Act of God

you. I never met the man, though I wasn’t—and remain un —surprised that Darbra had one or more in her life.”
    “I don’t suppose anybody was with you when Teagle was killed?”
    “Not knowing when he was killed, I really couldn’t say, but I doubt it. I stayed in most of the time these last few days. You see, when you deal with people for a living, it’s awfully nice to be without them for a period, not having to say anything, just... living.”
    I watched him.
    “So, Mr. Cuddy, is this where I should ask about how you spent my money in New Jersey?”
    “I found the place where she stayed. The motel owner there said—”
    “What was the name of the place?”
    “The name?”
    “Of the motel, yes.”
    “Why?”
    “If Darbra has passed from us, I really would like to know the name of the last place we know she was happy.”
    “Happy.”
    “Well, yes. Aren’t people generally happy on their vacations?”
    I took a breath. “Jolly Cholly’s.”
    “No.”
    “Yes.”
    “How positively... banal. How perfect for her.”
    “The motel owner says she wasn’t alone.”
    “She never has been for any considerable period.”
    “He said Rush Teagle was with her.”
    “Teagle?”
    “Yes.”
    Proft stopped, tapping a long index finger at the corner of his mouth. “No... no, that doesn’t seem right.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “Well, to hear you and your friend Detective Cross, this Teagle wasn’t a big-spender type.”
    " You’d be right there.”
    " Darbra wasn’t—but I suppose we should give her the benefit of the doubt and still use the present tense, shouldn’t we? Darbra isn’t the type to bring a toy with her to the toy store.”
    I thought back to Teagle’s comment about bringing sand to the beach when he lied to me about going with her. “She’d have gone alone?”
    “Or brought someone to buy toys for her.”
    I thought about Abraham Rivkind and Roger Houle. “The motel owner also said that she was very friendly to everybody.”
    “Friendly? You mean in a flirting way?”
    “No. At least he said no. More outgoing.”
    “Outgoing? Darbra would be outgoing only if it pointed the way to more toys for her.”
    “Meaning more money.”
    “Yes. She’s always been quite taken with money and what it could buy. We never had much as children, you see.”
    “Until your mother died.”
    “Yes, but we were hardly children when that happened.”
    “I spoke to the officer who investigated her death.”
    “Oh, good for you. What was his name?”
    “I forget.”
    Proft winched the grin up a little more. “Mr. Cuddy, you’re not coming to distrust me, are you?”
    “He thinks it may have been more than an accident.”
    “Then he and I disagree.”
    No change in the grin. “Mr. Proft, the motel owner—”
    “I’m glad we haven’t finished with New Jersey . It hardly sounded as though I’d gotten my money’s worth so far.”
    I was getting good at taking deep breaths. “The motel owner said that he didn’t exactly see Darbra check out.”
    “Leave the motel, you mean?”
    “Yes.”
    “How does that make a difference?”
    Proft seemed to be going dense on me. “It means she may not have actually gotten back here that Saturday.”
    “But you said her suitcase...?”
    “Yes. But if somebody, maybe Teagle, did something with her or to her, that somebody would have her keys and be able to make it look like she got back.”
    “When really she never did?”
    “It’s a possibility.”
    Proft came up to speed. “Which would explain why no
    one heard from her...”
    “Except Teagle, supposedly.”
    “And why she never changed the cat litter.”
    “You thought of that, did you?”
    He looked at me. “Seems obvious.”
    “You also think it kind of strange that one man Darbra was seeing and another she might have been seeing are both dead the same way?”
    “Teagle was killed with a poker, too?”
    “Cross didn’t mention that to you?”
    “No. Perhaps you should have warned me, before she spoke to me.”
    “Warned you?”
    The grin arched again. “As your client, don’t I warrant some prophylactic advice?”
    “You want some advice, I’ll give it to you. You ought to think about the cat.”
    “Think about it?”
    “In case it needs a new home.”
    “Isn’t that what pounds are for?”
    “You wouldn’t want it, then.”
    “I enjoy my life the way it is, Mr. Cuddy. Clean, pure. I dislike... encumbrances, animal or human.”
    William Proft gave me his