The Killing Man

the bit of opening the door for her with her own keys.

Miss Candace Amory lived like the princess she was. The place was magazine-picture perfect, a miniature New York castle that unlimited money could buy. The damned place even looked comfortable. I think the music started automatically when we walked in, something low and sultry and classical. It was nearly nine thirty and I wondered when Ravel's Bolero would come on.

'What are you smiling about?'

'Appreciating your house.'

'Is it suitably seductive?'

'Fits you well,' I said.

She laughed, said, 'I suppose now I should go in and put on something more comfortable. Is that my line?'

'Doesn't matter. I can handle buttons and snaps.'

'Touche. Make us a drink while I call my office.'

I went to the bar and built a pair of highballs. I put them on the coffee table and took a seat in the overstuffed chair across from the matching sofa. I wondered how she would handle this one.

She listened to her messages, wrote down some notes, then dialed again. The person she spoke to was the district attorney. She told him she'd be home all night, then came over, picked up her drink and eased herself down on the sofa. 'Afraid of me?'

'Nope.' I lifted my glass in a toast. 'Cheers.'

'Cheers,' she said. 'Once more. What are your plans?'

'Legally,' I told her, 'I have no position at all. I can contribute knowledge and information to the police department and associated agencies, but I stay hands-off on the case itself.'

'I didn't ask you about legalities.'

My drink tasted good. Smooth. I gave her a little shrug. 'I'm a victim seeking redress.'

'Bullshit to you too,' she said.

A grin started slowly, tugging at my mouth. 'Not too long ago you were about to take my license away.' I took another taste of the drink. 'This place bugged?'

'No.'

'Doesn't really matter. I'm glad to tell you. I intend to tumble this Penta guy. I may just take him down or I may take him out altogether. The son of a bitch tried to kill somebody I care a lot about and he laid a load of shit on me with that kill in my office and I don't let something like that go by.'

'How can you find him?'

'What did you learn at Norfolk, kid?'

'Legwork, informants, psychological profiles, and on and on.'

'Good for you. Only you forgot the biggest one.'

'Which?'

'Experience.'

'And what is experience?'

'A lot of time being aggressive, stubborn, a target and a damn fool.'

'You have all that?'

'More. I'm smart.'

She couldn't hide the smile. 'How smart is that?'

'Enough to tell you what you want to be when you grow up.'

I knew she was going to say it. 'Want to bet?'

'Sure. What do you want to put up?'

She walked right into it. 'Oh, you name the terms.'

I took my time and put away half the drink. 'If I lose,' I said, 'I'll tell you who Penta is.'

Her eyes narrowed. 'You said you didn't know . . .'

'That was then.'

She was on edge now. This was something she had to know and she wasn't concerned about losing. Even if I was lying, it still didn't matter. 'And if you win?'

I shrugged casually. 'You take off your clothes. Here.'

All of the Ice Lady's emotions were exposed in a flash, the crudity of the suggestion, the daring of the act, the shame of exposure, the desire to do the unthinkable. It was one beautiful expression.

But she couldn't lose. She said, 'You're on.'

I finished the drink and put the glass down. 'How many guesses do I get?'

'Just one.'

'Fair enough.' I leaned back in the chair and looked at her. The music playing was Brahms's Hungarian Dance No. 5. 'You plan to be . . . no, you intend to be, without a shadow of doubt you know you have to be and will be . . .' She wasn't breathing. She was sitting there with a strange, stark look on her face. '. . . the president of the United States.'

The back of her hand went to her mouth very slowly. Her eyes were wide, shocked, her lovely mouth opened slightly with astonishment tinged with fear because I was completely inside her mind.

'No!' I could hardly hear her. 'It's impossible. No one knows. I . . . I've never mentioned it to anyone. Never. You can't possibly know this.' She got to her feet slowly, putting her glass down before she dropped it. For a moment she almost lost her composure. 'How did . . . you know?'

'Doesn't matter.'

'Yes, it does.'

'Experience. I won, didn't I?'

'Yes.'

'I'm waiting,' I said.

'You will never mention this to anyone, never.'

'Why should I?'

Her lower lip went between her teeth and she stared at me. She was wondering how she'd lost all control of the situation. Her initial plan had gotten out of hand and now she had to put her integrity on the line.

The dress was a simple but dramatic arrangement. Her hand went to her chest and found the concealed zipper. She pulled it down quickly, not for effect, but because had she not she wouldn't be able to pay her debt at all.

My Ice Lady was hurting, but determined. She took a deep breath and I knew what she was going to do next.

I said, 'Don't.'

Her hands held the dress she was about to pull open locked to her breasts. 'It's a debt I owe,' she forced out.

'Wrong. It was a dirty trick I pulled.'

'Mike . . . don't lie. What you said was true and no way outside of reading my mind you could have known.'

'Zip up, Candace. If I really wanted you naked, I would have gotten you that way myself.'

'Then why did you . . . ?'

'I wanted to see if you'd stick to your word.'

Her fingers reached for the zipper and drew it up, slowly this time. A tiny feeling of anger showed in the tightness of her mouth, but there was hurt in her eyes. That was something I didn't expect to see.

'You really don't want me, do you?'

'Don't fool yourself, honey. I thought about it the first time I saw you and have ever since. You don't have to tell me you haven't been in the sack with anybody yet . . . no woman aching for the presidency in these days had better take that chance. That much I know. But now I like what I see better than I did before.' I reached for my hat and pushed out of the chair.

'Mike . . . if you had lost . . . would you have told me about Penta?'

I didn't have to lie my way out of that. I said, 'The point is moot, kid. I didn't lose.' I winked at her and stuck my hat on. 'Thanks for the drink.'