trick with his temple. âVeronica,â he said. âInteresting woman.â
âHow so?â
âVery bright, very attractive. I never understood how she got involved with Bouvier.â
âShe was involved with Quentin Bouvier?â
He frowned, puzzled. âQuentin?â Then he grinned. âNo, not with Quentin. With Justine.â
âI need a new car,â I said.
Rita said, âI told you, Joshua. I think you should lease one.â
âObviously, Rita, you donât understand the intimate relationship that exists between a man and his motor vehicle.â
âObviously not. But I do understand the intimate relationship that exists between a man and the Internal Revenue Service. If you lease the car and put it in the agencyâs name, you can deduct your payments.â
âThere are some things whose importance transcends financial considerations. A car, Rita, is more than just a means of transportation. Itâs an expression of a manâs inner being, his true essence.â
âJoshua?â
âYeah?â
âI donât want you to be offended.â
âYou donât buy that, huh?â
âWell, yes, as a matter of fact, I do. Itâs pathetic, of course, but I buy it. But Iâm not talking about that.â
âWhat are you talking about?â
âYour feet. Theyâre cold.â
âOh,â I said, and I laughed. âSorry.â
We were in Ritaâs bedroom, lying in Ritaâs big canopied bed, the down comforter pulled up to our waists. Propped up against a pair of pillows, her hair jet black against the white Egyptian cotton, Rita was wearing a black silk nightgown that I found, as always, profoundly interesting. Lying on my side, my elbow against the mattress, my cheek notched against my fist, I was wearing what I usually wore in these circumstances. A silly grin. In the soft light from the nightstand lamp, she looked about twenty years old, and more beautiful than anything Iâd ever seen.
âSpeaking of inner beings,â she said.
âYeah?â
âWere you able to locate Carl Buffalo?â
âLocate, yes. Talk to, no. Heâs up in the mountains with a flock of happy campers. Heâll be back in a couple of days. I spoke with some woman at his houseâwife, girlfriend, I donât know.â
âNot a wife. The land tax records have him as single.â
âYou got that from the computer?â
âYes. What about Carol Masters?â
âSheâs out of town, too. Probably visiting Alpha Centauri. Thatâs where this guy she channels, Araxys, is supposed to live. What do you figure Alpha Centauri is like, this time of year?â
âWarm. Who will you be seeing tomorrow?â
âBrad Freefall and Sylvia Morningstar. Iâve got an appointment out in La Cienega at ten.â
âWhen youâre in the house, make certain you take a careful look at the fireplaces.â
I took a careful look at Rita. âAnd why would I do that?â
âThat Tarot card would be easier to conceal if it werenât inside its leather binder.â
âAh. Right. And leather can burn.â
âAnd leather can burn.â
âHey,â I said. âI knew that.â
She smiled. âBut possibly, if the binder has been burned, some of it remained.â
âIâll take a careful look at the fireplaces,â I said.
âWhat about Leonard Quarry?â she asked me.
âHe hasnât returned my call. But Peter Jones did, the guy whoâs been playing around with Justine Bouvier, and Iâm seeing him at four tomorrow. He lives in Mesa Roja. What I thought Iâd do, after I talk to Brad and Sylvia, was shoot up to Agua Caliente and see if I can find Quarry. Afterward I can drive over to Mesa Roja. Itâs not far.â
âAnd Veronica Chang?â
âTomorrow night.â
âEliza Remington?â
âI see