Gold Coast

“Then what’s Lionel get out of it? He says bullshit. If he tells Roland and Roland gets taken out, who’s go

“You tell him you’ll pay him,” Maguire said. “What’s it worth to him?”

“He’s go

“How about a grand?”

“You kidding? He’d do it himself for a grand.”

“And get some more stitches in his head,” Maguire said. “I’ve seen Lionel. That Lionel? No, we do it. But he sets it up. All he has to do, tell Roland he knows Vivian’s go

“Yeah, he can do that.”

“And act dumb?”

“Easy,” Jesus said.

“Then Roland gets the tape, hears Vivian’s voice, he knows it’s true. Even if he doesn’t get the tape, he’s got to go find out after Lionel tells him. But it’s better if he does, because then he hears Vivian’s voice, hears she’s going to the police-it’s much better that way. We don’t want Lionel telling him all that and mess it up.”

Jesus said, “Okay, but what gun do we use? I don’t want to use mine, have to get rid of it after.”

“No, we don’t get rid of it,” Maguire said. “That’s what I’ve been talking about. We call the cops, we have to have a gun to show ’em, right?”

“You want to call the cops?”

Jesus, Maguire thought. He said, “Look. The guy comes in to rape your sister. You shoot him. Somebody shoots him. You don’t throw his body in the Intercoastal, you call the cops and give ’em the gun. That’s what you do. Okay, then Vivian reads about it in the paper. Roland Crowe killed in rape attempt. Vivian goes to the police, tells ’em she knows Roland killed Ed Grossi. The police let the other guy go.”

“I’m telling you, he better be dead,” Vivian said, “or I don’t say a word to them, not even my name.”

“He’ll be dead,” Maguire said. He looked at Jesus. “You don’t want to use your gun-okay, tell your sister there’s a gun upstairs in Karen’s bedroom, top dresser drawer. Tell her to sneak it out of there, bring it down to her room. We slip in the house after dark, she gives it to us. It was Frank DiCilia’s gun. They want to bust somebody for possession they can dig up Frank. But bring your own anyway, just in case.”

“Then what?” Jesus said. “He comes in-when do we do it?”

“That part, we’ll have to wait and see,” Maguire said.

Karen watched him coming out from the house. She stood at the shallow end of the pool drying herself lightly with a beach towel. He was putting on his sunglasses now, taking her all in.

“Do you really have that much nerve,” Karen said, “or’re you showing off?”

“What nerve?”

“Using the phone. You know he’s going to hear it. You disguise your voice or what?”

“He’s got to do more’n hear me, he’s got to catch me.”

“Who were you calling?”

“The guy I work for. Find out if I still have a job.”

“Does it matter?”

“Well, I guess I’d rather quit than be fired. But I don’t feel like working. He was busy, so I still don’t know.”

“I can’t imagine you being worried about it,” Karen said, “the job.”

“I’m not worried, I want to know how he feels.”

Karen said, “I saw the news this morning… the house. Strange, the woman wasn’t Vivian.”

“No, we got her out of there. I forgot to tell you.”

“Something’s going on,” Karen said. “In fact I think there’s quite a lot you haven’t told me.”

Maguire watched her walk to the table to get something out of a straw bag. The slim brown body. Effortless moves. The quiet tone. He’d bet she drove a car fast and without effort; he saw the two of them, briefly, in the white Alpha Romeo heading for southern Spain.

He said, “I’ve been thinking the same thing. Like you know something you’re not telling.”

“What’s Karen DiCilia’s secret,” Karen said. “Read the latest speculation in next month’s Goldcoaster. Though this one’s going to be on Karen Hill.”

“Who’s she?” Maguire said.

“Who knows,” Karen said.

“You going out tonight?”

“Like where?”

He wanted to say to her, It won’t be long; hang on. But said, “I’ll see you later then, okay?”

“Fine. Anytime.”

He left Karen in her backyard world putting on sunglasses, lighting a cigarette. Maguire walked up S.E. Seventeenth toward the beach, where he’d left the Mercedes. He wondered if she did know something she wasn’t telling. He wondered about the photos of her in the locked room. When this was over he’d ask her about them.

Was she lighting a cigarette when he left?

He wondered when she had started smoking. Maybe he hadn’t been paying attention lately, looking but overlooking, missing something.

Karen had a glass of distilled water from the refrigerator. She left Marta in the kitchen cleaning vegetables for di

“Vivian? Hi, it’s all set. We’ll pick you up at eleven-thirty and bring you right here. Then first thing in the morning we go to Miami.”

Vivian’s voice said, “I’m so afraid he’s going to find me. I can’t eat, I can’t sleep. God, I can’t think.”

Maguire’s voice said, “Tomorrow it’ll be over. The Miami Police’ll pick him up, you identify him, that’s it.”

Vivian’s voice said, “I’ll be so glad when it’s over.”

Maguire’s voice said, “Eleven-thirty, Vivian. See you then.”

Karen played the tape back and listened to it again, twice.

She was surprised, puzzled.

Then a

Karen ejected the tape cartridge. Holding it in her hand, she got a blank cartridge from the box, snapped the new one in position and pushed the recorder and the box back under Marta’s bed.

24

KAREN BATHED AND DRESSED. She had a martini in the living room while she watched the news. At a quarter to seven she went into the kitchen carrying a handbag and the keys to Frank’s Seville, in the garage.

Marta looked at her, surprised. “I was going to ask if you’re ready for di

“I’m sorry, I thought I told you,” Karen said, “I’m having di

“No-” She seemed to want to say more.

“What’s the matter?”

“I don’t want to be alone,” Marta said, “if Roland comes.”

“I thought your brother picks up the tape.”

“Remember, I tole you he doesn’t do it anymore.”

“Well, it’s up to you,” Karen said. “But if you don’t want to open the door when he comes, then don’t.”

“That wouldn’t stop him.”

“Maybe not. It seems fu

“Of course. For the same reason I don’t want to be alone with him. I’m scared, I don’t know what to do.”

“And I don’t know what to tell you,” Karen said. “You’re afraid to let him in and you’re afraid not to.”

“I wish things would be the same, the way it used to be,” Marta said.

“Wouldn’t it be nice,” Karen said. “So, are you going to give him the tape?”

“I guess so.”

Karen jiggled her keys, getting the one for the Seville ready. She said, “Well, I have to go,” but remained by the kitchen table, looking at Marta. “I think what I would do, I’d leave the tape for him outside the door and get away from here for awhile. Maybe a few days. You know? Instead of putting yourself in the middle of something that really doesn’t concern you.”