“Oh, hell!” I swore. My head was thick with sleep. “Thanks, Lotty.” I swung out of bed and hurriedly put on a bright orange sundress. I stuck the Smith & Wesson in my handbag, grabbed a sweater, and ran out the door, calling good-bye to Jill as I went. Poor Ralph, I thought. I really am abusing him, keeping him waiting in restaurants just so that I can pick his brains about Ajax.
It was 7:50 when I turned south on Lake Shore Drive and just 8:00 when I got onto Rush Street, where the restaurant lay. One of my prejudices is against paying to park the car, but tonight I didn’t waste time looking for street parking. I turned the car over to a parking attendant across from Ahab’s. I looked at my watch as I went in the door: 8:08. Damned good, I thought. My head still felt woolly from my hour of sleep, but I was glad I’d gotten it.
Ralph was waiting by the entrance. He kissed me lightly in greeting, then stood back to examine my face. “Definitely improving,” he agreed. “And I see you can walk again.”
The headwaiter came over. Monday was a light night and he took us directly to our table. “Tim will be your waiter,” he said. “Would you like a drink?”
Ralph ordered a gin-and-tonic; I settled for a glass of club soda—Scotch on top of beer didn’t sound too appetizing.
“One of the things about being divorced and moving into the city is all the great restaurants,” Ralph remarked. “I’ve come to this place a couple of times, but there are a lot in my neighborhood.”
“Where do you live?” I asked.
“Over on Elm Street, not too far from here, actually. It’s a furnished place with a housekeeping service.”
“Convenient.” That must cost a fair amount, I thought. I wondered what his income was. “That’s quite a lot of money with your alimony, too.”
“Don’t tell me.” He grinned. “I didn’t know anything about the city when I moved in here, barring the area right around Ajax, and I didn’t want to get into a long lease in a place I’d hate. Eventually I expect I’ll buy a condominium.”
“By the way, did you find out whether McGraw had ever called Masters?”
“Yes, I did you that little favor, Vic. And it’s just what I told you. He’s never had a call from the guy.”
“ You didn’t ask him, did you?”
“No.” Ralph’s cheerful face clouded with resentment. “I kept your wishes in mind and only talked to his secretary. Of course, I don’t have any guarantee that she won’t mention the matter to him. Do you think you could let this drop now? ”
I was feeling a little angry, too, but I kept it under control: I still wanted Ralph to look at the claim draft.
Tim arrived to take our orders. I asked for poached salmon and Ralph took the scampi. We both went to the salad bar while I cast about for a neutral topic to keep us going until after dinner. I didn’t want to produce the draft until we’d eaten.
“I’ve talked so much about my divorce I’ve never asked whether you were ever married,” Ralph remarked.
“Yes, I was.”
“What happened?”
“It was a long time ago. I don’t think either of us was ready for it. He’s a successful attorney now living in Hinsdale with a wife and three young children.”
“Do you still see him?” Ralph wanted to know.
“No, and I really don’t think about him. But his name is in the papers a fair amount. He sent me a card at Christmas, that’s how I know about the children and Hinsdale—one of those gooey things with the children smiling sentimentally in front of a fireplace. I’m not sure whether he sent it to prove his virility or to let me know what I’m missing.”
“Do you miss it?”
I was getting angry. “Are you trying to ask in a subtle way about whether I wish I had a husband and a family? I certainly do not miss Dick, nor am I sorry that I don’t have three kids getting under my feet.”
Ralph looked astonished. “Take it easy, Vic. Can’t you miss having a family without confusing that with Dick’s family? I don’t miss Dorothy—but that doesn’t mean I’m giving up on marriage. And I wouldn’t be much of a man if I didn’t miss my children.”
Tim brought our dinners. The salmon had a very good pimento sauce, but my emotions were still riding me and I couldn’t enjoy it properly. I forced a smile. “Sorry. Guess I’m overreacting to people who think a woman without a child is like Welch’s without grapes.”
“Well, please don’t take it out on me. Just because I’ve been acting like a protective man, trying to stop you from running after gangsters, doesn’t mean I think you ought to be sitting home watching soaps and doing laundry.”