Bad Business

52

Susan joined us for dinner at the new Davio's in Park Square.

"Did you see that man follow us back from Kinergy?" Adele said.

V innie nodded.

"Did you see Hawk?"

V innie shook his head.

"How do you know he's there?" Adele said.

Susan smiled.

"He's there," Vinnie said.

"But how do you know?"

"We know," Vinnie said.

"We do?"

V innie nodded at me.

"Him and me know."

A dele looked at Susan.

"What is this?" she said. "Some sort of secret society?"

"Yes," Susan said. "That's exactly what it is. Full of unsaid rules and regulations which none of them will even admit to knowing."

"Is it just the three of them?" Adele said.

"No," Susan said.

She looked at me.

"Who else is a member?" she said.

"This is your hypothesis," I said.

"Okay," Susan said. "Well, there's some cops. Quirk, Belson, a detective named Lee Farrell; the state police person, Healy."

Susan took a ladylike slug of her Cosmopolitan.

"And a man named Chollo from Los Angeles, and a man named Tedi Sapp from Georgia. Anybody else?"

"Bobby Horse," I said.

"Oh, yes," Susan said, "the Native American gentleman."

"Kiowa," I said.

"Kiowa, of course," Susan said.

"Little dude from Vegas," Vinnie said.

"Bernard J. Fortunato," I said.

"See," Susan said, "if you lull them into it they'll admit to the existence."

"And what are you," Adele said, "that you know all this, den mother?"

Susan laughed and had a little more of her pink drink.

"I'm scoring the club president," she said. "Gives me special status."

"So why are they so certain that Hawk is where he said he'd be?"

"Because he's like they are," Susan said.

"And they'd be there?"

"If they said so."

"And," she nodded at me, "does he ever tell you why they're all like that?"

"They don't know they're like that," Susan said.

"What do you two think of what she's just described?" Adele said.

"I think I'll have some linguine," I said.

"Veal looks nice," Vinnie said.

"Don't even bother," Susan said.

A dele took a long breath. Susan was glancing around the room, and her glance stopped and rested.

"Excuse me, there's two people I really want to see."

She got up and walked two tables down from us where a slim dark-haired man was having dinner with a slick-looking woman. Susan kissed them both, and spoke with them in high animation. Susan in high animation is like watching a bigscreen re-release of Gone with the Wind: all the color, all the drama, all the excitement. Adele and I watched her. I was drinking beer. Adele and Vinnie were sharing a bottle of red bordeaux. Vinnie wasn't watching her. Even as he sipped his wine Vinnie was looking at everyone.

When Susan came back to the table, I said, "Who's that guy you were kissing?"

"Tony Pangaro," Susan said. "I'm surprised you don't know him. He's been involved in every major real estate development east of the Mississippi River since the Spanish American War."

"Gee," I said. "He doesn't look that old."

"Exaggeration for effect," Susan said.

"Fair's fair," I said. "Can I go kiss his date?"

"No."

We ordered dinner. Vinnie ordered another bottle of wine.

"Marty tells me the audit is progressing," I said to Adele.

"Yes. He seems like such a smart guy."

"He said you've been very valuable."

"Good," she said. "I'm glad. He's awfully nice."

"In a sort of sharkish kind of way," I said.

"Sharkish?"

"Exaggeration for effect," I said.

V innie sampled the second bottle of bordeaux and nodded and the waiter poured some for each of us.

"Now that the whistle has been blown," I said to Adele, "and the audit's under way, there really isn't any danger to you anymore."

"Oh, no, I still want to stay at your place," she said.

"There's no reason for anyone to kill you," I said. "Unlike Gavin, if that's what happened, it's too late to prevent you from talking."

"Please," Adele said. "If I move back home, at least let Vinnie stay with me for a while longer."

"That would be up to Vinnie," I said.

A ll three of us looked at Vinnie. He was drinking some wine. He finished, put the glass down, and shrugged.

"Sure," he said.

A dele looked at Susan.

"Do you think it will be all right?"

"If he says it will be all right," Susan said, "it will be all right."

A dele nodded slowly, looking at Vinnie.

"Susan," she said, "you sound like the rest of them."

"She is," I said. "Wait'll she shows you the secret handshake."