Part 32 (1/2)
”I thought perhaps tonight, if she didn't have previous plans.”
”In Philadelphia?” she asked incredulously.
”No. Not in Philadelphia. Here. Harrisburg.”
”You're in Harrisburg?”
”Yes, ma'am. On business.”
”I really thought for a minute that you wanted to have dinner tonight with Susan in Philadelphia.”
”No, ma'am. I'm here. And I thought she might be willing to have dinner with me.”
”Well, I'll tell you what,” Mrs. Reynolds said, and there was a long pause. ”You come here and you can have dinner with Susan's daddy and me. And, of course, Susan.”
”I wouldn't want to impose,” Matt said.
”Not at all,” she said. ”And I want to get a look at you, and give you a piece of my mind. You will come to supper, and that's that.”
”In that case, thank you.”
”You may change your mind about that after Susan's daddy lets you know what he thinks about you keeping Susan out all night.”
”Yes, ma'am.”
”We eat at seven-thirty sharp when we're at home. Is that convenient?”
”Yes, ma'am.”
”Do you know where we are?”
”No, ma'am. Just that you're in Camp Hill.”
”I'll give you directions. They're not as complicated as they sound. Have you a pencil?”
”Yes, ma'am.”
THIRTEEN.
Matt was in the shower when the telephone rang, and walked, dripping, to the telephone, wondering both who was calling him and why he had bothered to wrap a towel around his waist when he was alone in the suite.
”h.e.l.lo?”
”It took you long enough to answer the phone,” Peter Wohl said.
”There's no phone in the shower,” Matt said.
”Denny Coughlin suggested I call you,” Wohl began. ”Actually, he suggested I talk to you when you checked in. According to Weisbach, you haven't found time in your busy schedule to do that.”
”I checked in with Jason Was.h.i.+ngton the minute I got to the hotel. What's up? Some-”
”Was.h.i.+ngton didn't say anything to me,” Wohl said, just a shade defensively.
”Boss . . .”
”Okay. Sorry I jumped on you.”
”Your father called out here,” Matt said.
”My father called out there? What did he want?”
”I don't know. He called Chief Mueller-”
There was a knock at the door.
”Come in!” Matt called.
There was a rattling of the doork.n.o.b, but the door remained closed.
”Hold it a minute,” Matt said. ”There's somebody at the door.”
”Room service, no doubt,” Wohl said. ”Go ahead.”
Matt put the phone down and walked to the door, standing behind it when he opened it, so that only his face would show to whoever was in the corridor.
”Jesus H. Christ!” Matt said in genuine surprise when he had opened the door. ”Sorry, I gave at the office.”
The wit sailed two feet over the head of Miss Susan Reynolds.
”May I come in?” she asked icily.
”There are several problems with that, as delighted as I am to see you,” Matt said. ”One of them being I'm wearing only a towel.”
”Put your pants on,” Susan said. ”I'll wait.”
”Don't go away,” Matt said, and rushed into the bedroom, pulled on a pair of slacks, and trotted quickly back to the half-open door.
”Come in, please,” he said, opening it wide.
Susan stepped inside the room, and closed the door.
”Problem two is that I'm on the phone,” he said.
”Go ahead,” Susan said, and went to the couch and sat down.
Matt picked up the telephone.