about it. There was no way he was sharing it with anybody; it was like he put up a wall. But he kept telling people that he had no time to see them, or go out, because he was so busy. It’s all here.”
“What about the wife?” I ask.
“She spent money like the world was coming to an end. You name the store, she spent a fortune there. Jewelry, cars… unbelievable.”
“I know the type,” I say. “Her mind was Tiffany-twisted, she got the Mercedes bends.”
He smiles. “And my guess is she got a lot of pretty, pretty boys that she called friends.”
“Why do you say that?”
“She made twelve phone calls to a hotel in New York in the six weeks before her husband died, one of those places that’s so hip they can charge seven hundred bucks a night. And she was there at least twice; she bought drinks on her credit card in their bar.”
“Do we know who she called or went to see?” I ask.
“Nope. No way to tell from this. That’s going to be up to you. But if you get me a name, I’ll take his life apart.”
“Maybe somebody at the hotel will remember her,” I say.
He smiles. “That’s my boy; you can do it. Go get ’em.”
“Your confidence is touching. I can feel my eyes filling up with tears.”
He laughs. “I mean it. I got a peaceful easy feeling, and I know you won’t let me down. ’Cause I’m already standing…”
“You’re already standing?”
He nods. “Yes, I’m already standing on the ground.”
I laugh. “All right, Sam, I want to go though this stuff, so get the hell out of here.”
He nods. “Right, boss.” He gets up, goes to the door and opens it, but then walks back to me.
“Now what?” I ask.
“Sorry, but every time I try to walk away, something makes me turn around and stay.”
This could go on forever; the Eagles have had a long career. “Sam, I’ve got work to do, beat it.”
He nods. “Okay. But all of this is gonna help you with the case, right?”
“Maybe, maybe not.”
“What does that mean?” he asks.
I point to the papers. “It means, depending on what I find out, this could be heaven or this could be hell.”
I WALK IN THE DOOR and see Laurie coming down the steps to greet me.
She is holding on to the railing and trying to keep her shaky legs steady. She smiles when she sees me, and this causes her to momentarily lose her concentration. She starts to fall, and I can see the panic as she grabs for the railing.
As I so often do in situations like this, I just stand paralyzed, watching. She is unable to regain her balance and falls down the last three steps, landing with a thud on the floor.
Now that it is too late, I rush to her. “Laurie, are you okay?”
“Damnit! Damnit! Damnit!” she screams, pounding the floor. “Andy, I can’t stand being like this!”
“Really?” I ask. “I thought you were very graceful. Are you hurt?”
She pauses for a while before answering, as she assesses her own condition. “I don’t think so. Just frustrated and embarrassed.”
“Where’s the nurse?”
“I sent her home. I wanted things to be back to normal tonight.”
I help her over to the couch, and though she staggers slightly, she seems to be okay. Tara and Waggy immediately take advantage of the situation to jump on the couch and snuggle next to her, their heads coming to rest on each of her thighs.
Laurie starts to laugh at how quickly they’ve assumed the comfortable positions, and she pets both of them on their heads. It is amazing how comforting dogs can be.
I didn’t see Marcus outside when I arrived, but that doesn’t surprise me. Marcus has a way of not appearing to be somewhere until he needs to be there, and I’ve learned to have confidence in that. I’ve given him a key, so he can come in and out when he pleases, but I know when he’s been inside, because the refrigerator is empty.
“You sure you should be out of bed?” I ask.
“Yes, Andy. Despite my embarrassing performance on the stairs, I’m doing okay. I’m not an invalid.”
“Okay. Good.”
“I can do things. Really,” she says.
“Great. Make me dinner, woman.”
“Except that.”
“Okay. Let’s get naked.”
“And except that.”
I nod. “So, to rephrase, you can do anything except good stuff.”
She smiles. “Right. And I’m especially good at thinking.”