THIRTY-FOUR
SHERRILL SAID, SO KRAUSE THINKS MAYBE SHE DELIBERATELY let the lineman see her so we wouldnt suspect Wilson. And thenshecalled to tell us about the lineman, because we were digging at Wilson.
Smart woman, Lucas said.
Nasty, said James T. Bone, who was just settling into Lucass visitors chair.
I gotta go, Sherrill said. She stood on her tiptoes, black eye nearly gone, kissed Lucas on the lips, said, See you tonight, and, Bye, Mr. Bone.
When Sherrill closed the door, Bone looked sleepy-eyed at Lucas and said, White fuzzy sweater and chrome revolver in a shoulder holster. My heart almost stopped.
Wearing my ass out, Lucas said comfortably.
I know how that goes, Bone said.
Her attorneys a friend of mine, Lucas said. He says shes crazy as a loon. Maybe she is. She even denies buying or firing the shotgun, even though we had four witnesses, the receipt in the car, and the gun shop guy identifying her. He says shes having trouble remembering anything after the death of her husband. A shrinks looking at her now.
Is she faking?
Lucas shrugged. I dont know. Shes smart, thats pretty clear. But her whole life has been a nightmare. I think its possible that she never did know the difference between right and wrong.
And if the court decides shes nuts?
Shell go off to the state hospital.
What if shes not nuts?
Then we have a trial, and weve got her.
Huh. Bone looked out the window at the street. The weather had turned gray, and small flecks of snow bounced off the window. Although it was only three in the afternoon, most of the passing cars had their headlights on. A week after the fight in the garage, the world was beginning to settle down again. Id feel a lot better if I knew she was going away for a long time; like forever. Id hate to see her get out of a hospital in a couple of years.
Lucas nodded: So would I.
BONE HAD THE BANK: OF THE TOP FIVE POLARIS EXECUTIVES in October, only two had made it to the end of November, Bone and Robles. Ive got my assistant winding up ODells affairs here. I talked to her fatherhes having trouble dealing with her death.
Death of a child, Lucas said. Just cause theyre grown up, doesnt make it any easier.
No, I dont expect it does, Bone said. Then, Have you seen Damascus Isley lately?
Not since we had lunch together a while back.
I saw him at the bank. We talked a little basketball… Hes on a strange diet, a Big Mac every day with popcorn.
He told me he was thinking about it, Lucas said. I hope he can stick it out.
I think he will. He was on the diet for one week, he told me, and lost eighteen pounds. He knows that wont keep up, but when he got on the scale after the first week, he said his wife went out to the bedroom and cried forfifteen minutes. Outa joy, I guess. He was freaked out. I dont see any way hell relapse.
BONE SAID, THIS AUDREY MCDONALD THING HAS torn me up.
Yeah? Lucas had an archaic typewriter tray in his desk, just the right height for feet. He pulled it out and put his feet up.
Yeah. I was gonna run a major bank someday. But it wouldnt have come this soon, if Audrey hadnt blown old Dan Kresge out of his tree stand.
Wont you be out of a job, if the merger goes through?
Sure. But some problems are cropping up with the merger, Bone said, showing a thin smile. The road might not be as smooth as it looked. Even if it happens, once youre running a place, you can usually go someplace else, and run that. Its the breakthrough to the top that counts.
Sloan talked to you about your relationship with Marcia Kresge.. . Id think that might have been a dangerous relationship for somebody trying to get to the top, Lucas said.
Eh… its easier in a private company. You dont have to deal with elections and all your insane bureaucratic rules. I doubt Dan would have cared; he probably would have been amused. Marcia wasnt any more of a potential problem for me than Miss Fuzzy Sweater is for you. Besides, thats all done.
All done?
Yeah. Bone seemed mildly embarrassed and turned to look out at the street again. You met my assistant, Kerin Baki.
The glacial blonde.
Yeah. When the whole scramble started, after Kresge was killed, she started working to get me the top job. She did everything right: pretty much managed the whole show. And when I asked her what she wanted out of it, she saidshe wanted a favor from me. But she wouldnt tell me what it was until after I got the job.
And you got it.
Yeah. So after things settled down a little, when Audrey McDonald was arrested, I got her in my office and asked, Whats the favor?
Baki had been a little uncomfortable when he pressed her, Bone said, but finally sat down and outlined what she wanted. Basically, she was tired of living alone. She wanted to find a man who was as smart as she was, who worked as hard as she did, and had similar interests. That was difficult.
What she wanted from me, Bone said, as Lucas started smiling, is, she wanted me to take her around just as a friend, as an associateand introduce her to guys I knew in the banking and investment communities who might be candidates.
Just as a friend, Lucas said.
Yeah. Mr. Bone, she said, I dont have a chance to meet many people like that, socially, because Im always here. And I know this sounds a little cold and a little calculating, but I dont have many more years to go if I want to have children and a normal home life, Bone said, mimicking Bakis precise soprano. And she pushed her glasses back up on her nose, which is about the only thing thats ever been wrong with herher glasses slide down.
Yeah, Lucas said. Shes, like, vulnerable. I said okay, Bone said. I could understand that. So I took her around to a couple of places, a couple of outside meetings she wouldnt normally have gone to, and she made quite an impression on a couple of guys. I got some calls asking about her status… I told her about them, and she was pretty interested.
You chump.
You know how the story comes out?
Lucas knitted his hands across his chest and said, Let me guess. You decided to take her out for a dinner…
Dinner meeting.
And then you have to take her home afterwards.
I just went up for a minute; Id never seen her place.
And you didnt come out for a while.
Quite a while.
And the glacier melted.
You might say that… And shes told me Ive seen the last of Marcia Kresge, Bone said. She also mentioned a couple of other women that I had no idea she knew about.
What about the kid thing?
Bone shrugged. I always thought, maybe, you know, with the right woman. ..
THE PHONE RANG, AND BONE STOOD UP. I GOTTA go, he said, but Lucas held up a finger: Hang on a second. He answered the phone, Hello?
Lucas, this is Del. Del was on a cell phone; his voice sounded like he was shouting through a hollow log, with a roar in the background.
Yeah. Whats going on?
Aw, Im calling from the plane…
Engine roar. Thats right, Lucas said. Cancuґn. I forgot. Have a good time.
If anybody comes asking for me, tell em ten days, would you? Del shouted.
Sure.
Nobodys come asking yet?
Not to me, Lucas said. Should they?
Cant hear you too good. See you in ten days, Del shouted. And hung up.
LUCAS LOOKED AT THE PHONE, PUZZLED, THEN HUNG up and said to Bone, We play a little ball at the Y on Wednesday nights, bunch a cops, a few lawyers. Sort of a cross between basketball and hockeyyou know, no harm, no foul. If Kerinll let you, youre invited.
Yeah, thatd be nice, Bone said. Maybe Isleyll be around in a year or so. They shook hands, and Bone said, See you.
HE WENT OUT THE DOOR, BUT TEN SECONDS LATER was back: Uh, theres some people here to see you, he said.
What?
Some… people, Bone said.
Lucas, frowning, stepped out in the hallway. He wasnt sure until later of the exact number, which was twenty-four, but he knew at a glance that there were a lot of them.