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me she didn't like that.  "No offense, Leonard.  But that was between me and Hap.  He shouldn't have said anything."
    "I'm dealing him in for half my share."
    "There may not be a share if you keep this up, Hap."
     "That's okay, too.  Find some other sucker."
    "You're awfully tough in the morning."
    "Controls his glands better in the daytime," Leonard said.  "They tend to get overactive at night."
    "I don't care for the sound of your talk, Leonard," Trudy said.
    "Wasn't supposed to be music," Leonard said.  "Maybe you prefer a classical Negro dialect? A little foot-shuffling?"
    "Can it, both of you," I said.  "This is coming off worse than I thought.  I want to deal Leonard in.  What's it matter? It's not costing you any more, and you'll have an extra hand.  Way you talk, we could use him.  He's had some diving experience, for one thing.  We need that.  I been in the water a few times with a suit on, but that's about it."
    She turned to stare out the window at the field.  My mother did that when she was exasperated with me.  I almost expected Trudy to threaten me with a paddling.
    She turned her coffee cup around on her saucer.  The light from the window was on her face and showed some of her age.
    "Sometime today," Leonard said.  "After a couple minutes, pouting bores me."
    She looked at us.  "All right, but I don't like being railroaded this way, Hap.  You should have discussed it with me first.  There's enough between us you could have done that."
    "I didn't ask because I knew you'd say no, and I want Leonard in.  It's not anything I'm trying to put over on you.  He's stood by me through some tough times, some of them your fault.  I want to see him profit the way you say you want to see me profit.  You don't want both of us, no problem.  Deal us out."
    "It's something else to explain to Howard," she said.  "He wasn't keen on me asking you in, Hap."
    "I've got faith you can wrap this Howard around your big toe," Leonard said, "and I don't even know the poor sap."
    "You know what's wrong with you, Leonard?" Trudy said.  "You're jealous.  You're in love with Hap here and you're jealous of me."
    "Hap's all right," Leonard said.  "He's got a nice, perky ass, but he's not my type."
    "You two be friends," I said.  "It's easier that way."
    "I'll put a lid on it," Leonard said, "but with me and her it's business associates, not friends."
    "It couldn't be any other way," Trudy said.
    Leonard and I sat at the table, Leonard by the wall and me across from Trudy.  She glared at Leonard, then me.  "One hundred thousand is a lot less than two hundred thousand, Hap.  Sure you want to do this?"
    "Yep, and I want him to hear the story from you.  I haven't told him anything except there's some money to be made.  He hears what you got to say, he may not want in."
    Trudy got up, poured another cup of coffee and came back to the table.  She sipped it and started her story.
    "My last husband, Howard, was involved in nuclear protests.  Traveled across the country speaking against nuclear reactors, leading marches against their sites.  During a protest in Utah, he was responsible for cutting a fence and getting inside a compound and damaging government property.  He felt that it was his responsibility as a human being—"
    "No politics," Leonard said.  "It affects my heart.  Just the straight goods."
    "All right," she said, and told it.
    It was a pretty simple story.  The judge made an example out of Howard.  Gave him two years at my alma mater, Leavenworth, later cut it to eighteen months for good behavior.  I wondered if she left Howard while he was in prison, and if he got more letters and visits than I had.
    While Howard was in prison he met a man called Softboy McCall, who fancied himself a gangster.  He had been in the can a while and wasn't getting out soon.
    When he found out Howard was from Texas he took immediate interest in him.  He was a Texan too.  Waco, Texas, to be exact.
    Softboy and