the tan-colored Humphrey Bogart type. Of course, it flattered her. I thought in that moment that the old hotel keys were better. These “slide-the-card-through-the-machine” things just didn’t make enough noise, and someone could sneak in on you like this.
“I knew Mr. Mahoney would be here,” she said. “You have a habit of hiding him in the closet, don’t you, Aaron? Sorry Louis got here so early.”
Stephanie’s face was hard and emotionless, and I had never seen her look like that before. She walked in and took the gun from Legs without so much as a blink. He gave it to her, and actually seemed to flinch a little as she reached for it.
“Tie them up,” she said. “I’ll hold the gun.”
“So it was your idea, huh Steph?” I asked.
“Naturally,” she said. “Louis couldn’t come up with a decent plan to get himself from one room to another. You have to blame yourself for this, Aaron. If you hadn’t found out more than you were supposed to, and then told me what you knew, we would-n’t have to shut you up on our way to the airport. But we have to buy a few hours before the flight leaves.”
“I’m disappointed,” I admitted. “I thought better of you than this.”
“Why?” she asked. “Because I was the girl from high school with the big tits that everybody wanted to go to bed with? We never really knew each other all that well, Aaron, so that’s the only image you could be clinging to.”
I’d been thinking quite a bit about it, so I was ready. “That wasn’t it at all, Steph,” I said. “You’re right that the image I had from twenty-five years ago was the one I was using, but it wasn’t just about sex. I never seriously considered sex with you, because I thought I was out of your league. That was before Abby taught me about leagues. I was a skinny little kid who didn’t fit into any group, and you used to talk to me sometimes. You, the coolest girl in the class. So that was what I wanted. If I could impress the cool girl, then maybe I could be cool, too.”
“Sorry to disappoint you,” she said as Legs finished taping Mahoney to his chair. “But you’re never going to be cool.”
“Big news,” said Mahoney.
I cut him off. “Why me, Steph? Why’d you insist that I write about the murder, instead of just taking off with the dork and the money?” I pointed at Legs.
“There were some financial details that hadn’t been completed yet, and we needed to stay in the country for a few weeks to make sure no one suspected Louis was still alive,” Stephanie said. “Louis, get the legs.” Gibson almost reacted at the word “legs,” then started in on Mahoney’s with the tape.
“But you didn’t answer why you needed me,” I reminded her.
“You were insurance, Aaron. I could get information on what the police knew through you, and I could control which way the press was going by controlling you. You got just enough information to keep you going.”
Damn it! I wasn’t just going to get shot. Now I had to tell my wife she was right, too. Boy was I was having a day!
“But you didn’t control me,” I said. Got to get some of your own back.
“I did for a while. Long enough,” said Steph. Her eyes were devoid of emotion. “Besides, you were a great witness. You’d seen me at the reunion, and you could testify I was in New Jersey only a few hours after poor Louis had been killed.”
“Should I put tape on his mouth?” Legs asked Stephanie, pointing to Mahoney.
“Hopefully, it won’t be necessary,” she said. “Start taping Aaron.” Legs obediently walked over and started wrapping duct tape around my arms and the armchair.
“I get the better chair,” I teased Mahoney.
“Could you please tape his mouth?” Mahoney asked.
Once Legs had me securely fastened to the chair, Stephanie put the gun into her coat pocket. “You’re not going to shoot us?” I asked her.
“Not unless we have to,” she said. “We’re not cold-blooded murderers.”
“I think Lester might disagree,” I said. “How did you get him to show up at Cheri’s that day?”
“The way I get any man to do anything,” she answered. “I told him I was going to have sex with him, told him I was getting revenge on Louis for all his affairs. Then we got in with a key Louis had made. Lester showed up with his