The Professional

Chapter 25

BETH IS STILL SEEING EISENHOWER,” I said to Chet Jackson.

He sat across his desk from me, looking as hard-polished and expensive as he had last time.

“You think?” he said.

“It’s why you sent Zel and Boo to see him,” I said.

“They went to see him?” Chet said.

The view through the picture window behind him was still marvelous, but I’d seen it before. It was what I’d always thought about paying for a view. After a day or two you don’t even notice it.

“Boo beat him up,” I said.

“What a shame,” Chet said.

“I don’t want it to happen again,” I said.

“And you think I’ve got something to do with it?”

I said, “Let’s not screw around with this, Chet. I want you to call them off.”

“And let that sonovabitch continue to bang my wife?” Chet said.

“That’s a question to take up with the bangee,” I said. “Not the banger.”

The lines around Chet’s mouth deepened. I could hear Susan’s voice in my brain: “Banger” and “bangee” are sexist distinctions, the voice said, implying aggression on the one side and passivity on the other.

I know. I know. I can’t think of everything. Then I heard her laugh.

“That’s probably true,” he said.

“But?”

“But I can’t,” he said.

I nodded.

“Because you love her,” I said.

“Yes.”

“Chet,” I said. “This is not between you and Gary Eisenhower. This is between you and your wife. The problem won’t be resolved by beating up Gary Eisenhower. It won’t be resolved if you kill him.”

“There’d be someone else,” Chet said.

“Uh-huh.”

“I know that,” Chet said. “You think I don’t know that? Hell, I even had some counseling about that.”

“Uh-huh.”

We were quiet. I could feel his resistance slide into place like a shield between us.

“I can’t let the sonovabitch get away with it,” Chet said.

“Even though you might do the same thing,” I said.

“In his shoes? Sure,” Chet said. “Might not get into blackmail, but the rest? Yeah, of course.”

“So maybe you should back off with Boo,” I said.

Chet shook his head.

“I gotta do something,” he said.

“Will it help you with Beth?” I said.

He looked at me steadily for probably thirty seconds without speaking. Then he shook his head.

“I gotta do something,” he said.

“Even if it doesn’t take you where you want to go,” I said.

“I’m a tough guy,” he said. “But not that tough. I can’t take it.”

“Too bad,” I said.

“You gonna do something?” Chet said.

“Yeah,” I said.

“I may have to send Boo and Zel to see you.”

“You may,” I said.

We looked at each other. I felt sort of bad for him. But the shield was in place. The conversation was over. I stood and walked out.