Walking Shadow Read Free Page B

Diane," Susan said.
    "And her husband, Dennis. And their daughter, Lois Helen Alksninis."
    Hawk put his finger out and the baby grabbed it.
    "Name's bigger than the kid," Hawk said.
    "What kind of name is that?"
    "A hard one," Dennis said and Hawk grinned. Lois Helen let go of his finger. And they moved on to their table.
    "Did you speak to that policeman?" Susan said.
    "DeSpain? Yeah. I went over this morning."
    "DeSpain?" Hawk said.
    "State cop? Big blond guy, stone eyes?"
    "Yeah," I said.
    "Except now he's Chief in Port City."
    "Port City a tough town," Hawk said.
    "I know."
    "DeSpain a tough guy," Hawk said.
    "What a coincidence," I said.
    A lean, outdoors-looking man in a blue blazer passed us on his way to the door. He saw Hawk and nodded slightly. Hawk nodded back.
    "Who's that?" Susan said.
    "Hall Peterson," Hawk said.
    "Do some investments for me."
    "Investments, Hawk?" Susan said.
    "You never cease to amaze."
    "Never," Hawk said.
    "Victim's name was Craig Sampson," I said for Hawk's benefit.
    I looked at Susan.
    "What do we know about him?"
    "He was forty-one, forty-two," Susan said.
    "Single. Poor family. Never went to college. He went to acting school at night on the GI Bill, or whatever they call it now, and waited on table, and worked for a caterer, and for a home cleaning service, and painted apartments, and lived in hideous little one-room walkups downtown in New York, and all the other awful stuff you do if you want to be an actor, and finally he auditioned for the Port City Company last year and made it."
    "That's all?"
    "Doesn't seem like much, does it," Susan said.
    "Not going to be more," Hawk said.
    Susan nodded. Hawk and I were quiet. There were trees growing up around the patio dining room, and plants along the railing.
    There was no roof. The effect was of dining in a private treehouse in a lush garden, although we were twenty feet up from Harvard Square. Overhead, small lights strung along the beamed superstructure twinkled like captive stars, above them the darkness ascended infinitely. I looked at Susan across the table. Her eyes seemed as deep as space; and I felt, as I always did when I looked at her, as if I were staring at eternity. I half expected Peter Pan to cruise in and make me young again.
    "You want me to stay on the Greek?" Hawk said.
    "Christopholous, yes."
    "And if I see a shadow you want me to grab him.. he looked at Susan… "or her?"
    "It would be nice if we could chat with him… or her."
    "What you going to do?" Hawk said.
    "Susan and I are going to a reception and board meeting at the theater," I said.
    "What could be better," Hawk said.
    "How about getting whacked in the nose with a brick?" I said.
    "Well, yeah," Hawk said.
    "That would be better."
    Susan gazed up at the night sky.
    "One and a half billion males on the planet and I'm having dinner with Heckel and Jeckel," she said.
    The entrees arrived. Susan cut her tuna steak in two and put one half of it aside on her butter plate. Hawk watched her.
    "Trying to lose some weight?" Hawk said in a neutral voice.
    "Yes. I have three or four pounds of disgusting fat that I want to get rid of."
    Hawk said, "Un huh."
    "I know, maybe you can't see it, but it's there."
    Hawk looked at me.
    "I've missed it too," I said.
    "And I'm a trained detective."
    "Remember where we are," Susan said.
    "I could have you both arrested for sexual harassment."
    "I counter with the charge of racial insensitivity," Hawk said.
    "Yes," Susan said.
    "That would be appropriate. Then we join forces against our common oppressor."
    They both turned and gazed at me.
    "The white guy," I said.

CHAPTER 5
    Susan and I met Christopholous in the conference room upstairs, where board members and invited guests milled thirstily around the open bar.
    "Please call me Jimmy," Christopholous said.
    "It's the English version of Demetrius. I try not to be too ethnic."
    "Christopholous kinda gives it away though," I said.
    He smiled.
    "Well, all one can do is one's best," he