Read Online The Puzzled Heart by Amanda Cross - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Amanda Cross
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Toni said. “I won’t argue the point. But let’s say that Kate writes something—what is yet to be decided. Will you go along with the rest of the plan?”
Reed and Kate looked at each other. “I’m sorry you haven’t more time to consider,” Toni said, “but if I’m going to call the police I have to decide that soon. Delays are hard to explain.”
Reed took Kate’s hand. “Let’s say we won’t call them, if Kate agrees. What next, or haven’t you got that far? And do Kate and I just camp out here?”
“I thought you might have a friend you can impose on,” Toni said. “Preferably one without any doormen or lobby attendants.”
“There’s Leslie,” Kate said. “She lives in a loft. It’s just a matter of pressing buttons and then having them send the elevator down. Of course, there’s always the chance of someone else in the building coming in or out.”
“We’ll have to risk that. Can you call her?”
Kate looked at Reed, who nodded. “All right,” Kate said, walking over to the phone. The telephone conversation was short. Leslie, being an old and true friend, had simply said, if you’re in trouble, come and stay. I’ll give you the bedroom.
“Which,” Kate explained to Reed on the way down there in Toni’s car, “means that they are giving us the only enclosed room in the loft. They’ll sleep on a futon in the living room. Very good of them. There’s privacy as to sight, though not a lot as to sound, if you see what I mean.”
“We’ll whisper,” he said, consoling her.
But when they arrived, Leslie and Jane, having welcomed them, exclaimed suitably over Banny asleep in Reed’s arms, and asked if there was anything they needed, announced they were going out for the evening. “Previous engagement,” Jane said, before their protests reached expression. “A friend is doing a gigand we’ll stay for the party afterward. Help yourself to anything you want. We’ll satisfy our curiosity in the morning.” Leslie hugged Kate again, and they left.
Reed pointed to a bottle of Scotch prominently offered on the kitchen counter.
“Would you rather have a brandy?” Kate asked.
“Well, surely it’s never too early to begin to train her to bring brandy, though she does look rather young,” Reed remarked. He put Banny down on the couch beside Kate, and went for the Scotch. “How old is she? Where did you get her, and is she to be part of the family? As to your question, Scotch would be fine.” He poured some for himself and Kate. “Is there something for Banny?”
Poor Banny, Kate thought, destined to be our only topic of conversation. “She isn’t ours to keep,” Kate said as they returned to what Kate called the living room, although it was only a section of the loft with living room furniture. “She’s on loan, as the excuse for undetected messages. I’ll explain it all sometime. You talk, Reed. Tell me what happened. Are you really all right?”
“I think we should keep her as our mascot. She’ll give us an excuse to meet in the park and exchange kisses. All right, yes, I’m all right. I got nabbed, was kept for a day or two in the smelly room of one of the guys who nabbed me, and then I was moved to the place where you found me. It was only a matter of a few days, though it seemed like forever.”
“It seemed that way to me too. Were they mean to you?”
They sipped their Scotch. To Kate’s discomfort, conversation between her and Reed, which had not seemed possible in Toni’s presence, was still a bit stilted, awkward, not at all what she had supposed it would be when finally—or
if
, as for a time she had thought—they met.
“Not mean.” Reed contemplated his glass, emptied it, and then took Kate’s hand. “Just seductive,” he said, “continually, and more and more persuasively. That was after we got to the girls’ apartment, of course.”
“What did they want to seduce you to do?”
“Screw them. As acrobatically as possible, I
Reed and Kate looked at each other. “I’m sorry you haven’t more time to consider,” Toni said, “but if I’m going to call the police I have to decide that soon. Delays are hard to explain.”
Reed took Kate’s hand. “Let’s say we won’t call them, if Kate agrees. What next, or haven’t you got that far? And do Kate and I just camp out here?”
“I thought you might have a friend you can impose on,” Toni said. “Preferably one without any doormen or lobby attendants.”
“There’s Leslie,” Kate said. “She lives in a loft. It’s just a matter of pressing buttons and then having them send the elevator down. Of course, there’s always the chance of someone else in the building coming in or out.”
“We’ll have to risk that. Can you call her?”
Kate looked at Reed, who nodded. “All right,” Kate said, walking over to the phone. The telephone conversation was short. Leslie, being an old and true friend, had simply said, if you’re in trouble, come and stay. I’ll give you the bedroom.
“Which,” Kate explained to Reed on the way down there in Toni’s car, “means that they are giving us the only enclosed room in the loft. They’ll sleep on a futon in the living room. Very good of them. There’s privacy as to sight, though not a lot as to sound, if you see what I mean.”
“We’ll whisper,” he said, consoling her.
But when they arrived, Leslie and Jane, having welcomed them, exclaimed suitably over Banny asleep in Reed’s arms, and asked if there was anything they needed, announced they were going out for the evening. “Previous engagement,” Jane said, before their protests reached expression. “A friend is doing a gigand we’ll stay for the party afterward. Help yourself to anything you want. We’ll satisfy our curiosity in the morning.” Leslie hugged Kate again, and they left.
Reed pointed to a bottle of Scotch prominently offered on the kitchen counter.
“Would you rather have a brandy?” Kate asked.
“Well, surely it’s never too early to begin to train her to bring brandy, though she does look rather young,” Reed remarked. He put Banny down on the couch beside Kate, and went for the Scotch. “How old is she? Where did you get her, and is she to be part of the family? As to your question, Scotch would be fine.” He poured some for himself and Kate. “Is there something for Banny?”
Poor Banny, Kate thought, destined to be our only topic of conversation. “She isn’t ours to keep,” Kate said as they returned to what Kate called the living room, although it was only a section of the loft with living room furniture. “She’s on loan, as the excuse for undetected messages. I’ll explain it all sometime. You talk, Reed. Tell me what happened. Are you really all right?”
“I think we should keep her as our mascot. She’ll give us an excuse to meet in the park and exchange kisses. All right, yes, I’m all right. I got nabbed, was kept for a day or two in the smelly room of one of the guys who nabbed me, and then I was moved to the place where you found me. It was only a matter of a few days, though it seemed like forever.”
“It seemed that way to me too. Were they mean to you?”
They sipped their Scotch. To Kate’s discomfort, conversation between her and Reed, which had not seemed possible in Toni’s presence, was still a bit stilted, awkward, not at all what she had supposed it would be when finally—or
if
, as for a time she had thought—they met.
“Not mean.” Reed contemplated his glass, emptied it, and then took Kate’s hand. “Just seductive,” he said, “continually, and more and more persuasively. That was after we got to the girls’ apartment, of course.”
“What did they want to seduce you to do?”
“Screw them. As acrobatically as possible, I
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