Sheryl burst out laughing.
Eileen was thinking about the dead hookers he'd had in stitches.
"This guy's marvelous," Sheryl said, still laughing, leaning over to talk across him. "Linda, say hello to Bobby, he's marvelous."
"Hello, Bobby," Eileen said.
Terrific name for a slasher, she thought.
"Well, well, well, hello, Linda," he said, turning to her.
"Me and Bobby's running a tab," Sheryl said. "Which by the way, time's almost up."
"That right?" Eileen said.
"Just having a little fun here," Bobby said.
"The real fun comes later, honey," Sheryl said. "This is just the warm-up."
"I hear redheads are a lot of fun," Bobby said. "Is that true?"
"I haven't had any complaints," Eileen said.
She was wondering how she could get rid of Sheryl. If they were running a bar tab hellip;
"But they burn in the sun," Bobby said.
"Yeah, I have to watch that."
"Just don't go out except at night, that's all," Sheryl said. "Listen, Bobby, I hate to be pushy, but your time's running out. You said twenty bucks for twenty minutes, remember?"
"Uh-huh."
"So take a look at the clock. You got about a minute left."
"I see that."
"So what do you say? We're having fun here, am I right?"
"Lots of fun."
"So how about another twenty, take us into Saturday?"
"Sounds like a good idea," he said, but he made no move for his wallet. Sheryl figured she was losing him.
"Matter of fact," she said, "whyn't you put Linda on the tab, too?"
"Thanks, no, I've been drinking too much tonight," Eileen said.
"This ain't a booze tab," Sheryl said. "This is accounts receivable. What do you say, Bobby? Lay a couple of twenties on the bar there, you buy both of us till a quarter past. Double your pleasure, double your fun. And later on, you still interested, we do a triad."
"What's a triad?" he asked.
"I read it in a book. It's like a two-on-one. A triad."
"I'm not sure I could handle two of you," he said.
But Eileen could see the sudden spark of ambition in his eyes. Blue to match the blue in the tattooed heart near his thumb. Seriously considering the possibility now. Take themboth outside, slash them both, maybe go for a third one later on, do the hat trick tonight.
She didn't want a civilian getting in the way.
She had to get rid of Sheryl.
"I don't work doubles," she said.
A risk.
"How come?" Bobby asked.
"Why should I share this?" she said, and put her left hand on his thigh. He thought she was going for the meat. She was frisking him for the knife. Found it, too. Outlined in his right-hand pants pocket, felt like a six-incher at least. Maybe eight.
A shiver ran up her spine.
Sheryl was getting nervous. Her eyes flicked up to the clock again. The twenty minutes were gone, and she didn't see another twenty bucks coming out of his wallet. She was afraid she'd already lost him. So she tried again, appealing not tohim now, but to the redheaded hooker sitting on his right, a sorority sister, so to speak, someone who knew how tough it was to earn a buck in a dog-eat-dog world.
"Change your mind, Linda," she said.
There was something almost plaintive in her voice.
"Come on, okay? It'll be fun."
"I think Linda might be more fun alone," Bobby said.
Eileen's hand was still on his thigh. Off the knife now, like finding the knife was an accident. Fingers spread toward his crotch.
Sheryl looked up at the clock again.
"Tell you what," she said. "I'll make it only ten bucks for the next twenty minutes, how's that? We'll sit here, I'll let you tell me some more of your jokes, be a lot of fun, what do you say?"
A last desperate try.
"I say it's up to Linda here. What do you say, Linda?"