Part 29 (1/2)
She looked at him in surprise.
”Right in front?” she asked. He nodded.
She started to say something, and then laughed. She had, Peter thought, absolutely perfect teeth.
”I was about to say, 'My G.o.d, the cops will tow your car away,' ” she said. ”But I guess not, huh?”
”There are fringe benefits in my line of work,” he said. ”Not many, but some.”
”How do they know it's a cop car?”
”Most of the time, they can tell by the kind of car, or they see the radio,” he replied. ”Or you just have the ticket canceled. But if you have a car like mine, with the radio in the glove compartment, and you don't want it towed away, you put a little sign on the dash. Or sometimes on the seat.”
”Can you get me a sign?”
”No.”
”Fink,” she said, and took his arm and led him out of the building through the lobby.
At Stockton Place, he parked the LTD behind the Jaguar and walked with her into the foyer of Number Six.
There was an eight-by-ten-inch white cardboard sign on the door of Apartment A. Red letters spelled out, police DEPARTMENT, CITY OF PHILADELPHIA. CRIME SCENE. DO NOT ENTER.
Louise looked at Peter but didn't say anything. But when the elevator door opened and he started to follow her in, she put up her hand to stop him.
”You wait down here,” she said. ”What I have on my mind now is dinner.”
”That's all?”
”Dinner first,” she said. ”No. Car first, then dinner. Then who knows?”
”I'm easy to please,” Peter said. ”I'll settle for that.”
He walked back out onto the street and to the Jaguar, and examined the hood where Tony Harris had sat on it.
Louise came down much sooner than he expected her to. She had removed all her makeup and changed into a sweater and pleated skirt.
”That was quick,” he said.
”It was also a mistake,” Louise said, and got behind the wheel of the Jaguar.
”What?”
”I'll tell you later,” she said. Then she said, ”Kind of low to the ground, isn't it?”
”I guess,” Peter said.
”Well, first I need the keys,” she said, and as he fished for them, added, ”and then you can explain how that little stick works, and we'll be off.”
”What little stick?”
”That one,” she said, pointing to the gears.h.i.+ft, ”with all the numbers on it.''
”You do know how to drive a car with a clutch and gears.h.i.+ft?”
”Actually, no,” she said. ”But I'm willing to learn.”
”Oh, G.o.d!”
”Just teasing, Peter,” Louise said. ”You really love this car, don't you?”
”You're the first person to ever drive it since I rebuilt it,” he said.
”I'm flattered,” she said. ”Want to race to your house?”
”No,” he said, smiling and shaking his head.
”Chicken.” She started the engine, put it in gear, and made a U-turn.
He quickly got in the LTD and followed her, which proved difficult. She drove fast and skillfully, and the Jaguar was more nimble in traffic than the LTD.
On Lancaster Avenue, just before it was time to turn off, she put her arm up and vigorously signaled for him to pa.s.s her, to lead her. She smiled at him as he did so, and his heart jumped.
At the apartment, as he was taking his uniform from the backseat to carry it upstairs, she came to him, and put her arms around him from the back.
”How would you feel about an indecent proposal?” she asked.
”Come into my parlor, said the spider to the fly,” he said.
”What I was thinking was that you would put the uniform back in your car, and go upstairs and pack a few little things in a bag for tomorrow,” Louise said.
He freed himself and turned to look at her.
”When I was in my place, alone . . .” Louise said. ”Remember what I said about a mistake? I was frightened. I don't want to be alone there, tonight.”
”You could stay here,” he said.
”I thought about that,” she said. ”But I have to do the eleven o'clock news, which means I would have to come all the way out here again. Please, Peter.” Then she smiled, and offered, ”I'll blow in your ear.”
”Sure, why not?” Peter said. Sure, why not? Jesus, the most beautiful girl you have ever known asks you to spend the night and you say ”Sure, why not?”
”It won't take me a minute,” he said. ”You want to come up?”
”No,” she said. ”You're obviously the kind of man who would take advantage of an innocent girl like me.”
He went in the apartment, put underwear and a white uniform s.h.i.+rt, his uniform cap, and his toilet things in a bag. Then, as an afterthought, he added his good bathrobe (a gift from his mother, which he seldom wore) and bottle of cologne in with it.
When he went back downstairs, she was behind the wheel of the Jaguar.