Read Online Corkscrew by Donald E. Westlake - Free Book Online
Authors: Donald E. Westlake
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serious, but on the other hand, the man had no known sense of humor.
'These things are unpredictable, Bryce,' lawyer Bob said. 'Mostly because people are not at their most rational in a divorce. But my guess on this case, barring anything unforeseen, is sometime in the spring. Thank your lucky stars you two didn't have children, that would
really
drag it out.'
Like Isabelle's children in Spain. There's always somebody worse off than you, Bryce told himself, and an image of Lucie flashed by, immediately suppressed. 'Thanks, Bob,' he said. 'I just wanted to know where I stand.'
'Pretty much where you stood, Bryce.'
'Got it,' Bryce said.
While he was looking up the travel agent's number, he thought, call Lucie? He had the phone number at the apartment she'd taken. Gall her, say to her, why don't we just get this over with, go on with our lives? You tell your lawyer to quit stalling, I'll tell my lawyer to quit stalling, we'll just end it, no more bitterness, start thinking about the future for a change.
No. He could hear her voice, he could hear her laugh, he could hear her scorn. Open himself up to her like that? She'd slice him in two.
Besides, there are phone records. There shouldn't be a record of a call from him to her just before…
The travel agent's number. He dialed it.
8
'I'll be going out tomorrow night,' Wayne said.
Susan almost asked him where he'd be, he could see it in the light of the candles as they ate dinner together, as usual, that Tuesday evening. He could see the question form, and then see her find the answer on her own, and she looked down at her plate, as though embarrassed, and said, in a low voice, 'Will you be late?'
'I don't think so.'
It was as though he were having an affair, seeing another woman, and he and Susan were keeping the marriage alive by pretending it wasn't going on, Susan waiting for it to blow over and for him to return to her, he waiting…
For what? For Bryce to call and say it was all a joke? You didn't take me seriously, did you, pal, it was just a bull session, of course that's what it was, a couple plotmeisters sitting around scheming.
The contract was real, drawn up by a real law firm.
The Domino Doublet
had been sent to Bryce and had not come back. He'd returned the contract, with that little note about California. If Bryce wanted to change his mind, this was the time to do it.
And if
Wayne
wanted to change his mind? But how could he? He'd given away his unpublished novel, he'd signed and returned that contract, he'd managed to meet Lucie Proctorr and now he had a dinner date with her. He was in motion, whatever this motion was, and what was the alternative? He was in the situation he was in right now because there
was
no alternative.
They finished the meal in silence, and watched something or other on PBS. When they were going to bed, her body looked strange to him, foreign, not appealing. He sensed that she felt the same way about him.
Before they turned off the lights, she said, 'Is this the end of it?'
'Oh, no,' he said, startled she'd think it would happen that fast, that easily. 'No, this is just — This isn't the end.'
He wanted to say to her, this is just the reconnaissance, really. I'm meeting her at her apartment, and we're going to dinner in her neighborhood, and this is to figure out what the possibilities are. I don't even know what, how I'm going to, what
weapon.
I think I've even been avoiding all those thoughts.
He might have to take a train south some day soon, buy a gun. He'd never owned a gun, never shot one, but maybe.
What else, what were the other possibilities? He'd have to think about it, see if tomorrow evening gave him any ideas. A number of his characters, in his books, had killed other of his characters, in various ways, but at this point he couldn't remember how any of them had done it, or how it had seemed easy.
He wanted to say, no, Susan, this is just the reconnaissance, don't worry about tomorrow. But to say that
'These things are unpredictable, Bryce,' lawyer Bob said. 'Mostly because people are not at their most rational in a divorce. But my guess on this case, barring anything unforeseen, is sometime in the spring. Thank your lucky stars you two didn't have children, that would
really
drag it out.'
Like Isabelle's children in Spain. There's always somebody worse off than you, Bryce told himself, and an image of Lucie flashed by, immediately suppressed. 'Thanks, Bob,' he said. 'I just wanted to know where I stand.'
'Pretty much where you stood, Bryce.'
'Got it,' Bryce said.
While he was looking up the travel agent's number, he thought, call Lucie? He had the phone number at the apartment she'd taken. Gall her, say to her, why don't we just get this over with, go on with our lives? You tell your lawyer to quit stalling, I'll tell my lawyer to quit stalling, we'll just end it, no more bitterness, start thinking about the future for a change.
No. He could hear her voice, he could hear her laugh, he could hear her scorn. Open himself up to her like that? She'd slice him in two.
Besides, there are phone records. There shouldn't be a record of a call from him to her just before…
The travel agent's number. He dialed it.
8
'I'll be going out tomorrow night,' Wayne said.
Susan almost asked him where he'd be, he could see it in the light of the candles as they ate dinner together, as usual, that Tuesday evening. He could see the question form, and then see her find the answer on her own, and she looked down at her plate, as though embarrassed, and said, in a low voice, 'Will you be late?'
'I don't think so.'
It was as though he were having an affair, seeing another woman, and he and Susan were keeping the marriage alive by pretending it wasn't going on, Susan waiting for it to blow over and for him to return to her, he waiting…
For what? For Bryce to call and say it was all a joke? You didn't take me seriously, did you, pal, it was just a bull session, of course that's what it was, a couple plotmeisters sitting around scheming.
The contract was real, drawn up by a real law firm.
The Domino Doublet
had been sent to Bryce and had not come back. He'd returned the contract, with that little note about California. If Bryce wanted to change his mind, this was the time to do it.
And if
Wayne
wanted to change his mind? But how could he? He'd given away his unpublished novel, he'd signed and returned that contract, he'd managed to meet Lucie Proctorr and now he had a dinner date with her. He was in motion, whatever this motion was, and what was the alternative? He was in the situation he was in right now because there
was
no alternative.
They finished the meal in silence, and watched something or other on PBS. When they were going to bed, her body looked strange to him, foreign, not appealing. He sensed that she felt the same way about him.
Before they turned off the lights, she said, 'Is this the end of it?'
'Oh, no,' he said, startled she'd think it would happen that fast, that easily. 'No, this is just — This isn't the end.'
He wanted to say to her, this is just the reconnaissance, really. I'm meeting her at her apartment, and we're going to dinner in her neighborhood, and this is to figure out what the possibilities are. I don't even know what, how I'm going to, what
weapon.
I think I've even been avoiding all those thoughts.
He might have to take a train south some day soon, buy a gun. He'd never owned a gun, never shot one, but maybe.
What else, what were the other possibilities? He'd have to think about it, see if tomorrow evening gave him any ideas. A number of his characters, in his books, had killed other of his characters, in various ways, but at this point he couldn't remember how any of them had done it, or how it had seemed easy.
He wanted to say, no, Susan, this is just the reconnaissance, don't worry about tomorrow. But to say that
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