“Now, wait a minute,” I said. “Not so fast, honey. We can’t—”

“But we can, Nick! What the hell’s to stop us?”

“You just think about it,” I said. “Think how it would look to other people. Your husband gets killed and right away you’re a rich woman. He gets killed and you profit by it plenty, and you tie up with another man before his body’s hardly cold. You don’t think that folks would wonder about that a little! You don’t think they might get some alarmin’ ideas about her and this other man and her husband’s death?”

“We-el . . .” Rose nodded. “I suppose you’re right, Nick. How long do you think we’ll have to wait before it will be safe?”

“I’d say a year or two, anyways,” I said. “Prob’ly two years would be best.”

Rose said she didn’t think two years would be best. Not for her it wasn’t. One year was going to be a goddamned plenty to wait, and she wasn’t sure she’d even wait that long.

“But we got to! My gosh, honey,” I said. “We can’t take no chances, right when we’ve got everything the way we want it. That wouldn’t make no sense, now would it?”

“Everything isn’t the way I want it! Not by a hell of a long shot!”

“But looky, looky, honey,” I said. “You just agreed that we had to be god-danged careful, and now you—”

“Oh, all right,” Rose laughed, kind of pouting. “I’ll try to be sensible, Nick. But don’t you forget I’ve got my brand on you. Don’t you forget it for a minute!”

“Why, honey,” I said. “What a thing to say! Why for would I want another woman when I’ve got you?”

“I mean it, Nick! I mean every word of it!”

I said sure, I knew she did, so what was she carryin’ on about? She untensed a little, and patted me on the cheek.

“I’m sorry, honey. We’ll see each other tonight, hmmm? You know, after Myra’s gone to sleep.”

“I don’t see no reason why not,” I said, wishing to gosh I could see a reason.

“Mmm! I can hardly wait!” she kissed me and jumped up. “I wonder if that goddam dress is dry yet.”

It was dry. Probably a heck of a lot dryer than I was, what with all the sweating I was doing. I thought to myself, Nick Corey, how in the good gosh-dang do you get in these god-dang messes? You got to be with Rose tonight; you just don’t dare not to be with her. And you got to be with Amy Mason tonight. Anyway, you’re sure aching to be with Amy, even if you don’t have to be. So—

But I did have to be.

I just didn’t know it yet.

16

Myra was waiting for us at the head of the stairs when me and Rose arrived, and the two of ‘em practically fell into each other’s arms. Myra said, you poor, poor dear, and Rose said, oh, what would I ever do without you, Myra, and then they both busted out bawling.