Doppelgangster Part 27

15.

I was scrubbed clean, well-rested, and flushed with excitement when Lopez arrived the next day for the afternoon we had planned. was scrubbed clean, well-rested, and flushed with excitement when Lopez arrived the next day for the afternoon we had planned.

With the sit-down over and no word from Lucky, Max, or anyone else since then, I was hoping to have a whole day and night to myself and the attractive man who was admirably persistent in his efforts to date me.

I had gone shopping that morning and stocked my kitchen with romantic delicacies that I couldn't afford, such as champagne, fresh shrimp, French cheese, juicy strawberries, and Belgian chocolate, so that we wouldn't have to go out when we got hungry. I also bought a jumbo package of condoms; ah, yes, the romance of dating in our era. Then I washed my sheets, plumped my pillows, tidied my bedroom, and chose a pretty outfit that, while not s.l.u.ttily obvious, wouldn't be too difficult for Lopez to remove in a hurry: a simple knit dress, black and short-sleeved, with low-heeled red shoes.

I was so ready to take a new lover that I was quivering by the time I buzzed him into the building, opened my front door, and listened to his footsteps ascending to my apartment with flattering haste.

When he got to the top of the stairs, I saw he was wearing a crisp, pale s.h.i.+rt tucked into blue jeans, and carrying a big paper bag in one arm. He smiled when he saw me. "Hi."

"Hi!" When he reached my door, I asked, "What's in the bag?"

"Tomorrow's breakfast." He slid his free arm around my waist and drew me close for a kiss. "Lox," he whispered against my lips. "Bagels." He kissed me softly. "Cream cheese." A longer kiss. "Coffee. Do you have a grinder?"

"Huh?" I said dizzily.

"I got beans, not ground," he murmured. "It was all they had."

"Huh?"

"The coffee," he breathed against my neck.

"Um . . ." I'd already forgotten the question.

He backed me into the apartment while kissing me, then kicked the door shut behind him. The bag he was carrying interfered with his attempt to pull me closer, and we both laughed.

"Here," I said, "give that to me." I slipped out of his embrace, took the bag, and carried it a few steps into the kitchen. "I speak from bitter experience when I say we don't want to forget about the lox and leave it sitting out all night."

He folded his arms across his chest and leaned one shoulder against the wall, next to where the kitchen phone hung, and watched me as I unpacked the groceries. "Some other guy was generous enough to bring you lox? And here I hoped I'd be the first."

"It was my bat mitzvah party, not a date." I pulled fresh bagels and a rich-smelling bag of roasted coffee beans out of the paper bag. "And it took days to get the odor out of the house."

"Since I can't eat all that fish alone, I hope you've recovered by now. A bar mitzvah is when you're what, thirteen?"

"Yes." I put the smoked salmon and the cream cheese in the refrigerator. "But 'bar' is for boys. A girl has a bat mitzvah."

"Ah. You see how much I learn by going out with you?"

His coal black hair was s.h.i.+ny, crisp, and a little ruffled from his trip here. The pale s.h.i.+rt showed off the golden dark color of his skin. His blue eyes were sparkling, and his smile was s.e.xy.

I said, "I guess you're here because you cleaned my slate with Detective Napoli?"

"You know know why I'm here." His look was sultry. I quivered again. But then he said more matter-of-factly, "But, yeah, I talked to Napoli. Everything's okay now. You're not under suspicion, and there won't be a material witness warrant. He wants to question you again-" why I'm here." His look was sultry. I quivered again. But then he said more matter-of-factly, "But, yeah, I talked to Napoli. Everything's okay now. You're not under suspicion, and there won't be a material witness warrant. He wants to question you again-"

"What?" I said in alarm.

"Hey, you witnessed a hit, Esther. Of course he wants to question you again, if only to get your official statement verifying that you didn't see anything that can help us find the killer."

"Oh. Right."

"But I convinced him that you're not lying or concealing anything. So it won't be a hostile interview. And I'll be in the room, too. Okay?"

I nodded. "Okay." And if we stuck specifically to what I saw and heard at the time of Charlie's death, I could leave Lucky, Max, and doppelgangsters out of my statement, which Lopez would certainly prefer.

I finished putting away the groceries and said, "Was it hard work for you to convince Napoli to ease off?"

"Yes." He tilted his head and looked at me through dark lashes. "So come over here and make it worth my while."

"Ah, so there's a price attached to my freedom?"

"Hey, I got Napoli off your back and I brought you lox," he said. "What more do you want?"

"Actually . . ." It took me only a few steps to come toe to toe with him. "I want plenty plenty more." more."

"Oh?" He slid his arms around me. "So just how long will it take to satisfy you?"

"All night." I wrapped my arms around his neck.

"d.a.m.n, and it's still only daytime," he murmured, lowering his head to mine. "I can see there's an awful lot of work ahead of me."

"You bet."

After a few minutes of long, slow, hot kisses, my head was reeling and my legs were shaky. Breathing hard and feeling mindless, I leaned against him while he leaned back against the wall.

"You look so good in this dress," he whispered, his rapid breaths mingling with mine. "Now take it off."

"Don't be so lazy," I whispered back. "You take it off." take it off."

"Mmmm." He started pulling up the hem, stroking my legs while he tugged at the soft material. I caressed his hair and then started unb.u.t.toning his s.h.i.+rt.

The phone rang.

We both stiffened in surprise for a moment, since the phone ringing on the wall was so close to us, then we went back to kissing feverishly.

By the third ring, though, I realized who might be calling. So I turned a little in Lopez's arms, reaching for the nearby phone.

He pulled my hand back to his body. "Ignore it," he whispered.

"No, I . . ." I moaned a little when he kissed me again. "I have to . . . to . . ." The phone kept ringing. "This'll just take-"

"Not now." He pulled my dress up around my hips.

"It might be my agent," I said, evading another head-spinning kiss. I had left more messages for Thack today. "It's important."

"So is this." He kissed my neck and nuzzled my hair.

"I've been trying to talk to him about-Oh!" I gasped when I felt Lopez's touch in a brand new place. "It's an aud . . . aud . . . Mmmm Mmmm. An audition." When I reached for the phone again, I accidentally knocked the receiver off the wall and sent it clattering to the floor.

A male voice on the other end of the line squawked, "h.e.l.lo? h.e.l.lo! h.e.l.lo? h.e.l.lo?"

Lopez sighed, leaned his head against the wall, and let me go.

"This will be quick," I promised breathlessly, stooping down to pick up the phone.

"Yes, it will," he vowed, sliding his arms around me from behind as I put the receiver to my ear.

He kissed my neck while I said, "h.e.l.lo?"

"Esther? Esther Diamond? Is that you?"

I frowned, realizing it wasn't Thack. "Yes, this is Esther."

Lopez nibbled on my earlobe and slid his hand slowly across my stomach.

"Did you send this thing after me?" the caller demanded shrilly.

"Huh?"

"Is this your your doing?" doing?"

"What?" I closed my eyes, torn between my caller's obvious distress and what Lopez was doing. "Oooh."

"I saw it! I just saw my perfect double!"

I stiffened and gasped, but not, alas, because of the delicious way Lopez was trying to regain my full attention.

"What did you say?" I said, realizing who was on the other end of the line. did you say?" I said, realizing who was on the other end of the line.

"You heard me, you b.i.t.c.h!" shouted Danny the Doctor. "Did you you send this thing after me?" send this thing after me?"

Lopez raised his head, having heard the agitated volume, if not the specific words.

"No, of course not," I said. "I tried to warn you. To help help you." you."

"In that case, what the f.u.c.k do I do now?" Danny shouted.

Well aware of the arms that were still wrapped around me, and the cop ears that I could tell were now listening to my half of the conversation, I said carefully, "Am I the first person you've called?"

"No! You think I'd call a girl girl first?" Danny said contemptuously. "But Lucky's line is busy and the Doc ain't answering his phone!" first?" Danny said contemptuously. "But Lucky's line is busy and the Doc ain't answering his phone!"

Max couldn't hear his phone from his laboratory, which was where he probably was right now.

"All right," I said. "Tell me where you are. I'll meet you there and I'll take you to a safe-"

"I don't want you you. I want Lucky! No! No! No! I want the weird guy, the one who knows all about this s.h.i.+t! The Doc! And I want to know what the f.u.c.k to I want the weird guy, the one who knows all about this s.h.i.+t! The Doc! And I want to know what the f.u.c.k to do! do!"

"The first thing you have to do is calm down," I said sharply. "Get a hold of yourself."

Lopez's arms fell away from me as he realized this was a serious matter. Anxious to avoid his perceptive gaze, I kept my back turned to him as I continued the conversation.

Danny shouted, "You find that weird old guy, and you bring him to me! Do you hear me?"

"Yes."

"You tell him I want protection from that . . . that thing! thing! That doppelgangster!" That doppelgangster!"

"All right," I agreed. "I need to know where you are."

"Why? So you can have that thing whack me?" He sounded close to hysterics.

"So I can bring-" Remembering that Lopez was standing right behind me, I rephrased what I'd been about to say. "So I can do what you've asked."

"I ain't asking asking, I'm telling telling you!" you!"

Danny seemed intent on making it hard for me to want want to save his life. to save his life.

"Understood," I said. "So where can I find you?"

"I'm goin' to the mattresses!"

"And where would that that be?" I prodded. be?" I prodded.

"Can that doppelgangster tap phone calls?"

"No." At least, I didn't think so.

"I'm gonna be in my cousin Vinny's ventilated wine vault. Safest place in the world. There's a steel door with a combination lock. Nothing and no one can get to me there."

"Where is it?"

"It's in the cellar of Vinny's wine shop, you dumb broad!"

I scowled. "Which would be where? where?"

He gave me an address in Brooklyn Heights. Since Lopez was watching me, I memorized it rather than writing it down. "Okay, I'll be there as soon as possible."

"You bring the Doc," Danny ordered again.

"Yes. Absolutely." Since I suspected Danny would be heavily armed when we arrived, I added, "And I beg you to stay calm."

"Are you nuts? nuts?"

"This is no time to panic," I said firmly.