Stardust

Chapter 15

HAWK was still nursing his first Laphroig, I was two-thirds through my first Sam Adams, and Jill was just beginning her fifth white wine.

”Before you doze off,“ I said, ”can we talk about Wilfred Pomeroy?“

Jill had no reaction for a moment, then she looked very carefully up from under her lowered gaze and said to me, ”Who?“

”Wilfred Pomeroy. Rojack says he was harassing you and had to be chased away.“

”I don’t know anything about it,“ she said.

”As far as I can tell, Jill, you don’t know anyone and you’ve never done anything. Why would Rojack make up a story about Wilfred Pomeroy?“

”Rojack’s a creep.“

”Who could think up a name like Wilfred Pomeroy?“ I said.

”Who cares about Pomeroy?“ Jill said. ”Why are you bothering me with all these creeps?“

There were two well-groomed young women in tailored suits sitting on the next couch. They both wore very high heels and they both were sipping Gibsons. Everything about them said, We have MBAs.

”This is called detecting,“ I said. ”I’m trying to find out who murdered your stunt double, in the hopes that I can dissuade him, or her, from murdering you.“

Hawk had leaned back in the couch and crossed his feet on the cocktail table. He held the single-malt scotch in both hands and rested it on a point above his solar plexus. He was examining the two MBAs with calm interest, the way one examines a painting. ”Her?“

”Could be a her, couldn’t it?“

”Why would any woman want to kill me? I don’t even know any women.“

”You know Wilfred Pomeroy?“

”No.“

One of the MBAs had become aware of Hawk’s gaze. She kept looking back at him in covert ways: pretending to glance out the window, casually surveying the room. She murmured something to her friend, who leaned forward to put her drink down and peeked at Hawk from under her bangs. Hawk continued to examine them without any reaction to their behavior.

”And Rojack’s lying?“ I said.

”Yes,“ Jill said. She had some wine.

”But you have no idea why he would tell lies like this?“

”No.“

I leaned back and rested my head against the back of the couch and drummed my fingers lightly on the tops of my thighs. Jill had some wine.

Hawk said, ”Hard to imagine why anyone want to harass her, isn’t it?“

I rolled my head a little to the left so I could look at Hawk.

”Hard,“ I said.

”Susan met her?“ Hawk said.

”Yes.“

”She has motive,“ I said.

Jill was savoring her wine. She seemed capable of not hearing any conversation she didn’t want to hear.

”Are you a detective too?“ she said to Hawk. Hawk’s smile was radiant. He shook his head. ”Well, what do you do?“

”Mostly what I feel like,“ Hawk said.

”But, I mean, do you protect people all the time?“ Again the big smile from Hawk.

”Nope,“ he said. ”Sometimes I’m on the other side.“

Jill looked at me. I shrugged.

”I didn’t say he was nice. I said he was good.“

”I don’t think either one of you is very nice,“ Jill said. Her voice was very small and girlish.

”Maybe,“ Hawk said to me, ”we should can this job and protect those two.“

He nodded at the MBAs. Jill looked at them.

”I could show you some things that those two tight asses don’t know between them.“

”Good to know,“ Hawk said.