"In other words, so far as you're concerned, it's morally permissible to take human life under certain circumstances-for a greater good?"
Matt bit off the answer that started to form on his lips, and instead said, "Have another cracker, Susan."
"We're changing the subject, are we? What happened, did you run out of sardonic witticisms?"
Yeah, for some reason I sensed that it was time to change the subject. I have no idea how, but I knew that line of conversation was dangerous.
"I guess so. You can go home to Mommy and Daddy, Susan. I don't like the conversation anymore."
Her face colored, and for a moment Matt thought she was about to push herself out of her chair and march out of the room.
But she didn't.
"Sorry, I–I just never had a chance to ask…"
" 'How does it feel to kill somebody?' " Matt furnished, not very pleasantly.
She nodded.
"I'm sorry, Matt."
Why don't you ask your pal Chenowith? Wouldn't you say that blowing up eleven innocent people would make him more of an expert?
Jesus, she didn't! She has never talked to Chenowith about what he did! How do I know that? I don't know how I know, but I know.
"What was it? Feminine curiosity?" Matt asked.
"I said I was sorry."
"Like I said, have another cracker," Matt said, and made her another one.
She took it, put it in her mouth and added wine, and chewed. And smiled.
"That is good."
"I'm surprised your father doesn't do it. He takes his food seriously."
"What you really said was 'Go home, Susan,' " she said.
"I can't believe I said something like that," Matt said. "Not when we still have half a bottle of wine and two pounds of cheese."
She smiled.
"I'm sorry I said that," Matt said. "I apologize. I really don't want you to go home."
"I'm going to have to. I have to go to work tomorrow. And so do you."
"Have another cracker," he said, and made her another one.
She took it.
"I learned something about you tonight I didn't know," she said. "That may have had something to do with my uncontrolled curiosity."
"Like what?"
Susan looked into his eyes. "I never connected you with Penny before," she said.
"I don't recall mentioning Penny," Matt said. "Oh, that's right. You're another product of Bennington, aren't you?"
"We were friends," Susan said.
"How did you come to connect me with Penny?"
"This is awkward," Susan said.
"Go ahead. If we're going to spend the rest of our lives together, we should have no secrets from each other."
She smiled at him again.
"Oddly enough, I seem to like you better when you're playing the fool," she said.
"Thank you very much," Matt said.
"When I went to get my car from the garage? And my mother came to the garage?"
Matt nodded.
"Mommy told you?"
"Mommy said I should be especially nice to you because of your tragic loss," Susan said. "So I naturally asked, 'What tragic loss?' "
"Okay. So are you going to be nice to me?"
"What happened to her?"
"You don't know?" Matt asked. "She got some bad shit, stuck it in her vein, and 'So Long, Penelope Detweiler. ' "
"You sounded like a policeman just then."
"I am a policeman."
"I mean instead of her fiancй."
"We never got quite that far," Matt said. "Close, but not that far."
"But it hurt, right?"
"It was a tragedy. She had everything going for her-"
"Including you?" Susan interrupted.
"That was a possibility. But she couldn't leave it alone. The drugs, I mean. Her parents sent her to a place in Nevada, but it didn't work."
"How did she get started on it?"
"She started running around with a gangster named Anthony J. DeZego, also known as Tony the Zee. I have no idea how that happened-she was probably looking for a thrill. But I'm sure he's the bastard that got her hooked."
"And he's still around?"
"No, he's not. The mob, for reasons still unknown, blew him away. That's why Penny wasn't Daffy's maid of honor when she married Chad. Penny was with Tony the Zee when they hit him. Shotgun. When Chad and Daffy were married, Penny was in Hahnemann Hospital, full of number eight shot, wrapped up like a mummy. Mummy with a U; as in Egyptian."
"My God!"
"You didn't go to the wedding? It gave everybody something to talk about."
"I couldn't get away," Susan said.
"No, of course you weren't at the wedding. If you had been, I would have remembered."
She looked at him uncomfortably.
"This is all new to me."
"Daffy didn't tell you?"
"Daffy told me drugs were involved in Penny's death. I didn't pry."
They lapsed into silence. Finally, Susan stood up.
"I really have to go," she said.
Matt scrawled his name on the check.
"I'll walk you to your car."
"That's not necessary," Susan said. "Stick around. The hunting looks good."
"Not to me," Matt said.
"I told you, Matt, I'm just not interested."
"I remember," he said.
She shrugged.
They walked out of the club and to her Porsche.
She unlocked the car and stood by the open door and held her hand out. He took it.
"Drive slow. That uniform may have a quota of tickets to pass out."
"I will," she said. "And thank you for being a good guy at the house tonight."
"Good ol' Whatsisname would never know," Matt said.
"Know what?"
"If you gave me the briefest, most platonic possible kiss good night."
"I don't want to," Susan said. "Can't you get that into your head?"
"A teeny-weeny, absolutely innocent kiss that not even the Pope could object to, much less Mommy and Daddy."
"Oh, Jesus," she said, and moved her head very quickly and brushed his lips.
Then she stood back and they looked at each other in something close to amazement.
Jesus H. Christ! Matt wondered. What the hell was that? Lust at first touch?
Susan quickly crawled into the Porsche, slammed the door closed, started the engine, and drove quickly out of the parking lot without looking at Matt again.
Matt watched until the car disappeared from sight, exhaled audibly, and went looking for the unmarked Plymouth.
Mrs. Reynolds came into Susan's room as she was undressing.
"Did you have a good time?"
"Yes, as a matter of fact, we did. He taught me to put Roquefort on a cracker and then take a swallow of wine."
"Daddy used to do that," Mommy said.
"Did he really?"
"He seems to be a very nice young man," Mommy said.
"For a cop," Susan said.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing."
"At least he's working, and according to Mr. Emmons, very highly regarded in his chosen profession."
"And what else did Mr. Emmons have to report?"
"He's very comfortable. I mean, personally, now. And the Paynes are more than comfortable."
"Where do you think we should be married, Mommy?" Susan said.
"Don't be like that, Susie, you asked!"
"Sorry."
"Are you going to see more of him?"
"I'm afraid so."
"I think you like him."
"Good night, Mommy."
Mrs. Reynolds turned as she passed through Susan's door.
"Mary-Ellen Porter called," she said.
"Who?"
"Mary-Ellen Porter. She said you were together at Bennington. "
Since I never heard the name Mary-Ellen Porter until this moment, then it has to be either Jennie or Eloise.