Painted Ladies

41

When Susan came up from the office, I was sitting on the couch with Pearl, drinking scotch and soda with a lot of ice. Susan kept some for me. She wouldn’t drink it.

“How nice,” she said when she saw me.

“What’s for eats?” I said.

“You’re in luck,” she said. “I had friends over the other night. There’s cheese and fruit, and adorable little dinner rolls, and, I think, some cold chicken left, too. And Iron Horse champagne.”

“Zowie,” I said. “How adorable, exactly, are the dinner rolls.”

“You’ll see,” she said. “Mind if I unwind with a little wine before I set the table?”

“I was hoping you would,” I said.

Susan got some pinot grigio and brought it to the couch and sat on the side of me where Pearl was not.

“There’s a police car parked outside,” Susan said.

“Cambridge?” I sat.

“There was a Cambridge one,” Susan said. “Now it’s a state police cruiser.”

“Healy,” I said.

“You’ll explain,” she said.

“I will.”

We each sipped our drink.

Then she said, “So it is not just unbridled lust that brings you here.”

“Well, that, too,” I said.

“But there’s something else,” Susan said.

“Yes.”

“Unbridled lust I’m used to,” Susan said. “Tell me about the something else.”

She listened quietly while I did. People had tried to kill me before. She wasn’t exactly used to it, but she knew it was part of the package. But it wasn’t anything she liked.

When I got through, she put her wineglass on the coffee table and put her arms around me and pressed her face into my neck. I put my arm around her. Finally she took in a deep breath and let it out and sat back.

She smiled at me.

“Just because you’re a fugitive doesn’t mean you can lie in bed with me and watch basketball all night,” she said. “I hate basketball. One of the many reasons we don’t live together is that I don’t like to watch what you like, and vice versa.”

“It’s more fundamental than that,” I said. “I like the TV off; you like it on.”

She nodded.

“You won’t let them kill you,” she said.

“I will not,” I said.

“I believe you,” she said. “You never have.”

I got up and made another drink. And poured some more wine for Susan.

When I sat back down, I put my arm around her, and she rested her head against my shoulder. Pearl looked vaguely annoyed.

“Hey,” I said to Pearl. “Did I give you a big look when you were flirting your brains out with Otto?”

Pearl remained unabashed. She lapped her muzzle a couple of times and continued the look as she settled back down and put her chin on my thigh.

“You know what struck me when you were telling your story?” Susan said.

I shook my head.

“They are obviously dangerous people. They tried to kill you twice now, and they killed the poor super, just because he was inconvenient.”

“He was a witness,” I said.

“I mean, they could have blown up the whole building.”

“Could,” I said.

“Killers do things like that,” Susan said. “These people seem quite contained.”

“They are very professional,” I said. “On the other hand, so am I.”

“I’m counting on it,” Susan said. “And they did seem quite careful to make the explosive charge small and very local, so it would kill only you.”

“Also true,” I said.

“They’ll kill,” she said. “But not carelessly.”

“If they need to,” I said.

“You’re like that,” she said. “You’ve killed people.”

“When I’ve had to,” I said.

“And you’re careful,” she said.

“I am,” I said.

“They probably think they have to,” Susan said.

“In a good cause?” I said.

“Maybe,” Susan said.

“Hitler probably thought that he was acting in a good cause.”

“And he was wrong,” Susan said. “I’m just saying there’s some reason, perhaps, to think they may be acting on behalf of a cause they believe in.”

“Instead of just greed, or hatred.”

“There may be much of that, but maybe they are able to sort of camouflage those impulses with the colors of a high-minded cause.”

“Like a foundation or something?” I said. “Say the Herzberg Foundation?”

“Maybe,” Susan said.

“For a Harvard Ph.D., you’re pretty smart,” I said.

She nodded and sipped from her wineglass.

“You and I,” she said, “have something few people ever get. And we’ve worked our asses off to get it.”

“I know.”

“I couldn’t bear it if they killed you,” she said.

I grinned at her.

“Me, either,” I said.