In the Still of the Night

aging goddess to his then-naive eyes. A small woman, with generous, soft-looking breasts, a small waist and such grace.
    He never learned what business she had with his Uncle Joseph. Just that it involved a fair amount of paperwork that had to be carted around and signed. Probably some elaborate property exchange, since that’s what Uncle Joe usually dealt with. The first time she came into the office, she had something to sign and date that required a witness to the signature. Raymond was called into the office.
    “This is Mrs. Ethridge, a widow known to me, Raymond,“ Uncle Joseph said, “but as her representative, I shouldn’t be the signing witness. Will you watch her sign and then sign below with your name and your parents’ address?”
    Raymond’s hand had almost trembled in her presence. The smell of her perfume, something like roses on a warm day, made his senses reel.
    “Get Mrs. Ethridge a cab when we’re through, Raymond,“ Uncle Joe said. “And you might as well go on home. We’re about through for the day.”
    Mrs. Ethridge (“Oh, Raymond, you must call me Lorna“) took his arm as they entered the elevator. He imagined he could feel the warmth of her body next to his. Outside, she still clung to him as he hailed a cab and when he handed her inside, she leaned forward and gestured to him to come along with her. She gave the address of the hotel she was staying in and let him pay for the cab, but with that small hand still draped over his arm. He followed her to her room.
    She invited him into the rather luxurious suite, lifted her light veil and removed her hat. And then her hairpins. And then her shoes.
    “Raymond, you’re going to be a fine young man someday, but I can tell that there’s a lot you need to know.”
    For three days, when he was supposed to be bringing her documents (“I don’t mind that you take the time to be polite to her, Raymond, she’s a good client,“ Uncle Joe had said), she was his sexual mentor. He fancied himself in love with her and she with him, but when the three days were over, and she disappeared without a word of farewell, he realized it had been otherwise.
    He’d been an experiment. A raw, awkward young man, irresistibly drawn to a very experienced woman who saw him as an essay on clumsiness and modesty that, for some reason, she needed to revise.
    What on earth had that reason been? He’d never been able to guess. Was it revenge on some other man? An emotional upset that required an impersonal outlet? Had she just had a fright, or a close call with death or illness and needed to know she could wrap some young healthy male around her little finger?
    After he recovered from his initial shock at her disappearance, he tried to figure her out. He tried to convince himself that she had in fact loved him, but something ‘bigger than both of them’ had made her retreat. But knew it wasn’t true.
    Was she a benefactor? Yes, in many ways. He’d gone from child to man in that week. A long over- due and somehow frightening change. Had she loved him? Clearly not. After the first day she’d never called him by name again. As if she’d forgotten what it was and felt awkward asking. After another two months of puzzling over the experience, he settled into a quiet resentment of the woman. He kept remembering things she’d said that didn’t sound offensive at the time, but now annoyed him.
    “Get rid of those glasses. You don’t need them and they make you look stupid, not smart like you imagine.“
    “Grow your hair a bit longer. Don’t keep hanging on to your childhood.“
    “Don’t grab a woman’s breast as if you’re milking a cow.“
    “Sir, your five minutes are up,“ the deputy called out.
    “They are not,“ Raymond said curtly without even turning around.
    He was still in a state of shock that the goddess or devil, whichever she had been, had been introduced to him at Grace and Favor, had shaken his hand in a calm and courteous manner, and had dismissed him with a glance.
    And then someone had murdered her.

Chapter 14

    Howard Walker continued to work his way through the guests and household, asking a lot of questions, raising some hackles. When he finally managed to get Julian West into Mr. Prinney’s office, there was some unintelligible shouting from the Great Man, who exited the office brusquely and stomped back up to his room.
    Bud Carpenter, ramrod stiff and giving the impression he was wearing a uniform, although he wasn’t, was