The Danger. Part 31

Sheseemedrelievedandimmediatelybegantalkingcopiously,ignoringrepressive looksfromhergloomierhusband,"Wehaven'tbeentoWashingtonbefore.Sucha s.p.a.cious,graciouscity.We'vebeenheretwodays...weleaveonSundayforNew York.DoyouknowNewYork?WhatshouldoneseeinNewYork?"

IansweredherasbestIcould,payingminimalattention.Herhusbandwas sporadicallydiscussingBrunelleschi'sprospectswithLuccheseasifitwere theirfiftiethreiteration,ratherlikethechorusof.a.greekplaysixweeks intoitsrun.PaoloCencitoldmefivetimeshewasdelightedtoseeme,and Alessiaateaneggbutnothingelse.

Anoceanofcoffeelatertheday'srealbusinessbegan,provingtobeshort interviewswithallthetrainersandjockeysandmanyoftheownersofthe followingday'srunners.Sportswritersaskedquestions.Rickenbackerintroduced thecontestantseffusively,andeveryonelearnedmoreabouttheforeignhorses thanthey'dknownbeforeorwerelikelytorememberafter.

AlessiainterpretedforLucchese,translatingthequestions,slightlyediting theanswers,explaininginonereplythatBrunelleschididn'tactuallymean anything,itwasthenameofthearchitectwho'ddesignedagooddealofthe cityofFlorence;likeWreninLondon,shesaid.Thesportswriterswroteit down.Theywroteeverywordsheuttered,lookingindulgent.

Onherownaccountshesaidstraightforwardlythatthehorseneededtoseewhere hewasgoinginaraceandhatedtobeshutin.

"Whatwasitlikebeingkidnapped?"someoneasked,transferringthethought.

"Horrible."Shesmiled,hesitated,saidfinallythatshefeltgreatsympathyfor MorganFreemantleandhopedsincerelythathewoulds...o...b..free.

Thenshesatdownandsaidabruptly,"WhenIheardaboutMorganFreemantleI thoughtofyou,ofcourse...wonderedifyourfirmwouldbeinvolved.That'swhy you'rehere,isn't.i.t?Nottoseemerace."

"Both,"Isaid.

Sheshookherhead."One'swork,one'sluck."Shesoundedmerelypractical.

"w.i.l.l.youfindhim,likeDominic?"

"Abitunlikely,"Isaid.

"Itbringsitallback,"shesaid,hereyes'dark.

"Don't..."

"Ican'thelpit.EversinceIheard...whenwegottothetrackthismorning...

I'vebeenthinkingofhim."

BeatriceGoldoniwastalkingagainlikearollingstream,tellingmeandalso Alessia,whomusthavehearditoftenbefore,whataterribleshockithadbeen whendearAlessiahadbeenkidnapped,andnowthispoorman,andwhatablessing thatIhadbeenabletohelpgetdearAlessiaback...andIthought.i.tcolossally luckyshewa.s.speakinginherowntongue,whichIhopedwouldn'tbeunderstood bythenewspaperearsallaround.

Istoppedherbywishingherfirmlythebestofluckinthebigrace,andby sayingmyfarewellstothewholeparty.Alessiacamewithmeoutofthedining roomandwewalkedslowlyacrossthebrightclubloungetolookoutacrossthe racecourse.

"Tomorrow,"Isaid,"they'llbecheeringyou."

Shelookedapprehensivemorethangratified."Itdepends...o...b..unelleschi's traveled."

"Isn'thehere?"Iasked,surprised.

"Oh,yes,butnooneknowshowhefeels.Hemightbehomesick...anddon'tlaugh, thetapwaterheretastesviletome,G.o.dknowswhatthehorsethinksofit.

Horseshavetheirownlikesanddislikes,don'tforget,andallsortsof unimaginablefactorscanputthemoff."

Iputmyarmroundhertentatively.

"Nothere,"shesaid.

Iletthearmfallaway,"Anywhere?"Iasked.

"Areyousure...?"

"Don'tbesilly.WhyelsewouldIask?"

Thecurveofherlipswasechoedinhercheekbonesandinhereyes,butshewas lookingatthetrack,notatme.

"I'mstayingatth.e.s.h.erryatt,"Isaid."Whereareyou?"

"TheRegency.We'reallthere...theGoldonis,SilvioLucchese,PapaandI.All guestsoftheracecourse.They'resogenerous,it'samazing."

"Howaboutdinner?"Isaid.

"Ican't.We'vebeeninvitedbytheItalianamba.s.sador...Papaknowshim...Ihave tobethere."

Inodded.

"Still,"shesaid,"wemightgoforadriveorsomethingthisafternoon.Idon't truthfullywanttospendalldayhereontheracecourse.Wewerehereyesterday...

alltheforeignriderswereshownwhatwe'llbedoing.Todayisfree."

"I'llwaitforyouhere,then,onthisspot."

Shewenttoexplaintoherfatherbutreturnedimmediatelysayingthateveryone wasabouttogoroundtothebarnsandshecouldn'tgetoutofthateither,but they'dallsaidIwasverywelcometogowiththem,ifI'dlike.

"Barns?"Isaid.

Shelookedatmewithamus.e.m.e.nt."WheretheystablethehorsesonAmerican racecourses."

InconsequenceIshortlyfoundmyself,alongwithhalftheattendancefromthe breakfast,watchingthemorningroutinesontheprivatesideofthetracks;the feeding,themucking-out,thegrooming,thesaddling-upandmounting,the breezes(shortsharpcanters),thehot-walking(forcoolingofffromexercise), thesand-pitrolling,andallaround,butconstantlyshifting,thetiny individualpressconferenceswheretrainersspokeprophecieslikeMoses.

Iheardthetrainerofthehome-basedhorsethatwasfavoritesaying confidently,"We'llhavethespeedallthewaytothewire."

"Whatabouttheforeignhorses?"oneofthereportersasked."Isthereoneto beatyou?"

Thetrainer'seyewanderedandlitonAlessia,bymyside.Heknewher.He smiled.Hesaidgallantly,"Brunelleschiisthedanger."

Brunelleschihimself,inhisstall,seemedunimpressed.SilvioLucchese,it appeared,hadbroughtthechampion'sownfoodfromItalysothatthechoosy appet.i.teshouldbeunimpaired.AndBrunelleschihad,itseemed,"eatenup"the eveningbefore(agoodsign),andhadn'tkickedhisstable-lad,ashedid occasionallyfromdispleasure.Everyonepattedhisheadwithcirc.u.mspection, keepingtheirfingersawayfromhisstrongwhiteteeth.Helookedimperiousto me,likeabad-tempereddespot.Nooneaskedwhathethoughtofthewater.

"He'sn.o.body'sdarling,"Alessiasaidoutoftheowners'earshot."TheGoldonis areafraidofhim,Ioftenthink."

"SoamI,"Isaid.

"Heputsallhismeannessintowinning."Shelookedacrosswithruefulaffection atthedarktossinghead."Itellhimhe'sab.a.s.t.a.r.d,andwegetonfine."

PaoloCenciseemedpleasedthatAlessiawouldbespendingmostofthedaywith me.He,Lucchese,andBrunoGoldoniintendedtostayfortheraces.Beatrice, withasecret,sinfulsmileofpleasure,saidshewasgoingtothehotel's hairdresser,and,afterthat,shopping.SlightlytomydismayPaoloCenci suggestedAlessiaandIshouldgiveheraliftbacktoWashingtontosavethe limousineservicedoublingthejourney,andaccordinglywepa.s.sedthefirsthour ofourdaywiththevolubleladysayingnothingmuchatgreatlength.Ihadan overallimpressionthatseparation,eventemporary,fromherhusband,hadcaused anexcitedriseinherspirits,andwhenwedroppedherattheRegencyshehad twinspotsofbrightredonhersallowmiddle-agedcheeksandguiltinevery lineofherheavyface.

"PoorBeatrice,you'dalmostthinkshewasmeetingalover,"Alessiasaid smiling,aswedroveaway,"notjustgoingshopping."

"You,ontheotherhand,"Iobserved,"arenotblushingabit."

"Ah,"shesaid."Ihaven'tpromisedathing."

"True."Istoppedthecarpresentlyinasidestreetandunfoldedadetailedmap ofthecity."Anythingyou'dliketosee?"Iasked."LincolnMonument,White House,allthat?"

"Iwasherethreeyearsago,visiting.Didallthetours."

"Good...Doyoumindthen,ifwejustdrivearoundabit?Iwanttoput...faces...

ontosomeofthesestreetnames."

Sheagreedlookingslightlypuzzledbutafterawhilesaid,"You'relookingfor MorganFreemantle."

"Forpossibledistricts,yes."

"Whatarepossible?"

"Well...Notindustrialareas.Notdecayedhousing.Notall-blackneighborhoods.

Notparks,museums,orgovernmentoffices.Notdiplomaticresidentialareas...

emba.s.siesandtheiroffices.Notblocksofflatswithjanitors.Notcentral shoppingareas,norbankingareas,norschoolsorcolleges,nowherewith students."

"What'sleft?"

"Privatehousing.Suburbs.Anywherewithoutpryingneighbors.Andataguess, somewherenorthorwestofthecenter,becausetheRitzCarltonisthere."

Wedroveforagoodlongwhile,methodicallysectioningthesprawlingcity accordingtothemap,butconcentratingmostandfinallyonthenorthandwest.

Therewerebeautiestotheplaceonecouldn'tguessfromthetouristround,and milesandhostsofresidentialstreetswhereMorganFreemantlecouldbe swallowedwithouttrace.

"Iwonderifwe'veactuallybeenpasthim,"Alessiasaidatonepoint."Gives onetheshivers,notknowing.Ican'tbeartothinkofhim.Alone...dreadfully alone...somewhereclose."

"Hemightbefurtherout,"Isaid."Butkidnappersdon'tusuallygofordeserted farmhousesorplaceslikethat.Theychoosemorepopulatedplaces,wheretheir comingsandgoingsaren'tnoticeable."

Thescaleofitall,however,wasdaunting,evenwithintheradiusIthought mostlikely.a.n.a.lysisofrecentrentalswouldn'tcomeupthistimewithjust elevenprobables:therewouldbehundreds,maybeoneortwothousand.Kent Wagner'staskwasimpossible,andwewouldhavetorelyonnegotiation,notona secondmiracle,togetMorganFreemantlesafehome.

WeweredrivingupanddownsomestreetsnearWashingtonCathedral,simply admiringthehousesfortheirarchitecture:largeoldsprawlinghouseswith frostingsofwhiterailings,lived-inhouseswithsignsofyoungfamilies.On everyporch,cl.u.s.tersofHalloweenpumpkins.

"Whatarethose?"Alessiasaid,pointingatthegrinningorangefacesofthe hugeroundfruitsonthestepsoutsideeveryfrontdoor.

"ItwasHalloweenfourdaysago,"Isaid.

"Oh,yes,soitwas.Youdon'tseethoseathome."

Wepa.s.sedtheRitzCarltononMa.s.sachusettsAvenueandpausedthere,lookingat thepeacefulhuman-scaledhotelwithitsblueawningsfromwhereMorganhadbeen sounceremoniouslys.n.a.t.c.hed,andthencoastedroundDupontCircleandmadeour waybacktothemorecentralpart.Muchofthecitywasbuiltinradiifrom circles,likeParis,whichmayhavemadeforelegancebutwasagreatrecipefor gettinglost:we'dchasedourtailsseveraltimesinthecourseoftheday.

"It'ssovast,"Alessiasaid,sighing."Soconfusing.I'dnoidea."

"We'vedoneenough,"Iagreed."Hungry?"

Itwasthree-thirtybythen,b.u.t.timemeantnothingtoth.e.s.h.erryattHotel.We wentuptomyroomonthetwelfthflooroftheanonymous,enormous,bustling pileandweorderedwineandavocadoshrimpsaladfromroomservice.Alessia stretchedlazilyononeofthearmchairsandlistenedwhileItelephonedKent Wagner.

DidIrealize,heaskedtrenchantly,thatthewholeG.o.ddampopulationofNorth AmericawasonthemovethroughWashington,D.C.,andthatalistofrentals wouldbridgethePotomac?

"Lookforahousewithoutpumpkins,"Isaid.

"What?"

"Well,ifyouwereakidnapper,wouldyousolemnlycarveHalloweenfaceson pumpkinsandputthemonthefrontsteps?"

"No,Iguessnot."Hebreathedoutintheghostofachuckle."TakesaBritto comeupwithasuggestionasdumbasthat."

"Yeah,"Isaid."I'llbeatth.e.s.h.erryattthiseveningandattheraces tomorrow,ifyoushouldwantme."

"Got.i.t."

ItelephonednexttoLibertyMarket,butnothingmuchhaddevelopedinLondon.

ThecollectivefuryofthemembersoftheJockeyClubwashangingoverPortman SquareinabluehazeandSirOwenHiggshadretreatedfortheweekendto Gloucestershire.HoppyatLloydswasreportedtobesmilingcheerfullyasin spiteofadvisingeveryoneelsetoinsureagainstextortiontheJockeyClub hadn'tdonesoitself.Apartfromthat,nix.

Thefoodarrivedandweateroughlyjockey-sizedamounts.ThenAlessiapushed herplateawayand,lookingatherwinegla.s.s,said,"Decisiontime,Isuppose."

"Onlyforyou,"Isaidmildly."Yesorno."

Stilllookingdownshesaid,"Wouldno...beacceptable?"

"Yes,itwould,"Isaidseriously.

"I..."Shetookadeepbreath."Iwanttosayyes,butIfeel..."Shebrokeoff, thenstartedagain."Idon'tseemtowant...sincethekidnap...I'vethoughtof kissing...oflove...andI'mdead...IwentoutwithLorenzoonceortwiceandhe wantedtokissme...hismouthfeltlikerubbertome."Shelookedatme anxiously,willingmetounderstand."Ididlovesomeonepa.s.sionatelyonce, yearsago,whenIwaseighteen.Itdidn'tlastbeyondsummer...Webothsimply grewup...butIknowwhat.i.t'slike,whatIshouldfeel,whatIshouldwant...and Idon't."

"DarlingAlessia."Istoodupandwalkedtothewindow,thinkingthatforthis battleIwasn'tstrongenough,thattherewasalimittocontrolledbehavior, thatwhatImyselflongedfornowwaswarmth."Idotrulyloveyouinmany ways,"Isaid,andfoundthewordscoiningoutanoctavelowerthaninmynormal voice.

"Andrew!"Shecametoherfeetandwalkedtowardsme,searchingmyfaceandno doubtseeingtherethevulnerabiltyshewasn'taccustomedto.

"Well..."Isaid,strugglingforlightness;forasmile;forAndrewtheunfailing prop."There'salwaystime.Yourideracesnow.Goshopping.Driveyourcar?"

Shenodded.

"Italltooktime,"Isaid.Iwrappedmyarmsaroundherlightlyandkissedher forehead."Whenrubberbeginsfeelinglikelips,letmeknow."

Sheputherheadagainstmyshoulderandclungtomeforhelpa.s.shehadoften clungbefore;anditwasI,really,whowantedtobeenfoldedandcherishedand loved.

Sherodeintheracethenextday,astarinherownfirmament.

Theracecoursehadcomealive,crowdspressing,shouting,betting,cheering.The grandstandswerepacked.Onehadtoslideroundstrangerstoreachanygoal.I hadmyhandstampedandcheckedandmynametakenandticked,andEric Rickenbackerwelcomedmebusilytothebiggestdayofhisyear.

Thepresident'sdiningroom,soechoinglyemptypreviously,spilledovernow withchatteringguestsallhavingawowofatime.Iceclinkedandwaitresses pa.s.sedwithsmallsilvertraysandalargebuffettableofferedcrabcakesto afficionados.