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that sort of thing, would you, Tone? You were interested in Miss Lucy as a person, right? Well, good for you. Dull work, but someone’s got to do it.’
    ‘Where did you get them?’
    ‘Get what?’
    ‘The photographs.’
    ‘Ah, the photographs ,’ he said in his fake English accent. ‘Same as my phonograph over there, old chap. I took them from our house. This was a year or so before you moved in. After she told me it was all over and I had to go, blahdi-blah, I actually ended up staying on there another few months. I had nowhere else to go, you see, being as luck would have it temporarily unemployed at that particular point in time. She tell you that?’
    ‘Of course.’
    ‘You said that a little too quickly, Tone. Not your style, I think. And not hers, either. To tell you, I mean. Luce would have been too kind to tell you a thing like that, knowing how it might hurt you. Just as she was too kind to chuck the father of her children out on the streets. So I ended up living there till a friend of hers found me a job at the university. Yep, that philosophy degree finally paid off after all. Actually the position was as one of the janitors, but hey, the pay was good and I took it philosophically. Anyway, meanwhile I carried right on living with her in that house you know so well, like nothing had really changed. We even slept in the same bed. Had to, you see. The kids had the other rooms.’
    There was a lengthy silence.
    ‘Now I know what you’re thinking,’ Allen continued, ‘except you’re too polite to ask. At least, I think I know. Let me have a shot at it anyway. I’d be prepared to place a modest bet that what you’re thinking is, Did they fuck? ’
    He took a long draw on his cigar and washed the smoke down with some more whiskey.
    ‘Well, the answer is in the affirmative. Luce didn’t want to, but when push came to shove she didn’t say no. Or at any rate, not real convincingly. She was too hot to last even one month without some pussy action, never mind three. But she must have made a deal with herself. She’d let me fuck her, but she wasn’t going to come. Or at least, she wasn’t going to let me know I’d made her come.’
    He laughed, slapping his hands together.
    ‘And you know what? Those last months of our marriage was the best sex I ever had in my whole goddamn life. Imagine fucking this hot babe’s brains out, knowing all the time that she’s fighting her own orgasm. We’re talking truly mind-blowing stuff here.’
    He poured himself more whiskey and pushed the other glass towards me.
    ‘Come on, Tone, take your medicine like a good boy. You’re going to need it before I get through.’
    ‘Through with what?’
    ‘Satisfying what killed the cat. I mean, let’s get real. We both have an agenda here. I have my memories, you have a gun.’
    I recrossed my legs involuntarily, shielding the right side of my body.
    ‘A gun? What are you talking about?’
    ‘Well, maybe you’re just glad to see me.’
    He laughed again.
    ‘Anyway, before I finally had to leave and get an apartment of my own, I had lots of time to go through our photo collection and pull out the ones I wanted. Luce was at work all day and the kids were at school, so I had the run of the house. Sure you don’t want to see them? The prints haven’t worn that well, the ones I wasn’t able to find the negs for, but they’ll still give you an idea.’
    He stood up, tossing his cigar butt into the stove.
    ‘Let’s see, where did I put those things? This place used to be a total mess, but I knew exactly where everything was. Then I got one of my manic spells a while back and decided to tidy up. Now I can’t find jack shit. Some of those early ones are really something. Luce used to make most of her clothes, to save money, and I have to say she was pretty damn good. She knew how to dress herself to cause a stir without causing a riot, you know? When she went out alone, she always dressed defensively. Had to, to avoid