“And I can drive it anytime I want?”
“As I said, it’s yours to use as you please. But don’t forget who you’re working for and what takes precedence.”
“Got it. You say jump, I jump.”
She said this as a joke, but I wanted her to understand it wasn’t a joking matter. “If you already resent the arrangement,” I said, “we’re not going to get along, Karla.”
“Sorry,” she said, sheepishly. “I’m not used to being at someone else’s beck and call.”
“Now is the time to say so if you can’t do it.”
She was staring at the car keys, holding them with both hands.
“Yes or no, Karla?”
She put the keys in her pocket. “Yes.”
It was what I wanted to hear. “You’re driving an old Honda, right?”
“It’s not so old.”
“If you want, you can sign the pink slip over to Tony when you pick up the new car. He’ll sell it for you. He’ll take a cut off the top for his trouble, but he’s fair and he’ll get a good price for it. Of course, that’s up to you.”
This seemed to satisfy the car question for her. “So what’s in the envelope?” she asked.
“Our last order of business for tonight. Do you have a computer?”
“Yeah, more or less. It might be older than my car.”
“What kind of computer is it?”
“An old desktop PC.”
“Do you prefer a PC?”
“No, not really. I don’t know very much about them. I got it cheap from a friend.”
“There’s five thousand dollars in the envelope. Tomorrow, after you pick up the car, go to the Apple Store at Arden Fair and buy a laptop. I recommend you go top-of-the-line, the seventeen inch MacBook Pro, but it’s up to you. Have them fill it with RAM and buy the warranty. It’ll run around four thousand. Use the remainder to buy a decent carry bag and anything you might want to add. Software, or whatever. What’s left over you can keep.”
She hadn’t hesitated picking up the cell phone or the car keys, but she was looking at the envelope like it might bite.
“One thing you’ll learn about me, Karla, I don’t like to beat around the bush.”
“Funny you should put it that way,” she said. “I mean, that’s a lot of money, on top of the salary and the car. I guess I’m wondering how often you’re going to be beating around my bush?”
I was glad she’d brought it up. “Your suspicions are understandable,” I said. “So let’s get it straight now, and we won’t have to talk about it again. There won’t be any fucking in this relationship. Neither literal nor metaphorical. I’m not going to fuck you, and as long as you’re straight with me, and do your job, I won’t fuck you over.”
She was trying to be cool, but I could see the whole thing was a bit much for her.
“You know how weird this is, don’t you?” she asked. “I mean, out of the blue, offering me this job, all this money?”
“What? Do you want to go home and fetch a copy of your resume? Do you want me to ask you a few standard job interview questions? How were your grades in school? Ever been arrested? Use drugs? Where do you see yourself in five years? Would that make you feel better?”
“You can say whatever you want. It’s still weird.”
“It is what it is, Karla. The job isn’t difficult, but there isn’t a lot of room for screw-ups. If you follow the rules, we’ll get along peachy and I’ll make it worth your while. If you don’t, well, hopefully we won’t ever have to go there.”
She picked up the envelope. “I have to get back to work.”
“I’ll give you a call on Saturday,” I said, and watched her walk away.
Chapter 5
I knew there was a good chance that Francine Arnaud had merely imagined a connection between Ron Richardson and her husband’s murder. Many of the events we perceive to be related are, in fact, not related at all. Their connections are completely imaginary. Like the man who thinks he’s going to have a good day because he hits all green lights on his drive to work. At the same time, while our imaginations are misleading us, there is an inconspicuous web of subtle influences threading its way through the world, establishing a pervasive connectedness that passes largely unperceived. Between those two lies the world of practical affairs where a quarter buys you so many minutes in a parking meter, and you know that your computer is better protected by anti-virus software than by prayer. But there are times when the barriers—between the imaginary, the mundane, and the mysterious—give way and we can perceive things that would otherwise remain hidden. When that happens, the imagination, instead of leading us into fantasy, can function as a conduit into the world’s mysteries. Or, at any rate, into something interesting.
That’s what I was hoping for from the Arnaud business. Something interesting. And if that didn’t happen, it was at least a chance to fatten my bank account. I didn’t need Richardson’s money, but I didn’t like to pass up an opportunity for easy income. And the more I thought about it, the more Richardson looked ripe for the picking.
Either way, it really didn’t matter if the Richardson/Arnaud connection turned out to be a dead end. There wasn’t anything riding on it. I was just curious. Of course, there were other considerations; some good reasons for keeping my nose out of the Arnaud mess. Involving myself in the private affairs of one of my meals just wasn’t very smart. My rule of thumb was “Eat and run.” Take what I was after and walk away. The best insulator between myself and my donors was distance. Whether or not to pursue
