theoretical. Still, I told Jonah what had gone on to date, detailing the principal characters. I was talking to him as a friend instead of a cop and he listened as an interested, but unofficial, party.
"So how long was he up here before he died?" Jonah asked.
"Since Monday presumably," I said. "It's possible he went somewhere else first, but Lovella seemed to thinkhe'd head straight for Billy Polo if he needed help."
"Did that information on Polo do you any good?"
"Not yet, but it will. I'm just waiting to see what we've got on our hands before I proceed. Even if the death was accidental, I suspect Barbara Daggett will want me to look into it. I mean, for starters, what was he doing on a boat in a rainstorm? And where has he been all this time?"
"Where have you been?" Jonah asked. I focused on him and realized he'd shifted the subject. "Who, me? I've been around."
He picked up a pencil and began to tap out a beat, like a man auditioning for a tiny blues band. He was giving me a look I'd seen before, full of heat and speculation. "Are you dating anyone?"
I shook my head, smiling slightly. "The only good men I know are married." I was being flirtatious and he seemed to like that.
His blue eyes locked into mine and the color rose in his face. "What do you do for sex?"
"Jog on the beach. How about you?" He smiled, breaking off eye contact. "In other words, it's none of my business."
I laughed. "I'm not avoiding the question. I'm telling the truth."
"Really? That's funny. I always pictured you out raising hell."
"I did some of that years ago, but I can't stand it these days. Sex is a bonding process. I'm careful who I connect up with. Besides, you don't know what the marketplace is like. A one-night stand is more like a wrestling match with a couple of quick take-downs. Talk about demoralizing. I'd rather be alone."
"I know what you mean. I was out there hustling some the year she was gone, but I never got the hang of it. I'd go in a bar and some babe would sidle up to me, but I never made the right moves. Couple of times, women told me I was rude when I just thought I was making small talk."
"It's worse if you're successful at it," I said. "Be grateful you never learned the gamesmanship. I know a couple of guys on the circuit and they're hard as nails, you know? Unhappy. Hostile toward women. They get laid, but that's about all they get."
Behind him, Lieutenant Becker came in and took a seat at a desk across the room. Jonah's pencil tapping started again and then stopped. He tossed it aside and rocked back in his chair.
"I wish life were simple," he said.
I kept my tone of voice mild. "Life is simple. You're the one making things complex. You were doing great without Camilla, as far as I could see. She crooks her finger, though, and you go running back. And now you can't figure out what went wrong. Quit acting like a victim when you did it to yourself."
This time he laughed. "God, Kinsey. Why don't you just say what's on your mind."
"Well, I don't understand voluntary suffering. If you're unhappy, change something. If you can't make it work, then bail out. What's the big deal?"
"Is that what you did?"
"Not quite. I dumped the first and the second one dumped me. With both, I did my share of suffering, but when I look back on it, I can't understand why I endured so long. It was dumb. It was a big waste of time and cost me a lot."
"I've never even heard you mention those guys." "Yeah, well I'll tell you about them sometime." "You want to have a drink when I get off work?" I looked at him briefly and then shook my head. "We'd end up in bed, Jonah."
"That's the point, isn't it?" He smiled and did a Groucho Marx wiggle with his eyebrows.
I laughed and turned the subject back to Daggett as I got up. "Call me when Dr. Yee has results on the post." "I'll call for more than that." "Get your life squared away first." When I left, he was still staring after me, and it was all I could do to get out of there. I had this
"So how long was he up here before he died?" Jonah asked.
"Since Monday presumably," I said. "It's possible he went somewhere else first, but Lovella seemed to thinkhe'd head straight for Billy Polo if he needed help."
"Did that information on Polo do you any good?"
"Not yet, but it will. I'm just waiting to see what we've got on our hands before I proceed. Even if the death was accidental, I suspect Barbara Daggett will want me to look into it. I mean, for starters, what was he doing on a boat in a rainstorm? And where has he been all this time?"
"Where have you been?" Jonah asked. I focused on him and realized he'd shifted the subject. "Who, me? I've been around."
He picked up a pencil and began to tap out a beat, like a man auditioning for a tiny blues band. He was giving me a look I'd seen before, full of heat and speculation. "Are you dating anyone?"
I shook my head, smiling slightly. "The only good men I know are married." I was being flirtatious and he seemed to like that.
His blue eyes locked into mine and the color rose in his face. "What do you do for sex?"
"Jog on the beach. How about you?" He smiled, breaking off eye contact. "In other words, it's none of my business."
I laughed. "I'm not avoiding the question. I'm telling the truth."
"Really? That's funny. I always pictured you out raising hell."
"I did some of that years ago, but I can't stand it these days. Sex is a bonding process. I'm careful who I connect up with. Besides, you don't know what the marketplace is like. A one-night stand is more like a wrestling match with a couple of quick take-downs. Talk about demoralizing. I'd rather be alone."
"I know what you mean. I was out there hustling some the year she was gone, but I never got the hang of it. I'd go in a bar and some babe would sidle up to me, but I never made the right moves. Couple of times, women told me I was rude when I just thought I was making small talk."
"It's worse if you're successful at it," I said. "Be grateful you never learned the gamesmanship. I know a couple of guys on the circuit and they're hard as nails, you know? Unhappy. Hostile toward women. They get laid, but that's about all they get."
Behind him, Lieutenant Becker came in and took a seat at a desk across the room. Jonah's pencil tapping started again and then stopped. He tossed it aside and rocked back in his chair.
"I wish life were simple," he said.
I kept my tone of voice mild. "Life is simple. You're the one making things complex. You were doing great without Camilla, as far as I could see. She crooks her finger, though, and you go running back. And now you can't figure out what went wrong. Quit acting like a victim when you did it to yourself."
This time he laughed. "God, Kinsey. Why don't you just say what's on your mind."
"Well, I don't understand voluntary suffering. If you're unhappy, change something. If you can't make it work, then bail out. What's the big deal?"
"Is that what you did?"
"Not quite. I dumped the first and the second one dumped me. With both, I did my share of suffering, but when I look back on it, I can't understand why I endured so long. It was dumb. It was a big waste of time and cost me a lot."
"I've never even heard you mention those guys." "Yeah, well I'll tell you about them sometime." "You want to have a drink when I get off work?" I looked at him briefly and then shook my head. "We'd end up in bed, Jonah."
"That's the point, isn't it?" He smiled and did a Groucho Marx wiggle with his eyebrows.
I laughed and turned the subject back to Daggett as I got up. "Call me when Dr. Yee has results on the post." "I'll call for more than that." "Get your life squared away first." When I left, he was still staring after me, and it was all I could do to get out of there. I had this
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