[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]spot. Danny remembered old Emil Rostek, with his mustaches and a huge belly straining against a green
apron, bringing platters of sausage and kraut and hot potato salad, and schooners of beer from his
brother Leo s brewery in New Ulm, to the families out for Sunday dinner. Tonight was Danny s first visit
to the restaurant in at least ten years.
There was a big Negro in a white dinner jacket taking names at the door. Danny went up to him.
I want to see Theo Rostek.
Sure, you do, the doorman said slowly, after looking him over.
My name s Constantine. He asked me to come see him tonight.
The doorman looked past Danny and started taking names again.
Are you going to tell him I m here? Danny said.
I ain t tellin nobody nothin , the doorman said. You want to eat, I ll put your name down. Otherwise
get out of the way.
Danny tried to push past him. He didn t get very far. The bouncer caught him by the collar and yanked
him back.
Jerome, let him go! Danny heard someone say.
The bouncer let go. Oh, hello, Miss Crockett.
What s going on?
This man s trying to crash his way in.
He s a friend of mine. I ll take him off your hands.
Whatever you say, Miss Crockett. I m just doing my job here.
Danny turned around, ready to tell her he didn t want or need her help. But he wasn t prepared for the
sight of her in a silver dress, cut high in the front and scooped very low in the back, showing off perfect
skin, beautiful bare arms, and the curve that began just above her hips and rose all the way to her neck.
He had never seen her look so beautiful, not even that day at the Interlachen Club.
Well! she said. You re the last fellow I expected to see tonight. Her brown eyes grew warm, and her
smile melted over him like the sun on a cold January day.
Hello, Selena, he muttered in confusion. He hadn t been thinking about her, but now that she was here
and smiling at him, he felt that cool warmth turning at the top of his stomach. Stop it, he told himself
severely. You re not here for that.&
Oh, you re angry, she said, reacting to his frown. I m sorry. You all were probably expecting me to
call about Shirley. I did try. But the exchange was out again. I sent a telegram. Did it arrive?
Not while I was there.
Well, in it I said that Shirley s doing wonderfully well. She s out of danger, and there s pink in her
cheeks now. And she s not bleeding anymore.
Danny closed his eyes. He felt faint suddenly.
Are you all right? Selena asked. You really ought to be resting. You gave an awful lot of blood. How
much did they take?
I don t know. Whatever it takes to fill up two bottles.
Doesn t he look pale, Amos? Selena asked a handsome, lightskinned Negro.
You re asking the wrong man, Selena, Amos said, with a good-natured laugh.
She really is all right, though? Danny asked again.
Well, I m not a doctor, of course. But they definitely stopped the bleeding. And Simon always says
that s ninety percent of the battle.
Is he & he s not attending her, is he? Danny said.
Are we going to start that again?
Is he?
No. He wasn t in the clinic this afternoon.
Danny felt relief wash over him.
Do you know Amos Bonds?
No.
Amos, this is Danny Constantine. He s a reporter for the Journal.
How are you? Bonds said easily, shaking hands with him. Sorry about your sister.
That felt good, somehow, to think of Shirley like that. Danny didn t correct him.
Amos is in real estate. He finds properties or should I say, he finds people with money. Lord knows
there s plenty of property these days.
I m just a matchmaker, Bonds said.
What you are is an avaricious and very charming shark.
Sharks don t make money.
Oh, money! Don t bore me with money.
You find flour a bore, too, Selena. Because you don t have the faintest idea how either one of em s
made.
I don t want to know. I ve got seven elevators full of flour right now.
And another three full of cash!
Oh, bother! What are you accusing me of? I live in a one-room apartment. I don t even own a car.
Why, you ve got at least six.
Seven, Bonds said proudly. Picked up a Stutz last week.
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