She squeezed some fresh orange juice, and brought out muesli and cereal. Jake was shaved, dressed and ready to leave. He drank only the juice, saying he’d send someone out for a sandwich. He kept looking at his watch, checking his pockets for car keys and wallet, and then bent down to kiss her. ‘I’ll call you.’
She hurried after him. ‘Is there any way you could take care of Tiger, just for today and tomorrow?’
‘What?’
‘I need someone to look after him, I’ve got to go to New York.’
He stopped at the front door, sighed and looked at his watch. ‘Will you be back this evening? I can come by later and walk him and feed him.’
‘Well, I’d planned on staying over.’
‘Why didn’t you mention this last night?’
‘You were flat out. Look, forget it, I’ll find someone else. No problem.’
‘You sure?’
‘Yes, I’m sure. Go on — you don’t want to be late.’
He stared at her, then looked away with a sigh. ‘No, I don’t, and I can’t take him to the station with me, can I? Look, I’ll call you. What time will you be leaving?’
‘That depends. I might not go until later. I haven’t arranged my flight or anything.’
‘Who are you going to see?’
‘Mrs Nathan,’ she said, pouring coffee and turning to him with the cup in her hand. ‘There’s one left, the first wife.’
He looked at his watch again and Lorraine could see him hesitate before he crossed to her. ‘I love you, and I’m sorry about not taking Tiger off your hands. Next time, huh?’
‘Yep, next time. Talk to you later.’
Lorraine had showered, changed and washed her hair, but her head still throbbed, and the aspirin refused to be dislodged from her gullet. When she got to the office she took some antacid and gulped down some water.
She had considered the Hispanic family in the apartment below hers — and rejected it — as a temporary home for Tiger, and she felt depressed. She had so few friends, and without Rosie and Bill Rooney around, there had only been Decker left. She started thinking that maybe there was no reason to rush off to the Hamptons — Sonja Nathan might not even be there. But when Lorraine called, someone with rather a nice deep voice said he would ask Mrs Nathan to return her call. Soon afterwards her phone rang and Sonja Nathan was on the line.
Lorraine explained that she would like to meet Sonja to discuss a few things in connection with her former husband’s estate.
‘Are you with the insurance companies?’ Sonja asked.
Lorraine told her that she was working for Feinstein and Sonja suggested, without asking any more questions, that Lorraine had better come to the Hamptons right away as she was planning to go to Europe. ‘I can be with you Thursday morning,’ Lorraine said, in two days’ time.
‘Fine, I’ll see you then, about ten o’clock. You have the address?’
‘Yes, I look forward to seeing you.’
Lorraine arranged a flight for noon the next day, booked into the hotel, and was just about to sort through all the art catalogues that Decker’s boyfriend had left when Tiger barked. Lorraine walked out into the reception area.
‘It’s me,’ said a high-pitched voice.
‘Tiger, sit. Who?’
‘It’s Rosie, for Chrissakes. Who the hell do you think it is?’
Lorraine ran to the door, shrieking, ‘Rosie, Rosie, ROSIE!’
Rosie was plumper, but tanned and sporting a new hairstyle. The frizzy curls had been ‘straightened’, and the colour had also been toned down and was no longer quite such a vivid red. For a moment neither could speak, they were so pleased to see each other. Lorraine had missed her one true friend, and burst into tears. Rosie already had tears streaming down her cheeks. They had climbed together out of a dark past and now Rosie had found the love she craved, found a future. She wished all that she had for Lorraine too; then her happiness would be complete.
‘You look fabulous,’ Lorraine said, holding her friend at arm’s length. She sniffed back the tears and wiped her cheeks with the palm of her hand. ‘I dunno why I’m crying.’
Rosie kissed her again. She had an array of gifts for Lorraine in carrier bags and boxes that she had dropped as soon as the door had opened.
‘Any chance of some coffee? I’m dying for a cup,’ Rosie said, collecting her things and stacking them on the coffee table, before she went over to a rather bemused Tiger. He sat as she rubbed his big head. He didn’t like many people to fondle him but as Lorraine joined in he accepted it.
‘He’s changed so much, Rosie. I don’t know what I’d do without him now.’ Lorraine nuzzled him and he rolled over legs in the air as she scratched his belly.
‘My God, he’s enormous,’ Rosie said. ‘He looks like a different dog altogether!’ Tiger’s coat looked glossy and clean and as he grunted with satisfaction, he looked as if he was smiling. ‘Nick’d be happy to see him like this,’ she said softly.
‘Yeah, Nick would be proud of him — well, most of the time.’ She gave Tiger a last tickle and stood up.
‘So, this is the workplace huh?’ Rosie said.
Lorraine opened her arms wide. ‘This is Page Investigations, Rosie.’
They went on a tour of the office. Rosie said all the right things, then watched as Lorraine opened her presents like a child — scarves, beads and hair-bands, a watch and bracelet, souvenir tea towels, baseball caps and cut glass.
Then the two women decided to have lunch together at a small local bistro, where Rosie, as usual, ate ravenously, ordering a supposedly healthy sauté of zucchini and mushrooms dripping with olive oil. Lorraine had a small portion of fettuccini. She was regaled with stories about the trip and there were six wallets of photographs, showing the honeymooners arm in arm and hand in hand in all the various countries they had visited.
Rosie insisted she see the new apartment next, so they collected Tiger, closed the office and piled into Lorraine’s jeep. Rosie was impressed with it and even more so when she heard about the Mercedes. ‘Well, it’s your money and you could always get run over by a car tomorrow, so live for today,’ but she sounded worried, or maybe a little envious.
After the tour of the apartment, where Rosie enthused about every curtain, every piece of furniture, they settled back to more gossip. Rosie’s happiness shone in her face, and through the affectionate, funny stories she kept telling about big Bill. It made Lorraine reach over and clasp her hand. ‘I’m so glad it’s worked out for you two, you seem so well suited.’
Rosie folded her hands over her tummy. ‘Now, you’ve heard all my news — you start now.’
‘I’m going to get married.’
Rosie’s jaw dropped and then the tears started. She hugged Lorraine and wanted to call Bill and tell him, but Lorraine said she wanted to tell him herself. He might even know her new boyfriend, Lieutenant Jake Burton. Rosie’s jaw dropped still further. ‘A cop?’
‘A chief of detectives, Rosie!’
‘Jesus. That is incredible!’
Lorraine smiled. ‘Yes, it is. I guess I’m happy too. But I’m also scared to death — that it might all blow up in my face. So, please don’t say anything to Bill, not yet, and... you mind if we change the subject?’
‘Sure,’ Rosie said, aching to know every single detail. But Lorraine had that set expression on her face so she asked instead what her friend was working on. She listened as Lorraine, trying not to sound too emotional, told her first about Decker. Then she moved on to her case. ‘It’s the Harry Nathan murder. I was hired by his wife, Cindy, but she committed suicide.’ Lorraine explained briefly how Cindy had contacted her, then lit a cigarette, inhaled deeply and her mood changed. Rosie could feel her tension but she said nothing, just waited, like in the old days. She had learned never to push for information from Lorraine — she’d tell you what she wanted you to know and nothing more.