to each other, deciding what should be done. Turned out Mr. Wilmer knew about the holdup from reading the Baltimore Sun instead of the Washington papers, and took an even more serious view of it than Steve did, if that was possible. Finally Steve wound up, “OK, then, Mr. Wilmer, I’ll hold everything till you get here. I’m sorry, I hated to call, this night of nights, but I had to. I didn’t have any choice. Because, frankly, I’m not sure I could swing it myself, what has to be done about Mandy. And you being in with all kinds of big wheels, especially lawyers. OK, I’ll knock it off till you get here...Yes, she’s here.”
I took the phone then, calling him “Mr. Wilmer,” and he was awful nice. He said, “Mandy, I’m your new father.”
“Steve is my father now.”
“OK, then, I’m your mother’s new husband.”
“Then, pleased to meet you.”
“Mandy, all I want to say is, you have a friend.”
“Thank you, Mr. Wilmer.”
“But who is this ‘Mr. Wilmer’?”
“I try to show respect.”
“Your mother wants to talk to you.”
So then Mother came on, and I don’t put in what she said, as this is no time to repeat it. I mean she was bitter, bawling me out for cutting her out of her trip to Europe, “which I’ve looked forward to all my life and now have to give up.” But as Steve said, when at last she hung up, “That’s your mother all over. All she thinks about, all she ever thought about, is having a good time. Where’s the Riviera? This place she was going to?”
“Somewhere in France, I think.”
“Swinger’s heaven, wherever it is.”
When we were back on the sofa in the living room, Steve said they’d be down in the morning, as soon as they could make it. He said, “The main thing is Mr. Wilmer has a lawyer, a big wheel in Baltimore, who doesn’t take this kind of case as a general rule but when he does is the best in the business.”
I said, “But what’s all the excitement about? If I turn Rick in, which I’m certainly going to do, I get munity, don’t I?”
“Imm unity.”
“Immunity, then.”
“You do if you do.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“There’s no certainty to it. That’s what scared him so. Mr. Wilmer, I mean. In Baltimore, on account of that guard being dead and the papers blasting off that something has to be done, he’s not sure about anything—whether immunity will be granted or clemency consented to or any of the things that in some other case, with no death being involved, might be possible.”
“Don’t they want their money back?”
“That’s our big chance.”
So then it was time to go to bed, and I wasn’t at all sure how Steve was going to act, our first night alone in the house. I went to my room, undressed, brushed my teeth, did my hair, put my pajamas on, and went to bed. I had my own bathroom, so that much presented no problem. But then, when my light was turned out, here came the tap on my door. I thought to myself, “This is it. Now I’ll find out where I’m at.” I tried to tell myself I wasn’t going to mind, that there had to be a first time and it might as well be with Steve. Just the same, I felt pretty sick as I called, “Come in.”
He came.
He bent over and kissed me on the forehead. Then he whispered, “Good night, little Mandy.”
“Good night, Steve.”
“You see, I keep my promises.”
“For that I thank you, Steve.”
He sat on the bed and went on, “Mandy, there’s something I want to explain...why I paddy-whacked you.”
“Steve, you beat me up.”
“OK, call it that.”
“I call it what it was.”
“It was not for the reason you said, the one that you screamed at me more than once while I held you across my knee. To feel your bottom, you said. It wasn’t that at all. It was because I thought you were stepping out with that bunch Amy Schultz runs around with, and it almost set me crazy. Mandy, I couldn’t take it. Talking with her, after you left, trying to get
I took the phone then, calling him “Mr. Wilmer,” and he was awful nice. He said, “Mandy, I’m your new father.”
“Steve is my father now.”
“OK, then, I’m your mother’s new husband.”
“Then, pleased to meet you.”
“Mandy, all I want to say is, you have a friend.”
“Thank you, Mr. Wilmer.”
“But who is this ‘Mr. Wilmer’?”
“I try to show respect.”
“Your mother wants to talk to you.”
So then Mother came on, and I don’t put in what she said, as this is no time to repeat it. I mean she was bitter, bawling me out for cutting her out of her trip to Europe, “which I’ve looked forward to all my life and now have to give up.” But as Steve said, when at last she hung up, “That’s your mother all over. All she thinks about, all she ever thought about, is having a good time. Where’s the Riviera? This place she was going to?”
“Somewhere in France, I think.”
“Swinger’s heaven, wherever it is.”
When we were back on the sofa in the living room, Steve said they’d be down in the morning, as soon as they could make it. He said, “The main thing is Mr. Wilmer has a lawyer, a big wheel in Baltimore, who doesn’t take this kind of case as a general rule but when he does is the best in the business.”
I said, “But what’s all the excitement about? If I turn Rick in, which I’m certainly going to do, I get munity, don’t I?”
“Imm unity.”
“Immunity, then.”
“You do if you do.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“There’s no certainty to it. That’s what scared him so. Mr. Wilmer, I mean. In Baltimore, on account of that guard being dead and the papers blasting off that something has to be done, he’s not sure about anything—whether immunity will be granted or clemency consented to or any of the things that in some other case, with no death being involved, might be possible.”
“Don’t they want their money back?”
“That’s our big chance.”
So then it was time to go to bed, and I wasn’t at all sure how Steve was going to act, our first night alone in the house. I went to my room, undressed, brushed my teeth, did my hair, put my pajamas on, and went to bed. I had my own bathroom, so that much presented no problem. But then, when my light was turned out, here came the tap on my door. I thought to myself, “This is it. Now I’ll find out where I’m at.” I tried to tell myself I wasn’t going to mind, that there had to be a first time and it might as well be with Steve. Just the same, I felt pretty sick as I called, “Come in.”
He came.
He bent over and kissed me on the forehead. Then he whispered, “Good night, little Mandy.”
“Good night, Steve.”
“You see, I keep my promises.”
“For that I thank you, Steve.”
He sat on the bed and went on, “Mandy, there’s something I want to explain...why I paddy-whacked you.”
“Steve, you beat me up.”
“OK, call it that.”
“I call it what it was.”
“It was not for the reason you said, the one that you screamed at me more than once while I held you across my knee. To feel your bottom, you said. It wasn’t that at all. It was because I thought you were stepping out with that bunch Amy Schultz runs around with, and it almost set me crazy. Mandy, I couldn’t take it. Talking with her, after you left, trying to get
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