on both sides have pinned so many labels on me they cancel themselves out. They can't pigeonhole me sot hey bury me, which isn't very difficult because I don't complain.'
'God knows I don't agree with you a lot of the time, but I know a mind at work when I see it… Forget it, Congressman. What are your replies?'
'Later. Has Manny called?'
'I put him off twice. I wanted to get in my session with you.'
Kendrick leaned forward, his light blue eyes cold, bordering on anger. 'Don't ever do that again, Annie. There's nothing so important to me as that man in Colorado.'
'Yes, sir.' O'Reilly lowered her eyes.
'I'm sorry,' said Evan quickly, 'that wasn't called for. You're trying to do your job and I'm not much help. Sorry, again.'
'Don't apologize. I know what you've been through with Mr. Weingrass and what he means to you—how often did I bring your work to the hospital? I had no right to interfere. On the other hand, I am trying to do my job and you're not always the most co-operative boss on the Hill.'
'There are other hills I'd rather be on—’
'I'm aware of that, so we'll cross out the social functions; you'd probably do yourself more harm than good anyway.' Ann O'Reilly got out of the chair and placed a folder on Kendrick's desk. 'But I think you should look at a proposal from your senatorial colleague from Colorado. I think he wants to chop off the top of a mountain and put in a reservoir. In this town, that usually means a lake followed by high-rise condominiums.'
'That transparent son of a bitch,' said Evan, whipping open the folder.
'I'll also get Mr. Weingrass on the phone for you.'
'Still Mr. Weingrass?' asked Evan, turning over pages. 'You won't relent? I've heard him tell you to call him Manny dozens of times.'
'Oh, now and then I do, but it's not easy.'
'Why? Because he yells?'
'Mother of God, no. You can't take offence at that if you're married to a two-toilet Irish detective.'
'Two-toilet—?' Kendrick looked up.
'An old Boston expression, but no, it's not the yelling.'
'What, then?'
'A whimsy of humour he keeps repeating. He keeps saying to me over and over—especially when I call him by his first name—“Kid,” he says, “I think we've got a vaudeville act here. We'll call it Manny's Irish Annie, what do you say?” And I say, “Not a hell of a lot, Manny,”' and he says, “Leave my friend, the animal, and fly away with me. He'll understand my undying passion,” and I say to him that the TT cop doesn't understand his own.'
'Don't tell your husband,' offered Kendrick, chuckling.
'Oh, but I did. All he said was that he'd buy the airline tickets. Of course, he and Weingrass got drunk a couple of times—’
'Got drunk? I didn't even know they'd met.'
'My fault—to my undying regret. It was when you flew to Denver about eight months ago—'
'I remember. The state conference, and Manny was still in the hospital. I asked you to go see him, take him the Paris Tribune.'
'And I brought Paddy with me during the evening visiting hours. I'm no centrefold, but even I'm not walking these streets at night, and the TT cop's got to be good for something.'
'What happened?'
'They got along like a shot and a beer. I had to work late one night that week and Paddy insisted on going to the hospital himself.'
Evan shook his head slowly. 'I'm sorry, Annie. I never knew. I didn't mean to involve you and your husband in my private life. And Manny never told me.'
'Probably the Listerine bottles.'
