Paper Doll (17 page)

“Your name was in the paper this morning,” Susan said.

She was wearing a black and lavender warm-up suit, and her dark hair shone in the sunshine.

“Did you cut it out and put it up on the refrigerator with a little magnet?”

“Most of the story was the Senator Stratton indictment. Detective Farrell is quoted extensively.”

Pearl spotted a covey of pigeons near the thirty-yard line and went into her low stalk. The closer she got, the slower she went, until finally the pigeons flew up and Pearl dashed to where they had been and wagged her tail.

“He did the work,” I said. “And he did it even though he wasn’t feeling too swell.”

“How are you feeling?” Susan said. “You did some work too.”

“Not enough,” I said.

“You’re worrying about the Tripps,” Susan said.

“Wouldn’t you?” I said.

“Up to a point,” Susan said. “You didn’t get them into this dysfunctional mess. You have done something to start getting them out of it.”

“By pulling the lid off,” I said.

Susan nodded. “By pulling the lid off. Someone had to. If it could have happened more gently, and more gradually, that would have been better. But you didn’t control that.”

I nodded.

Pearl finished hunting the stadium, and came up into the stands, and sat in front of us with her mouth open and her tongue hanging out.

“Dr. Faye is a well-respected and experienced therapist,” Susan said.

I nodded again. We were near the open end of the stadium. Across Soldiers Field Road, the river moved its oblivious way toward Boston Harbor.

Susan put her cheek against my shoulder.

“And,” she said, “you’re kind of cute.”

“There’s consolation in that,” I said.

I put Pearl’s leash on, and we stood and started out of the stands. Susan took my hand and we strolled back through the Harvard Athletic Complex toward the Larz Anderson Bridge. There was a red light at the pedestrian crossing. We stopped.

“What are you going to do about the murder?” Susan said.

“When Jefferson told me the truth that night,” I said, “there were six or eight dogs sleeping in the atrium.”

The light changed and we started across. “I think I’ll let them lie.”