Эд Макбейн - Beauty and the Beast

“But that would apply to any group in which there were married—”

“Well, sure, but Sally’s reaction... she sort of went off the deep end, do you know what I mean? She was a very vain person, you know, and... well, she just got furious. Made it clear to both of us that we’d be outcasts from then on, told us that none of the oar... none of our friends would have anything to do with us ever again. Which is why she asked for the divorce and named me in the action. To make sure we were out for good, do you understand? Out . Excommunicated.”

“This ‘oar’ you keep mentioning—”

“What?”

“You keep saying the word oar .”

“You must be mistaken.”

“I thought that’s what I was hearing.”

“Really? No,” she said. “Would you care for some more cognac?”

“No, thank you. So, as I understand it, you lost touch with most of the people you’d been socializing with...”

“Yes, because that’s the way Sally wanted it.”

“People here in Calusa?”

“Yes. Well, from all over, actually. The case attracted a lot of attention, you know. There was the couple from Venice, you know, and people from Tampa, Miami, Sarasota... well, wherever anyone was concerned about the injustice of what had happened.”

“Who from Miami?” I asked.

“Well, I really can’t remember. This was all so long ago.”

“Would it have been someone named Lloyd Davis?”

“I don’t remember all the names, really.”

“He was in the army with Harper, I just thought...”

“Mm, well...”

“If Harper and his wife were on the committee, as you say they were—”

“Yes, they were.”

“Then possibly he contacted Davis, tried to interest him in—”

“Well, I guess, now that you mention it, there might have been someone named Davis at one of the meetings.”

“Lloyd Davis?”

“I guess.”

“And his wife?”

“Yes, I think so.”

“Leona, would it have been?”

“I really don’t remember.”

“Where was this?”

“At one of the meetings. Andrew’s house, I think. This was a year ago, more than a year ago. I think that’s where it was. People used to just, you know, come to the meetings. I don’t know if Sally and Andrew actually knew him, or whether someone else brought him. There were a lot of people, you see.”

“Two or three dozen, you said.”

“Sometimes more. In the beginning, anyway. Before the committee started breaking up.”

“Uh-huh.” I looked at my watch. “Well, Miss Reynolds,” I said, “I’m still not—”

“Kitty,” she said.

“I’m still not sure why you asked me to come here tonight.”

She hesitated for a long time. Then she said, “Because you’re George’s lawyer.”

“And?”

“And I heard what you said to him tonight on television, and I thought, if he does call you...”

“Yes?”

“You could tell him I had nothing to do with it.”

“With what, Miss Reynolds?”

“With starting it.”

“Starting what?”

“Well, you just tell him. Whatever he’s thinking—”

“What do you think he’s thinking?”

“I think he found out, and he’s...” She shook her head. “Forget it,” she said.

“Found out what?”

“Nothing. Just tell him. If he’s out to get all of us, I don’t want to be the next one.”

“Who do you mean by all of us?”

“The women.”

“What women?”

“In the... our friends, do you know?”

“No, I don’t. What friends?”

“Those of us who were friends. Before the divorce. Before Sally and Andrew split up.”

“And you think George... or whoever killed Sally and Michelle—”

“It was George,” she said.

“How do you know that?”

“Who else could it be?”

“You think George , then, might be after all the friends you and Andrew Owen used to have?”

“Well... yes.”

“That doesn’t make sense to me. Why would he—”

“If you don’t understand what I’m trying to tell you—”

“I don’t.”

“Then forget it, okay?”

“Why don’t you just tell me?” I said. “What ever the hell it is, just come out and say it.”

“I’ve said enough.”

“You really are frightened, aren’t you?” I said.

“Yes.” She was staring into the wide bowl of the snifter. Her voice was very small.

“Maybe you’d better call the police.”

“No,” she said, looking up sharply. “In this town? After what happened to Jerry? No, sir, no damn police.”

“Well,” I said, and sighed, and got up from where I was sitting. “If there’s anything else you want to tell me, you know where to reach me. If not—”

“Just tell George, okay? When you talk to him.”

“ If I talk to him.”

“I’ll let you out,” she said, and rose suddenly, the peignoir parting over her legs. She pulled the flap closed, walked swiftly to the door, unlocked it, and said, “Good night, Mr. Hope. Thanks for coming here.”

“Good night,” I said, and stepped out into the first of the Weather Lady’s promised rain, a light drizzle sifting gently from the black sky overhead. Behind me, I heard the lock tumblers falling with a small oiled click.

It was a quarter past one when I got home.

I put the Ghia in the garage, rolled the door down behind me, opened the door leading from the garage into the kitchen, turned out the garage lights behind me, turned on the kitchen lights ahead of me, and then closed and locked the kitchen-garage door. I didn’t know whether I wanted another martini or a glass of milk. I opted for the milk. I went to the refrigerator, took out the bottle, poured myself a glassful, returned the bottle to the refrigerator, and was starting into the living room with the glass in my hand when I got the fright of my life.

George Harper was sitting in the dark there.

“ Jesus !” I said, and snapped on the light.

“How you doin, Mr. Hope?” he said.

His huge hands were clasped in his lap; he sat as still as death in a wingback chair near the fire, facing the arched entry to the kitchen where I stood with the glass of milk in my hand. My hand was shaking.

“How’d you get in here?” I said.

“Back door was open,” he said.

“No, it wasn’t.”

“Well, then, I guess I forced it open,” he said.

“You scared the hell out of me. Where have you been?”

“Miami.”

“Doing what?”

“Went t’see my mama.”

“Broke jail to go see your ‘mama,’ huh?”

“Thass right, Mr. Hope. Missed her somethin terrible.”

“Do you know Sally Owen’s been murdered?”

“Yessir, I heard about it.”

“Did you kill her?”

“Nossir.”

“Do you know your hammer was found at the scene?”

“Yessir.”

“With your fingerprints on it?”

“So I unnerstan.”

“Got any idea how it got there?”

“Nossir.”

“Anybody but you and Michelle have a key to your house?”

“Not that I know of.”

“Was there a spare key outside?”

“Nossir.”

“Then how’d that hammer get out of the garage?”

“I can’t say, Mr. Hope.”

“Do you know what kind of trouble you’re in?”

“I reckon so.”

“Why’d you do a damn fool thing like breaking jail?”

“Tole you. Had to see my mama.”

“What about?”

“Business.”

“What kind of business?”

“Personal, Mr. Hope.”

“Listen to me, Mr. Harper. You’d better get off this goddamn personal shit, you hear me? If you want me to help you, then nothing’s personal anymore. Everything’s out in the open, we’re partners , understand?”