
Secret Dead Men
An excerpt from an upcoming
novel
by Duane Swierczynski
Thrilling Detective is pleased to present this Sneak Preview of Duane Swierczynski 's soon-to-be-published novel, a real hybrid, part-detective story, part-ghost story, part-sci-fi. But it's definitely not your average P.I. tale.
Let us know what you think....
This one's probably needs a bit of background, so I'll
let Duane fill ya in...
The year is 1976. Meet Del
Winter, hardboiled dick. But Winter isn't like the other
shamuses you find here at THRILLING DETECTIVE. For one thing,
he's back from the dead. For another, he has a strange ability:
Winter can absorb other recently-departed souls and store them
in his brain. Victims, criminals, hopheads, sex fiends, accountants
as long as they've taken the deep six fairly recently, he can
collect 'em. He calls them the residents of his "brain hotel,"
and they aid his investigations with either info or talent. They're
also great drinking buddies.
This ain't all for fun and games, though. Winter is a dead
man on a mission: To cripple the shadowy crime organization known
as "The Association," who had Del killed in the first
place. They lopped off his fingers with wirecutters, they smashed
his beloved Underwood typewriter to bits, they messed up his
hair part. Now Del is back for revenge, and looking for anyone
who can help him- dead or alive.
As the novel opens, Del hears about a government witness
named Brad Larsen who knows Mondo Dirto about the Association.
The bad news: Larsen and his beautiful wife have just been executed.
The good news: Del is able to collect Brad's soul. And Brad is
willing to 'fess up what he knows right after Del finds his killers
and brings them to justice.
What's even more of a kick in the pants: Since discorporated
souls lack the ability to pay $100 a day plus expenses, Del realizes
he needs to do some additional P.I. work for the living.
|
. ..Despite
the amazing powers that my body seems to possess-the ability
to change my face, to swallow a human soul, to inventory and
sustain countless unique intellects inside my own brain-I still
have trouble managing a dime. To properly conduct a murder investigation,
you need thousands of dollars. Right now, I had a little over
$900 in my checking account. My MasterCard was nearing its limit,
and this was the 9th card I'd glommed. Not every soul I absorbed
had proper credit. If I wasn't careful, I would be under investigation
myself.
. ..So, I was
forced to accept some extra work. A couple of years ago, I'd
hung out a separate P.I. shingle under the name "Stan Wojciechowski"
in a variety of outlets-from racing newspapers to legal journals,
and eventually, as a backup vendor for the internationally-renowned
Brown Investigative Agency in L.A. (That was a real coup, considering
this stuff was just a backup gig. I've met guys who would sell
their left lung to be on Brown's back up list.) But no matter
the outlet, every call got flipped over to an answering service
in Sherman Oaks, California. I called the service every day to
skim through requests-mostly to decline, sometimes to keep contacts
alive.
. ..Today,
however, I really needed something. I cracked open a can of Budweiser
and dialed the phone. The gravelly-voiced girl on the other end
of the line answered.
. .."Hey
Mr. Mojo Wojo! How are you, my man?"
. .."Uh,"
I said. "I'm fine. I'd like you to list my telephone calls-service
requests only, please."
. ..She ran
through the job prospects and locations. Between each she paused
to audibly pop her gum. I stopped her on the fourth request.
. .."Where
was that again?"
. .."Philly,
Mr. Wojo. This one was passed down from Brown. An attorney named
Richard Gard needs you to fly out there later this week."
. ..I remembered
my earliest clue: You might want to watch the bicentennial. Something
about it felt right. Could Loogan and Farrell have some Philly
scam running that was keeping them away from Vegas all this time?
. .."Did
he mention the particulars?" I asked.
. .."No.
Just that it's a security consultation."
. ..Easy stuff.
Lawyers needed muscle, too, every so often. It would surely give
me enough time to check out the city, and look for Loogan, all
while rebuilding my bank account. "Phone Mr. Gard and tell
him I'll be on the next available flight."
. .."You
got it, handsome. Hey-you ever going to take a job out here in
L.A.? I'm dying to meet you in person." She was forever
flirting with me, this Sherman Oaks girl. I didn't understand
it. She's never seen me before.
. .."You
never know," I said.
. ..I hailed
a cab at Philadelphia International, and handed the driver the
address: 1530 Spruce Street. The Sherman Oaks girl had found
a place for me-an art school friend of hers knew of a building
that catered to college students and other transients. No lease
required; you paid by the month. Since it was now the end of
the school year, there were plenty of furnished rooms available.
The building was actually quite nice, but old. A stone date-marker
read "1870," and it looked it. Probably the most recent
renovation had been the row of mailboxes in lobby.
. ..As promised,
the landlord was waiting outside for me with my keys. He didn't
speak much English-or else he didn't care to. I handed him an
envelope containing $450-a month security, and a months' rent,
up front. He handed me two keys-one for the front door, one for
my own apartment. The front door was tagged with a green plastic
overlay and a tiny, yellowed sticker that read "LOBBY"
in shaky handwriting. Just in case I was confused. The landlord
left without a word.
. ..I pushed
all of my things inside, then carried my wardrobe (that is, two
plastic trash bags stuffed with clothes) up to my apartment,
and prayed nobody would steal the rest of my stuff while I was
gone. I keyed in. The first room of the apartment was tiny-a
stove and sink shoved into one corner, a desk and chair in another,
and a battered houndstooth couch placed beneath two greased windows
that, if cleaned properly, would afford me a great view of a
gray brick wall. NEWLY RENOVATED, FURNISHED STUDIO APARTMENT,
RITTENHOUSE SQUARE VICINITY, HISTORIC BUILDING. Yeah, Washington
slept here all right. And left his crap all over the place.
. ..I opened
up a door leading into the bedroom and saw that it was furnished
with a toilet, bathtub, sink, and mirrored cabinet. Confused,
I went back out into the first room and looked for another door.
There wasn't one, except for the one I used to enter. After some
poking around, I discovered that the houndstooth couch was actually
a day bed. How efficient-a living room, dining room, kitchen,
study and bedroom, all in one, low-priced space! Only now did
I realize why the landlord never gave me a tour; the walk upstairs
would have taken longer.
. ..I went
back down to the lobby and thought about leaving, but instead
opted to carry the remainder of my personal belongings (two cardboard
boxes) up to my fully-furnished closet. Halfway up, I caught
my new reflection in the plate glass covering a fire extinguisher.
It shocked me, even after all these months. This face was rugged,
yet boyish. Nature's way of saying, I am harmless, but please
do not touch. This face, I remember thinking, will serve me well
during this investigation.
. ..At this
particular moment, however, it did not. Halfway up the second
staircase, I met a woman wearing a college sweatshirt and faded
jeans. She was carrying a shoulder bag stuffed with papers and
books. "Pardon me," I said, as mechanically as possible.
. .."You're
pardoned," she said, smirking. Her eyes went to my shoes
and back up. "You need a hand with that?"
. .."No,
I'm fine. Thank you."
. ..She skirted
to one side, and I mimicked her, unintentionally. We repeated
the mimic. She started laughing. I just frowned.
. .."My
name's Amy Langtree. I guess you're moving in."
. ..Yes, but
my friends just call me Moving. I thought about saying it out
loud, but it probably best not to get caught up in a conversation.
. .."Yes.
Uh... My name is Del." This was my new alias: Del Winter.
Glommed from a fake set of credentials I'd bought.
. .."Like
Del Shannon, right?"
. .."Sort
of," I said, trying to squeeze past her.
. .."Aren't
you going to shake my hand?"
. ..I started
to shake, but one of the boxes slipped, and a semi-auto clip
slid out of top. Damn it. I quickly dropped the box and scooped
it up.
. .."Del,
you need help." Amy grabbed the first box and started up
the stairs. She looked back at me, smiling. I looked up and returned
a queasy version of a smile.
. .."No
lip. C'mon. What apartment number?"
. ..I told
her, full knowing this was not going to sit well with the other
souls.
. ..One thing
I failed to mention about the tenants inside of my brain: They
tended to be highly cooperative just as long as I didn't appear
to have a life outside of my job. But the minute I tried to resume
a normal life, i.e. settling down with a nice girl, finding a
job with benefits-anything diametrically opposed to playing ringleader
for this bizarre little tenement-they were all over me.
. ..Oh, the
souls had it good, too. No puzzles, no worries, no bills. They
could lounge in their quarters, or eat and drink to excess, or
read books and paint. The only thing I ever demanded was a little
bit of their time-no more than 30 minutes, usually-every so often.
. ..I've already
mentioned Doug, Jason and Harlan (God rest his corpulent soul).
There was also Frederic, who had been a bookie when he was still
alive, and stole money from the till to pay for his girlfriend's
Tijuana abortion. The Association caught him, and chopped off
his arms. (Inside the brain hotel, he replaced them with a set
of ripping, hairy guns capable of tearing a Manhattan phone book
in half.) And there was Mort, who had been a Association accountant
who'd turned state's evidence, but died of a heart attack a few
days before the trial. He was a tough collection, let me tell
you. Had all sorts of ideas about the afterlife, being a Jew
and all. And, certainly, there are the tenants who predate me.
(After all, I was soul-collected like the best of them, the only
difference being that I eventually rose to this management position.)
There was George, who no longer talked-just oil painted war scenes.
Benjamin, who sang drinking songs to himself, usually loaded
on a bottle of brain-gin he'd cooked up for himself.
. ..Most intriguing,
though, had to Jason, who claimed to be a soul from the future,
somehow trapped in the past when he'd traveled through time to
prevent the end of the world in 2072. He'd go on and on about
the future, so much so that the other tenants began to treat
him like a pariah, so Jason learned to shut up. Every so often,
when a new recruit entered the collective, he'd start up again,
as he did with me. He'd tell me that my investigation ultimately
didn't matter a whit. Las Vegas would, he claimed, turn into
Disney World before the year 2000. No more Association-at least
as we know it, he said. But I, too, began to ignore him, and
eventually Jason would shut up. For a while.
. ..Amy Langtree
kneed the door open and walked in. I followed, hunched over,
still trying to casually stuff gun clips back into the box. She
dropped the box she was carrying on a table in the corner, careful
not to knock over the telephone that sat there.
. .."So
what do you do for a living?"
. .."Living?"
. .."Yes-your
job?"
. .."My
job," I repeated.
. ..She squinted
at him. "Let me guess. You hang out all day mimicking people's
actions and speech."
. ..I told
her my new cover. "I work for the Philadelphia Electric
Company." Well, at least it was a chance to try it out.
See how it works on a nobody. Somehow, I didn't think the tenants
would buy this an excuse to talk to her. If anybody happened
to be in the lobby screening room this particular moment, I was
sure to hear an earful when I returned later.
. ..Amy nodded,
and walked over to me. "You in the collection department?"
. .."Huh?"
. ..A cartridge
I'd forgotten about was sitting on top of the box I was holding.
Amy picked it up and pointed it at my face. "You no pay,
I blow brains out?"
. .."Oh,"
I said. "Oh, no no no. Hah. Hobby. I mean, it's a hobby
of mine. Guns." I looked at her. "Keeps nosy neighbors
from asking too many questions."
. ..Amy's eyes
widened for a moment, and then she laughed. "Damn it, Del,
you do have a sense of humor. A sick sense of humor, but I'll
take it. I was beginning to worry about you."
. ..I smiled-uncomfortably-then
turned to drop the box. I could feel Amy giving me the once over.
What was it with her? Most women, upon meeting a strange man
carrying two boxes of firearms into his tiny studio apartment,
usually spin on their heels and hit the road. Fast. But not her.
Her curiosity was piqued. "What kind of guns do you have?
I used to have a cop buddy who showed me quite a few of his police-issue
numbers. They were really something. You got single or double
action?"
. ..Damn, the
soul tenants were really going to hate this line of conversation.
Nice cover, "Del," they'd say. Why not just show her
the evidence box and bomb gear while you're at it?
. .."Uh,
Amy, this is really not a good time for me. I'm not feeling too
well, and I've got to finish-"
. .."Yeah,
yeah, you're just getting settled. Speaking of-where's the rest
of your stuff? Need any help?"
. ..This time
I was prepared. I'd already planned the story in advance: I had
just moved with some work files and necessities; the electric
company was having my furniture and personal affects sent later.
(Of course, I really didn't own anything else. I made a mental
note to pick up a few pieces of junk to avoid suspicion.)
. ..Amy seemed
satisfied with that explanation. "So do I get a rain check?"
. .."On
what?"
. .."On
the gun talk."
. .."Sure...
sure."
. ..Amy whipped
out a pen from her backpack and started to write on the top of
one of my boxes.
. .."Here's
my number. I only live a few flights up. Nice meeting you too,
Del."
. .."Nice...
you, too."
. ..I showed
her to the door, then turned around to expel the air from my
lungs. I looked around, pressed my palms to my eyes, then walked
into my new bathroom.
. ..I uncapped
a bottle and dry-swallowed two Bufferin, cupping water from the
faucet. I looked at myself. Then I opened the cabinet to put
the bottle of aspirin away, which created a double-mirror effect
with the mirror on the door behind me. Another image of my face
appeared.
. .."New
friend?" the other face asked.
. ..This soul's
name was Paul After. Over the last few months we'd been working
pretty closely. A relatively recent acquisition; ex-employee
of the Association. And a real hard-ass. Paul had been a hired
assassin who'd been double-crossed and turned state's evidence.
The evidence? Not much. Just some tax nonsense he'd stumbled
onto-a couple of cooked books-and he'd thought he could use the
purloined info to bargain for higher rates. The negotiations
ended when the Association sent their lawyer to the meeting with
a pistol. Blammo. That was the end of Paul. And the beginning
of our intimate relationship.
. ..So naturally,
Paul had good reasons to want to work with me. He wanted the
Association burnt like toast. Plus, he possessed talents that
could only help me. He was Grade A professional muscle. It was
important to keep him happy, to maintain his enthusiasm for the
investigation. I could go around pissing on everybody forever.
. .."Look,
Paul I made her go away," I explained in as calm a voice
as I could muster. "You saw that, right?"
. .."Yeah,
I saw. I saw you flirting like mad with her."
. .."Point
is, I made her go away."
. .."I
made her go away," he mocked. "Come on. If I'm supposed
to do my job-the job you gave me-it's important that you don't
get involved... with anybody. Raises too many questions."
. .."Don't
worry about it."
. .."If
you want action, use one of these brain-hookers. I've gotten
used to them"
. ..The phone
rang in the living room. I didn't remember plugging in a phone.
. .."You
should answer that," Paul offered.
. ..I closed
the mirror, and Paul disappeared. Only I remained, trembling
at his own reflection. The phone rang again.
. ..I picked
up the phone and looked off, distracted.
. .."Hello?"
. .."Yes,"
a voice said. "My name is Richard. I believe you are an
associate of a man named Stan Wojciechowski?"
. .."I
am."
. .."Are
you available to speak this afternoon?"
. .."Of
course."
. .."Then
meet me at the Rittenhouse Hotel, Room 1223, at 4:00 p.m. You
won't require any kind of equipment. Just yourself. Is that clear?"
. .."Sure.
See you then." I hung up, picked up an ammo clip and started
to twirl it around my fingers. It slipped away and clattered
on the floor.
. ..Paul laughed.
. ..Here was
my conundrum God, now's that a perfect word. Conundrum. It's
a confused word all in itself. Not easily pronounced. Difficult
for small children to spell and grasp. Even has a downbeat rhythm
to it, like two shots on a tom-tom, followed by a single dull
thud of a bass drum. Con-un-drum. (Cymbal crash.)
. ..Anyway,
here was the problem: I hated doing freelance P.I. work. Great
money, usually mindless work, but it was too much of a distraction.
Too much additional information got in the way of my real investigation.
So it was easier to have Paul After play the part of hired dick,
leaving free to do the real work at hand.
. ..I was always
in control, mind you. I could watch what was happening from my
special screening room within the brain hotel lobby. And if Paul
did something to jeopardize the mission, I could crack the reigns,
drag his soul back to the brain-slammer, the carry on myself.
Of course, to the casual observer, my body would fall unconscious
lose control of its own, uh, bodily functions. Needless to stay
this was not something I liked to do often.
. ..Paul dressed
my body in a gray suit with a red and gold tie. Then he slicked
back my hair, and shaved me. Nicked me three times.
. .."Why
are you wearing my face?" he asked me, looking into the
bathroom mirror.
. .."I'm
not," I replied. "You're just seeing your face. Happens
a lot when you first take over a live body. Actually, you're
looking at is the face of a recent murder victim. I'm tracking
down his killers."
. .."So
why the victim's face?"
. .."I've
found that it can help speed the investigation."
. .."Who
was he?"
. .."A
man named Brad Larsen." I said. "He was also set to
testify against your former employers."
. .."Was
he a good-looking guy?"
. .."Reasonably,"
I said. "Hey-don't worry. You'll be fine."
. ..Paul looked
again, squinting. "Weird."
. .."It
happens to everybody in here. It's too much of a shock to see
your own consciousness in another man's face. Or so the theory
goes. I saw myself for a long time, until I came to terms with
everything."
. ..Paul nodded,
and dabbed his cheeks with a hand towel.
. .."Step
aside," I said. "I need to take care of a few things."
. ..He did,
and I resumed control of my body.
. ..I arrived
ten minutes early, so I took the opportunity to stroll around
the square for a few minutes. Rittenhouse Square. This was a
well-heeled neighborhood, despite the hippies playing guitar
in the park. At the appropriate time, I surrendered myself to
Paul again. He coughed, then ran my fingers through our hair,
smoothing it. The he walked us the hotel.
. ..Meanwhile,
I stepped into the lobby of the brain hotel, where I could see
everything as if it were playing on a movie screen. I suppose
it wasn't a lobby in the strictest sense; it more closely resembled
an old-fashioned movie theater. (Which is what I'd modeled it
after when I took over. The Mayfair, my favorite boyhood theater.)
There were no rows of seats or popcorn stands, but there was
a screen, and a front desk, and a few comfortable red-velvet
couches and deep, plush rugs. If only there were a movie theater
this comfortable. I'd never leave.
. ..Watching
Paul operate my body was an education in itself. Every motion
was studied, whereas mine were automatic, unthinking. Take entering
the hotel. If I were personally performing this gig, I would
have marched right, walked up the front desk, asked for Richard
Gard's room, then taken the elevator to the correct floor. A
straightforward, let's-get-to-work approach. But not Paul.
. ..Paul walked
into the hotel bar first. Slowly, as if he were too bored to
be doing anything else. The bar was right off the side of the
lobby; a dark, oaky-looking room. While I didn't exactly know
what Paul was thinking-it was more like I possessed deep intuition
about Paul's intentions, rather than direct knowledge-I knew
he was checking for signs of Gard. Why would Gard be here, and
not upstairs? Good question. It's not one I would have immediately
asked.
. ..Paul walked
directly to the bar and took a seat. He looked at the bartender,
then to the guy at his right. Sweaty, young, in a very fashionable
tweed suit, though wrong for this time of year. Blonde hair falling
in every direction but the correct one. He kept looking at the
door, waiting, for people to pass his line of vision and walk
to the hotel desk.
. ..Finally,
Paul tapped him on the shoulder. "Mr. Gard."
. ..The man
started, then wiped his brow with a cocktail napkin and recovered.
"Mr. Wojciechowski."
. .."No,"
said Paul, "I'm his senior associate. My name is Paul After."
. ..They shook
hands. I received a sensory flash: sweaty palms. Ugh.
. .."Mr.
Wojciechowski is tied up with some urgent business in Nevada,"
Paul explained.
. ..Good boy.
Keep the famous Mr. W. shrouded in mystery. Clients love that.
. .."I
understand," Gard said. He took a drink, then seemed as
if a light bulb had just gone off in his thick blonde skull.
"How did you..."
. ..Paul finished
the sentence. "Know you were Richard Gard? Come on, now.
I assume you're going to pay me a lot of money to predict what's
coming next. I was just giving you a free sample."
. ..Damn, was
this guy good.
. ..Gard seemed
impressed, too. "Care for a drink?"
. .."In
a moment," Paul said. "First, I'd like to know why
you are down here, in this bar, instead of upstairs in the room
number you supplied my associate. Seems like it was more than
just getting a sneak peek at the hired help."
. .."I
admit, that was part of it. Actually, there's a bit of a preface
to your job."
. .."By
all means," said Paul.
. .."Before
you meet Susie, I wanted to make this perfectly clear: no matter
what I say upstairs, no matter how aloof I may seem, your loyalties
will remain with me completely. You will run every single decision
by me. You will not move a finger without my knowing about it.
Everything begins and ends with me."
. ..Paul nodded.
Seemed fair to me, too. After all, Gard was footing the bill.
. .."Upstairs,
you are going to meet a woman who is my mistress. I demand complete
discretion as well as respect in this regard. She is going to
ask for your assistance. You are going to give it. You are also
going to give her the impression that you are working for her,
not me."
. ..Paul smirked.
"I am to win her confidence. And, of course, I am to report
everything to you."
. .."You're
a quick study," Gard said.
. ..And you're
a sweaty goofball, I thought.
. ..Paul glanced
at himself in the mirror, as if he could hear me. Could he?
"Now how about that drink, eh?" Gard
asked. "Take a few minutes, then come upstairs as planned.
I'll introduce you and you can begin your assignment." He
placed a hand on Paul's back. An uncomfortable jolt went through
both of us. "Henry! Get this man whatever he likes."
A pug-nosed, white-haired man in a bow tie raised his head.
. .."A
Shirley Temple, please" Paul said.
. .."A
tough guy like you?" Gard laughed.
. ..Paul didn't
respond. He just told Henry not to forget the cherry. Gard shook
his head.
. .."Oh,
by the way..." Gard fished a check out of his suit pocket
and placed it on the bar. "For today's meeting. I'll mail
a check for double that every week, as agreed."
. ..Paul didn't
look at the check. I wanted him to, but I couldn't force his
eyes down to the bar top without things getting messy. "Thanks."
. ..Richard
was left holding the conversational bag, so he decided to leave.
. ..I tuned
out while Paul was enjoying his Shirley Temple and wandered back
to my brain hotel office. I could have zapped myself there, but
that kind of thing became pretty disorienting after a while.
The more the hotel complex seemed like real life, the better.
. ..I poured
myself a glass of brain-scotch and read through a notebook of
some Association notes from last year. The notes were perfect;
exactly as I'd recorded them months and months ago. But the scotch
was only as good as I remembered it.
. ..I tuned
back in just in time for Paul to meet Gard's mistress.
. .."Susannah
Winston, meet Paul After."
. ..There is
an uncomfortable moment between both parties. Finally:
. .."After
what, Paul?" she asked, smiling.
. ..Ugh. I
hated this wench already.
. .."I'm
charmed to meet you, Ms. Winston."
. ..I noticed
that Paul's hand lingered on Susannah's. Mine would have too,
believe me. I tossed back another half-glass of brain-scotch
and took a closer look.
. ..Susannah
Winston had chestnut hair, fashionably bobbed to a sharp point
on both sides of her prettily squared jaw. Her nose was slightly
upturned, as if to clear way for her lips-full, and dark red.
A man in his twenties would consider her the antidote to marriage:
one single, sensuous reason to stay single forever. And a man
in his thirties or forties would find her to be instant inspiration
for infidelity. I noted that Richard Gard looked to be pushing
forty.
. ..Susannah
was much, much younger, clearly. Large round blue eyes, and a
mouth that curled upward like a smile, even when she wasn't reacting
to anything. Even doing something as mundane as lighting a cigarette.
I could detail the physical attributes below her neck, but it
would be redundant. I could see the death-drop curves beneath
those polyester slack just as clearly as I could in a bikini.
Suddenly, I was really curious to hear this story, to hear why
her sweaty 40-year-old patron had summoned a bodyguard from Nevada.
What trouble could she have possibly fallen into?
. ..Actually,
with a body and face like that, it was hard to picture what kind
of trouble she hadn't fallen into.
. .."I
used to date the wrong kind of boy, and now one them wants to
murder me," she said, then wrapped her lips around her cigarette.
. ..Well, that
explained it. Richard looked away, as if he didn't hear.
. .."I
haven't even told Richard the entire story, to be honest. I wanted
both of your to hear everything. I'm sure it hurts him as much
as it hurts me."
. ..Richard
heard that, all right. He glanced at Susannah, gave her a warm,
large smile, then looked back down at his drink.
. .."I'm
a member of a small, yet substantially wealthy family from the
suburbs of Boston," she continued. "My father made
his fortune after World War II, when he invented some sort of
military tracking device that to this day is considered state
of the art. I grew up in splendor, was sent to private academies,
and eventually, Smith College, where I majored in Victorian literature.
A waste of time, really. All of it. And I don't say that lightly.
I say that with quite an amount of hatred in my heart; hatred
for parents who never showed me anything but the sunny side of
life. They gave me everything I ever wanted, except an education-a
real education that could teach me the way the world really worked.
That's what I needed. Not emerald-studded bracelets and pretty
pink dresses.
. .."I
received that education soon enough. The year after I graduated
Smith, I spent a week in New York City with some of my classmates-courtesy
of my father, of course. We stayed at the Royalton, had our pick
of restaurants and Broadway shows, four star everything. It was
a perfect miserable trip."
. .."Yeah,
I hear The Wiz is a real nightmare," Paul said.
. ..Richard
eyes narrowed. "Now look here...".
..
. .."No,
it's all right," Susannah said. "I guess it does sound
like a pretty pathetic sob story. Poor little rich girl doesn't
get her way. But you haven't heard the part that makes me cry,
Mr. After. At least allow me that."
. ..Paul nodded
deferentially.
. .."One
night, my girlfriends and I decided to see the seamy parts of
town, the kind we'd certainly never seen at Smith. We took a
cab down to the East Village and walked into a random jazz club.
I met a boy there-his name was Chris. He was skinny, his clothes
were ten years out of style and his fingernails were dirty, but
I let him buy me a drink. To be perfectly honest, it was exciting."
. .."And
sure to anger your parents," Paul said.
. ..Susannah
looked down at her shoes. "Precisely. I was looking for
a different kind of education, and here was a man who presented
himself as the crash course. So I never went back to Boston.
I moved in with Chris-who turned out to be a pot-dealer, a television
repair shop janitor, and sometimes, when he was in the mood,
a novelist. Of course, all I focused on was the novelist part-even
though he never let me read a word. For a sheltered Smith girl,
he was Jack Kerouac.
. .."That
is, until he raped me."
. ..I'm sure
she was saving that for just the right moment, because both Paul
and Richard did the exact same thing: lowered their drinks, and
averted their eyes, as if ashamed for the entire male species.
. .."Oh,
he made such a fuss about apologizing, blaming the drink, his
frustrations with being such an unknown, and all of that. But
nothing could explain away the act. The first chance I had, I
ran to a nearby diner and called my father to beg forgiveness
and ask for train fare home. But my mother answered. It turned
out I was too late."
. .."He
came looking for you?" asked Richard.
. .."No.
He'd already dropped dead of a stroke."
. .."Oh."
. ..Susannah
took a sip of her drink. I noted how much care she took not to
leave any of her lipstick on the glass. Must be hard to take
a drink like that.
. .."When
I arrived home, I found my mother, who'd pulled a Sylvia Plath."
. ..Head in
the oven. Damn, I thought. Double-shot. They always say that
when one spouse goes, it's not long before the other follows.
It's been my experience, sad to say.
. .."But
then I discovered that Dad had actually forgiven me, in his own
way. Weeks after I'd told him I was staying in New York, he had
his will changed, and I soon discovered that I was a half million
dollars richer."
. .."That
was all he had left?" Paul asked. "I mean, for an inventor
of something as important as" He faked a pause, as if struggling
to remember. " as something for the military" I knew
what he was doing, of course. He was trying to flush her out,
give away an extra detail.
. ..It didn't
work. "No, that was all he had left," Susannah said,
and took another clean sip from her glass. "The government
basically stole the patent, and probably gave him a million just
to shut him up. Part of me didn't even want to take the money-I
didn't enjoy the fact that I'd basically earned through my parents
death, or even that my father had earned it inventing a tool
that sent thousands to their deaths in Vietnam."
. .."The
guilt must have been awful," Richard said.
. ..I rolled
my eyes. Man, thank God I wasn't the one conducting this case.
I would loathe the idea of spending any more than a half-hour
putting up with this drama queen.
. ..Paul said,
"But you took the money."
. ..Susannah
shot him a pair of icy daggers. "Yes, I took the money.
I had nothing. And I wasn't going to refuse my late father's
apology."
. .."I
don't think that was necessary, either Mr. After," added
Richard, angrily.
. .."I'm
sorry if I offended either of you," Paul said. "I'm
simply trying to establish motive." He looked directly at
Susannah. "Besides. I think know where your story is headed.
Suddenly, out of the blue, your East Village friend catches wind
of your windfall, and takes the next cheap bus up to Boston to
get reacquainted. With a fist or a pistol, if necessary."
. .."Actually,
no," said Susannah, looking pleased with herself. "I
never saw that boy again."
. .."Then
who's after you?"
. .."Oh,"
she said, then laughed to herself. "You thought the man
after me was him? Please. No, no, Mr. After, I didn't have Richard
bring you all the way out here from Los Angeles to protect me
from a scummy little painter boy. We're hired you to protect
me from a professional killer."
. ..Man, I
thought. Professional killers were everywhere this time of year.
To be continued...
Copyright (c) 1998 Duane Swierczynski.
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Duane Swierczynski is the author of the crime thrillers The Blonde and The Wheelman (St. Martin's Minotaur). By day, he's the editor-in-chief of the Philadelphia City Paper. By night, he's tired. It's not mentioned much, but Swierczynski got his first big break right here at the Thrilling Detective Web Site way back in 1998 with a piece of the novel that eventually saw the light of day as Secret Dead Men (PointBlank Press). And Swierczynski is still extremely thankful to that Smith guy. Visit the self-styled "Pole With Soul" at secretdead.blogspot.com.
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