Iâve slept with everyone ; Sal Mineo threw himself at me. I threw him back.â
He roared with more laughter and poured himself another flute full. The bottle was half gone and I didnât want to be around for the crash, plus the lips were definitely loosed. Time to make my move.
âIâm inhaling all this, Collier, but Iâm actually here to talk about something else.â
His head jerked and his eyes opened wide, like heâd been slapped. âSomething else ? Besides me? â
âYouâre part of it.â
âWell, I should hope so. Youâre in my house, after all.â He turned away from me and stage whispered to an imaginary friend, âManners have gone right out the window.â
âI wanted to talk about Pavel.â
His head swung back with such alacrity that I was afraid it was going to keep going and spin all the way around, Exorcist-style. He puffed up in his chair, shot me an acid look, and intoned: â What. About. Pavel ?â
âDid you know his girlfriend died last week?â
âDo I look like I live under a rock?â
I bit my tongue.
âI think she may have been murdered.â
âReally? If you find the killerâs address do let me know, Iâm a great believer in thank-you notes.â
âWill do.â
âIt was probably one of the Remittance Sisters,â he said, gesturing in the direction of the Bump estate.
âYou mean Octavia Bump?â
He shuddered. âShe of porcine mien and manner, yes.â
âDo you really think sheâs capable of murder?â
âShe was capable of stealing Pavel from me, sheâs capable of anything. Donât be fooled by her tawdry little quivery ditz act, she has a steeltrap mindânot to mention other regions.â
âShe stole Pavel from you?â
âYoung lady, I discovered Pavel. In the slums of Prague ⦠well, it was a hotel bar but never mind, he came from the slums. I cleaned him up and brought him to this country, I invested time, money, and ⦠â he placed a hand on his chest and his voice grew soft and fraught, â⦠my heart .â
Ham and cheese.
Then he switched gears, poured the last of the champagne as a veil of cunning descended over his eyes. âIâm afraid Lady Bump shall soon discover sheâs living in a foolâs paradise.â
âOh?â
He downed the last drop of bubbly. âNow-now, do I look like a fool? I donât know who you are, or why youâre here, but your audience is over.â
He stood and ushered me out of the library and into the kitchenâthere was a young man at the far end of the room, wearing black Levis and tee-shirtâpale and muscular, sexy and furtive. Denton looked annoyed at his presence.
âOh, this is Graham,â he said. âHeâs a handyman, doing some work for me.â
ââello,â Graham mumbled in a thick Irish accent.
âLet me show you out,â Denton said, grabbing my elbow and giving me a firm tug.
eighteen
New Paltz, which sits in the flats of the Hudson Valley, is one of those college towns that seems to hover under its own personal cloud of pot smoke. Weâre talking funky hereâcoffee shops, taco stands, bookstores, bars, used clothing shops, hippies of all agesâitâs Woodstockâs rowdier kid sister, the one whoâs still dropping acid and giving head in the stacks.
Feeling very middle-aged (and thankful for it), I parked and headed for the bar where Iâd agreed to meet Billie. It was a dark spot on a side street that clearly catered more to townies and bikers than college kids. I didnât see her so I got a ginger ale at the bar, sat at a small table, and waited. The place was pretty crowded and had a sweaty vibe, rough around the edges, vintage Aerosmith was playing, there was a pool table, the knot of jumpy lowlifes pow-wowing in one corner screamed we-love-our-meth
Glenn Stout
Stephanie Bolster
F. Leonora Solomon
Phil Rossi
Eric Schlosser
Melissa West
Meg Harris
D. L. Harrison
Dawn Halliday
Jayne Ann Krentz