Equivocal Death by Amy Gutman

started to work with her. Just keep pound-4
    ing away at the ground rules. Eventually, it’ll sink in.”
    5
    “I hope so.” Kate glanced at her watch. “Damn, it’s nearly one. I 6
    need to get back to work. Ready?”
    7
    As they carried their trays toward the kitchen conveyor belt, 8
    Kate’s thoughts moved back to that morning. “So you really don’t 9
    think I should worry? About what Madeleine said?”
    10
    “Worry? No way. You’ll straighten it out the next time you see 11
    her. Just ask her to explain what she meant.”
    12
    “You’re right,” said Kate. “That’s exactly what I’ll do.”
    13
    w
    14
    He stood outside the windows, watching. A little past seven, and 15
    already the restaurant teemed with people. Set flat in the middle of 16
    a run-down industrial zone, Ormond still pulled in a random as-17
    sortment of black-clad artist types — few actual artists could afford 18
    the price of a meal — and Wall Street apparatchiks who liked to 19
    let their hair down at the end of the day. Ormond, he mused, 20
    catered to a bourgeoisie in denial, to wealthy patrons with a yearn-21
    ing to be rich and hip; to live on the edge without giving up the 22
    status and perquisites of wealth.
    23
    It was cold, with temperatures hovering close to zero, but he 24
    barely noticed the chill. A thin crust of ice slicked the sidewalk.
    25
    Carefully picking his way, he moved in for a closer look. His re-26
    flection wavered in the plate-glass expanse. Then, he forced his 27
    gaze back, beyond.
    28
    She was already there, seated at a back corner table. That was 29
    bound to make things more difficult. Still. He’d come prepared.
    30
    The challenge only fueled his excitement. Since making the reser-31
    vation, his emotions had alternated between elation and fear. Now 32
    that the time had come, he found himself trying to prolong it. It 33
    was tempting to extend the moment. To continue to wait and 34 sh
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    A M Y G U T M A N
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    watch. To watch her grow restless. To watch as she glanced once 2
    again at the gold Cartier watch on her wrist.
    3
    Like a connoisseur, he savored the possibilities.
    4
    But it was time to move on.
    5
    As he stepped through the restaurant’s glass doors, he felt a burst 6
    of warm air. He was greeted by the hum of conversation, the tinkle 7
    of cutlery on plates. Pushing forward through the human throng, 8
    he got within earshot of the pony-tailed maître d’. Translucent 9
    bored face. Vacant gaze. Probably thinking about where he’d like 10
    to be tonight if it weren’t for this frigging job. From where he 11
    stood, he could hear the maître d’ murmuring to a petulant couple 12
    in line. “The very next table, madam. Would you like to have a 13
    drink at the bar?” No she would not like, what she wanted right 14
    now was a table. The caustic tones drifted in his direction until, 15
    having no choice, the woman and her date moved to the crowded 16
    bar. He’d counted on this level of quiet chaos and disarray.
    17
    Now came the delicate part.
    18
    Quickly, he edged past the podium. Perfect. The maître d’ would 19
    never remember him. Hadn’t seemed to notice him at all. Slowly, 20
    deliberately, he made his way toward her table, an animal stalking 21
    its prey. He was seven or eight minutes late. Not enough to prompt 22
    suspicions. But it was definitely time to begin.
    23
    “Why, hello there, Madeleine,” he said.
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    w
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    “So, try the tempura. Fried vegetables, shrimp, tofu — even you 26
    can’t complain about that. What’s not to like?”
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    “Tofu. Yuck.” Kate wrinkled her nose and continued to scan the 28
    menu.
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    “Well, what about the soy eggplant Parmesan? It really does taste 30
    like cheese.”
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    Kate sighed. Her college roommate had always shown a suspect 32
    yen for healthful food — green salad and hold the dressing — but 33
    lately things were getting out of hand. If she hadn’t