'I don't think he does.'
'He sure gave me a different impression.'
'You, specifically, I mean. He's trying to hurt me through you. That seems to be his main purpose. He selected you purely at random.'
'Why does he want to hurt you?'
'I don't know.'
'You really don't?'
He laughed gently. 'Hey, Denise, I'm not an all-around loveable guy, I admit. But somebody killing women and then trying to blame me for it? Now that's somebody who really hates me. The last time I looked, I wasn't that bad a guy. I really wasn't.'
'And you don't have any idea who it was?'
'Not any idea at all. Nothing substantive anyway. Just some guesses at this point.'
Without any warning at all Denise leaned back in the couch and yawned. She was a kid at this moment-a sleepy kid. 'Boy, I'm getting tired.'
'Why don't you go in and lie down on my bed?' Greg said. 'I'd planned to sleep on the couch tonight anyway.'
'Gee, I hate to put you out, Greg,' she said. 'Why don't you let me sleep on the couch?'
Greg grinned. 'And miss one of my few chances to be gallant? I wouldn't hear of it.' Greg turned to Brolan. 'Are you done questioning her, Frank?'
Brolan nodded. 'Yes. And I appreciate your spending the time with me.'
Standing now, Denise yawned again and stretched. 'Hope you catch him.'
'So do I.'
She eyed the hall leading to the bedroom. 'Well, I guess I'll see you guys later, then.'
'Good night, Denise,' Greg said.
She walked over to him, took his face in her hands, and kissed him tenderly on the nose. 'I really appreciate everything, Greg. I haven't felt this good in a long time.'
Greg Wagner started blushing. Brolan smiled.
'You, too, Frank,' she said. 'I enjoyed meeting you, too. Only maybe next time you won't have so many questions.'
'G'night, Denise,' Brolan said, and watched her disappear down the hall.
As soon as she was out of sight, Greg said, 'So, what do you think of her?'
'I guess I don't have to ask you what you think of her.'
'You don't approve.'
'I just don't want to see you get hurt. Or ripped off.'
'Ripped off? She's not that kind of kid.'
'She came here to blackmail me, didn't she?'
'You're making too much of that.'
Their eyes met. Brolan didn't want to ruin the other man's hope. 'Maybe you're right, Greg. Maybe I'm just too cynical.'
Greg said, 'Even though I suspect that's a deeply insincere comment, I'll take it at face value.'
'Good.'
'And now I'll go on to tell you about our friend Charles Lane.' He shook his head. The glee put in his eyes by Denise was gone now. This was how he'd looked when Brolan had first met him. 'Maybe Emma and I weren't the friends I thought we were.'
'Meaning?'
'Meaning that there was a lot she didn't tell me.'
'You're sure of that?'
Wagner nodded. 'This afternoon I decided to go over to the other side of the duplex. See what Emma had left behind.' He tossed a leather-bound book about the size of a paperback novel over to Brolan. 'She kept two diaries- the way dishonest businessmen keep two sets of books.'
'Why would she do that?'
'Probably didn't want to hurt my feelings. Or just resented the fact that every private thought she wrote down on the computer could easily be seen by me anytime I cared to tap into it.' He smiled without humour. 'Can't say I blame her, can you?'
'I guess not. Everybody needs privacy.'
'Exactly. And she had her privacy. That diary.'
'Charles Lane's in here?'
'A great deal. I suspect that her friend the pimp was telling you the truth, Frank.'
'About what?'
'I think that over the past six months, she was working a lot for Lane on the side.'
'You mean he became her pimp?'
'Apparently. You'll find a lot of references in there about Lane's setting her up with this man or that man. None of the names mean anything to me. I thought you might look it over and see if it made any more sense to you.'
'I appreciate it.'
This time there was a little humour in Wagner's laugh, but it was sour humour. 'You remember how I told you that some men with spina bifida make fools out of themselves with women? Well, you're looking at one, I'm afraid. After I read her diary and the way she talked about me, I don't think Emma felt much more for me than pity.'
Brolan let him talk. That was obviously what the man needed. 'When you came in here and saw Denise, I know that's what you thought.'
'I'm sorry I'm so cynical.'
'No, no,' Wagner said. 'You're probably right. She came in here and saw a good thing and decided to latch onto it.' He shrugged. 'That's why being handicapped and having money at the same time is a bad combination. It leaves you open to people who don't mean you any good.'
'I shouldn't have been so adamant about Denise. She may be just what she seems. A very nice girl who's got some personal problems and nothing more sinister than that.'
'I shouldn't have offered to put her up.'
'You're going to ask her to leave?'
'I'm going to think about it.'
'Greg, I repeat: I'm a pretty cynical guy. I always tend to look on the dark side. That's a pretty inhibiting attitude sometimes. And sometimes you have to disregard it. I'd give her a chance.' Wagner stared at him. 'You're not just saying that? You'd give her a chance?'
'Sure. Let her stay here a few days. You two seem to get along. See how things go. She's too young to have a romance with, so you don't have to worry about that. All you have to see is how you get along as friends. If she just wants your money, that'll be obvious pretty quickly. She'll start hitting on you for all sorts of things.'
'I guess you started me thinking when you mentioned the fact that she came here to blackmail you.'
'She's young. And she doesn't strike me as very sophisticated. Remember what she said-'I was going to ask him for a couple of hundred dollars.' With that kind of attitude blackmail wouldn't be a very remunerative field. I think she's just reaching out. Trying to make some sense of her life and not finding much to be optimistic about. I don't think it was a very serious attempt.'
'We've kind of reversed positions.'
'Not really, Greg. All I'm saying is, wait and see what happens. She seems like a decent enough kid.'
'What about you?'
'I'm going home and read the diary. I'm going to the office tomorrow.'
'Thought you were going to take a few days off?'
'Now I need to see our art director.' Brolan told him about the pornographic playing cards. He said, as gently as possible, 'Emma was in one of them.'
He'd expected Wagner to be shocked or at least angered by this, but the man just sat stared at his small
