to make Catell lose interest. A minute or so later he couldn’t remember what she looked like.

Catell looked at his watch and started for his car. Pulling out in a sharp U turn, he drove up to Sunset and joined the traffic toward Beverly Hills. But he didn’t start to make any time until he passed the Beverly-Wilshire, where the traffic thinned out a little. Catell had started to smoke the way Topper used to: one cigarette after another and the windows closed. When he got to the Pink Shell, his pack was empty.

Lily still used the same dressing room where Catell had found her that first time. He went in and waited for her, folding and refolding the empty cigarette pack.

When she came in, Catell got up and smiled. “You’re looking good, baby. How was it?”

“O.K., I guess. You been waiting long, Tony?”

She went behind the screen to take off the red corset and net stockings she was wearing.

“Why’re you going behind that thing?”

“Just because.”

“Because what?”

“I don’t know. Just because, you know.”

“Come on out.”

“Aw, Tony, please. That’s not right.”

He didn’t answer her. He sat with his elbows on his knees, cracking his knuckles.

“How was it, Lily?”

“Reach me that bra, hon. How was what?”

“Where you came from, just now. That party.”

“O.K., I guess. We just danced. I sang a song.”

“What else?”

“Nothing, Tony, honest. Just a private party and we entertained. You know.”

“I bet you entertained. Anybody make a pass at you?”

“Tony!”

“Listen, I know those parties. Did anybody—”

“Nobody did nothing, hon, really. To me, anyway.”

“What?”

“Well, some of the girls stayed, you know. They’re still there. But nobody tried anything with me. They all know I’m your girl, Tony.”

She came out from behind the screen, wearing the white dress, high and smooth around her ripe body, the dress she had worn the first time he’d heard her sing.

Catell got up and took her waist. “They knew you were my girl, huh?”

“They did, hon. That makes me special,” and she smiled up at him. “You feeling better now, Tony?”

“Sure. And all this is going to change. One more week, Lily, two weeks at the most, and you and I beat it out of here. No more of this life, Lily.” He kissed her hard and she gave the kiss back, slowly, earnestly.

“My number’s up, Tony. You sit out front?”

“Don’t say your number’s up. Bad luck.” He chucked her under the chin. “Say, ‘I’m going on stage,’ or something.”

“O.K., Tony. You’ll be out front?”

“I’ll be right there with you.”

They did the number about the evil baron again, and Lily did her song. Catell sat and waited. His throat felt hot and raw from smoking, so he drank a glass of milk. When Lily was through she came to the table and sat down.

“Why don’t we go home?” Catell said. He had one hand on Lily’s arm, working his palm against her wrist.

“One more number, Tony. The short one. Can I have a drink?”

“Sure. What?”

“Just bar whisky. And a glass of water.”

“Bar whisky! How can you stand that stuff? We can afford better, you know. Besides, it’s on the house.”

“Just bar whisky. I like a little shot. It makes me warm inside. You know, Tony, I don’t care for the flavors, I just like the heat inside.”

“Of course you know how fattening it is.”

“It is?”

“Oh, yes, very, and you are getting fat. Here.”

“Tony! The people!”

“And here.”

“To-nee!”

“True. At your age, getting fat is a bad thing.”

“Tony Catell, you do that once more and I’ll leave.”

“You’ll leave! Where to?”

“I don’t know yet, and besides, I wouldn’t tell you, anyway. So there!”

They looked at each other and laughed, not really knowing why. And in the middle of their being together, a cold anger suddenly pulled Catell’s face into an ugly mask. He got up.

“What in hell do you want?”

“Why, lovin’ cup, you old boozer, where have you been keeping yourself?”

Selma came up to the table with a rush, gesturing, looking back and forth between Catell and the seated girl.

“You gonna ask me to sit down, lovin’ cup?” She sat down next to Lily.

“This is my friend Lily. And this is Selma.”

Selma’s wide mouth was spread in a stiff grin and she kept crinkling her eyes as if she was suppressing a real killer of a joke.

“If you knew just how happy this makes me, to see good old Tony again. I’ve been asking around and around, ever since I got here, Tony, and finding out all kinds of things about you. I hadn’t heard about you, though,” Selma