Read Online Rebecca Schwartz 05 - Other People's Skeletons by Julie Smith - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Julie Smith
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help, really. I feel like I hardly knew him.”
“We heard you two had been dating.”
“Dating. Yes.” She frowned. “But not so much lately. God, he was fun. He figured out what my favorite foods were and always made sure he let the chef know in advance— things would just magically appear, variations on themes, you know, different things every time but still all my favorites. And then the chef would come out, and Jason would joke around with him— he just had such an easy manner. But— you know— I hadn’t seen him in two weeks, maybe three, when I heard the news. Tell me— there’s no question he was murdered, is that right?”
“The police have a couple of witnesses who say he started running to get out of the way, but the car backed up and went for him again.”
“My God! Who’d want to do that?”
“We were just wondering if you had any thoughts.”
“Not unless it was somebody he skewered in one of those wicked reviews of his. He was a completely hilarious writer, but I was always afraid he’d go too far. Other than that, I wouldn’t have any idea because I don’t know anything about his life— he was one of those guys who only do small talk.” She gave me a wry look, as if to say, You know the type?
“So I take it,” said Rob, “that you weren’t deeply involved with him.”
“You mean was I sleeping with him?”
Rob had the good grace to look taken aback, but she kept talking. “I belong to this group that my friend Trudy calls JerkEnders. We have this little rule— no sex before the tenth date.” She laughed. “Only two people have ever managed it, I think, but the theory is you should get to know somebody first. Very obvious, huh? And very nineteenth century. Well, it’s this way— either those two people must have dated Jason McKendrick, or maybe he belonged to another branch of it, up in the City.”
“Not exactly Fast Eddie, I take it.”
She spread her hands, not hiding a thing. “It was kind of refreshing at first. After awhile I got to wondering.”
“Wondering what?”
“What was going on.” She got Rob in a hammerlock stare. “It isn’t exactly guy behavior.”
“I, uh— I guess not.” It was all I could do not to laugh out loud. It wasn’t every day I got to see Rob Burns get flustered. From the shade of pink he was starting to turn, I gathered his cover had just been blown— that he most assuredly knew guy behavior when he saw it, and he was thinking he’d like to indulge in some with Felicity Wainwright.
I changed the subject, to get him off the spot. “We hear you’re an oncologist.”
She nodded. “Use lots of sunscreen, and maybe we’ll never meet professionally.”
“I was just wondering how you met Jason.”
“At a friend’s house— Toby Hunter. I mean at Toby and her husband’s house. They had us both to dinner one night.” She smiled, a little embarrassed, I thought. “I guess it was a fix-up.”
“Just the four of you?”
“Uh-huh.”
“I guess it was. How did Jason know the Hunters?”
“They have a PR agency— I think with a lot of theatrical clients. I guess it was frustrating because Toby couldn’t fix them up with Jason, whom she adored. She was always telling me how funny and urbane he was— all of which was true. I just don’t know.…”
“What?”
“If there was anything there.” She lifted an eyebrow. “But there had to be. A man who takes you out for two months and doesn’t make a pass must have some kind of explanation for it.”
“Maybe a war wound.”
“Insane wife in the attic.”
“Respects you too much.”
We burst out laughing— somehow, we’d managed to bond. Rob stared, amazed. I said, “What does Toby think?”
“She thinks a disgruntled actor killed him and just hopes it wasn’t one of her clients.”
“I mean about the other thing.”
“Oh. Well, she thinks he’s in the closet. What else is there to think? Unless he just doesn’t like redheads.” But of course
“We heard you two had been dating.”
“Dating. Yes.” She frowned. “But not so much lately. God, he was fun. He figured out what my favorite foods were and always made sure he let the chef know in advance— things would just magically appear, variations on themes, you know, different things every time but still all my favorites. And then the chef would come out, and Jason would joke around with him— he just had such an easy manner. But— you know— I hadn’t seen him in two weeks, maybe three, when I heard the news. Tell me— there’s no question he was murdered, is that right?”
“The police have a couple of witnesses who say he started running to get out of the way, but the car backed up and went for him again.”
“My God! Who’d want to do that?”
“We were just wondering if you had any thoughts.”
“Not unless it was somebody he skewered in one of those wicked reviews of his. He was a completely hilarious writer, but I was always afraid he’d go too far. Other than that, I wouldn’t have any idea because I don’t know anything about his life— he was one of those guys who only do small talk.” She gave me a wry look, as if to say, You know the type?
“So I take it,” said Rob, “that you weren’t deeply involved with him.”
“You mean was I sleeping with him?”
Rob had the good grace to look taken aback, but she kept talking. “I belong to this group that my friend Trudy calls JerkEnders. We have this little rule— no sex before the tenth date.” She laughed. “Only two people have ever managed it, I think, but the theory is you should get to know somebody first. Very obvious, huh? And very nineteenth century. Well, it’s this way— either those two people must have dated Jason McKendrick, or maybe he belonged to another branch of it, up in the City.”
“Not exactly Fast Eddie, I take it.”
She spread her hands, not hiding a thing. “It was kind of refreshing at first. After awhile I got to wondering.”
“Wondering what?”
“What was going on.” She got Rob in a hammerlock stare. “It isn’t exactly guy behavior.”
“I, uh— I guess not.” It was all I could do not to laugh out loud. It wasn’t every day I got to see Rob Burns get flustered. From the shade of pink he was starting to turn, I gathered his cover had just been blown— that he most assuredly knew guy behavior when he saw it, and he was thinking he’d like to indulge in some with Felicity Wainwright.
I changed the subject, to get him off the spot. “We hear you’re an oncologist.”
She nodded. “Use lots of sunscreen, and maybe we’ll never meet professionally.”
“I was just wondering how you met Jason.”
“At a friend’s house— Toby Hunter. I mean at Toby and her husband’s house. They had us both to dinner one night.” She smiled, a little embarrassed, I thought. “I guess it was a fix-up.”
“Just the four of you?”
“Uh-huh.”
“I guess it was. How did Jason know the Hunters?”
“They have a PR agency— I think with a lot of theatrical clients. I guess it was frustrating because Toby couldn’t fix them up with Jason, whom she adored. She was always telling me how funny and urbane he was— all of which was true. I just don’t know.…”
“What?”
“If there was anything there.” She lifted an eyebrow. “But there had to be. A man who takes you out for two months and doesn’t make a pass must have some kind of explanation for it.”
“Maybe a war wound.”
“Insane wife in the attic.”
“Respects you too much.”
We burst out laughing— somehow, we’d managed to bond. Rob stared, amazed. I said, “What does Toby think?”
“She thinks a disgruntled actor killed him and just hopes it wasn’t one of her clients.”
“I mean about the other thing.”
“Oh. Well, she thinks he’s in the closet. What else is there to think? Unless he just doesn’t like redheads.” But of course
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