One step out the front door made me rethink my footwear. Could I get away with my rubber-soled shoes? Not tonight. Carrying my shoes wouldn’t work—all I’d brought with me were dressy boots, Bean boots, and slippers. I made my way down the hill in my fashion-first boots, holding railings and sides of buildings along the way. A fine film of ice covered the sidewalks, now that the sun was gone, and walking was treacherous. But my stubborn streak and deep Yankee frugality wouldn’t allow me to call a cab for a few blocks. At least going. Coming home, I might change my mind.
Once I was on the flat part of Beacon Hill, walking was much easier and I began to go through my mental Rolodex, refreshing the names and faces I might see tonight. Searching for a name mid-conversation was a sign of weakness, or so my father had taught me.
The University Club was a private club on Commonwealth Avenue. It was a membership-only organization, with reciprocal memberships in other cities throughout the world. Though not affiliated with a particular educational institution, its mission was to create learning opportunities for its members. All rentals had to support that mission as well, though the club was a popular, albeit tony, wedding site. I supposed members could learn about event planning by hosting weddings. The Cunninghams’ event was a benefit/announcement for the Century Project’s newest endeavor, a mixed-use development in Boston that promised affordable housing, nonprofit office space, several retail outlets, and a cultural center in addition to million-dollar condos.
After I was confirmed to be on the guest list, I was directed to the coat check. From there I was pointed toward the grand center staircase that led to the ballroom. My constant search for suitable rehearsal space had me in the habit of exploring every site as a potential theater venue, so I took a good look at the beautifully framed map to the left of the staircase, which confirmed this was the way to the second floor. I wiped my shoes one more time and started up the stairs. As I veered to the right to enter the ballroom, I stopped to take it in. With its understated elegance, high ceilings, and open floor plan, this stunning room was built for show.
It was crowded, and people were moving slowly, so I took a closer look around. There were fireplaces at either end along the exterior wall, and both were lit. Bars were set up at each end of the room. Along the wall facing the doorway, between the fireplaces, was a table of food. There were also wait staff offering food, and trays of wine glasses as well. The glow of the room was warm. I looked up at the sparking chandeliers overhead and then took note of the understated small lights tucked into the crown molding, which provided specific pools of light that added to the ambiance of the room.
Before joining the theater world, I never would have noticed what made a room feel warm; I would merely have experienced the warmth. These days I always noticed the colors that were used, the lighting, the floor coverings, the palette of the paint on the walls, even the smells. The candles on the tables must have been slightly scented, because there was a faint vanilla smell that belied the number of warm bodies jammed in the doorway.
After a large man moved to the side, I realized the reason for the slowdown. The Cunninghams were greeting people as they came into the room. They were expertly moving people forward, and in short order it was my turn to say hello. I started to introduce myself but was stopped by Jerry Cunningham.
“Sully, so good of you to come! Mimi, look who’s here.”
“Lovely to see you again,” Mimi said, leaning forward and kissing the air next to my cheek. “I think we’re expecting some paperwork from the Cliffside?”
“Yes, we’re submitting a grant for our new production center—”
“Of course, of course!” Jerry said. “I’ve been looking forward to hearing more about that ever since Hal told us about it. Tell you what—once everyone is in, I’d love to grab a couple of minutes to hear more about the project.”
“That would be great,” I said, moving along into the room so that the next guest could be greeted. I let out my breath. I didn’t have to break the ice anymore about the project. I was glad I’d come and very prepared to talk. It was just a question of when. Given the stream of people entering, I realized it might be a while.
I’ve always found the problem with these sorts of events to be the food or drink question. Walking around, you can’t balance a plate and a glass. So, do you drink, and then eat? Given my empty stomach, I thought the eat-and-then-drink option was safer. Safer still was staying away from foods with leafy green, tooth-sticking substances. Cheese and crackers were a safe option. Happily there were other options as well, including canapés and mini quiches. I grazed for a while, then got a plate and worked the room. I saw Emma and made my way over to her, slowing down so as not to interrupt her conversation. Instead, she used me as a reason to stop hers, gesturing me over.
“Hey, cousin! I didn’t see you come in,” she said.
“I’ve been hiding out at the food table. Hello, Hal, good to see you.” I leaned over to give him an air kiss.
He didn’t return it; instead, he looked a bit distracted. “Sully, I didn’t realize you were in town. What brings you to Boston?”
“I’m visiting with Dimitri. He’s working on Romeo and Juliet over at Bay Rep.”
“Babs’s swan song with the company,” Hal said.
“Swan song?” I asked, forcing my most innocent look to take over.
“Whoops. Too much wine. The news isn’t public yet. Babs is making some changes, decided to move on.” He didn’t say any more, instead drinking the rest of his glass in one gulp. I have to admit, I was impressed that he didn’t cough.
“Babs is here too, isn’t she? I thought I saw her when I came in,” Emma said.
“Is she?” Hal took a deep breath and looked around, then down at his empty glass. “I’m going to get another drink. Anything for you ladies? No? Well, I’ll see you later.”
Emma and I watched him walk away, and once he was out of earshot, Emma leaned toward me. “Thank heavens you came over,” she whispered. “I like Hal a lot, but I wasn’t holding up well under his hard sell.”
“Hard sell?”
“One of the reasons I didn’t make it home before coming here was my meeting with Gus. He suggested we pull out of a deal with Hal’s company and the Century Project, at least for the time being while our company is being restructured.”
“What kind of deal? If you don’t mind me asking?”
“Investment, mostly. We would be providing capital in one of their new development projects, in return for office space and preferred vendor status for the future. It wasn’t much, at least not in their world. But you know how things have been going. With the changes at the Whitehall Company we decided to play it conservatively for now, and keep our cash handy.”
“Is everything okay?”
“Gus has a bee in his bonnet. That’s why he wanted to meet this morning and have a drink with Hal. But yes, everything’s fine. Or it will be, according to Gus. He feels like we should keep our cash liquid, and part of the deal with the Cunninghams was a substantial escrow account that we were going to renew terms on. Gus wants us to cash out, step back.”
“A lot has happened this year,” I said. Like half of your company’s executive staff dying, I thought but didn’t say aloud. Sometimes I marveled that Emma could get dressed in the morning, never mind help run a company. Time to change the subject. “I picked up Stewart Tracy from the train station. Thanks for letting him stay, by the way. It’s way nicer than actors’ lodgings normally are.”
“Amelia’s apartment is a little more utilitarian than Harry’s, or even mine, but he should be comfortable. I’m so glad Dad bought the townhouse all those years ago. I’m also glad Brooke preferred modern buildings, otherwise Dad would have probably taken it back over. So anyway … Stewart Tracy. I’ll have to pay more attention to what I wear to breakfast.”
“Emma, do you have a crush on Stewart?”
“Don’t be daft. Of course not. It’s only been a … he’s a handsome, charming man. I really enjoyed having him around over the holidays. He helped us all take our minds off everything. That’s all.”
“I’d believe you if you didn’t blush when you said his name,” I teased.
“Well, do I remember correctly that you and he had a thing a couple of summers ago? Or so I’ve heard?” she asked.
“In the past. We’re just good friends now. Well, not just friends. ‘Just’ undermines it. Good friends.”
“I wouldn’t mind being good friends with Stewart,” Emma said, elbowing me gently in the ribs. She looked over my shoulder and swore softly. “Damn, I’ve got to rescue Gus. Hal’s got him cornered. Come with me.”
I really didn’t have a choice as she took my hand and pulled me across the room. “Gus, look who’s here,” she announced. Both men stopped talking and turned toward us. I could tell that the conversation hadn’t been pleasant.
“Hello, Sully,” my ex-husband said, leaning in to give me a quick kiss on the cheek. Gus didn’t air kiss, and I felt a surge of happiness when I felt his cheek stubble brush against me. Gus smelled great, damn him.
“Good to see you, Gus.” Actually, it was sort of a bag of mixed emotions to see him, but the next introduction helped to focus them.
“Have you met Gus’s partner, Kate Smythe? Kate, this is Sully Sullivan,” Emma said.
So, this was Kate. Kate was in her early thirties, with a hundred-dollar haircut and the perfect makeup that comes from expensive lines and lots of practice. Her outfit was similar to mine but a better fit, and much hipper. Though we were less than a decade apart, she made me feel very, very old.
Kate had called Gus several times in December when he’d been at my house, but we hadn’t ever talked. She was supposed to come with him to see A Christmas Carol, but it turned out that he came up alone and left right after the show. Gus and I hadn’t spoken since.
I put my hand out, but Kate hesitated before taking it. She must have known who I was, and I wondered exactly what she knew. One thing was for sure—she didn’t look happy to meet me. I ignored that and shook her hand heartily.
“Nice to meet you, Kate. I’ve heard so much about you,” I lied, letting her hand go. I’d heard very little about her. I’d rectify that later, with Emma.
“Nice to meet you too, Sully. I’ve heard a lot about you as well.” Kate snaked her arm through Gus’s and smiled at him. He had the good grace to look uncomfortable. This soap opera, I didn’t need.
“You know, I think I need a glass of wine after all,” I said. “I don’t see any waiters around—I guess I’ll head over to the bar. Emma, do you want anything?”
“I’ll take a red wine, thanks.”
“Here, I’ll go with you,” Hal said. “I need another one too.”
He was quiet as we walked over but had regrouped by the time we got to the bar. “Have you had a chance to talk to Jerry and Mimi?” he asked.
“Just to say hello when I first came in. I’m hoping they can grab a couple of minutes to talk some more, but they seem really busy.”
“Jerry’s always busy. I’d offer to help, but not sure how much good it would do this week.” Hal glanced over and gave me a weak smile. “Never mind me. Just feeling old and worn out. I hired a new person to help with digital marketing, and I met with her this morning. I was supposed to be teaching her the business, but it ended up the other way around. Some of the principles of marketing are the same, but the delivery system? It’s a changing field. I can barely keep up. It hit me this afternoon—this is getting to be a young man’s game. Young person’s game. If you don’t stay up on it, you may as well resign yourself to being a buggy whip factory when cars were invented. Useful one minute, outmoded the next.”
I smelled Babs’s perfume before I turned around to see her approaching us. The transformation from how she’d looked a mere eight hours earlier shocked me. Her makeup was smeared and her shirt was half untucked. Her necklace was slightly askew. Hal absently went to straighten it, but she recoiled at his touch.
“Darling, at some point you have to come up with a new metaphor. That one is getting tired. And besides, didn’t you steal it from that play? What was it?” Babs said, intentionally keeping space between herself and her husband.
She was unsteady on her feet, and Hal reached out to put a hand on her elbow. She shook it off. “Sweetheart, your cold medicine seems to be affecting you more than usual,” he said.
“Cold medicine. I needed much more than cold medicine to come here tonight after … but I’m here, my pet. You can’t ignore me here.”
“Babs, please, for God’s sake.”
“You owe me, Hal. Don’t forget it. You owe me.” And with that, Babs wrenched her arm out of his grip and stalked away.
I’d been stepping back slowly during the diatribe. Hal looked down and around slightly. I removed myself from his line of vision and went to the other bar to get the wine. As I waited for them to open a new bottle of Malbec, I watched Babs sashay with a drunken swagger through the party. She stopped for a moment and said something to Jerry Cunningham, poking him in his chest. He clutched her hand in his fist and squeezed it before noticing that folks were paying attention. He let Babs go, then turned and walked away.
Mimi Cunningham stepped in and tossed her drink in Babs’s face. Babs said something that I couldn’t hear, and Mimi flushed. It was quite a standoff. Two women of the same echelon. Blonded and botoxed to fight the ravages of age. Suited in the latest uniform of pants, silk shirts, fitted jackets, and high-heeled boots. Both of them were far too cultured to let it get past a thrown drink. But for a moment, just a moment, I could almost hear someone whisper “girl fight.” Then Mimi laughed and said, “Sorry, Babs, I tripped.” Everyone giggled, pretended they believed her, and moved on.
“Bitch, you’ll get yours. That’s a promise. You’ll all get yours,” Babs said. She turned to leave. I started to go after her, but Hal appeared by my elbow and held me back.
“Don’t bother. Not while she’s like this.”
“I’ve never seen her like this,” I said.
“It isn’t a usual occurrence,” he said. “But she’s a mean drunk. I’ve learned to stay out of her way.”
Emma walked over to us and took Hal’s elbow, steering him toward the food before he got another glass of wine. I watched as Gus went after Babs. She fought him off for a few seconds, but then she let him take her arm and guide her out of the room. I noticed Mimi watching them go.
“Quite the show, wasn’t it?” a voice said. I turned to my left and realized Kate had come up and was standing next to me.
“Yes, quite. Not sure what it was about.”
“It could be a million things. Babs and Hal are finally breaking up. I thought it was amicable, but obviously not. I think Hal got the Cunninghams in the divorce, which doesn’t bode well for Babs and her theater. Bet you know something about that. Sucking up for money, I mean. Isn’t that what you do?”
“Some of the time, yes,” I said, plastering on a smile. The way Kate was staring was off-putting. “So, does your firm … do you and Gus work with the Cunninghams?”
“Only when our clients have business with them. I wish we had more direct contact. Since we’re working with the Whitehalls, Gus won’t let us work for Jerry and Mimi. Conflict of interest. Or so he says. He can be such a stickler sometimes.”
I realized that Kate had used the opposite of my eat-and-then-drink approach, and perhaps hadn’t bothered with eating at all. She seemed to be a little drunk. One glass of wine and a very warm room and I was feeling the effects of the alcohol myself. But I knew when to switch to water. Kate grabbed another wine glass from the waiter’s tray as he passed and took a healthy swig.
“Tell me, Sully, has Gus always been so strident about rules?”
Was Kate always this gregarious?
I thought for a moment before I replied. “Yes, I guess he has been.” So was I, back when I was a cop. But I wasn’t going to share that insight with Kate. “That’s why I was surprised when Gus went into private practice. Working in criminal law, on both sides of the aisle, suited him. I thought he’d even run for District Attorney one day.”
“Yeah, his old superhero complex. Well, maybe he feels the same way today. Hell, all of our clients need to pass a morality test. It’s exhausting. And ridiculously limiting. Ah well. In for a penny, in for a pound, I guess. He’s quite the combination of looks, charm, brains, and money. Plus he’s pretty good in the sack.” Kate smiled sweetly, and I did everything I could to keep my face neutral. Unfortunately, I couldn’t control the blush that rose up on my neck.
“Sully, glad to find you,” Emma said, inserting herself between Kate and me. “What say we bid goodbye to the Cunninghams and get out of here? It’s getting crowded, too crowded.”
“Sounds good to me—”
“Where’s Gus?” Kate broke in.
“Gus? I think he left with Babs. Not my turn to mind him, Kate. You should pay more attention.”
Kate turned and harrumphed away. “Nice to meet you,” I called after her.
“Liar,” Emma whispered.
“Shut up,” I said. I looked around but didn’t see Jerry Cunningham anywhere. “Let’s get out of here.”
“Well, that little scene with Babs sure broke up the party, didn’t it?” Emma asked while we were putting on our coats.
“It really did. I’m sorry I didn’t get a chance to talk to the Cunninghams—”
“For the best. They weren’t in the best frame of mind after that,” Emma said. “I saw Hal say something to them before he left, probably tried to apologize, but they blew him off. I’ll call them tomorrow, see if we can all meet for a drink this week.”
“Emma, you don’t have to—”
“I know I don’t have to. I want to. Besides, it will give me a chance to smooth things over. Jerry and Mimi seem to understand why we’re stepping away from the Century Project work, but I want to make sure.” We stepped out of the front of the University Club. “Wow, is it cold.”
“And icy. Be careful,” I said. “You mentioned that stepping away was Gus’s idea? Do you know what spurred him on?”
“Gus plays it pretty close to the vest, but he’s been carefully going through our business records since Dad died. He’s also been trying to track what Terry was in charge of, since that tends to be shadier.”
I noticed that Emma’s tone changed when she referred to her late husband. It was the family business that had kept their marriage together for so long, and it must have really rankled her that Terry’s deals could be tainted on top of everything else.
“Did Gus give you any examples of what he’s worried about?” I asked.
“No, he wants to make sure he’s got all the information straight. But he was pretty firm in his recommendation that we step back from a number of deals, most of which were with the Cunningham Corporation. Tell you what—I’m not going to worry about it tonight. How about if we walk down to the cross street and try to hail a cab home?”
“Sounds good to me,” I said. “These boots were not made for walking, at least not on ice.” As if to demonstrate, I slipped on the ice a bit and Emma caught me by the elbow. We linked arms and slowed down a bit.
“Meeting Kate must have been interesting,” she said as we made our way over icy sidewalks.
“She made Gus sound like some kind of Boy Scout,” I said. “Right before telling me he was pretty good in the sack.”
Emma stopped short, almost making me collide with her. “She said what?”
I told her about the conversation I’d had with Kate. “I think she was a little tipsy.”
“More than a little, I think. We went out before the reception and she slammed back a couple of vodkas.”
“No food?”
“No food. She doesn’t eat. She only drinks clear liquids, mostly vodka.” Emma shook her head. “Gus insists she has a great legal mind, and I agree. She’s pretty sharp. But still, I don’t know what he’s thinking. Sorry, Sully. Is this weird?”
“A little, yes. I didn’t know anything about Gus’s life for so long, so catching up with it is odd. Especially since it really isn’t my business, you know?”
“But you still care. Don’t bother to deny it. I can see it when you look at him.”
I didn’t bother to deny it, or to say anything. We walked another block and then stood at the corner of Commonwealth Avenue and Arlington Street, across the street from the Boston Public Garden. There wasn’t a cab in sight, and it was cold.
“I don’t have one of those apps on my phone,” I said. “How about if we cut through the Public Garden and head back?” I hit the walk sign, then looked over at Emma as she backed up a bit.
“What’s the matter, Emma?”
“Rats.”
“Rats?”
“Last time I walked through the Public Garden at night there were a ton of rats running around. I guess they come out in the dark.”
“They do.” I didn’t love rats, but I’d gotten used to them over the years. I’d worked a lot of cases at night back in the day. Rats were part of the city. “Would you rather we walk around it? I’m freezing and I need to keep moving.”
“I don’t even like walking on the sidewalk next to it. Tell you what, how about if we head right instead of left and go to the Bristol for a burger, and then cab it home?”
“Twist my arm,” I said. The Four Seasons was one of the city’s best hotels, with rooms overlooking the Boston Common. The Bristol Lounge was on the ground floor, and besides being a very nice, comfortable bar, it had great drinks and even better burgers.
Spending time with Emma was more fun than I’d expected. We hadn’t spent a lot of time together since I’d moved back to Trevorton, and little of that time had been stress-free. I could tell the events of the past few months had taken their toll, but she looked better than she had before, and actually laughed when I told her about Dimitri’s set for Romeo and Juliet.
“Well, Babs didn’t seem too worried about it tonight, did she?” Emma asked. We were seated in gloriously overstuffed chairs at an intimate, marble-topped table that was full of plates and glasses. We were near the fireplace, and I felt warmer than I had in days.
“She was a very different woman than the one I saw at the theater earlier,” I said.
“It seems official that she’s quitting the Bay Rep this summer. She talked about posting the job after Romeo and Juliet opens. I wonder why she’s been so close-mouthed about the move,” Emma said.
“Given the way the production is going, she probably wanted to right the ship before she left. Is Hal going with her? It was hard to tell if they were together or not,” I said.
“He indicated they were still together when we had our meeting, so I’m confused. Hal’s crazy about Babs. She’s his second wife, broke up his first marriage, did you know that? I think he’d do anything for her.”
“Sounds nice,” I said. “Having someone willing to move mountains for you.”
“Does it really?” Emma asked. “I used to think it would be, but now I imagine it would be suffocating. I envy what Mimi and Jerry have. It isn’t perfect, but they’re devoted partners.”
“They do seem like quite a team. Can any marriage be that good?”
“Boy, are you cynical,” Emma said. “I think they’re the real deal. Dedicated to each other and to their businesses. No one gets in the way of that. Ever.”
I thought about that kind of love, and envied it a little. Our burgers arrived at that moment, so we took the opportunity to change the subject and move on to small talk.
“What makes these burgers so good?” she asked.
“We probably don’t want to know. My father made great burgers—you know what his secret was? A frozen pad of butter in the middle.”
“Wow.”
“Wow is right. I dream of those burgers. What’s great about these are that the fries are also good. Not as good as the Beef & Ale’s, but good.”
“You’re a Beef & Ale aficionado, aren’t you?”
“I am,” I said. “My home away from home. Besides, cooking has never been my forte. I’m more than happy to have other folks do it for me.”
Emma laughed. “I never had to cook, but since I’ve been living alone, I’ve taken it up. I actually enjoy it.”
“Well, if that sauce you made last night is any indication, you’re good at it.”
“The sauce is one of the things I cook well. I’m working on building up my repertoire.”
“Happily, sauce is versatile,” I said.
“Good thing, since I make vats of it. Do you want another drink?”
“No thanks. I’d forgotten that the martinis here are served in fishbowls.”
“I know, but they’re also delicious. Ready to go?” Emma waved the waiter over and asked for our check. She paid the bill and we started gathering our winter belongings together.
I find winter, especially February, to be exhausting. All the layers of clothes, the ice and sludge, the darkness and the cold. Just exhausting. Add to that my very full day, and I was done in. I wasn’t about to fight Emma about taking a cab the few short blocks back to the townhouse.
As I wrapped my scarf around my neck, I saw a blue-and-white pull up across the street and two officers get out and go into the Public Garden. An ambulance came up right afterward, and another police car arrived after that.
“Someone must have fallen on the ice,” Emma said. “Or maybe the rats attacked.”
I shuddered a little even though we were still inside the bar. We went outside under the heat lamps while the doorman called us a cab. That many police cars, and that hum of activity? It wasn’t a slip and fall.
A gust of wind came up, and woke me out of my revery. I was curious about what had happened, but it was no longer my business.