Pinner said sharply, ‘And what are they?’
‘Well, I guess, the honest thing to do is to tell Marshall that his wife is not capable of passing the test and so save him the cost of further lessons. If I tell him that I lose contact with Mrs. Marshall and I won’t be able to get the information you want.’ I paused to let that sink in, then went on, ‘The other alternative is for me to go on giving her lessons and hope she will unwind.’
Olson said, frowning, ‘Unwind? What does that mean?’
‘I mean for her to relax. Once she relaxes, I could ask her how she reacts to Wicksteed. I might even persuade her to confide in me about her future plans if her husband died.’ I looked straight at Pinner. ‘That’s the information you want, isn’t it?’
Pinner tugged at his moustache as he nodded.
‘That’s what we want, Keith,’ he said. ‘You go on giving her driving lessons. You do that.’
Olson shifted uneasily.
‘Just a moment. If Mr. Devery is so certain she won’t be able to drive...’ He paused and looked at Mason. ‘I’m not sure I approve of this. Frank is my client. If Mr. Devery is satisfied that Mrs. Marshall can’t pass the test, I think Frank should be told.’
Before Mason could express an opinion, I said, ‘Fine. I was only trying to be helpful. Okay, Mr. Olson, as soon as Frank gets home tonight I’ll telephone him and tell him how it is.’
‘Now wait a minute,’ Mason said hastily. ‘Don’t let us rush this. We want to know Mrs. Marshall’s attitude to our town. Let me ask you a question, Keith. Are you absolutely certain that Mrs. Marshall won’t pass the test?’
I nearly laughed. This was exactly what I was hoping he would say.
‘Can anyone be absolutely certain of anything. No — she just might, but I doubt it.’
‘So why don’t you give her a few more lessons and while you are with her, ask a few questions?’ Mason asked. ‘How’s about that?’
I looked at Olson.
‘I’m only too happy to help. You tell me what you want, and I’ll do it.’
Pinner slapped his hand down on the table, making the glasses jump.
‘Tom’s got the solution!’
Olson hesitated, then nodded.
‘There can be no harm in giving her a few more lessons. Yes, why not?’
Mason put his hand on my arm.
‘You go ahead, Keith. Suppose we all meet here Friday evening. That’ll give you three days. Then, if you are sure she won’t be able to drive, you tell Frank.’ He smiled at me, knowingly. ‘But in the meantime, try to get the information we want.’
‘You can rely on me, gentlemen.’ I finished my beer. ‘So here Friday at six.’
‘That’s it,’ Pinner said.
This is supposed to be my day off.’ I got to my feet. ‘I’m taking a swim if you’ll excuse me.’ I smiled at them. ‘Friday then.’ We shook hands all round, then waving to Joe at the bar, I walked out to my car.
The last thing I wanted was a swim. All I longed to do was to flop on my bed and hope my body would come together again.
Making love to Beth was like getting entangled in a cement mixer.
The following morning, still feeling rough, I arrived at the Driving school at 09.00 to be told by Maisie that I was booked solid for one hour driving lessons until 15.00.
I told Bert that I had spent half my day off giving Mrs. Marshall her first driving lesson. I could have saved my breath.
He already knew. The grapevine in this town was fierce.
‘That was mighty good of you, Keith,’ he said. ‘It’s good business. We can charge Marshall double time with you going up to his house and back.’ He looked inquiringly at me. ‘How does she shape?’
I didn’t tell him that her shape, when stripped off, was sensational. Instead, I said it was early days, but she didn’t shape up too well.
‘Never mind. It’s good money.’ He began to open his mail.
‘Did you think any more about my proposition, Keith?’
Proposition? I stared at him blankly, then remembered he had offered me a partnership.
‘Not yet, Bert. What with one thing and another...’
He looked sad, then shrugged.
‘There’s time. I just hoped you would have thought about it.’
‘I’m sorry, Bert. I will.’
‘Tom will be back tomorrow.’
Tom?
I pulled myself together. Marshall and his money plus Beth had blotted everything else from my mind.
Tom Lucas, I now remembered, was Bert’s driving instructor before I had arrived on the scene.
‘So he is coming back?’
‘That’s it, Keith. He’s okay now and he’ll ease the pressure.’
Maisie looked in to tell me my first pupil was waiting.
Although I kept busy, the morning dragged. At lunchtime, I went to a call booth, found Marshall’s home number and dialled.
‘He is staying the night at ’Frisco.’ A pause, then she said, ‘This is Mrs. Marshall speaking.’
‘I can’t be with you until five. When will he be back?’
‘He is staying the night at Frisco.’ A pause, then she said, ‘Do you want to spend the night with me?’
Did I want to? Did I want to grab Marshall’s million dollar inheritance? But the red light flashed up and this time I paid attention.
‘Let’s talk about it, Beth,’ and I hung up.
As I walked across to Joe’s saloon for a sandwich and a Coke, I decided that, much as I wanted to spend the night with Beth, it was too dangerous. How would I explain to Mrs. Hansen that I wasn’t sleeping this night in my room? I had already had a session with her, telling her that Mrs. Beth Marshall seemed a little odd, that she was unfriendly and that she scarcely said a word. Obviously disappointed, Mrs. Hansen had shaken her head as she said, ‘I don’t like the sound of her.’
Reluctantly, I decided I couldn’t spend the night with Beth. The grapevine was too fierce. It would have to be a quick screw and then au revoir.
Around 16.45, I drove up the dirt road and into Marshall’s garage. I closed the garage doors, then walked up the steps and as I was about to thumb the bell, the front door jerked open.
She was ready for action. She was naked under the see-through white wrap. Catching hold of my wrist, she pulled me up the broad stairway and into a bedroom: probably a guest room. Her fingers were already unbuttoning my shirt as I kicked the door shut.
It was a repeat performance. Only this time, she was at home. She had no inhibitions. When we reached the top of the hill, she gave a wild cry that echoed through the still, lonely house.
This time, the slide down the hill was slower, but the feeling of being fed through a cement mixer remained.
We dozed the way satiated lovers always doze. The room was cool, the light dim. The rustle of leaves in the breeze was the only sound to come through the open window.
After a while we surfaced. I found my pack of cigarettes, gave her one, took one myself and lit up for both of us.
‘You’re a marvellous lover,’ she said drowsily.
‘You are the best ever.’
Lying on the bed, inhaling smoke, my eyes closed, I wondered how many times these banal words had been said by other lovers.
‘Will you stay the night, Keith?’
That was what I wanted to do. She had thrown a hook in me. Sexually, she was the most exciting woman I had ever known, and, in the past I had known a lot of women. She had now such a hook in me that I hesitated before saying, ‘No. I want to, Beth, but it’s too dangerous. You may not know it, but the whole goddamn town is watching me. I am the first to contact you... you who are the second most important person to them. Everyone is watching me. Did you know that?’
She moved her long body on the crumpled sheet.
‘I could be the first most important person, not the second most important person,’ she said so quietly I scarcely heard her, but I did.