area where I sat included pink upholstered chairs and a settee that might have been an antique but struck me as schlock. The color motif was carried over to the four-poster, the cloth skirting the box spring bordered with white lace, though the pink bedclothes themselves lay tousled, pillows at domino angles to each other. Full-length mirrors rose on either side of a walk-in closet, and the wall paintings were all of flamingos. The entertainment center contained components of so many sizes and shapes, I could identify only about half by function.
”Told you I could do it quickly when I had to.”
Turning toward the bathroom again, I realized I couldn’t hear the water anymore. Cassandra Helides’s platinum hair was plastered against her skull, and she wore only a large towel wrap this time, her breasts pushing forward more dramatically through the tucked towel than they had under the robe.
Helides smiled slyly. ”Caught you, didn’t I?”
”Caught me?”
”Licking your chops over my little babies here. Want to see the wonders modem surgery can wreck?”
I guessed she meant ”wreak.”
”You always come on this strong?”
Helides pouted, the lips seeming glossed. ”Strong is what I never was before.”
”Before what?”
”Before marrying Nick.” She stopped and pouted again, putting a bit more into it. ”No, that’s not right. It was after I seduced him but before I married him that I felt it.”
”Felt what?”
Her sly smile again. ”The power.” Helides raked a hand through wet hair. ”I’ve got to dry this, but the portable’s pretty quiet. So, what can I tell you?”
As she rummaged through the unmade bedclothes, I said, ”You’re the one who said I’d want to talk with you.” Helides turned back around, a Star-Wars appliance in her right hand. She clicked something on it, and the thing came to life, even though I didn’t see any cord running to a socket. ”About who killed Very, right?”
”Your husband seems to prefer Veronica.’”
Helides began running the snout of the dryer back and forth across her hair. ”Nick’s ‘preferences’ aren’t exactly uttermost in my mind.”
Another Norm Crosby malaprop, for ”uppermost” this time, but I decided to go with the spirit. ”And why is that?” A theatrical shrug. ”You ever see the TV shows about the old bastards playing softball?”
”I 'm sorry?”
”They’re all over the place down here, especially on the Gulf Coast The geezers have leagues, uniforms, and all that other guy stuff.”
”Must have missed the coverage.”
”Yeah, well, let me tell you then. They pull on those cleats and pick up a bat, they think they’re kids again. Or at least young. But you watch them take a swing or try to run the bases, and it’s pathetic, you know?”
”Pathetic.”
”Yeah.” She switched the dryer to her other hand.
That’s kind of my problem, too.”
”Your problem?”
” Nick. When I married him, it was like I got a new daddy, but one with real money who I could sleep with and not have it be some kind of crime.”
Christ. ”You married the Colonel for his money.” Another switch of the dryer. ”Hey, even the sex wasn’t bad at first. Only problem is, when you marry your father, nobody warns you that ten years later you’ll be stuck with your grandfather, you know?”
From what Duy Tranh had given me as chronology, I thought it had to be over twenty years, but I also didn’t want to hear any more on the subject. ”Maybe if you’d tell me what you can about Veronica’s death, I won’t make you late for your date.”
”Oh, I don’t know.” The sly smile. ”That might be kind of fun.”
”What might?”
She clicked off the dryer. ‘You making me late for my date.”
Relendess. ”Veronica’s death?”
Helides tossed the dryer back onto the bedclothes. ”I don’t know anything about it.”
”What?”
She turned and shook her head like a horse does to settle its mane. ‘You deaf? I
”Told you I could do it quickly when I had to.”
Turning toward the bathroom again, I realized I couldn’t hear the water anymore. Cassandra Helides’s platinum hair was plastered against her skull, and she wore only a large towel wrap this time, her breasts pushing forward more dramatically through the tucked towel than they had under the robe.
Helides smiled slyly. ”Caught you, didn’t I?”
”Caught me?”
”Licking your chops over my little babies here. Want to see the wonders modem surgery can wreck?”
I guessed she meant ”wreak.”
”You always come on this strong?”
Helides pouted, the lips seeming glossed. ”Strong is what I never was before.”
”Before what?”
”Before marrying Nick.” She stopped and pouted again, putting a bit more into it. ”No, that’s not right. It was after I seduced him but before I married him that I felt it.”
”Felt what?”
Her sly smile again. ”The power.” Helides raked a hand through wet hair. ”I’ve got to dry this, but the portable’s pretty quiet. So, what can I tell you?”
As she rummaged through the unmade bedclothes, I said, ”You’re the one who said I’d want to talk with you.” Helides turned back around, a Star-Wars appliance in her right hand. She clicked something on it, and the thing came to life, even though I didn’t see any cord running to a socket. ”About who killed Very, right?”
”Your husband seems to prefer Veronica.’”
Helides began running the snout of the dryer back and forth across her hair. ”Nick’s ‘preferences’ aren’t exactly uttermost in my mind.”
Another Norm Crosby malaprop, for ”uppermost” this time, but I decided to go with the spirit. ”And why is that?” A theatrical shrug. ”You ever see the TV shows about the old bastards playing softball?”
”I 'm sorry?”
”They’re all over the place down here, especially on the Gulf Coast The geezers have leagues, uniforms, and all that other guy stuff.”
”Must have missed the coverage.”
”Yeah, well, let me tell you then. They pull on those cleats and pick up a bat, they think they’re kids again. Or at least young. But you watch them take a swing or try to run the bases, and it’s pathetic, you know?”
”Pathetic.”
”Yeah.” She switched the dryer to her other hand.
That’s kind of my problem, too.”
”Your problem?”
” Nick. When I married him, it was like I got a new daddy, but one with real money who I could sleep with and not have it be some kind of crime.”
Christ. ”You married the Colonel for his money.” Another switch of the dryer. ”Hey, even the sex wasn’t bad at first. Only problem is, when you marry your father, nobody warns you that ten years later you’ll be stuck with your grandfather, you know?”
From what Duy Tranh had given me as chronology, I thought it had to be over twenty years, but I also didn’t want to hear any more on the subject. ”Maybe if you’d tell me what you can about Veronica’s death, I won’t make you late for your date.”
”Oh, I don’t know.” The sly smile. ”That might be kind of fun.”
”What might?”
She clicked off the dryer. ‘You making me late for my date.”
Relendess. ”Veronica’s death?”
Helides tossed the dryer back onto the bedclothes. ”I don’t know anything about it.”
”What?”
She turned and shook her head like a horse does to settle its mane. ‘You deaf? I
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