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that Gardner had as well.
    “Did I say he was? Sorry, I must have given you the wrong impression. Briscoe can explain things better. That is, if you can ever get through to him. He’s always either out of the office or busy in a conference. You know how executives are.”
    Actually, she didn’t know, and was certain she never would.
    “Did Mr. Bradshaw have any business or personal enemies that you know about?”
    “Rick? Impossible! He was one terrific guy. Charm and class all the way. Everybody liked him, even Joan. Right, honey?”
    “He was more interesting than your other friends,” she agreed in a detached tone of voice.
    “Interesting doesn’t hope to cover it. Christ, did he ever know how to score with the ladies. What a stud!” Walling’s smile was an envious leer.
    “I have some questions about a few of those ladies.”
    “Shoot, Lieutenant, I’ll enjoy answering. Say, would you like a cigar?”
    Gardner responded negatively. It would figure that someone like Walling would smoke cigars; Bert always associated cigars with fat, bald men, wannabes with no taste or common sense. Walling fit the stereotype perfectly.
    “Well, I think I’ll have one.”
    Mrs. Walling let out an agonized groan. “Thinking about it is as far as you get,” she said, showing some real spirit for the first time. “That hideous smell never leaves once you’ve smoked one of those things.”
    “Joan doesn’t approve of drinking or smoking. Regular Puritan. Sometimes I wish I were a bachelor again. Hell, I got screwed twice. Big dummy, that’s me. Guess I shouldn’t have been in such a hurry to remarry. You got me on the rebound, honey.”
    Mrs. Walling stood up, her face red to the hairline. “Well, I certainly didn’t get any kind of bargain, Martin.”
    That was for certain.
    “You were over thirty and lucky to get me.” Walling seemed much more composed than his wife.
    She walked away with quick strides through the dining area and opened a sliding glass door that led out to a terrace. She betrayed her anger by slamming the door in a forceful manner.
    “Do you and your wife quarrel often, Mr. Walling?”
    “Now and then, like everybody. You know how it is. We’re still newlyweds.” He grinned through nicotine-stained teeth that gave him an almost sinister look. “We need time to adjust to each other. Joan’s got a heart like one of her computers. She doesn’t lose her temper much, mostly just ices over when she’s angry. She doesn’t understand that most of us aren’t as pure and free from vice as she is.”
    “No vices?” Gardner probed.
    “Well, she fucks pretty good. I mean, you know how important that is. And she wasn’t no virgin when I met her either, in spite of living with her folks.”
    Bert found it hard resisting the temptation to stuff Walling’s cigar down his throat.
    “I was playing the field. She invited herself up to my apartment, bold as brass. When a woman like her acts that way right off, I get uneasy. So I told her that I didn’t want to get serious with anyone for a while. But she decided to stay for the weekend. Joan can be very aggressive when she wants something. She set out to change my mind and she did a real job.” Martin flashed his leering smile, displaying pinkish white gums against crooked, yellowing teeth.
    “Did you know Richard Bradshaw’s women friends? Would any of them have reason to kill him?” Gardner’s tone was neutral, non-judgmental. How did he manage it?
    “Rick was such a popular fella. He really turned the broads on. Handsome son-of-a-bitch. But he played it cool. He wasn’t dumb like me. Rick didn’t rush into a second marriage.”
    Bert found it increasingly difficult not to betray her visceral reaction to Walling. She couldn’t tell about Gardner because he was good at keeping his cool, but she had an idea that Gardner felt the same way. She also realized that Walling wasn’t aware of their reaction to him; he was too obtuse an