It was over in a moment. And there seemed to be a tacit agreement between them not to pursue the unspoken thoughts.
«Johnny, it’s so awfully good to see you!» Leila ran across the lawn.
John Tanner accepted Leila’s embrace and found himself responding with more overt affection than he thought he could muster. He knew why. He had passed the first test, the opening seconds of the Osterman weekend. He began to realize that Laurence Fassett could be right, after all. Perhaps he could carry it off.
Do as you’d normally do; behave as you’d normally behave. Don’t think about anything else.
«John, you look great, just great, man!»
«Where’s Ali, sweetie?» asked Leila who stepped aside so Bernie could throw his long thin arms around Tanner.
«Inside. Casserole-doing-time. Come on in! Here, I’ll grab the bag… No, Janet, honey, you can’t lift Uncle Bernie’s suitcase.»
«I don’t know why not,» laughed Bernie. «All it’s filled with is towels from The Plaza.»
«The Plaza?» Tanner couldn’t help himself. «I thought your plane just got in.»
Osterman glanced at him. «Uh uh. We flew in a couple of days ago. I’ll tell you about it…»
In a strange way it was like old times, and Tanner was astonished that he found himself accepting the fact. There was still the sense of relief at physically seeing each other again, knowing that time and distance were meaningless to their friendship. There was still the feeling that they could take up conversations, continue anecdotes, finish stories begun months previously. And there was still Bernie; gentle, reflective Bernie with his quiet, devastating comments about the palm-lined drug store. Devastating but somehow never condescending; Bernie laughed at himself as well as his professional world, for it was his world.
Tanner remembered Fassett’s words.
«… you’ll find yourself functioning on two levels quite comfortably. It’s always like that.»
Again, Fassett was right… In and out; in and out.
It struck Tanner as he watched Bernie that Leila kept shifting her eyes away from her husband to him. Once he returned her look; she lowered her eyes as a child might after a reprimand.
The telephone rang in the study. The sound was jarring to everyone but Alice. There was an extension phone on the table behind the sofa, but John ignored it as he crossed in front of the Ostermans towards the study door.
«I’ll take it out here. It’s probably the studio.»
As he entered the study he heard Leila speak to Ali, her voice lowered.
«Sweetie, Johnny seems tense. Is anything the matter? The way Bernie drawls on no one can get a word in.»
«Tense is understating it! You should have seen him yesterday!»
The telephone rang again; Tanner knew it wouldn’t be normal to let it ring further. Yet he wanted so much to hear the Ostermans’ reaction to Ali’s story of the Wednesday terror.
He compromised. He picked the phone out of the cradle, held it to his side and listened for several seconds to the conversation.
Something caught his ear. Bernie and Leila reacted to Ali’s words too quickly, with too much anticipation. They were asking questions before she finished sentences! They did know something.
«Hello? Hello! Hello, hello!» The anxious voice on the other end of the line belonged to Joe Cardone.
«Hello, Joe? Sorry, I dropped the phone…»
«I didn’t hear it drop.»
«Very soft, very expensive carpets.»
«Where? In that study of yours with the parquet floor?»
«Hey, come on, Joe.»
«Sorry… The city was rotten hot today and the market’s going to hell.»
«That’s better. Now you sound like the cheerful fellow we’re waiting for.»
«You mean everybody’s there?»
«No. Just Bernie and Leila.»
«They’re early. I thought the plane got in at five.»
«They flew in a couple of days ago.»
Cardone started to speak and then abruptly stopped. He seemed to catch his breath. «Funny they didn’t call. I mean, they didn’t get in touch with me. Did they with you?»
«No, I guess they had business.»
«Sure, but you’d think…» Again Cardone stopped in the middle of a sentence. Tanner wondered whether this hesitation was meant for him; to convince him of the fact that Bernie and Joe hadn’t met, hadn’t spoken with each other.
«Bernie’ll probably tell us all about it.»
«Yeah,» said Cardone, not really listening. «Well, I just wanted to let you know we’d be late. I’ll grab a quick shower; be there soon.»
«See you.» Tanner hung up the phone, surprised at his own calm. It occurred to him that he had controlled the conversation. Controlled it. He had to. Cardone was a nervous man and he hadn’t called to say he’d be late. To begin with, he wasn’t late.
Cardone had phoned to see if the others had come. Or if they were coming.
Tanner returned to the living room and sat down.
«Darling! Ali just told us! How dreadful! How simply terrifying!»
«My God, John! What an awful experience! The police said it was robbery?»
«So did The New York Times. Guess that makes it official.»
«I didn’t see anything in The Times,» stated Bernie firmly.
«It was only a few lines near the back. We’ll get better coverage in the local paper next week.»
«I’ve never heard of any robbery like that,» said Leila. «I wouldn’t settle for that, I really wouldn’t.»
Bernie looked at her. «I don’t know. It’s actually pretty smart. No identification, no harm to anyone.»
«What I don’t understand is why they didn’t just leave us in the garage.» Ali turned to her husband. It was a question he hadn’t answered satisfactorily.
«Did the police say why?» asked Bernie.
«They said the gas was a low-yield variety. The thieves didn’t want Ali or the kids to come to and see them. Very professional.»
«Very scary,» Leila said. «How did the kids take it?»
«Ray’s a neighborhood hero, of course,» said Ali. «Janet’s still not sure what happened.»
«Where is Ray?» Bernie pointed to a package in the hall. «I hope he hasn’t outgrown model airplanes. That’s one of those remote-control things.»
«He’ll love it,» said Ali. «He’s in the basement, I think. John’s turning it over to him…»
«No, he’s outside. In the pool.» Tanner realized that his interruption, his sharp correction of Ali, caused Bernie to look at him. Even Ali was startled by the abruptness of his statement.
So be it, thought Tanner. Let them all know the father was aware, every second, of the whereabouts of his own.
The dog began barking in front of the house; the sound of a car could be heard in the driveway. Alice walked to the window.
«It’s Dick and Ginny. And Ray’s not in the pool,» she added, smiling at John. «He’s in front saying hello.»
«He must have heard the car,» said Leila for no apparent reason.
Tanner wondered why she made the remark; it was as if she were defending him. He went to the front door and opened it. «Come on in, son. Some other friends of yours are here.»
When he saw the Ostermans, the boy’s eyes lit up. The Ostermans never arrived empty-handed. «Hello, Aunt Leila, Uncle Bernie!» Raymond Tanner, age twelve, walked into the arms of Leila and then shook hands manfully, shyly, with Bernie.
«We brought you a little something. Actually your buddy Merv suggested it.» Bernie crossed to the hall and picked up the package. «Hope you like it.»
«Thank you very much.» The boy took the gift and went into the dining room to unwrap it.
Virginia Tremayne came in, the picture of cool sensuality. She was dressed in a man-styled shirt with multicolored stripes and a tight knit skirt which accentuated the movements of her body. There were women in Saddle Valley who resented Ginny’s appearance, but they weren’t in these rooms. Ginny was a good friend.