him like I wasn’t even there. That suited me fine as it meant I got to hear a lot of things with my own ears that I had no business hearing at all. Not today, though. I wouldn’t be able to hear the conversation, but I knew that Dex would be able to hear typing—or lack thereof. I sighed deeply, took the piece of paper I’d been using when the flatfoots were there out of the typewriter, turned it over, rolled it back in, clean side up and started thinking about activities for quick brown foxes. And lazy brown dogs.
CHAPTER SIX
AFTER DEAN WAS gone, I waited until I’d heard his surprisingly light footsteps recede down the hall before I ventured into Dex’s office. Things in there had gotten worse. Much worse. Worse than they had been for a while.
There was more grayness in Dex’s face. I figured it was not entirely attributable to the booze. When I plunked myself back in my usual chair, Dex once again didn’t even turn toward me from the window. That was always a bad sign. And I noted a fresh coating of booze in his glass. The smell of it was back hard in the room. Rye this time, I thought absently, not even questioning when I had acquired the connoisseurship necessary to make that determination by the vapors alone.
“What did he want?”
Dex didn’t answer right away, but sighed deeply and finally turned away from the window, though I noticed he didn’t meet my eye.
“I’m still not sure,” Dex said finally. I didn’t believe him. I told him as much.
Another sigh. Another sip. Another smoke pulled from the pack on his desk. Finally, he pulled open his desk drawer and pulled out a small stack of bills. They were green and clean and crisp. They looked good enough to eat.
“How much?” was all I said.
“Two hundred,” Dex replied.
“What for?”
“He didn’t say. Just he’d be in touch. I don’t like it, Kitty. I don’t like it one bit.”
“Yet you took the money?”
Dex nodded. Something like embarrassment flitted across his face. “I did.”
“But it must have been for something, Dex. He can’t just pay you for nothing at all. Did he say anything else?” It was like pulling fish through a tiny hole in a barrel. I knew the fish were in there all right. It was just taking some work to get them through the hole.
“Sure. He said a bit.”
“And …” I prompted.
Dex shrugged. Dragged on his smoke. Cast his eyes back out the window. “Wanted to know what I saw.”
“What you saw,” I repeated.
“You know,” he said.
I nodded. I figured I did. “What you tell him?”
“Wasn’t much to tell,” Dex said.
“Oh,” I said, finally understanding, “but you told it all, right? And you’re not sure if you should have told it quite that way.”
“It don’t feel right, Kitty. What I saw, I mean. It didn’t feel right to me then. It doesn’t feel any better now.”
“But you said you didn’t see anything.”
“I didn’t,” Dex agreed, “nothing I felt was significant. Xander? He’s got other ideas.”
“I don’t understand, Dex.”
“Wyndham going into the room. Coming out again, like I told you. He seemed to know I’d seen that. And he made sure I was able to describe it precisely.”
“The girl, right? Your date. You said you’d felt like she was putting you in place there.”
“Did I say that?”
“Not in so many words. But that was the idea I got. That you figured she was lining you up; making sure you saw Wyndham going into that bedroom.”
“But if that was true, Kitty …” Dex’s voice trailed off.
“If that were true …” I prompted.
“Well, it’s just… why me? You know, out of all the dopes at that party, why single me out?”
“Well, did you look especially dopey?”
“C’mon, K: this ain’t the funny papers.”
“Well then, I guess it’s possible she was looking out for you.”
“Is it?” Dex asked.
“Seems like.”
“But why me?”
“There’s that extra dopey thing again.”
“Kitty …”
“I’m
CHAPTER SIX
AFTER DEAN WAS gone, I waited until I’d heard his surprisingly light footsteps recede down the hall before I ventured into Dex’s office. Things in there had gotten worse. Much worse. Worse than they had been for a while.
There was more grayness in Dex’s face. I figured it was not entirely attributable to the booze. When I plunked myself back in my usual chair, Dex once again didn’t even turn toward me from the window. That was always a bad sign. And I noted a fresh coating of booze in his glass. The smell of it was back hard in the room. Rye this time, I thought absently, not even questioning when I had acquired the connoisseurship necessary to make that determination by the vapors alone.
“What did he want?”
Dex didn’t answer right away, but sighed deeply and finally turned away from the window, though I noticed he didn’t meet my eye.
“I’m still not sure,” Dex said finally. I didn’t believe him. I told him as much.
Another sigh. Another sip. Another smoke pulled from the pack on his desk. Finally, he pulled open his desk drawer and pulled out a small stack of bills. They were green and clean and crisp. They looked good enough to eat.
“How much?” was all I said.
“Two hundred,” Dex replied.
“What for?”
“He didn’t say. Just he’d be in touch. I don’t like it, Kitty. I don’t like it one bit.”
“Yet you took the money?”
Dex nodded. Something like embarrassment flitted across his face. “I did.”
“But it must have been for something, Dex. He can’t just pay you for nothing at all. Did he say anything else?” It was like pulling fish through a tiny hole in a barrel. I knew the fish were in there all right. It was just taking some work to get them through the hole.
“Sure. He said a bit.”
“And …” I prompted.
Dex shrugged. Dragged on his smoke. Cast his eyes back out the window. “Wanted to know what I saw.”
“What you saw,” I repeated.
“You know,” he said.
I nodded. I figured I did. “What you tell him?”
“Wasn’t much to tell,” Dex said.
“Oh,” I said, finally understanding, “but you told it all, right? And you’re not sure if you should have told it quite that way.”
“It don’t feel right, Kitty. What I saw, I mean. It didn’t feel right to me then. It doesn’t feel any better now.”
“But you said you didn’t see anything.”
“I didn’t,” Dex agreed, “nothing I felt was significant. Xander? He’s got other ideas.”
“I don’t understand, Dex.”
“Wyndham going into the room. Coming out again, like I told you. He seemed to know I’d seen that. And he made sure I was able to describe it precisely.”
“The girl, right? Your date. You said you’d felt like she was putting you in place there.”
“Did I say that?”
“Not in so many words. But that was the idea I got. That you figured she was lining you up; making sure you saw Wyndham going into that bedroom.”
“But if that was true, Kitty …” Dex’s voice trailed off.
“If that were true …” I prompted.
“Well, it’s just… why me? You know, out of all the dopes at that party, why single me out?”
“Well, did you look especially dopey?”
“C’mon, K: this ain’t the funny papers.”
“Well then, I guess it’s possible she was looking out for you.”
“Is it?” Dex asked.
“Seems like.”
“But why me?”
“There’s that extra dopey thing again.”
“Kitty …”
“I’m
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