Kevin stopped in the first bar he passed,downed a couple of quick vodka tonics and then returned to Crown. BrendaWallace had some letters for him to sign and a list of calls to return. Hewatched her move about her office, tanned and lithe and utterly sensual. BurtDreiser had the corner office, the yacht, and Brenda Wallace. When hadBurt decided he could handle whatever The Roundtable wanted of him? Had he beenpart of the planning that put the whole program together? And most important,why in the hell couldn't Kevin be like him?
He finished his work and sat for a time,staring out at the city. Then he picked up the phone and called George Illych,the underwriter at Crown who had handled all of his policies.
'George, Kevin Loomis is here. How goesit?'
'Hey, fine, Kevin. What can I do for you?'
Kevin pictured George Illych leaning backin his chair, looking longingly at his beloved Winstons. A jovial, overweightbilliard and golf hustler, Illych smoked two packs a day and was one of thepoorest insurance risks Kevin knew.
'Nancy and I have just bought a house inPort Chester.'
'Hey great, that's great. First the bigpromotion, then the big house.'
'Then the big coverage. George, I'vedecided, with the new house and my income up near $300,000 counting bonuses,that I want a bit more coverage.'
'Hey, no problem. What did we write for you recently?'
'A million. That was four months ago. Myphysical's still good, yes?'
'Up to six months. How much do you havetotal?'
'This million would make it three and ahalf.' Plus an additional $500,000 accidental, he added, but didn't say.
'All to Nancy?'
'Yes.'
'Hey, pal, no problem. I'll have thepaperwork up to you within a couple of days.'
'Perfect. Thanks, George.'
'How about shooting a little pool afterwork sometime soon?'
'Pool against you? I couldn't afford it,George.'
'Hey, wait a minute. You just became thethree-and-a-half-million-dollar man.'
'That's only if I'm dead, George.' Oh,yeah. You've got a point there.'
Half an hour later Brenda Wallace stoppedby to say goodnight. Kevin quickly stacked the papers he had been working onand slid them inside his desk drawer. There was nothing further, he toldBrenda. She gave him one of her most dazzling smiles before heading home.
Kevin opened his briefcase and took out anewspaper clipping about Evelyn DellaRosa. He was looking at her picture whenhe dialed Harry Corbett's line.
'Corbett, this is the man you calledearlier,' he said to Harry's answering machine. 'I want to talk to you. Be hometomorrow morning at nine. I'll call.'
He set the articles back in his briefcaseand then tossed the drawings he had been making in on top of them. They were aseries of diagrams and sketches of the basement of his house in Queens, mostparticularly emphasizing the position of the washing machine, dryer, bulkheadentryway, and especially the electrical power source.
Chapter31
It was nearly midnight when Harry heardMaura's soft knock on his partially open bedroom door. He was lying on hisback, wide awake, trying to will himself to sleep. But he was still far too keyedup. Things were continuing to break for them, as they had since the momentMaura convinced him to hire Walter Concepcion. Now the insurance executiveKevin Loomis had left a message on his answering machine. He wanted to talk. Inthe morning he was going to call. Bit by bit the circle was closing. Step byminuscule step, they were drawing closer to Evie and Andy Barlow's killer.
'Come on in, I'm awake,' he said.
'I just wanted to see if I could talk youinto some tea, and maybe a little company.'
Wearing loose cotton pants and a tank top,she stood in the doorway, framed by the light behind her. If her goal at thatmoment was to look alluring and incredibly sexy, she has succeeded admirably.Harry pushed himself up and motioned her to a spot on the bed a fairly safedistance away.
'No tea, thanks, but a little companywould be fine.'
A little company. Harry's attraction to the womanhad begun within minutes of their meeting at her apartment, and had grownsteadily since. It was dumb, he knew. Dumb and dangerous. Both of them werefragile and vulnerable. His wife had been dead just a few weeks. Maura hadfallen off the wagon. And they had business to attend to — a madman who wantedboth of them dead.
'Harry, I've decided to go home tomorrow,'she said suddenly.
He tried to mask his surprise and hurt.
'You don't have to do that.'
'I know. But sooner or later I do. It'snot to get away from anything here. I hope you know that. It's just that all ofa sudden, my head is full of the paintings I want to do. They're flashingthrough my brain like comets.'
'That's terrific. But I don't think it'ssafe yet.'
'Not from the killer, I agree. But thatdanger's here, too. It'll be everywhere I go until we nail him. What I am safefrom now is the booze. That was the big worry for me — even more dangerous thanthe killer. The AA meeting tonight made me even more certain. I'm not takinganything for granted, and I'm going to keep going to the meetings, but I knowI'm going to be all right. With all the terrible things that've happened,that's one good thing to come out of this mess.' She smiled at him. 'But now Ifee like I ought to be alone, and I know you need some space.'
She sat with her legs tucked underneathher. Her body was silhouetted by the hall light. Harry tried to remember thelast time he had held Evie — the last time they had sex. The last time he hadreally cared. He sensed the stirrings in his body. Over the past days he hadmanaged to overcome them. Now? He reached out tentatively and took herhand.
'I don't need space, and I don't want youto go,' he said.
She moved closer. He breathed in the scentof her and knew that whatever resistance he had been clinging to was gone.
'You don't know me, Harry,' she said. 'I'mtough. I've been known to eat nice, kind men like you for breakfast and spitout the seeds.'
He backed away and peered at her.
'That sounds like something you heard in amovie.'
'It is, actually. I think it might havebeen Garbo. But I've sort of always wanted to try the line out myself.Unfortunately, though, it's true. I can't remember the last lover I cared aboutas anything more than some sort of perverse validation that I was a worthwhileperson.'
'You are a worthwhile person,' hesaid, 'and incredibly sexy.'
'Even with no hair?'
'You have plenty. Besides, that minimalistcoif just lets me focus more on the rest of you.'
He drew her toward him and gently cuppedher breast. She made a soft, excited sound, pressed his hand in more tightly,and nestled her head against his chest.
'Harry, I've wanted you to want me since Ifirst saw you walking up the stairs to my place. Now I really am frightened.We're both going through so much — we've had so much hurt.'
'Maura, we don't have to make love. We canjust lie here and hold one another.'
She slid her hand down his shorts.
'Don't let me talk you out of this,' shesaid.
Propped against the headboard, he kissedher lightly on her lips, on her neck, on her throat. She knelt astride him andpulled off his T-shirt. Then, with his lips just inches from her breasts, sheswept off her tank top and threw it aside. Instantly his mouth was on her,sucking her, caressing her nipple with his tongue.
'Making love sober is going to be a hellof an experience for me.'
'We don't have to do it tonight.'
'Shut up … Harry, listen, though. Ireally don't feel right making love with you unless it's safe. It's been quitea while for me, I think. But you know how us blackout drinkers are.'