Stardust

”Marty,“ I said, ”he molested her as a child. She saw him killed.“

The silence on the line was broken only by the faint crackle of the system.

”You got her up there with you?“

”Yeah.“

”What kind of shape she in?“

”The worst,“ I said.

”Susan seen her?“

”Not yet.“

More crackle on the line. Behind me Jill watching the fire move among the logs.

”You can’t keep her up there forever,“ Quirk said.

”I know.“

”What are you going to do?“

”I don’t know,“ I said. ”I don’t have a long-range plan. Right now I’m figuring out lunch.“

”How long you need?“

”I don’t know.“

”You know how Zabriskie got killed?“ Quirk said.

”Yes.“

”You pla

”Only off the record.“

”Gee, I love being a homicide cop,“ Quirk said. ”Get to ask people lots of questions and they have no answer.“

”It’s L.A.’s problem,“ I said.

”True,“ Quirk said.

Again we were silent, listening to the murmur of the phone system.

”I’ll do what I can,“ Quirk said.

”Me too,“ I said.

We hung up.

Susan Silverman showed up at noon. She came in along the driveway too fast, like she always did, in her white sports car, only this time there were three mongrel dogs in it with her. They came out as she held the door for them, gingerly, sniffing carefully, the two junior dogs watching the alpha dog. After a moment of sniffing, they apparently established it as appropriate territory because they began to tear around, noses to the ground, investigating squirrel scent and bird tracks. Susan had brought with her a trunkful of groceries, and she was starting to unload them when I came out of the house.

”Time for that in a moment,“ I said and put my arms around her. She smelled of lilacs and milled soap and fresh air. She hugged me and we kissed and then we carried in the bags.

Susan smiled at fill when she went in, and said, ”Hi.“ Jill gazed at her without reaction. We went to the kitchen end of the cabin to put the groceries away.

”She talk yet?“ Susan said.

”No.“

”What’s she been doing?“ I told her. Susan nodded. ”What do I do with her,“ I said.

”You can’t help her,“ Susan said. ”If you’re right about her life she needs more than you can ever give her.“

”I know.“

”But you may be able to help get her to a point where she can be helped,“ Susan said.

”By giving her time?“

”Yes, and space, and quiet. Try to get her healthy. Eat more, drink less, some exercise. But don’t push it. All of her addictions are probably symptoms, not causes, and will yield better to treatment when the source of her anguish is dealt with.“

”Thanks, doctor,“ I said. ”Care to shtup me?“

”How could I resist, you glib devil, you?“

”Can you wait until evening?“

”Anxiously,“ Susan said.

I had left the door ajar for the dogs, and now they nosed it open and came in, sniffing vigorously around the cabin, their eyes bright from their return to the woods. One of them sniffed at Jill as she sat there, and she turned and bent down toward it. It licked her face and she reached out suddenly and began to pat it. Susan nudged me and nodded, but I’d seen it already.

The other two dogs joined the first one and Jill took turns patting them. One of them reared on his hind legs and laid his forepaws in her lap and licked her face again. Jill put her arms around him and hugged him, her face against the side of his muzzle. Tears moved on her face. The dog looked a little anxious as she rocked sideways holding him in her arms, but then he discovered the salty tears and lapped them industriously, making no attempt to escape.

Chapter 39

BY the time Susan left on Sunday night, Jill was talking. She wasn’t saying much. But she said yes, and no. As in:

”Would you like more coffee?“

”Yes.“

”And would you like to take a walk?“

”No.“

On Monday morning a reporter from the Herald showed up and I was forced to threaten him. I got phone calls from the Globe and all three network affiliates in Boston. I told each that I would shoot anyone I saw.

A half hour later I got a call from Rojack. ”I want to know how Jill is,“ he said.

”She’s resting comfortably,“ I said.

”I’d like a bit more than that,“ he said.

”I don’t blame you,“ I said. ”How’d you get this number?“

”I know a lot of people,“ Rojack said. ”Some of them are important.“

”Nice for you,“ I said.

”I know you don’t hold me in high regard, Spenser, but I care about Jill. I have the right to know how she is.“

”Un huh,“ I said.

”You have no right to interfere. I want to see her.“

”No.“

”I love her, dammit, do you understand that?“

”Not in this case,“ I said. ”You can’t see her. Later, maybe.“

”I’m afraid I must insist.“

”Sure,“ I said. ”That’ll turn me inside out.“

”If I can get the number, I can get the location,“ Rojack said. ”Perhaps Randall and I will pay you a visit.“

”Perhaps I will stick Randall in the lake,“ I said.

”Whatever you may think, Spenser, I love that woman. I want to help her.“

”The way you help her now is to leave her alone.“

”You won’t change your mind?“

”No one sees her,“ I said.

”We’ll be up. You were lucky with Randall the first time.“

”I was kind the first time,“ I said. ”This time he’ll get hurt.“

I heard the phone click. I hung up and looked at Jill sitting by the window in a straight chair looking at the lake, where the three dogs were busy sniffing out something. I picked up the phone and called Henry Cimoü and asked for Hawk. He was there.

”Remember I told you about a guy named Stanley Rojack?“

”Un huh.“

”Walks around with a big geek named Randall, thinks he’s tougher than Oliver North.“

”Wow,“ Hawk said.

”They say they’re going to come up here and bother us,“ I said.

Jill continued to watch the dogs through the window. If the name registered it didn’t affect her.

”You want me to drive out and tell them not to?“ Hawk said.

”Yeah,“ I said, and gave him the address. ”Randall does karate,“ I said.

”Good,“ Hawk said. ”It’s fun to watch.“ I hung up.

”That takes care of that,“ I said to Jill. She made no response.

Jill spent a lot of time with the dogs. She got dressed for the first time, on Monday, wearing some clothes that Susan had bought her, and sat on the floor trying to get the dogs to take turns retrieving a ball. She did this in so soft a voice that I didn’t know what she was saying, and when she spoke to the dogs she leaned very close and whispered in their ears. She ate some potato and leek soup for lunch with a homemade biscuit, and after lunch when I suggested a walk she said, ”Can we take the dogs?“

”Sure.“

And so we did. It was clear and su

We were on an old logging road, where the sun had caused faster snow melt than under the trees, and the melting had caused a sag in the snow cover that defined our way. The snow was only a few inches deep here and packed harder by the melt and freeze cycle. We didn’t say anything as we inched along. Ahead the dogs began to bark frantically and dashed off to the west of the road. When reached the place where they’d left the road I couId see rabbit tracks, the neat front paw marks, the ag slur of the back feet. With the dogs out of sight Jill looked anxiously after them.