Read Online Sudden Mischief by Robert B. Parker - Free Book Online
Authors: Robert B. Parker
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night," Norma said. "We've got tickets."
"I plan to offend a good many people," Rachel Wallace said.
"We wouldn't miss it," Sanders said. "Maybe a drink afterwards."
"Of course," Rachel Wallace said.
They both said they were pleased to meet me and moved on to their table.
"Some people go willingly to hear me," Rachel Wallace said.
"But I'm buying you dinner," I said.
"A transparent attempt to excuse your classic masculine fear of feminism."
"And I did save your life once," I said.
"And you did save my life once," she said. "What are you working on at the moment?"
"I don't think I know."
"What does that mean?"
"It means I can't figure out what the case is about exactly, and the more I look, the more I can't figure it out."
"Tell me," she said.
The waiter brought her a second martini. I was still on my first beer. She wasn't beautiful, but her face had in it such intelligence and decency that it may as well have been beautiful.
"Well, it starts with Susan's ex-husband," I said. "He's a promoter…"
"Susan's ex-husband," Rachel Wallace said.
It wasn't a question.
"Yeah."
"Isn't that somewhat, ah, hazardous?" she said.
"It appears to be," I said.
"Susan know you're involved with him?"
"She asked me to do it," I said.
Rachel Wallace drank some martini. She held a swallow in her mouth for a moment.
"How do you feel about it?"
"I think it's somewhat hazardous," I said.
"Jealousy?"
"No, I'm all right with it."
"I doubt that," she said. "But I know your capacity for self-control, and I think you can probably do this. On the other hand, I'm not a perfect judge. I think you can probably do anything."
"Me too," I said.
She smiled.
"I know," she said. "Let me speculate for a moment. Let me guess that Susan is having trouble with it."
"She wants me to do it and doesn't want me to do it," I said. "She wants to know what's going on and doesn't want to talk about it. She wants to know what I think of him and isn't interested in my opinion of him."
"She keep his name?" Rachel Wallace said.
"Yes. But, nice touch, he changed it. To Sterling."
Rachel Wallace smiled. "Lucky his name wasn't Goldman," she said. "What do you think of him?"
"He's kind of a goofball," I said. "Goofy in that way that wealthy old Yankees are sometimes goofy. It's a little hard to describe."
"But of course he's not a wealthy old Yankee," Rachel Wallace said.
"Just pretending," I said. "He's accused of sexual harassment, and he seems to have no interest in it. Susan says he's desperate, broke, facing dissolution. He says he's doing dandy. He ran a big fund-raiser at the Fleet Center last year and nobody got any funds."
"What happened to the money?"
"Don't know. I just found out today that the participating charities got stiffed."
"Sometimes that is simple mismanagement," she said.
"Yep, and Sterling seems capable of it, but a couple of tough guys showed up at my office and threatened to beat me up if I didn't stay away from the case."
"What case?" Rachel Wallace said.
"I guess I'm trying to save Sterling from the sexual harassment charge. Susan says he came to her in desperation."
"What does he say?"
"He says it'll just go away, and by golly he's not a bit worried."
"By golly?"
"By golly."
"But you're wondering about the bad men who came to call, and about the money that didn't go to charity?"
"Yep."
"And you have a client that says `by golly.' "
"Sometimes he says `by golly, Miss Molly."'
"Please," Rachel Wallace said.
I finished my beer, Rachel Wallace finished her second martini. The waiter brought us each a new drink. I could see Rachel Wallace turning my situation over in her head.
"Either he was pretending to Susan that he was desperate," she said, half to herself, "or he's pretending to you that he's not."
"Or Susan's lying."
"You're just pretending to be objective," Rachel Wallace said. "that she is lying is not a possibility in your universe."
"A fool for love," I said.
"There are worse things to be a fool
"I plan to offend a good many people," Rachel Wallace said.
"We wouldn't miss it," Sanders said. "Maybe a drink afterwards."
"Of course," Rachel Wallace said.
They both said they were pleased to meet me and moved on to their table.
"Some people go willingly to hear me," Rachel Wallace said.
"But I'm buying you dinner," I said.
"A transparent attempt to excuse your classic masculine fear of feminism."
"And I did save your life once," I said.
"And you did save my life once," she said. "What are you working on at the moment?"
"I don't think I know."
"What does that mean?"
"It means I can't figure out what the case is about exactly, and the more I look, the more I can't figure it out."
"Tell me," she said.
The waiter brought her a second martini. I was still on my first beer. She wasn't beautiful, but her face had in it such intelligence and decency that it may as well have been beautiful.
"Well, it starts with Susan's ex-husband," I said. "He's a promoter…"
"Susan's ex-husband," Rachel Wallace said.
It wasn't a question.
"Yeah."
"Isn't that somewhat, ah, hazardous?" she said.
"It appears to be," I said.
"Susan know you're involved with him?"
"She asked me to do it," I said.
Rachel Wallace drank some martini. She held a swallow in her mouth for a moment.
"How do you feel about it?"
"I think it's somewhat hazardous," I said.
"Jealousy?"
"No, I'm all right with it."
"I doubt that," she said. "But I know your capacity for self-control, and I think you can probably do this. On the other hand, I'm not a perfect judge. I think you can probably do anything."
"Me too," I said.
She smiled.
"I know," she said. "Let me speculate for a moment. Let me guess that Susan is having trouble with it."
"She wants me to do it and doesn't want me to do it," I said. "She wants to know what's going on and doesn't want to talk about it. She wants to know what I think of him and isn't interested in my opinion of him."
"She keep his name?" Rachel Wallace said.
"Yes. But, nice touch, he changed it. To Sterling."
Rachel Wallace smiled. "Lucky his name wasn't Goldman," she said. "What do you think of him?"
"He's kind of a goofball," I said. "Goofy in that way that wealthy old Yankees are sometimes goofy. It's a little hard to describe."
"But of course he's not a wealthy old Yankee," Rachel Wallace said.
"Just pretending," I said. "He's accused of sexual harassment, and he seems to have no interest in it. Susan says he's desperate, broke, facing dissolution. He says he's doing dandy. He ran a big fund-raiser at the Fleet Center last year and nobody got any funds."
"What happened to the money?"
"Don't know. I just found out today that the participating charities got stiffed."
"Sometimes that is simple mismanagement," she said.
"Yep, and Sterling seems capable of it, but a couple of tough guys showed up at my office and threatened to beat me up if I didn't stay away from the case."
"What case?" Rachel Wallace said.
"I guess I'm trying to save Sterling from the sexual harassment charge. Susan says he came to her in desperation."
"What does he say?"
"He says it'll just go away, and by golly he's not a bit worried."
"By golly?"
"By golly."
"But you're wondering about the bad men who came to call, and about the money that didn't go to charity?"
"Yep."
"And you have a client that says `by golly.' "
"Sometimes he says `by golly, Miss Molly."'
"Please," Rachel Wallace said.
I finished my beer, Rachel Wallace finished her second martini. The waiter brought us each a new drink. I could see Rachel Wallace turning my situation over in her head.
"Either he was pretending to Susan that he was desperate," she said, half to herself, "or he's pretending to you that he's not."
"Or Susan's lying."
"You're just pretending to be objective," Rachel Wallace said. "that she is lying is not a possibility in your universe."
"A fool for love," I said.
"There are worse things to be a fool
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