Rachel Alexander 03 - A Hell of a Dog

else he’s hit on?”
    I began to scroll down the list again. “You said he sounded like a man who was used to covering his tracks, didn’t you? We have no reason to think that the dalliance with Cathy was a first for him. Look, the number he called in England isn't his home number.”
    “Big surprise.”
    “It gets better. Check this out. Tina Darling worked with Martyn at the beginning of this last tour, three months ago.“
    „Isn’t she the speaker who canceled out, the one I filled in for with today’s talk?”
    I nodded. “After she was on the program with Martyn in Minneapolis, she went to seven out of ten of his next talks. That means hearing the same lecture seven times—eight actually, if you count the time they worked together.”
    “Sounds like she was a really motivated student.”
    “Sounds like something else to me.”
    “So you think what? He dumped her after only seven seminars. And so she snuck into the hotel last night and—”
    “I just thought it was interesting, that’s all. She probably didn’t show because they had a thing.”
    “A dalliance?” He was grinning.
    “Yes. Wouldn’t it be totally embarrassing to be on a program with someone who’d just dumped you?”
    “I wouldn’t know,” he said.
    “Yeah, yeah,” I told him. “It must be hell being perfect.”
    “I wouldn’t know that either.” Betty came over for a head scratch, and Chip moved his chair back to make room for her. “So what else is on there?”
    “How much she’s paying you.”
    “More than you, I trust.”
    I flashed him the Kaminsky grin.
    “What else?”
    “I don’t see anything in the files that would tie it all together. I mean, we could go back to the black widow spider thing. But wouldn’t that mean that three different spiders, so to speak, killed their mates? I can’t buy that. It’s too far-fetched. I could see it happening once, but not three times.”
    “So we’re back to the men.”
    “If the shoe fits.”
    “Men are no good,” he said. “We’re an easily corrupted gentler. Take me, for example. I’ve only been helping you out for half a day, and I’ve already stolen, violated a crime scene, broken into someone else’s room and surfed their computer files, and lied to the police.”
    “And your point is?”
    “No point, Kaminsky. Just hoping for a big raise when my review comes up.” He stopped scratching Betty’s head and leaned toward me. “How much time do we have before the panel?” He looked toward Sam’s bedroom.
    “Not long enough.”
    “I’m very quick.”
    “I don’t want to hear that.”
    There must have been something in the air. Betty began teasing Dash, play-bowing, smiling, wiggling her cute behind. Mistaking flirtatiousness for serious intent, he went aft and climbed aboard. A split second later he was pinned against the side of the bed, his eyes looking anywhere but into Betty’s.
    It was a tough time for the menfolk. Neither of the bitches in Sam’s room was in the mood for a quickie.
    “It’s getting late. We better finish up and get out of here.“
    „Leave it,” he told Betty. Then he turned back to me. “Print the stuff. Print everything you think we might need. We can look at it in my room after the panel.” He reached over and turned on the printer.
    I began printing the seminar files, lists of who spoke where, lists of who was in the audience, files of all the speakers Sam had booked in the last two years, their phone numbers, addresses, fees, and special requirements.
    Dashiell came over and dumped his big head onto my lap, stressed and depressed by his own foolishly high hopes and Betty’s clear refusal.
    “Let’s get back,” I said, shutting down everything and stuffing the papers I’d printed into the pocket with the phone records. “It’s nearly show time.”
    Walking down the stairs, I watched Dashiell running on ahead with Betty. Like most dogs, given a minute, he could rewrite history. His tail was wagging, and he seemed to be smiling. When I turned to look at Chip, he wasn’t, and neither was I.
    “I was just thinking, if you are in danger,” I said, “it’s my fault. It was me who insisted on coming into your room, remember? You didn’t exactly hit me on the head and drag me there. So no matter what happens, for the rest of this week, there’s no way I’m going to let you out of my sight”
    “Don’t be ridiculous, Rachel. I know it’s obvious we’ve been together. For one thing, you’re