waterfront. Old brick, exposed beams, a lot of hanging greenery, some stained glass. It could have been a cocktail lounge in San Diego. From his corner office, Jimmy could look out at the bridge to Fairhaven, where the waters of the Acushnet River began to mingle with the harbor. On a small sideboard near the windows were pictures of a handsome blonde woman in golf clothes, and two soon-to-be-handsome blonde girls in riding clothes.
Jimmy himself was slim and sharp-faced with longish black hair combed straight back. He wore a blue blazer and a white shirt, no tie, gray slacks, and black loafers, no socks. There was a Rolex on his left wrist. Casual elegance. His dark eyes studied me with piercing sincerity.
“Any friend of Rita’s,” he said.
“Rita has a lot of friends,” I said.
“You got that right,” Jimmy said.
His smile was wide and warm, and just as sincere as his eyes.
“You represent Heidi Bradshaw,” I said.
“The firm does,” Jimmy said.
“In all legal matters?”
“Oh, God, no,” Jimmy said. “At her level, she needs all sorts of expertise. We are sort of legal triage for her; we field her problems, solve them when it’s our area, find the right people to solve them if it’s another area.”
“Which is how you got to me,” I said.
“We respect Rita’s recommendation, and may I say, hers for you was absolutely glowing.”
“And richly deserved,” I said. “Why did Heidi want someone in the first place?”
Jimmy did several noncommittal things with his head, shoulders, and hands.
“Heidi is Heidi,” he said.
“I noticed that,” I said. “What did she say she wanted someone for?”
“Goddamn,” Jimmy said. “I’m sorry. But I can’t . . . you know, privilege and all that.”
“How did she phrase her request to you?” I said.
“Geez,” Jimmy said, “you were there, weren’t you, for all the trouble.”
“I was,” I said.
“God, I’m sorry. What a tragedy.”
“How did she ask for the someone that turned out to be me?” I said.
“God, Spenser, I’m sorry. I really am,” Jimmy said. “Rita told me about you when she called to say you’d be coming by.”
“That I was articulate and charming?”
“She said that you wouldn’t let it alone. That since you were there you’d take it personal and all that. I know you are just trying to find Adelaide.”
“I am,” I said.
“But I can’t talk about clients, you know? I start doing that, how many do I have left after a while?”
I nodded.
“So you probably won’t fill me in on her marriages, her relationships with her ex-husbands, her relationship with her daughter, her son-in-law, his family, her financial circumstances, her sex life, her social life. Friends? Booze? Drugs? Gamble? Debt?”
“Oh my God, no,” Jimmy said. “Jesus . . . no comment. No fucking comment.”
I nodded.
“Rita said you asked for someone smart, tough, and presentable,” I said.
Jimmy recovered from his horror sufficiently to smile self-effacingly.
“The firm’s language,” he said.
“But I assume she didn’t ask for stupid, fearful, and repellent,” I said.
“We tried to rephrase her accurately,” Jimmy said. “Obviously, you’re the kind of guy she had in mind.”
“And wasn’t I useful,” I said.
“I’m sure you did what you could,” Jimmy said. “One man . . .”
I nodded.
“And you had your girlfriend to look out for,” Jimmy said.
I nodded. Apparently, Jimmy knew more than he pretended to about the stormy night on Tashtego.
“You arrange the Tashtego security patrol?” I said.
“We located the proper company for her, and made the deal.”
“What’s the company?”
Jimmy thought about it for a moment, and decided it was not in violation of his sacred honor to tell me.
“Absolute Security,” he said. “In Providence.”
“Who do I talk to?”
“Artie Fonseca,” Jimmy said. “He’s the CEO.”
“Who might want something like this to happen?” I said.
“The
Jimmy himself was slim and sharp-faced with longish black hair combed straight back. He wore a blue blazer and a white shirt, no tie, gray slacks, and black loafers, no socks. There was a Rolex on his left wrist. Casual elegance. His dark eyes studied me with piercing sincerity.
“Any friend of Rita’s,” he said.
“Rita has a lot of friends,” I said.
“You got that right,” Jimmy said.
His smile was wide and warm, and just as sincere as his eyes.
“You represent Heidi Bradshaw,” I said.
“The firm does,” Jimmy said.
“In all legal matters?”
“Oh, God, no,” Jimmy said. “At her level, she needs all sorts of expertise. We are sort of legal triage for her; we field her problems, solve them when it’s our area, find the right people to solve them if it’s another area.”
“Which is how you got to me,” I said.
“We respect Rita’s recommendation, and may I say, hers for you was absolutely glowing.”
“And richly deserved,” I said. “Why did Heidi want someone in the first place?”
Jimmy did several noncommittal things with his head, shoulders, and hands.
“Heidi is Heidi,” he said.
“I noticed that,” I said. “What did she say she wanted someone for?”
“Goddamn,” Jimmy said. “I’m sorry. But I can’t . . . you know, privilege and all that.”
“How did she phrase her request to you?” I said.
“Geez,” Jimmy said, “you were there, weren’t you, for all the trouble.”
“I was,” I said.
“God, I’m sorry. What a tragedy.”
“How did she ask for the someone that turned out to be me?” I said.
“God, Spenser, I’m sorry. I really am,” Jimmy said. “Rita told me about you when she called to say you’d be coming by.”
“That I was articulate and charming?”
“She said that you wouldn’t let it alone. That since you were there you’d take it personal and all that. I know you are just trying to find Adelaide.”
“I am,” I said.
“But I can’t talk about clients, you know? I start doing that, how many do I have left after a while?”
I nodded.
“So you probably won’t fill me in on her marriages, her relationships with her ex-husbands, her relationship with her daughter, her son-in-law, his family, her financial circumstances, her sex life, her social life. Friends? Booze? Drugs? Gamble? Debt?”
“Oh my God, no,” Jimmy said. “Jesus . . . no comment. No fucking comment.”
I nodded.
“Rita said you asked for someone smart, tough, and presentable,” I said.
Jimmy recovered from his horror sufficiently to smile self-effacingly.
“The firm’s language,” he said.
“But I assume she didn’t ask for stupid, fearful, and repellent,” I said.
“We tried to rephrase her accurately,” Jimmy said. “Obviously, you’re the kind of guy she had in mind.”
“And wasn’t I useful,” I said.
“I’m sure you did what you could,” Jimmy said. “One man . . .”
I nodded.
“And you had your girlfriend to look out for,” Jimmy said.
I nodded. Apparently, Jimmy knew more than he pretended to about the stormy night on Tashtego.
“You arrange the Tashtego security patrol?” I said.
“We located the proper company for her, and made the deal.”
“What’s the company?”
Jimmy thought about it for a moment, and decided it was not in violation of his sacred honor to tell me.
“Absolute Security,” he said. “In Providence.”
“Who do I talk to?”
“Artie Fonseca,” Jimmy said. “He’s the CEO.”
“Who might want something like this to happen?” I said.
“The
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