Rachel Alexander 02 - The Dog who knew too much

things—boxes, bookshelves. I made the shelves in Avi’s office, and the supply closet. I did Lisa’s shelves for her, floor-to-ceiling, in her living room. When I have time, and someone I like asks, I build for them. I like to work with my hands.”
    “Nothing for Howie, or Janet?”
    “Howie’s always tight on money. He has, you know, a lot of responsibilities.”
    “Like what?” I asked. “He’s married, he’s got kids?”
    “I told him once, whatever you need, I like to do the work. You just pay for the materials, labor’s free. But he couldn’t do that,” he said. “No way.”
    “Too proud?” I asked.
    Stewie shrugged.
    “Nothing for Janet?” I asked, realigning my bacon burger as I did. “She’s got a cash flow problem too?”
    “Janet? What would she need bookshelves for? She practically lives in the gym.”
    “Really?”
    “You don’t get to look like Janet lifting weights three times a week. That’s dedication. She competes, you know. She was Miss Tex Pecs before she came to New York .” Stewie began to laugh. “I’m not sure of the exact title,” he said. Then he sort of lost it, tilting his head back and sounding as if he were sneezing backward.
    I looked up from my fries. Fleck was loosening up. Maybe it was the beer. I signaled the waiter to bring another round.
    “She talks tough, Rachel, but she’s a good egg, Janet. It’s just that she’s like a kid. She likes to do what she’s not supposed to, get herself into trouble.”
    “Yeah, she seems like great fun,” I said, picking up my pickle. “She ever get you into trouble?”
    “Me? No. Not really. I got other stuff to do in my free time .“
    “What about Lisa and Janet? Were they friends?” I reached under the table so that Dashiell could clean my greasy fingers for me. “Did they hang out? Put glue on the master’s chair? Become juvies together?”
    “I wouldn’t necessarily say that. Lisa was a serious student. She didn’t have much time to socialize. Like me. Anyway, Avi says it’s not appropriate for teachers to form personal relationships with their students. He says it interferes with the teaching process if you become emotionally involved.”
    “Even friendships?”
    Stewie nodded.
    “ Avi says we should rely on ourselves, not on each other.”
    “So Janet and Lisa didn’t spend any time together outside of class?”
    “Lisa was at the school until all hours. Always working. Or staying up half the night studying. This is my life, she used to say, there’s no room for anything else. Or anyone else. And Lisa, she wouldn’t go against Avi the way Janet does, doing something he wouldn’t approve of. Not Lisa.”
    “She must have been very disciplined,” I said.
    “What about you?” Stewie asked. “What were you doing before—” He stopped in the middle. “Never mind,” he said. “I just remembered. Now you’re here. Eating dinner with me at Chumley’s .”
    “This is true,” I said, finishing my second beer. “Stew,” I said, waiting for him to look up from his dinner. “I’m seeing my aunt and uncle tomorrow.”
    “Lisa’s parents?”
    I nodded. “I feel so confused about what happened. I was wondering , I mean, you worked with her, Stew, were you shocked by what she did? Did she seem troubled to you? Do you know of any problems she was having? I don’t know how to talk to her parents. I don’t know what to say to them.”
    Stewie looked down at his plate. “When I told you the dream I had, well, I don’t think Lisa ever found herself wondering what to do with her life. She was so focused, this was the life she seemed to want, and it was the life she was living.”
    “But what about her personal life? Was that going well, too ?“
    “She could have had anything she wanted,” he said, his eyes shining in the dark of the former speakeasy. “I don’t get it. The truth is , nobody gets it, Rachel. It’s a mystery.”
    “So she didn’t seem unhappy near the end? There was nothing—” Stewie shook his head. “I would hate to have to talk to her parents, because what could you say to someone who lost the one person they loved most? There’s no way they’ll ever get over it.”
    I skipped dessert. Stewie had some obscene chocolate thing that seemed to grow larger as he ate it. He said he lived on Bedford , but he’d walk me home. Dashiell walked a few steps ahead, the leash loose, automatically turning right on Hudson Street , toward home. Without thinking, I