Killing Rain

kind of thing.”
    There was a pause. “Tell me you weren’t involved in this,” he said.
    “I told you, I’m not doing this stuff anymore.”
    “Yeah? What are you doing instead?”
    “I’m thinking about the greeting card industry.”
    “That’s funny. You going to wear a shoe phone?”
    I smiled. “Anything you can tell me, I’d be grateful.”
    “You know where to look,” he said. Meaning the bulletin board.
    “Thanks.”
    “And don’t forget. This isn’t a one-way street. I’m taking a lot of chances here. I expect good information in return.”
    “Of course.” I clicked off and shut the unit down.
    I pulled on a pair of shorts and did my daily two hundred and fifty Hindu push-ups, five hundred Hindu squats, several minutes of neck bridges, front and back, and a variety of other bodyweight calisthenics and stretches. What you can get done with nothing more than a floor, your bodyweight, and gravity in thirty minutes of nonstop activity would put the fitness equipment industry out of business if people caught on.
    When I was done, I got in the shower. I lathered up to shave and winced when I touched my cheek. I checked in the mirrored surface of the shower door and saw that my cheek was bruised. Then I noticed that my forearms were black and blue, too. Damn, I was lucky that bag hadn’t been filled with something heavier. And that I’d turned my face away from her head butt in time.

    Delilah joined me just as I finished shaving. She looked at my cheek and said, “Ouch.”
    I looked at her. “Don’t worry, I accept your apology.”
    She gave me an odd look—half smile, half glare. “You deserved it,” she said. “And then some.”
    I decided to respond to the smile, not the glare. I put my arms around her and pulled her close.
    Some time passed before I got to finish showering. This time was slower, and a lot more tender. Thank God.
    Afterward, Delilah stayed in the shower. I changed into jeans and an olive polo shirt and packed my bags.
    I sat on the couch and waited for her. When she was done, she walked out into the suite naked. No makeup, wet hair. She looked great. I wished I could have had more time with her. Well, maybe there would be another chance. If we were lucky.
    She pulled on a pair of navy silk shorts and a cream linen blouse. She sat next to me and brushed some wet hair back from her face.
    “I’ve got some preliminary information,” I told her.
    She raised her eyebrows, and I went on. “I have a contact at the Agency. According to him, those men weren’t active duty. They were retired.”
    She frowned. “What did you expect? You called the CIA, and your questions confirmed your guilt. Your contact reacted by lulling you, telling you there’s less to worry about than you first thought. That’s exactly what you would expect him to say.”
    She had a devious mind. Probably she thought I was telling her this so she would feed it to Gil and company, maybe get them to rethink. She was discounting the information accordingly.
    I shook my head. “I’ve known this guy for a while. I don’t think he would play it that way.”
    “Let’s hope not.”

    “Check on your end. We’ll see if we can resolve the apparent discrepancy. If we can find proof, or something like proof, maybe your people will get them to change their assessment before things turn really ugly.”
    She nodded slowly as though considering, then said, “I meant to tell you—I saw a big man, sandy-colored hair, outside the arrivals area in Bangkok and then again after dinner here. Did you notice him?”
    “No,” I said, shaking my head automatically as though it was no big deal and probably just a coincidence. Damn, she’d caught me by surprise there.
    She nodded. “I thought it was odd that he was at the airport in Bangkok at the same time we were, and then here afterward, but that he wasn’t on our flight.”
    “Maybe he was waiting for someone and they caught a later flight.”
    She looked at me. “I’m surprised I spotted an incongruity and you didn’t. I know you’re attuned to the environment.”
    Fuck. I knew she had me. Still, I struggled for a moment longer. I said, “I guess I’m not as sharp as I used to be.” Given the less than adroit way I had just handled her probe, my words rang worryingly true.
    “If you didn’t know him and you hadn’t noticed, I would have expected you to be more alarmed to learn of his presence,” she said, relentless.
    I didn’t say anything.