Hedging (A Smith and Wetzon Mystery)

threw it over Leslie, she saw anguish in his eyes. “Get down, get down,” he was yelling. He picked her up, struggling under the voluminous coat, calling his name, and sent her flying into the boom with snowflakes of diamonds.
    “Les.” Silvestri’s breath was stale cigarettes and coffee.
    He was stretched out beside her, his skin warm against her chill.
    “I was dreaming,” she said. She laid her head against the hairy hollow of Silvestri’s chest, trying to catch her breath.
    “You were yelling, ‘no, Bill, no.’”
    “He was as surprised to see me there as I was him.”
    “I’ll bet.”
    “He was handing a black box to Jason when two men with guns came up. He threw Jason’s coat over me and pushed me away. He knew something had gone wrong. He saved my life, Silvestri.”
    “Gallant of him. Maybe his one and only good deed.” He kissed her forehead, his stubble rubbed her cheek.
    “I think Laura Lee and I had a getaway planned. Something screwed it up. Two men with guns, in a gray Mercedes.”
    “Are you awake?”
    “Yes. What time is it?”
    “Sixish.”
    “You’ve been up all night?”
    “Yup.” He stroked her hair. “You want to tell me what you and Xenia were doing up at my crime scene last night?”
    “Uh oh.”
    “Yup. A very sharp uniform gave me a thorough description.”
    “And then there was the phone call.”
    “And then there was the phone call,” he repeated. “She’s some piece of work.”
    “It was Carolyn Dorley who got murdered?”
    “How do you know her?”
    “She was Bill’s long time secretary.”
    “Let’s get some coffee,” he said, sitting up and pulling her up with him. “I made it when I got in.”
    “What happened to Carolyn?”
    “Gunshot. An execution. Through the forehead.”
    “Oh, God.” She tied on her robe. “We were on our way up to see her.”
    “She’d written Xenia’s name on a pad near the telephone.”
    “Carolyn was forcibly retired, I think. Whoever took over Bill’s practice brought his own people in. She was afraid to say anything for fear she might jeopardize her retirement benefit. At least I think that’s why. That’s what Smith said.”
    “There was more to it than that. Xenia wouldn’t know if it hit her in the face.”
    They sat at the counter and drank their coffee. “Clo Hightower is going to set up a meeting for me with Judy Blue. You want to come?”
    “No, thanks. You’re in good hands. Rita was right.”
    “The diamonds—”
    “Hey! Don’t make me a co-conspirator.”
    “Sorry.” Playing contrite.
    Shaking his head, he got up from the counter. “I want to show you something.” His leather jacket was hanging on the closet doorknob. He fished for something in an inside pocket. A photograph. He set it down on the counter in front of her and waited.
    It was a three by five color snapshot. Carolyn, as Wetzon had last seen her, and a young man.
    “Good God!” She stared at Silvestri, nonplussed.
    “Thought you’d catch it.”
    “Who wouldn’t?” She inspected the photograph again. There was no doubt. The young man seemed to be in his early twenties. And he was the image of Bill Veeder.

48
    “H OW CAN someone think she knows all about her lover know, in fact, nothing at all?” Wetzon said, slathering her bagel with cream cheese. She had roused Carlos as soon as Silvestri left and gotten him to meet her for breakfast at Barney Greengrass around the corner on Amsterdam Avenue.
    He contemplated her with sleepy eyes. “Birdie, darling, it’s too fucking early for me to answer a philosophical question. What can I say? Do you want some of my smoked salmon?”
    “Yes.” She arranged the salmon on top of the cream cheese and took a bite. “Try.”
    “I’m going to tell you something and I don’t want you to snap my head off. Okay?” The diamond stud in his right earlobe caught in the overhead light and winked at her.
    “I’m not going to like this, right?”
    “It’s entirely possible.”
    “Okay, wait till I take another bite.” With her mouth full, she motioned him on.
    “Here’s my honest opinion. You didn’t care. It was all about sex. The man had layers, but you didn’t bother because you weren’t interested.”
    “Oooph, Carlos. That hurts. It makes me very shallow.”
    “Dear heart, you are not shallow.” He reached across the table and touched her cheek. “You know all of my layers.”
    “I love you.”
    “There you see, you didn’t love him.”
    “He told