"Gene?"hesaid,"Nowlisten,fella.Apartfromcuriosity,isthereanygoodreasonforfindingthoseanswersyoutalkedabout?"
"Forestallingrepet.i.tion,"Isaidpromptly.
"Nomorestolenstallionsandnomoreattacksonme?"
"That"sright."
Therewasapause.
"I"llbuytheanswers,then,"hesaid."Ifyoucangetthem.AndasforAllyx...ifyouthinkthere"sanychanceoffindinghimaliveandvigorous,thenIguessI"mmorallyobligedtogiveyouthego-ahead.I"dhavetosyndicatehimalloveragain,ofcourse.He"llbetwelvenow.Thatwouldgivehimonlyaboutsixtoeightmoreyearsofhighpotency...ButhisgetfrombeforehisdisappearancearewinningalloverEurope.Business-wiseI"mnottoohappyaboutthosethreelostyears.Butblood-wise,itwouldbecriminalnottotrytogethimback."
"Allright."Isaid."I"llseewhatIcando."
"WhatyouspentonfindingChrysalisislessthanhisfeeforcoveringasinglemare.You"veafreehandagainforAllyx."
"Right,"Isaid.
"SimKeeblesaysyou"vegotsevendays"extensionofleave.Somethingabout.i.tbeingduetoyouanyway,fromaweekyouwereent.i.tledtoatChristmasanddidn"ttake."
"I"dforgottenaboutthat."
"IguessIcouldfixitwithhimformore,iftheextraweekisn"tenough."
"IfIhaven"tfinishedbythenI"llhavefailedanyway,andmightaswellgohome."
"Oh."Hesoundeddisappointed."Verywell,we"llleaveitlikethatforthepresent."Heclearedhisthroat."Eunicedidn"tseemtothinkyoulookedtoowell."
"Theboyonthepuntwhoknockedyououtdidthesamethingforme."
"Gene!"Hisvoicewa.s.shocked.
"Yeah.Don"ttellmybossI"mthatincompetent.Thoughcometothinkofit,heknows."
Helaughed."Whenyoufindthatboyagaingivehimaone-twofrombothofus."
"Sure,"Isaid.ButI"dbeentaughtmyjobbycerebralpeoplewhodidn"treckonascreenerwouldeverhavetofightforhislife,andbythetimeIprovedthemwrongIwastoooldtobecomeexpertatboxingorjudo,evenifI"dlikedtheidea,whichIdidn"t.Ihadlearnedinsteadtoshootstraight,andtheLugerhadinthepastthreeyea.r.s.extricatedmeunharmedfromtwostickysituations.ButinastanduphandtohandaffairwiththatyoungbullMattCliveIwouldbeafivehundredtooneloser,and"givinghimaone-twofrombothofus"inanyphysicalsensewasaverydimpossibilityindeed.
"Keepintouch,fella,"Davesaid.
"Sure,"Iansweredagain,meaningitaslittle:andwerangoff.
Curledoppositeinatomatoarmchair,Eunicesaidgloomily,"Igatherwe"restuckwiththatb.l.o.o.d.yAllyx."
"Onlyifwefindhim."
"Oh,you"lldothat,blastyou."Herbitternesswa.s.somarkedthatLynniestaredather.Tooyoungtounderstand,Ithought,that.i.twasn"tmeparticularlythatEunicewantedtohurt,butlifeingeneral.
TheywentupstairsshortlyafterwardsmurmuringaboutCaliforniainthemorning,andIswitchedoffthelightandsatinneardarkness,finishingthefourthofEunice"sma.s.siveideasondrinkandworkingoutthequestions1wouldaskthenextday.IcouldfindAllyxonpaper,ifIwerelucky:buthecouldhardlyturnuplooseafterthreeyears.Threeweekshadbeenstrictlythelimit.Thewholethingmighthavetobemoreorthodox,morepublic.AndIwouldn"tagain,Idecidedmildly,putmyselfwithinaccidentreachofthemurderousClives.
AfterawhileIdesertedthelasthalfofthedrinkandwanderedupstairstothes.p.a.ciousair-conditionedroomEunicehadgivenme.WithatiredhandIswitchedonthelightinsidethedoor,andyellowpoolsinfrillyshadesshoneoutonbrownandgoldandwhitefurnishings.
Onesplashofjarringbrightpink.Euniceherself,inafluffytrimmedwrapper,waslyingonmybed.
Iwalkedslowlyacrossthethickwhitecarpetandsatbesideheronthewhitespottedmuslincoverlet.
"Whatdoyouwant?"Isaidgently.
"Whatdoyouthink?"
Ishookmyhead.
"Doesthatmeanno?"Hervoicewasabruptlymatteroffact.
"I"mafraiditdoes,"Isaid.
"Yousaidyouweren"tqueer."
"Well...I"mnot."Ismiledather."ButIdohaveoneunbreakablerule."
"Andthatis?"
"Nottosleepwiththewives...ordaughters...ofthemenIworkfor."
Shesatboltuprightsothatherfacewasclosetomine.Hereyeshadtheusualcontractedpupilsofthequarterdrunk.
"ThatincludesLynnie,"shesaid.
"Yes.Itdoes."
"WellI"llbed.a.m.ned.YoumeanthatnightyouspentinNewYorkwithheryoudidn"teventry..."
"Itwouldn"thavebeenmuchgoodifIhad."Isaid,halflaughing.
"Don"tyoubelieveit.Shenevertakeshereyesoffyou,andwhenyouwereawayshetalkedaboutnothingelse."
Istaredatherinrealsurprise."Youmustbewrong."
"Iwasn"tbornyesterday,"shesaidgloomily."Shehastwophotographsofyouaswell."
"Whatphotographs?"Iwa.s.staggered.
"Someherbrothertook.Thatdayontheriver."
"Butsheshouldn"t..."
"Maybesheshouldn"t,"Eunicesaiddryly."Butshedoes."SheswungherlegscarelesslyaroundtositontheedgeofthebedbesidemeandIsawthatforsomeonebentonseductionshehadcomewellwrappedup.
"Youexpectedmetosayno,"Isaid.
Shemadeaface"Ithoughtyoumight.But.i.twasworthatry."
"Eunice,you"renuts,"Isaid.
"I"mbored,"shesaidexplosively,andwithanundoubteddepthofunbearabletruth.
"Thatputsmeintothegolfandbridgecategory."
Shewa.s.stillplayinggames.
"Atleastyou"reG.o.ddamhuman,"shesaid,hermouthcrackingintoasmile."Morethanyoucansayaboutmostmen."
"WhatdoyoulikebestaboutmovingtoCalifornia?"Iasked.
Shestared."Yourmind"slikeab.l.o.o.d.ygra.s.shopper.Whathasthattodowiths.e.x?"
"Youtellme,andI"lltellyou."
"ForG.o.d"ssake..."Butshemadesomeeffortatconcentrating,andintheendcameupwiththeanswerIhadbeenmostexpecting.
"Fixinguptherooms,Iguess."
"Youdidallthese..."Iwavedmyhandaround,embracingthehouse.
"Yeah,Idid.Sowhat?"
"Sowhydon"tyoustartinbusiness,doingitforotherpeople?"
Shehalflaughed,ridiculingtheidea,andhalfclungtoit:andIknewshe"dthoughtofitinthepast,becauseIhadn"tsurprisedher.
"I"mn.o.b.l.o.o.d.ygenius."
"Youhaveaneyeforcolour.Morethanthat:formood.ThisisthemostcomfortinghouseI"veeverbeenin."
"Comforting?"shesaid,puzzled.
"Yeah.Laugh,clown,laugh.Thatsortofthing.Youcanfillotherpeopleeventhoughyoufeelemptyyourself."
Tearswelledupinhergrey-greeneyes,andsheshutthelids.Hervoiceremainednormal.
"Howdoyouknow?"
"Iknow."
Afterapause,shesaid,"AndIsupposewhat.i.thastodowiths.e.xisthatinteriordecoratingwouldbeasuitablesublimationforamiddle-agedwomanwhosephysicalattractionisfadingfasterthanherappet.i.te..."Thebitternesscamefromlongacquaintancewiththejargonanditspointofview.
"No."Isaidmildly."Theopposite."
"Huh?"Sheopenedhereyes.Theywerewetandshiny.
"Playinggamesiseasierthanworking."
"Spellitout,"shesaid."YoutalkinG.o.ddamriddles."
"s.e.x...thissortofcasuals.e.x..."Ipattedthebedwhereshe"dlain,"canbeawayofrunningawayfromrealeffort.Alovermaybeasublimationofadeeperneed.Peoplewhocan"tfacethedemandsofonemayoptforpa.s.singthetimewiththeother."
"ForChrist"ssake...Idon"tunderstandab.l.o.o.d.yword."Sheshuthereyesandlayflatbackacrossthebed.
"Thousandsofpeoplenevertryanythingseriousbecausethey"reafraidoffailing,"Isaid.
Sheswallowed,andafterapausesaid,"Andwhatifyoudob.l.o.o.d.yfail?Whatthen?"
Ididn"tanswerher,andafterawhilesherepeatedthequestioninsistently.
"Tellmewhatyoudoifyoufail?"
"Ihaven"tgotthatonelickedmyself,yet."
"Oh."Shelaughedweakly."OhG.o.d.Theblindleadingtheblind.Justlikethewholeb.l.o.o.d.yhumanrace."
"Yeah."Isighedandstoodup."Weallstumblealonginthedark,andthat"safact."
"Idon"tknowifyou"llbelieveit,butI"vebeenutterlyb.l.o.o.d.yfaithfultoDave...exceptforthis..."
"I"msureofit,"Isaid.
Shegottoherfeetandstoodswayingslightly.
"IguessI"mtight."
"Betterthanloose,"Isaidsmiling.
"ForG.o.d"ssake,sparemeG.o.ddampunsatoneo"clockinthemorning.Isupposeifyou"relookingforthatsoandsoAllyxthere"snochanceofyoucomingtoCalifornia?"
"Iwishtherewere."
"G.o.ddamliar,"shesaidvaguely."Goodnight."
Shemadestraightforthedooranddidn"tlookback.
Idrovethemtotheairportinthemorning.EunicehadlentmehercarandthehouseforaslongasIneededthem,andhadpa.s.sedoffherovernightvisitwithonesarcasticdigatbreakfast.
"Betterunders.e.xedthansorry."
"What?"saidLynnie.
"Euniceisofferingasolutiontothepopulationexplosion,"Iexplained.
Lynniegiggled.Euniceshowedmeadoublerowofteethandtoldmetopa.s.sthecream.