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Authors: George Markstein
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defending a man accused of adultery?”
“Why do you want to know?”
“I’m curious. We don’t get many adultery cases in the offlce.”
“Well,” said Verago slowly, “there’s only one defence. That he didn’t do it. Ii you can prove that he didn’t sleep with the other woman, or that if he did, he wasn’t married, and so he didn’t commit adultery.”
“And if that doesn’t work?”
“You put your money on mitigation. You plead an unhappy marriage, you say it’s all washed up anyway, the affair hasn’t harmed anybody, we’re all men of the world, and isn’t it kind of inhuman to send a guy to jail for trying to Old a little happiness with somebody else.”
She pulled a face. “You make my heart break,” she said.
“I know. It rarely works,” he admitted ruefully.
The phone rang. It startled him. He looked at his watch. It was 1 A.M.
“Excuse me,” she said, uncurled herself from the armchair, and went to the coffee table by the window where the phone was and picked it up.
“Hello,” she said, and listened.
He wondered who would call her at this time. Mr. Unterberg perhaps? To tell her he’d arrived at High Wycombe and was costly tucked in?
“No, I haven’t forgotten,” she said.
She glanced at Verago as she spoke. Then she turned her back.
“No, I appreciate that,” he heard her say. “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it,” she said, and hung up.
“That was your favorite man,” she announced, settling herself back into the armchair.
49
“Eh?”
“Colonel Kincaid.”
“Really?”
She laughed. “Oh, come on, Tony, you’re dying to know why my boss should call me at home at” she glanced at her wristwatch “at one o’clock in the morning.”
“It’s none of my business, Laurie,” he said stiffly. “Anyway, I think I ought to go.”
“It was about you,” she said.
He sat very still. “Me?”
“He asked me to make sure that as soon as I get to the office in the morning I send a priority TWX to USAREUR. He wants your personnel file.”
“What the hell for?”
“He didn’t say, but I guess the colonel wants to know all about you.”
The violet eyes stared straight at him. “I guess so do I,” she added.
“It’s very late,” he muttered, thickly.
“Why don’t you stay here tonight?”
“mere?” he repeated stupidly.
“You can be back at the club for breakfast,” she assured him.
Jesus, he thought, we haven’t even touched each other. We haven’t even kissed. We haven’t … and here she is inviting me into the sack with her.
“I’d like that very much, Laurie,” Verago said, and meant it.
“I know,” she said. She got up and opened the door to the other room. The bedroom.
There were twin beds in it. But only one was used that night.
Friday, June 23,1961
London
LAURIE woke him up with a cup of instant coffee. They looked at one another and smiled. It had been a good night.
Then she nearly spoiled it all.
50
“Here,” she said, and handed him a razor and a halfused tube of shaving cream.
In the small bathroom, he scowled at the mirror as he shaved. He didn’t know which aggravated him more: that she had a man’s shaving things in her apartment, or that she didn’t care if he knew.
He realized that what he felt was a pang of raw, primitive jealousy, and that annoyed him too. It was an emotion he detested.
You stupid bastard, said his inner voice. You sleep with a woman you haven’t known for more than twentyfour hours, and you get screwed up because another guy’s stayed in her apartment.
But all the misgivings were swept aside when he was ready to go.
“You think you’ll get back to London soon?” she asked.
“Of course. The base is only a couple of hours away, isn’t it?” The robe she wore seemed to accentuate her naked body underneath. The dormant desire for her was beginning again. “Try stopping me,” he added, his voice husky.
“That’s good,” she said simply.
“I’ll call you,”
“Why do you want to know?”
“I’m curious. We don’t get many adultery cases in the offlce.”
“Well,” said Verago slowly, “there’s only one defence. That he didn’t do it. Ii you can prove that he didn’t sleep with the other woman, or that if he did, he wasn’t married, and so he didn’t commit adultery.”
“And if that doesn’t work?”
“You put your money on mitigation. You plead an unhappy marriage, you say it’s all washed up anyway, the affair hasn’t harmed anybody, we’re all men of the world, and isn’t it kind of inhuman to send a guy to jail for trying to Old a little happiness with somebody else.”
She pulled a face. “You make my heart break,” she said.
“I know. It rarely works,” he admitted ruefully.
The phone rang. It startled him. He looked at his watch. It was 1 A.M.
“Excuse me,” she said, uncurled herself from the armchair, and went to the coffee table by the window where the phone was and picked it up.
“Hello,” she said, and listened.
He wondered who would call her at this time. Mr. Unterberg perhaps? To tell her he’d arrived at High Wycombe and was costly tucked in?
“No, I haven’t forgotten,” she said.
She glanced at Verago as she spoke. Then she turned her back.
“No, I appreciate that,” he heard her say. “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it,” she said, and hung up.
“That was your favorite man,” she announced, settling herself back into the armchair.
49
“Eh?”
“Colonel Kincaid.”
“Really?”
She laughed. “Oh, come on, Tony, you’re dying to know why my boss should call me at home at” she glanced at her wristwatch “at one o’clock in the morning.”
“It’s none of my business, Laurie,” he said stiffly. “Anyway, I think I ought to go.”
“It was about you,” she said.
He sat very still. “Me?”
“He asked me to make sure that as soon as I get to the office in the morning I send a priority TWX to USAREUR. He wants your personnel file.”
“What the hell for?”
“He didn’t say, but I guess the colonel wants to know all about you.”
The violet eyes stared straight at him. “I guess so do I,” she added.
“It’s very late,” he muttered, thickly.
“Why don’t you stay here tonight?”
“mere?” he repeated stupidly.
“You can be back at the club for breakfast,” she assured him.
Jesus, he thought, we haven’t even touched each other. We haven’t even kissed. We haven’t … and here she is inviting me into the sack with her.
“I’d like that very much, Laurie,” Verago said, and meant it.
“I know,” she said. She got up and opened the door to the other room. The bedroom.
There were twin beds in it. But only one was used that night.
Friday, June 23,1961
London
LAURIE woke him up with a cup of instant coffee. They looked at one another and smiled. It had been a good night.
Then she nearly spoiled it all.
50
“Here,” she said, and handed him a razor and a halfused tube of shaving cream.
In the small bathroom, he scowled at the mirror as he shaved. He didn’t know which aggravated him more: that she had a man’s shaving things in her apartment, or that she didn’t care if he knew.
He realized that what he felt was a pang of raw, primitive jealousy, and that annoyed him too. It was an emotion he detested.
You stupid bastard, said his inner voice. You sleep with a woman you haven’t known for more than twentyfour hours, and you get screwed up because another guy’s stayed in her apartment.
But all the misgivings were swept aside when he was ready to go.
“You think you’ll get back to London soon?” she asked.
“Of course. The base is only a couple of hours away, isn’t it?” The robe she wore seemed to accentuate her naked body underneath. The dormant desire for her was beginning again. “Try stopping me,” he added, his voice husky.
“That’s good,” she said simply.
“I’ll call you,”
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