Hugger Mugger

TWO

"LAMARR, GEORGIA?" SUSANsaid.

She was lying on top of me in her bed with her clothes off, her arms folded on my chest, and her face about six inches from my face. Pearl the Wonder Dog was lying somewhat grumpily on the rug at the foot of the bed, having been displaced, if only temporarily, by me.

"Just an old sweet song," I said.

"Don't sing. Do you know anything about racehorses?"

"Secretariat gave me a big lap once," I said.

"Anything less specialized?" Susan said.

"That's about it."

"And you are being brought in over someone who has heretofore been in charge?"

"Yes."

"So you are going to Georgia without Pearl, or me, and you'll be gone for who knows how long, and you don't know what you're doing, and the people you're working with will resent you."

"Exactly," I said.

"And you're doing this because you love horses?"

"Because I hate starving," I said. "I've been doing pro bono for you and Hawk so long that I can't afford to buy a new knuckle knife."

"Too bad virtue is not, in fact, its own reward," Susan said.

"Or if it really were, the reward would need to be monetary."

"Well, perhaps we can visit."

"You and Pearl could come down," I said.

"Pearl does not, obviously, fly in a crate in the hold of some disgusting airplane," Susan said.

"It's an easy drive," I said. "One overnight stop."

Susan stared at me. Her eyes were so close they were out of focus as I looked up at her. They seemed bigger than human eyes could be and bottomless, like eternity.

"I cannot bear to drive long distances."

"Of course you can't," I said. "Maybe Paul would come up from New York, for a weekend, and take care of Pearl."

"That might work," Susan said. "Or Lee Farrell, or Hawk."

"And then you can come to Lamarr on an airplane and ball my brains out."

"Didn't I just do that?" Susan said. "Except for the airplane part?"

"Yes," I said, "and brilliantly."

"I know."

"However," I said, "I don't think we've ever done it in Georgia."

"Well, if you insist on going down there," Susan said, "what's a girl to do?"

"What she does best," I said.

"In which case we'll never be able to eat lunch in Lamarr again," Susan said.