out the window at a guy in shirtsleeves… I shook my head and turned back to Morgan.
“Thank you, Bricky,” he said. “I owe you lunch.”
He hung up and turned to me.
“Cash money,” Morgan said. “In hundreds, ninety of them. Several times a week. Each time he’d get a bank check made out to him.”
“How often did he deposit with you?”
Morgan looked at his screen for a few moments.
“Averaged about twice a month.”
“So what did he do with the rest?”
“Wine, women, and song?” Morgan said.
“Probably not women,” I said.
Morgan shrugged.
“Cigarettes, whiskey, and wild, wild men?” he said.
“I don’t know,” I said. “If he was going to spend it, why did he convert it to bank checks?”
“Maybe put it in his checking account.”
“Why not just deposit the cash?” I said.
Morgan shrugged.
“Hey, I’m a simple stockbroker,” he said. “You’re the fucking sleuth.”
“Thanks for reminding me,” I said. “Sometimes it’s hard to tell.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
When I got back from Hall, Peary, KC Roth was waiting in the hall outside my office door wearing an ethereal-looking white summer dress. She appeared not to be wearing stockings. Her legs were tanned. She had on white high heels with no back. Even in the harsh fluorescent light she looked like a slumming angel.
“We must talk,” she said.
I unlocked my door. KC preceded me into the office. As soon as the door closed behind us, KC turned and pressed herself against me and put her arms around my neck and kissed me urgently.
“Kiss me back,” she murmured.
After a while she moved her mouth away and whispered, “Hold me.”
She moved her body against mine in several different directions. I had never figured out how women did that. On the other hand I’d never actually hugged a man. Maybe they did it too and I didn’t know it.
“I’ve wanted you since I saw you,” KC whispered.
“Don’t blame you,” I muttered.
“Put your hands on me.”
“They are on you.”
“They’re on my shoulders,” KC said.
“It’s a start,” I said.
She pushed against me more insistently. I would have said more insistent was not possible, but she managed. She bent her head back and looked up at me, and her lips brushed mine as she spoke.
“Have you ever made love in this office?” she said.
“No,” I said, “I was waiting to get a couch.”
“You could take me now, here, on the floor.”
“I think we’ve gone through this,” I said.
“Come on, you want to.”
“Of course I want to,” I said. “But I’m not going to.”
“You have to,” she said. “You have to.”
“You left your husband for a guy and didn’t end up with the guy,” I said. “You’re being stalked. You’re feeling shaky. You need affirmation, and here I am, the guy who’s going to rescue you from the stalker.”
“That’s just talk,” she said. “You’re a man and I’m a woman.”
There wasn’t much room to maneuver around that, so I left it alone. I didn’t have a lot of experience fighting for my virtue.
“You ever fuck Susan here?” she said, her face almost touching mine.
“I’m impressed,” I said. “The question is intrusive, annoying, coarse, and voyeuristic, that’s quite a lot to get into a simple question.”
“Well, did you? I’ll bet you didn’t. I’ll bet she wouldn’t. She wouldn’t want to do it in a chair,” KC’s voice got very flutey, “because it wouldn’t be ladylike. And she wouldn’t want to do it on the floor because she’d be afraid she’d mess her clothes.”
“Enough,” I said.
I took a somewhat firmer grip on her shoulders and walked her backward toward one of my client chairs. She thought I was succumbing. I could feel her shoulders relax. I sat her down in my client chair and held her there. She raised her face with her eyes closed and her mouth open.
“You and I are not going to have sex,” I said. “I don’t like that much better than you do,
“Thank you, Bricky,” he said. “I owe you lunch.”
He hung up and turned to me.
“Cash money,” Morgan said. “In hundreds, ninety of them. Several times a week. Each time he’d get a bank check made out to him.”
“How often did he deposit with you?”
Morgan looked at his screen for a few moments.
“Averaged about twice a month.”
“So what did he do with the rest?”
“Wine, women, and song?” Morgan said.
“Probably not women,” I said.
Morgan shrugged.
“Cigarettes, whiskey, and wild, wild men?” he said.
“I don’t know,” I said. “If he was going to spend it, why did he convert it to bank checks?”
“Maybe put it in his checking account.”
“Why not just deposit the cash?” I said.
Morgan shrugged.
“Hey, I’m a simple stockbroker,” he said. “You’re the fucking sleuth.”
“Thanks for reminding me,” I said. “Sometimes it’s hard to tell.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
When I got back from Hall, Peary, KC Roth was waiting in the hall outside my office door wearing an ethereal-looking white summer dress. She appeared not to be wearing stockings. Her legs were tanned. She had on white high heels with no back. Even in the harsh fluorescent light she looked like a slumming angel.
“We must talk,” she said.
I unlocked my door. KC preceded me into the office. As soon as the door closed behind us, KC turned and pressed herself against me and put her arms around my neck and kissed me urgently.
“Kiss me back,” she murmured.
After a while she moved her mouth away and whispered, “Hold me.”
She moved her body against mine in several different directions. I had never figured out how women did that. On the other hand I’d never actually hugged a man. Maybe they did it too and I didn’t know it.
“I’ve wanted you since I saw you,” KC whispered.
“Don’t blame you,” I muttered.
“Put your hands on me.”
“They are on you.”
“They’re on my shoulders,” KC said.
“It’s a start,” I said.
She pushed against me more insistently. I would have said more insistent was not possible, but she managed. She bent her head back and looked up at me, and her lips brushed mine as she spoke.
“Have you ever made love in this office?” she said.
“No,” I said, “I was waiting to get a couch.”
“You could take me now, here, on the floor.”
“I think we’ve gone through this,” I said.
“Come on, you want to.”
“Of course I want to,” I said. “But I’m not going to.”
“You have to,” she said. “You have to.”
“You left your husband for a guy and didn’t end up with the guy,” I said. “You’re being stalked. You’re feeling shaky. You need affirmation, and here I am, the guy who’s going to rescue you from the stalker.”
“That’s just talk,” she said. “You’re a man and I’m a woman.”
There wasn’t much room to maneuver around that, so I left it alone. I didn’t have a lot of experience fighting for my virtue.
“You ever fuck Susan here?” she said, her face almost touching mine.
“I’m impressed,” I said. “The question is intrusive, annoying, coarse, and voyeuristic, that’s quite a lot to get into a simple question.”
“Well, did you? I’ll bet you didn’t. I’ll bet she wouldn’t. She wouldn’t want to do it in a chair,” KC’s voice got very flutey, “because it wouldn’t be ladylike. And she wouldn’t want to do it on the floor because she’d be afraid she’d mess her clothes.”
“Enough,” I said.
I took a somewhat firmer grip on her shoulders and walked her backward toward one of my client chairs. She thought I was succumbing. I could feel her shoulders relax. I sat her down in my client chair and held her there. She raised her face with her eyes closed and her mouth open.
“You and I are not going to have sex,” I said. “I don’t like that much better than you do,
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