Read Online Hope to Die by Lawrence Block - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Lawrence Block
Tags: thriller
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house at random and killed them because they picked the wrong time to come home." Her eyes found mine. "It just seems so arbitrary, Mr. Scudder. You don't want to believe things happen like that, just out of the blue, for no reason at all. But I guess they do, don't they?"
"You were overwrought," I said.
"That's right."
"And shocked, and deeply saddened. So it's not surprising your mind produced an alternate scenario, one in which things happened for a reason."
She was nodding, grateful to me for helping her out.
"Tell me about it," I said.
"I beg your pardon?"
"Your scenario. Let's hear it."
"But it's ridiculous," she said. She might have said more, but the waitress was hovering. By now I was hungry enough to order a cheeseburger and a cup of coffee. T J said he'd have the same but make it a bacon cheeseburger with a side of fries, and make them all well-done, the burger and the fries both, and instead of the coffee a glass of milk'd be good, or did they happen to have buttermilk? They did, and he said that's what he'd have.
He never gains an ounce, either.
Lia started to say she was fine with the tea, then changed her mind and ordered the spinach pie, the appetizer, though, not the full dinner. The waitress left and she picked up her teacup and looked at it and put it down again.
"It's ridiculous," I prompted.
"Oh. Well, it really is. I don't think I should even say it out loud."
"Because it's not fair even to think such things, and saying them is worse."
"That's right."
"On the other hand," I said, "we came all the way uptown, and there's food coming, so we'll be here awhile. And we might as well talk about something."
"I wanted to call you- "
"But you didn't," T J said, "and even if you did, we probably would have come anyway."
This surprised her. "Why?"
"To make sure it was what you really wanted," I said, "and that nobody was holding a gun to your head."
"You think- "
"I don't think anything. I'd have come uptown to get some idea what to think. That's generally worth an hour and a couple of subway tokens. But it's beside the point, because you weren't able to call us and here we are, and we might as well cut to the chase. You think your cousin set up your aunt and uncle."
"But I don't think that. I told you- "
"I know. You don't think it, but you did, even if you'd like to pretend you didn't. It's just a thought, Lia. Best thing you can do with it is bring it out into the open."
"Otherwise it'll go bad," T J said.
She took a breath and nodded and picked up her teacup, and this time she drank from it before setting it back in its saucer. "She inherits everything," she said.
"Kristin."
She nodded. "That was the first thing I thought of. Not 'Poor Kristin, she's an orphan, she's alone in the world.' The first thing I thought was she's a rich girl now."
"How rich?"
"I don't know. But even if all there is is the house, it's worth a fortune. A brownstone in the Seventies? There was one somebody was talking about the other day, West Eighty-fourth Street I think it was, and they were asking two-point-six. I don't know, maybe that's not a fortune anymore, maybe it's pocket change if you're one of the dot-com people, but it still seems like a lot of money to me."
"Could be mortgaged," I said.
"Uncle Byrne said it was free and clear. He was proud of that, how they'd paid the house off years ago, and now it was worth so much money. He said how much better an investment it turned out to be than any of his stocks, so that means there must be stocks, too, don't you think?"
"But not very good ones."
"Still, they'd have to be worth something, wouldn't they?"
"Sure."
"And I'm sure there was insurance. And there were the things they owned, Aunt Susan's jewelry, the silverware, the paintings. They took the jewelry and silver, but it was recovered, wasn't it?"
"I believe so."
"And what wasn't would be covered by insurance. Oh, God, what's the matter with me, sitting here adding up their assets in my head
"You were overwrought," I said.
"That's right."
"And shocked, and deeply saddened. So it's not surprising your mind produced an alternate scenario, one in which things happened for a reason."
She was nodding, grateful to me for helping her out.
"Tell me about it," I said.
"I beg your pardon?"
"Your scenario. Let's hear it."
"But it's ridiculous," she said. She might have said more, but the waitress was hovering. By now I was hungry enough to order a cheeseburger and a cup of coffee. T J said he'd have the same but make it a bacon cheeseburger with a side of fries, and make them all well-done, the burger and the fries both, and instead of the coffee a glass of milk'd be good, or did they happen to have buttermilk? They did, and he said that's what he'd have.
He never gains an ounce, either.
Lia started to say she was fine with the tea, then changed her mind and ordered the spinach pie, the appetizer, though, not the full dinner. The waitress left and she picked up her teacup and looked at it and put it down again.
"It's ridiculous," I prompted.
"Oh. Well, it really is. I don't think I should even say it out loud."
"Because it's not fair even to think such things, and saying them is worse."
"That's right."
"On the other hand," I said, "we came all the way uptown, and there's food coming, so we'll be here awhile. And we might as well talk about something."
"I wanted to call you- "
"But you didn't," T J said, "and even if you did, we probably would have come anyway."
This surprised her. "Why?"
"To make sure it was what you really wanted," I said, "and that nobody was holding a gun to your head."
"You think- "
"I don't think anything. I'd have come uptown to get some idea what to think. That's generally worth an hour and a couple of subway tokens. But it's beside the point, because you weren't able to call us and here we are, and we might as well cut to the chase. You think your cousin set up your aunt and uncle."
"But I don't think that. I told you- "
"I know. You don't think it, but you did, even if you'd like to pretend you didn't. It's just a thought, Lia. Best thing you can do with it is bring it out into the open."
"Otherwise it'll go bad," T J said.
She took a breath and nodded and picked up her teacup, and this time she drank from it before setting it back in its saucer. "She inherits everything," she said.
"Kristin."
She nodded. "That was the first thing I thought of. Not 'Poor Kristin, she's an orphan, she's alone in the world.' The first thing I thought was she's a rich girl now."
"How rich?"
"I don't know. But even if all there is is the house, it's worth a fortune. A brownstone in the Seventies? There was one somebody was talking about the other day, West Eighty-fourth Street I think it was, and they were asking two-point-six. I don't know, maybe that's not a fortune anymore, maybe it's pocket change if you're one of the dot-com people, but it still seems like a lot of money to me."
"Could be mortgaged," I said.
"Uncle Byrne said it was free and clear. He was proud of that, how they'd paid the house off years ago, and now it was worth so much money. He said how much better an investment it turned out to be than any of his stocks, so that means there must be stocks, too, don't you think?"
"But not very good ones."
"Still, they'd have to be worth something, wouldn't they?"
"Sure."
"And I'm sure there was insurance. And there were the things they owned, Aunt Susan's jewelry, the silverware, the paintings. They took the jewelry and silver, but it was recovered, wasn't it?"
"I believe so."
"And what wasn't would be covered by insurance. Oh, God, what's the matter with me, sitting here adding up their assets in my head
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