Part 20 (2/2)
I did that. One whole wall looked like a monster fireplace. Who would build a fire in weather like this? But it looked like it had been used plenty.
A flat-panel TV was on the opposite wall-it kept showing different pictures of flowers, one after another. Pyramid speakers al most as tall as me in two far corners. I couldn't hear any hum, but I could feel the A/C.
No windows. None at all. But two doors. Besides the door we came through, there was one behind where she was sitting.
”You want anything?”
”Water would be great.”
”Go through the door behind me. The kitchen's to the right.”
Making sure I got the message: she wasn't the maid; she was the owner.
The kitchen was all stainless steel. I could see a side-by-side refrigerator-freezer, an oven, even a chrome microwave, but no stove. There was a long strip of something laid into the top of what had to be a fifteen-foot slab of ash-gray granite-maybe that's where they cooked.
The refrigerator had all kinds of drinks. I didn't want to go poking through all those stainless-steel cabinets looking for a gla.s.s, so I just took the biggest bottle of water I could find and went back inside.
”That's Containe,” she told me, pointing at the bottle I was holding.
”Not water?”
”It's fortified fortified water.” water.”
I uncapped the bottle and took a big swig. Tasted like water to me.
”You can't taste the difference,” she said, like she was cutting me off before I could say it myself.
”It's fine the way it is.”
”What it is, is enhanced enhanced,” she said, shaking her head a little when she said that last word-her hair kind of breezed before it settled down. A dark shade of red, easy to see against all that white.
Her blouse was almost the same color as her hair. A couple of b.u.t.tons were opened. I could see that what she meant by ”enhanced” covered more than a dye job on her hair.
”I'm Rena.”
”Stanley,” I said. ”Stanley Wilson.”
”I like 'Wilson' better. You look like a guy who should have that one.”
”I don't-”
”For your your first name. So I'll do that. Call you 'Wilson,' if you don't mind.” first name. So I'll do that. Call you 'Wilson,' if you don't mind.”
”Me? No.”
”It's not like it's your real name anyway,” she said. Not asking a question; just saying it.
”Is 'Rena' yours?”
”It's what Albie liked.”
”You're his...widow?”
”That's a sweet way to put it.”
”Solly said-”
”Now, Solly, I am am his niece.” his niece.”
”For real?”
”What's real? To me, he's Uncle Solly. To him, I'm Rena. That's the way I was introduced to him, understand?”
”Not really.”
She took a deep breath. She was either getting annoyed or showing off.
”Albie and Solly were brothers. And do not not ask 'For real?' again, okay? Solly comes down here, oh, maybe seven, eight years ago. Albie meets him at the airport. They walk in, and here I am. Albie says, 'Rena, this is your uncle Solly.' And that's the way it's been ever since.” ask 'For real?' again, okay? Solly comes down here, oh, maybe seven, eight years ago. Albie meets him at the airport. They walk in, and here I am. Albie says, 'Rena, this is your uncle Solly.' And that's the way it's been ever since.”
”Okay.”
”How old do you think I am?”
”I don't know. Twenty...seven?”
”I've been with Albie, it would have been exactly twenty years next month. What does that tell you?”
”Nothing.”
”I'm thirty-nine.”
”Okay,” I said, flas.h.i.+ng on what Margo had told me about that age being the one any woman would lie about.
”That's all?”
”Uh...you know why I'm here, right?”
I had to ask her like that. f.u.c.king Solly never told me what to expect, so I didn't know what she she was expecting, either. was expecting, either.
”Jessop.”
”That's it.”
<script>