intermittently pulling on a cigarette. Jack touched him on the arm.
Lou glanced up at him with a hangdog expression.
'You don't look happy, ' Jack said.
Lou guiltily stubbed out his cigarette. 'I'm not. I'm concerned. You got me worried about Laurie when you talked to me this morning. Since I was with her a good part of the day, I couldn't help but notice that she was acting weird, like she was all gassed up about something. When I finally got up the courage to ask her what was up, she just laughed and said I'd find out tonight. I'm afraid she might be leaving town.
I'm thinking she got a job someplace else. You medical examiners are in demand. I know that for a fact.' Jack couldn't suppress a smile.
Looking at Lou was like looking in a mirror, and the image was pathetic.
Obviously, Lou had been torturing himself with the same possibility.
'Go ahead and laugh at me, ' Lou said. 'I deserve it.'
'Hty, I'm not laughing at you. I'm laughing at us. I had the exact same thought.
In fact I even picked a place, the West Coast.'
'Seriously? ' Jack nodded.
'I don't know whether that makes me feel better or worse, ' Lou said.
'It's nice to have company, but it probably means we're right.' Jack leaned back so he could get a better look at Lou. He was impressed.
The detective had shaved to remove his usual five o'clock shadow and had even pomaded his hair so that it still looked wet from the shower along the edges of his knife-sharp part. Gone was the rumpled sport jacket and baggy pants. In their place was a crisply pressed suit, a freshly laundered shirt, and a newly knotted t
'I've never seen you in a suit before, ' Jack commented. 'You look like you belong in a magazine, and I'm not talking about True Detective.'
'I usually only wear it to funerals, ' Lou said.
'That's a happy thought, ' Jack responded.
'Excuse me, ' the maitre d' said at Jack's elbow. 'Your table is ready.
Would you men like to sit down or do you want to stay here at the bar?'
'We'll sit down, ' Jack said without hesitation. He was eager to get away from the second-hand cigarette smoke.
The table was in the far back corner and to get there required some deft maneuvers, since as many tables as possible were crowded into the room. No sooner had Jack and Lou wedged themselves into their seats than a waiter appeared with an iced bottle of champagne plus two pricey bottles of Brunello.
He immediately proceeded to open the champagne.
'Whoa! ' Jack said to the man. 'You got the wrong table. We haven't ordered anything yet.'
'Isn't this the Montgomery party? ' the waiter asked. He had a Spanish accent and an old-fashioned handlebar mustache. Even though Elio's was an Italian restaurant, it had a decidedly cosmopolitan staff.
'Yeah, but.. .' Jack said.
'Then it's been ordered, ' the waiter said. He popped the cork and nestled the bottle back into its ice bucket. He then uncorked the two bottles of wine.
'This looks like a good wine, ' Jack commented as he picked up one of the wine bottles and glanced at the label.
'Oh, very good! ' the waiter agreed. 'I'll be back with the glasses.
' Jack looked over at Lou. 'This isn't the jug wine I usually drink.'
'I'm getting more nervous, ' Lou said. 'Laurie's the thrifty sort.'
'You got a point, ' Jack agreed. Whenever they went out, Laurie always insisted on paying her own way.
As soon as the waiter came back with the glasses, he proceeded to pour some champagne for Jack and Lou. Jack tried to say that they'd wait for Miss Montgomery, but the waiter insisted he was following the lady's orders.
After the waiter departed Jack picked up his flute. Lou did the same.
They touched glasses although neither spoke. Jack tried to think of a toast but nothing appropriate or witty came to mind. Silently they tasted the sparkling wine.
'I suppose it's good, ' Lou said. 'But I've never been a big fan of champagne. I think of it more as something to squirt around at athletic victories.'
'My feeling exactly, ' Jack said. He took another sip and as he did, he caught sight of Laurie over the rim of his long-stemmed glass. She was dressed in a snug black velvet pants suit that outlined her undeniably shapely female form. A triple-stranded pearl necklace was clasped around her neck. To Jack she looked absolutely radiant. So much so that he momentarily choked on his champagne.
Both Jack and Lou struggled to their feet. The quarters were so tight that Lou nudged the table enough to spill his glass of champagne.
Luckily Jack was still holding his.
'Oh, what a klutz! ' Lou complained.
Laurie laughed, grabbed a napkin, and wiped up the spilled wine. The waiter appeared instantly to lend a hand.
'Thank you both for coming, ' Laurie said. She gave each a peck on the cheek.
It was at that point that Jack realized Laurie was not alone. Coming up behind her was a darkly tanned, olive-complected man with thick, wavy hair and a mouth full of startlingly white teeth. He wasn't too much taller than Laurie's five feet five inches, but he projected a confident and powerful air. Jack guessed he was close to his own age.
He was dressed in a dark silk suit that made Lou's look as if it had come off a rack in a bargain basement. A bright foulard pocket square ballooned from his breast pocket.
'I want you to meet Paul Sutherland, ' Laurie said. Her voice quavered as if she was nervous.
Jack shook hands with the man after Lou. As their eyes met, Jack had trouble telling where the man's irises stopped and his pupils began.
It was like looking into the depths of black marbles. His handshake was firm and resolute.
'Why are we standing? ' Laurie asked.
Paul responded by instantly pulling Laurie's chair out from the table.
Once Laurie was sitting the others followed suit. The waiter quickly filled the champagne glasses.
'I'd like to propose a toast, ' Laurie said. 'To friends.'
'Hear, hear! ' Paul echoed.
They all touched glasses and drank.
There was a brief uncomfortable silence. Jack and Lou had no idea why Laurie had brought a stranger to their dinner party and were afraid to ask.
'Well, ' Laurie said finally. 'What a day this has been, wouldn't you say, Lou? '
'Absolutely, ' Lou agreed.
'I hope you don't mind a little shop talk, Paul, ' Laurie said. 'That skinhead case I mentioned to you earlier had Lou and me tied up for most of the day.'
'Not at all, ' Paul said. 'I'm sure I'll be fascinated. That old TV show about a medical examiner was one of my favorites.'
