Free Random Hearts by Warren Adler Page A

reach him in case of
emergencies.
    By the time she reached home, she was calmer and her
agitation was directed at herself. "Anyone call?" she asked Alice.
    "Not Mr. Simpson."
    Vivien felt the woman's eyes inspecting her. She felt
miserable and foolish. Inadequate. She went through the motions of normality
for the rest of the evening, fielding questions from Ben about Orson's coming
home. She had told him that Orson would be home by the time he returned from
school.
    "Will Daddy be home tonight?"
    "I'm not sure."
    "If he comes home late, will you wake me?"
    "Yes, if he comes home late."
    "Did he buy me a toy?"
    "I'm sure he did."
    "Do you know what kind?"
    "For God's sake, Ben..." She had to get herself
under control. No sense going to pieces. She looked out the window and saw the
outline of the large snowman that she and Ben had built. It reminded her of the
day Orson had left, and she tried to remember all he had said. Had she missed
something? She tried to reconstruct the conversation. Paris? The Concorde?
Thursday? She hadn't used much of the three hundred dollars he had given her.
"It's only for four days," she had told him. Well, the four days were
past.
    After dinner she planted Ben in front of the television set
and went into Orson's study to search through papers for clues as to his
whereabouts. Nothing seemed related to the trip. She felt utterly baffled and
dialed Margo's number.
    "He wasn't on the flight." These were the first
words she blurted out.
    "Probably stayed in Paris," Margo said lightly.
"A casual affair."
    "I'm serious, Margo, and a little frightened. Orson's
not a person who wouldn't call if his plans changed."
    Margo became instantly serious.
    "What about his hotel?"
    "I don't know it."
    "Well, then, call the office, Viv. It slays me. You
seem to get more helpless every time I see you. Surely his secretary knows.
They always know everything."
    "She doesn't."
    "That's impossible."
    "She just doesn't, and neither does his partner,"
Vivien said, her heart sinking. She was simply ashamed that she hadn't the
faintest idea about what to do.
    "Maybe he just missed the flight. Simple as
that."
    "Then why hasn't he called?" Vivien cried,
pausing to resist the oncoming waves of hysteria. "I'm sorry to have upset
you," Vivien said, detesting the apology. She heard a sudden click. She
had one of those phones that signaled when an incoming call was coming in.
"I'll call you later. That may be Orson."
    The brief burst of relief quickly dissipated. It was Miss
Sparks. "Any word from Mr. Simpson?" she asked.
    "Not yet." Vivien tried to say it calmly. From
her tone, it seemed that Miss Sparks had anticipated the answer.
    "I did check the Concorde flights for tomorrow. Also
the regular jets..."
    It annoyed Vivien at first that Miss Sparks had duplicated
the effort with the Concorde people. She herself had forgotten, or been too
timid, to check the regular jets. She could tell from Miss Sparks's tone that
she had met with little success.
    "...and a number of likely hotels in Paris."
    She heard the emission of a strange sigh. So Miss Sparks,
too, was becoming anxious, she thought, not at all heartened by the knowledge.
"I'm sure I'll hear from him before the night is over," Vivien said
as if she were trying to soothe Miss Sparks.
    "Oh, I'm sure of it," Miss Sparks responded with
an optimistic lilt that seemed forced and artificial. "I know your
husband. I'm sure there is a logical explanation."
    "I just don't understand why you didn't make the
arrangements," Vivien said. It was a compulsive reaction, so out of
character that it left a long pause on the line.
    "It's a mystery to me," Miss Sparks said.
"But I'm sure everything is all right," she added quickly.
    "I just don't understand it," she said.
"It's just not like him."
    "No, it isn't, Mrs. Simpson," Miss Sparks said.
She could no longer hide her deep concern behind the crisp facade. For a moment
Vivien felt as though she were a genuine ally.
    "If I hear tonight, I'll