Blood Count

CHAPTER 55

There were red and green cupcakes on Lily’s kitchen counter. I ate one.

“Amelie Smith brought those,” said Lily. “They were taking them to a school fair with their kids. Everybody’s out,” she added. “The floor feels empty.”

I told Lily about Ivan.

“Marianna knew a lot of people.”

“Did you meet them? Russians?”

“Some. Some just in passing. A few when I took her to Washington Heights shopping. A few once I went with her to Brighton Beach. She had an address book where she wrote everything. She always took it with her, in a big, old-fashioned leather purse,” Lily said, pouring more Scotch. “Take off that jacket, Artie, it makes you look like a cop.”

I took it off. From my jeans I got Simonova’s address book and put it on the counter.

“I took it from her apartment earlier,” I said.

“Why?”

“Habit.”

“Is this Ivan in it?”

“Yes.” I opened the book. I showed her. Lily examined the names.

“I remember once Marianna wanted to call the grocery store, and I picked up that address book, and she got furious when I touched it. Artie, you want to lie down? You look terrible.”

“I’m OK. But is there anything else I should know?” I held up the address book. “What about all these marks and stars and stuff beside the names? Was it some kind of code?”

“I guess she had some kind of system. Can you read it?”

I flipped through the pages. Some of the names had New York numbers and addresses. Some were in Moscow. Some both. Some had moved from Moscow to New York, the Moscow numbers crossed out. A few were in Florida and Los Angeles.

“Anything?” said Lily.

“Tell me what else you know about her.”

“Artie?”

“What’s that, honey?”

“Do you believe Marianna killed Lionel?”

“I’m sorry.”

Lily got up and went into the other room. She came back with a cardboard box.

“What is it?”

“Some of the notes I made about Marianna. Some of the journals she gave me. There are a couple of video tapes. She didn’t have a DVD player. I only looked at some of it. A lot’s in Russian. I don’t know, maybe I was trying to protect her, or let her keep her privacy or some fucking thing. Maybe I should have given this to you earlier, Artie.”

“There wasn’t time,” I said. “Everything has happened so fast the past couple days.”

“There’s more in her apartment,” Lily said. “In the study.”

“I have to go back.”

“I can’t go in there.”

“That’s fine.” I didn’t want her with me. What I was going to do wasn’t legal. I had to work fast. Lucille knew about the cyanide. I was gambling she figured I’d report it. I couldn’t be sure. She might call Jimmy Wagner herself. As soon as it was out, there’d be cops crawling all over Simonova’s apartment.

Lily gave me the keys. I put my arms around her. She didn’t push me away.

It was so quiet in the building, I felt we were alone.

“Will you be OK?”

“Yes.”

“Wait for me here.”

“Hurry, Artie. Please. I just want all of this to end.” Lily kissed me. “Just hurry.”

“I love you,” I said.