Free Madam of Maple Court by Joan Elizabeth Lloyd Page B

place? What did she have to gain from a possibly angry confrontation with a frowsy whore? Why?
    Questions! So many questions.
Why does my brain always seem to think in questions
?
    She took the Henry Hudson Bridge and drove down the West Side of Manhattan, deliberately taking a moment from her whirling thoughts to force herself to appreciate the blooming fruit trees along the river. Spring. New beginnings. She opened the car windows and inhaled, both to enjoy the smell of the salt water and to try to calm her racing thoughts and clear her mind. Who was she? The woman driving this car to the city for a meeting with an attractive man and a hooker wasn't anyone she recognized. What had happened to her in the past few weeks?
    She tried to picture the woman who'd led Vin away from their marriage. She'd probably be tall. He liked Pam's diminutive stature, but at parties the women he looked at were usually tall. Blond? Redhead? She couldn't figure out her hair or eye color but she'd be smooth, slender, and probably wear a bit too much make-up. A trophy wife without the wife part.
    She'd selected her clothing that morning with care. Armor of a sort. A navy spring suit with a severe white blouse and low-heeled navy pumps. She applied her make-up lightly and pulled her jaw-length hair in a tight knot at the back of her head. She wore a simple but costly heavy gold necklace with matching earrings. She wore nothing on her hands to detract from her channel set diamond wedding ring and the matching several carats of perfect diamond and platinum solitaire. Vin had given them to her for their fifth anniversary to replace the smaller engagement ring she'd had since they got engaged in college and the band he'd slipped on her finger at their wedding. From then on he would have her wear nothing less. She'd always liked the old rings, three diamond chips set in fourteen karat gold and an unadorned gold circlet, both of which she still kept in her jewelry box. She looked at her hand on the steering wheel. She'd sell the rocks, of course, but for now they felt like she was carrying armor.
    She found a parking lot on West Sixty-fifth and walked to the restaurant, a simple neighborhood Chinese place with a small awning and a menu in the window listing rather ordinary Oriental fare. As she read, she felt a hand in the small of her back. "Checking out the dishes?" Gary said lightly.
    She hadn't been looking at anything in particular, just girding her loins. She stood there feeling totally out of her element going into this ordinary-looking place with ordinary local people to meet someone who worked in a brothel. "I guess."
    "It's okay. We can go in together."
    She sighed. "Thanks for understanding."
    "No problem. You look very severe today."
    She smiled ruefully. "I wanted to buttress myself. The more I thought about this, the more I wondered why I'm here. When I had you arrange this meeting I was so sure. It was so important for me to see her. Now? I don't know."
    "We can leave now. I have Marcy's cell phone number and I can call this off."
    She sighed. "No. I want to at least see her so I can picture her from now on."
    Gary patter her shoulder. "I'm glad you're not so angry anymore. As you know, I was reluctant to arrange this meeting, afraid you'd make a scene or get yourself seriously hurt. You look very much in control now and that makes me much more comfortable."
    Again she smiled. "Looks can be deceiving." She smiled ruefully, then changed the subject. "How will we know the woman we're looking for?"
    "She'll know us. I described myself and you pretty well." He glanced at his watch. "Right on time." The hand at her back guided toward the entrance. "Ready?"
    "As ready as I'll ever be."
    They entered the darkened restaurant. The walls were covered with the de rigeur red and gold Chinese wall coverings and the banquettes were trimmed with the same colors. The tablecloths were gleaming white with little lamps on each table. Pam looked around and saw