Mr. X

mouth leaned against Sammie Schwartz. 'Who's the other guy?'

    'He taught English at Albertus,' Rachel said. She raised her half-empty glass to her mouth and drained it. 'His name was Erwin Leake.'

    I saw Piney Woods sitting on a bench in Merchants Park.Follow a shadow, it still flies you; / Seem to fly it, it will pursue.

 •“Why isn't Edward Rinehart in that picture?'

    Rachel said, 'Edward hated having his picture taken. Suki, remember that time—'

    Around a mouthful of hamburger, Suki said, 'Sure do.' She held up a finger and swallowed. 'The other time, too.'

    'Why were we sostupid? Someone takes his picture, and he smashes the camera. Three months later, Sujit takes his picture on the street, and he grabs her camera and rips out the film. Shouldn't we have been suspicious?'

    'We thought suspicion was bourgeois,' Suki said. 'How are you doing, Rachel?'

    Rachel Milton finished her second Manhattan. 'Not all that well, actually. It'srotten that Star died. And my husband decided that he needed something new in his life, namely a thirty-five-year-old iceberg who is a whiz at estate planning. He has his heart set on marrying this iceberg.'

    'How old is the guy?' Suki asked.

    'Seventy-two, but that doesn't bother him. He's in love. If Grennie hadn't fallen in love, he'd be selfish, but of course this way everything's all right. Have you ever been married?'

    'Officially, once,' Suki said. 'Unofficially, two and a half times. Rachel, you forgot I married Roger Lathrop!'

    'The harpsichordist who wiggled his fanny when he played. I remembered as soon as you told me. I want another drink, but not a Manhattan. A glass of white wine.'

    “I'll have another Manhattan.'

    I waved at Bob Brennan.

    Suki turned to me. “I told you about Roger. We went to Popham College, and six years later the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor made him artist in residence. Both of us were happy to get out of Popham, believe me. And then.'

    'Fatal words,' Rachel said.

    'And then,Roger told me I was inhibiting his artistic progress, although I was not to take it personally.'

    'What was the bitch's name?' Rachel asked. “I bet she was a student.'

    'His prize pupil, Sonia Skeffington. She went to Michigan instead of me, and I came back here. I'd rather not talk about the unofficial husbands. One of them was really great, but he died while he was out on his daily five-mile run, and the other two turned out to be human fortune cookies.'

 •Twenty minutes later, Suki said, 'When I saw Star in the hospital, I thought my heart was going to break in half.'

    'Me, too,' Rachel said.

    'You didn't go to the hospital, Rachel.'

    'Oh! You're right. I was horrible that day. I was nasty to everyone.' She did her best to focus on me. “I was nasty to you, too, wasn't I?'

    'Semi-nasty,' I said.

    'Grennie had just reminded me that my services would no longer be required. Suki, I have a tremendous idea. We should both get married to Ned.'

    'That would be adventurous,' I said.

    'He maybe looks too much like Edward,' said Suki. 'He's much nicer, though.'

    'Edward wasn't nice at all. That's what we liked about him.'

    'Edward didn't care about anybody. Not even Star. But you know who did? Don Messmer.'

    'Forgethim,' Rachel said. 'You know how some men are too handsome for their own good? Because all they have todois coast along? Don Messmer.'

    “I wonder what Don is doing now,' Suki said.

    'He owns a bar in Mountry,' I said.

    They burst into laughter.

    'Rachel, that means . . .' Suki dissolved again. 'That means he has to steal fromhimself.'

    'We should probably get going,' I said.

    'You have to forgive us,' Rachel said. 'Suki and I haven't seen each other in a long time. We're in a funny state of mind.'

    'You were right,' Suki said. 'Let's marry Ned.'

    'Before we get married, let me take the two of you home,' I said.

    “In a minute,' Rachel said. 'Two questions. The first one is ... do you still want your uncle to get into Mount Baldwin?'

    'Yes,' I said.

    “I'll take care of it. Write down his name for me, or I'll forget.' She fumbled in her bag and came out with a notebook and a pen. I wrote Clarence's name and Star'suncle, placement in Mount Baldwin and added Nettie's telephone number.

    Rachel squinted at the page and put the notebook and pen back in her bag. 'Question number two. No, it isn't a question. Was I going to tell you something?'

    'Take your time,' I said.

    “I have to go home,' Suki said. 'Ned, will you drive me?'

    “I'll drive both of you,' I said.

    “If I decide to tell you anything,' Rachel said, “I didn't. Understood?'

    'Understood.'

    Rachel put on her sunglasses. I had the feeling she thought she was disguising herself. 'My husband is ditching me for a thirty-five-year-old Hong Kong vampire, have I made that clear?'

    'Afemale Hong Kong vampire,' said Suki. 'Question for our studio audience: Does she blow, or does she suck?'

    'Grennie thinks he can get away with anything. So does his best friend. Who is that, do you know? Don't say his name, just his initials.'

    'S.H.'

    'Good. Suki, guess what this best friend used to do when he followed me into the kitchen in the middle of a party?'

    'Grab your boobs and rub your hand on his dick,' Suki said. 'That was easy.'

    'What a pig. Grenville and his friend do business together, right?'

    'So I gather,' I said.

    'And all of a sudden this best friend gets accused of this and that.'

    'Okay,' I said.

    'And the best friend's friend isundoubtedly in trouble if Stewart gets into trouble. We're not using any names here, are we?'

    “I heard two so far,' Suki said.

    “I'm not talking to you. Now suppose the wife of the friend's friend decided that both of them deserved whatever they got. Suppose she managed to protect herself financially while her husband still cared enough about her to put her on theoperating table for her birthday.'

    'Attaway,' Suki said.

    'Now we get to Mr. Edward Rinehart.'

    'How?' Suki asked. 'Oh, I forgot. You're not talking to me.'