insult." But she was smiling, almost flirtatiously. "You imply thatI've always been this way."

"You'd know better than Iwould."

She laughed outright. It wasn't a joyoussound, but there was. humor in it. "You're a bold young man, and a brightone. I like bright young men. Come into the study and I'll see that you get adrink."

"Thank you, but I can't stay—"

"Then I'll sit here." Shelowered herself carefully onto the gilt chair. "My moral qualities may nothave altered for the worse. My physical capabilities certainly have. This fogis very bad for my arthritis." She added, with a gingerly shake of her head:"But I mustn't complain. I promised my son, in penance for last night,that I would go through an entire day without uttering a word ofcomplaint."

"How are you doing?"

"Not so well," she said with her wry andwrinkled smile. "It's like solitaire, you always cheat a little. Or don'tyou?"

"I don't play the game."

"You're not missing a great deal, but it helps topass the days for me. Well, I won't keep you if you have business."

"I have business with Dr. Bradshaw. Do you knowwhere I can contact him?"

"Roy flew to Reno this morning."

"Reno?"

"Not to gamble, I assure you. Hehasn't an iota of gambling instinct. In fact I sometimes think he's excessivelycautious. Roy is a bit of a mother's boy, wouldn't you say?" She looked upat me with complex irony, unembarrassed by his condition or her complicity init.

"I'm a little surprised that he'd goaway in the middle of this murder case."

"So was I, but there was no stoppinghim. He isn't exactly running away from it. They're holding a conference ofsmallcollege deans at the University of Nevada. It's been planned for months,and Roy is slated as one of the principal speakers. He felt it was his duty tobe there. But I could see very well that he was eager to go. He loves thepublic eye, you know—he's always been a bit of an actor—but he isn't soterribly fond of the responsibilities that go with it."

I was amused and intrigued and a littleappalled by her realism. She seemed to be enjoying it herself. Conversation wasbetter than solitaire.

Mrs. Bradshaw rose creakingly and leanedon my arm. "You might as well come into the study. It's drafty here. I'vetaken a fancy to you, young man."

I didn't know if this was a blessing or acurse. She grinned up into my face as if she could read my doubts there."Don't worry, I won't eat you." She placed the emphasis on the finalword, as though she had already eaten her son for breakfast.

We went into the study together and sat infacing highbacked leather chairs. She rang for Maria and ordered me a highball.Then she leaned back and scanned the bookshelves. The phalanxes of books seemedto remind her of Bradshaw's importance.

"Don't misunderstand me. I love myson profoundly and I'm proud of him. I'm proud of his good looks and I'm proudof his brains. He graduated summa cum laude from Harvard and went on to take amost distinguished doctorate. One of these days he's going to be the presidentof a major university or a great foundation."

"Is he ambitious, or are you?"

"I used to be, for him. As Roy becamemore ambitious, I became less so. There are better things in life than climbingan endless ladder. I haven't entirely given up hope that he'll marry." Shecocked a bright old eye at me. "He likes women, you know."

"I'm sure he does."

"In fact I was beginning to persuademyself that he was interested in Miss Haggerty. I've never known him to pay somuch attention to any other woman." She dropped the statement so that itbecame a question.

"He mentioned to me that he took herout several times. But he also said that they were never close in any way. Hisreaction to her death confirmed that."

"What was his reaction to herdeath?"

I'd done a lot of pumping in my time, andI knew when it was being done to me. "I mean his general reaction. Hewouldn't have flown to Reno this morning, deans' conference or no deans'conference, if he had been really fond of Helen Haggerty. He'd be here inPacific Point trying to find out who did her in."

"You seem quite let down about it.

"I was looking for his help. Heseemed genuinely concerned about Dolly Kincaid."

"He is. We both are. In fact Royasked me at breakfast to do what I could for the girl. But what can I do?"She displayed her crumpled hands, making a show of her helplessness.

Maria came in with my clinking highball,handed it to me unceremoniously, and asked her employer if there was anythingelse. There wasn't. I sipped my drink, wondering if Mrs. Bradshaw was a clientI could possibly handle, if she became my client. She had the money, all right.The diamonds winking at her throat would have bought my services for severalyears.

"You can hire me," I said.

"Hire you?"

"If you really want to do somethingfor Dolly, and not just sit there paying lip-service to the idea. Do you thinkwe could get along?"

"I was getting along with men whenyou were in the cradle, Mr. Archer. Are you implying I can't get along withpeople?"

"I seem to be the one who can't. Alex

© Alexander Sviyash, 2009