The Groaning Board

murdered, it would
have to have been done by one of your clients.”
    “Fuck my clients. They are getting in
the way of my love life.”
    “Hem was furious because she was
holding up the IPO. A.T. for the same reason and because A.T. felt she wasn’t
treating Ellen fairly. Also the partnership was obviously curdling. Minnie Wu
hates everybody, but in this case I think she really hated Micklynn because Micklynn
and Hem were once lovers.”
    Bill propped himself up on his
elbows. “Now how would you know that?”
    “My best friend, Carlos, the
choreographer, whom you haven’t met yet. Micklynn lived next door to Carlos and
Arthur Margolies some years ago. Carlos said Minnie beat Micklynn up because of
her relationship with Hem.”
    “Arthur Margolies the lawyer?”
    “Yup.”
    “I know him.”
    “Thought you might.”
    “Beat up? Explain.”
    “Punched out, physically abused. Know
what I mean, mouthpiece?”
    His laughter rocked both of them. “Hem
never told me any of this.”
    “And then there’s pretty little
Ellen. Except for that punky, grungy boyfriend, she’s almost too perfect. If anyone killed anyone else in the group I would have thought it
would be Minnie who killed Ellen.”
    “She wouldn’t do that.”
    “How can you be so sure?”
    “Attorney-client privilege, and
that’s telling you too much. By the way, I spoke with Doug Cameron, Todd’s
father. I asked for a meeting with Tilghman, Doug, and Todd.“
    “Excuse me, which one’s the mother?
Or is it a same-sex marriage?”
    “Tilghman. Family name. Eastern shore of Maryland.“
    “Do they know what the meeting’s
about?”
    “Not yet. Doug’s a good man. I think
I told you—he’s a judge in the surrogate court. I want to make them aware
there’s a problem. We have no real proof—” They were speaking in whispers,
intimately, although there was no need. “The cross—”
    “Circumstantial. Did you by any
chance talk with Todd earlier in the evening? Before you were attacked?”
    “Yes, I did. But not up close and
personal. He followed Ellen and me when she showed me around the greenhouse.”
Wetzon shook her head. “Todd’ll never admit he tried to throw me off that roof.
Certainly not in front of his parents. And I want to be there when you confront
him.”
    “I don’t think that’s such a good
idea.”
    “You don’t think he’s going to throw
me out of your office window, do you? I’d like to know why he tried to kill me.
Don’t I have a right to know?” Her body moved in sync with his. She was holding
on by a thread.
    “Yes, but I would say he’s unlikely
to admit it; however, we may be able to scare the shit out of him.”
    “Oh, goody. I’d like that.” She
kissed him on the mouth. Her hand crept under his shirt. “Now let’s neck.”
    His beeper went off like an alarm,
making Izz bark. “Shit,” he said, peeling himself from her. He reached into his
duffel and took out the beeper. “It’s Evelyn,” he said. He stood up, looking
suddenly torn.
    “Go,” Wetzon said quickly. She got to
her feet. “You’ll make it faster through the Park. I’ll take everything home.”
    He cupped her face in his hands,
started to say something, then didn’t. He picked up his duffel and sprinted
toward the path and Fifth Avenue, Izz following to the end of the leash. Wetzon
and the dog watched until he disappeared from sight.
    He might never come back, she knew.
This is the way it was going to be. If you don’t like it, a little voice
urged, get out now. But Wetzon wasn’t sure how she felt about any of it.
Except him. And she was willing to accept what was... for the time being.
    She folded the blanket over her arm
and gathered up the picnic things, the bottle of wine, the hamper. Loosening
the laces, she slipped on her Keds and walked down the grassy incline. The heat
felt good on her bare legs. She held Izz’s leash under her heel while she tried
to pull her hair back, but Bill had gone off with her hair band on his wrist.
When, she wondered, would he discover his odd bracelet? Or would someone else
discover it? When she laughed, her face felt the tight flush of a sunburn.
    Families and lovers were scattered
all over the bucolic landscape of the Park, sleeping, eating, laughing,
kissing. And all around, the buzz of insects and human voices and music, the
sound of sun and heat, the dull splash of the oars against the water on the
lake, the fresh, clean smell of summer grass, the soft doughy sound of