Those Who Walk Away Read Online Free PDF Page B

may have to go over the whole thing again with Ed, but I could do it in five minutes, if I organized it properly.”
    “And what would you tell him?”
    “I would tell him about Peggy. And about me. The atmosphere. What we did and talked about. I think that’s what Ed is interested in.”
    Inez shook her head hopelessly. “Is it true Peggy was trying dope? Taking this LSD?”
    “No. Good Lord, not Peggy. She wasn’t even curious about it. I know, because we’ve been to parties where they had it. Lots of people had it there.”
    “You see? Edward thinks she was taking dope.”
    “Well, that’s one of the things I might put him straight about.”
    Their coffee arrived, the tab was put under the ashtray.
    “And then he would think of something else. Such as that you had other women. I don’t know.”
    “He inquired about that in Mallorca. He met several of our friends. No luck for Ed, I’m afraid.”
    A silence for a few seconds. Ray felt the futility of this meeting with Inez.
    “I feel that you mean the best for me,” Ray said, “but you can see how many things Ed has wrong. I can’t just leave things like this.”
    “But I think it is better if you do and if you don’t try to write to him about them, either.” She looked down at the pigeons bobbing around on the pavement. “I am older than you. And I know a little about Edward. I am giving you my best advice.”
    “I do appreciate it,” Ray said, but his tone sounded as if he had no intention of taking it, which was true.
    “Edward wants to blame you entirely. I have even thought he might try to kill you,” Inez said in a lower voice.
    Ray sat back and laughed a little. His heart had begun to beat faster. “Why? Is he carrying a gun?”
    “Oh, no, but—he might get someone else to do it.”
    “Matter of fact, I was going to ask you about Antonio. Do you think he would hire Antonio?”
    “Oh, no! Be assured. Not Antonio. Antonio hates quarrels. They make him sick. He is not a bad boy, but he is not from the best of Italian families. You know. Last night he was almost sick. He listen, he listen, and then he can’t stand any more. He rang me this morning to apologize for leaving so soon.”
    Was that true, that Antonio had been almost sick? Inez certainly thought so. “Do you think I can see Ed this afternoon? Can you help me make an appointment with him? Then I can leave tomorrow.”
    “I know he will postpone. He will make you wait two or three days, just to annoy you. He knows that you want to see him.
    “It shouldn’t be impossible. I saw him alone in Rome,” Ray said in a voice that suddenly rose, so that he glanced to his right to see if anyone had noticed. “The trouble was, that night, he only wanted to talk about the past.” Ray was telling the truth, but he felt that he manufactured, because he was going to leave out the gunshot. “He was in a good mood, really, talking about Peggy’s schooldays, the holidays they had when she came home from school in Switzerland. He talked about not having enough money to keep up with her, and about saving for places like Venice and Paris, because she had her own money and lots of it.”
    “Oh, I can imagine,” Inez said.
    “When I tried to talk about what had just happened—he didn’t want to hear it. But now you see he does. You can tell that.”
    “He only wants to whip his anger up. Like last night. You can see that. How old are you, Ray?”
    “Twenty-seven,” Ray said.
    “I was twenty-one when you were born. You see, I am bound to know a lot more. For one thing, I have had two husbands.” She repressed a sudden mirth. “My last husband left me more than a year ago for another woman. They are now not together. I knew just that would happen. I know, for instance, that you would not frighten a girl like Peggy with bed—with sex.”
    “I told you that last night.”
    “No, you answered my question was Peggy frightened by it. It’s different.”
    Ray took a moment to collect his