"You saw all the goings on up there?" she asked.

"The showstopper stuff, yeah."

"It was his way of flattering me. Get me out there, throw in a surprise, make me the center of attention so everyone thinks I'm really important."

"You are important."

"I know that, but I also know where I am in the world with it and how few people have actually heard of me.

Archy was trying to improve things, which is great as far as it goes, but he's doing-doing-" She broke off, gulping a lot before hitting the side of her fist against the door. "I could kill that rat. I could dangle him over a vat of acid and lower him in an inch at a time. How dare he!"

We were getting close to the hotel. I took an early turn. "Where're you going?" she asked, her flare of temper interrupted.

"Around the block until you're okay. You don't need to take this inside your home."

She gaped a couple seconds, then fell on me, planting a solid kiss square on my mouth. I nearly swerved up onto the curb, but hauled us straight again just in time. She seemed not to notice any of it, but was slightly more relaxed when she flopped back to her side of the seat.

"Now," I said, "what's the rest of it?"

"I can't quote him, it's jumbled up in my head, but he was smooth and amusing and really, really focused on me. If there's one thing a girl likes, it's to have a man act like that with her, but not so he's overdoing it. Archy knows just how to play that game and make it be like he's never tried it before with anyone else. He makes you feel happy inside about yourself. That's what he was doing to me, an A-one first-rate, head-to-toe seduction."

"All that during a short turn on the dance floor? With me looking on?"

"He's good, Jack. And it seemed like forever to me."

"What'd you say to him?"

"The way he did it, there wasn't a lot I could say. He didn't come right out and ask me to go to bed with him, but it was all hiding there under his words-like a worm under a rock."

That description was rea.s.suring to hear.

"The way it ended I pretty much told him I needed time to think."

My rea.s.surance wavered. "Think?"

"And talk to you. Oh, don't worry, I was just giving him a line, but I had to act like I was interested and leaving the door open."

"Until after the broadcast."

"Yeah. He's smart that way. He won't use the broadcast against me. It would be pushing things too much to say if I don't sleep with him, then I don't go on. He's going to use it to make me grateful to him instead, and then dangle other gifts under my nose to draw me on."

"Like more guest spots on his show?"

"Probably. If not that, then something else. I'm not going to go with him, but he got to me, Jack!"

I kept watching the road. "How so?"

"With all that. He knew exactly what to do and say to make me like him or at least be grateful and friendly. It was as if he'd been crawling around inside my head like some kind of a swami mind reader and picked out all my weak points to use them against me. Am I that transparent?"

"No, but he's had a lot of practice."

"I'll say he has. Everything he did tonight should have worked-would have worked. Most of the reason why I got so mad was that not so long back I'd have let him sweep me off my feet and to h.e.l.l with the rest of the world. That's what happened with Slick, what he did for me. I was set up to do it all over again with Archy."

"But you didn't."

"I might have. That's what's so upsetting. If I hadn't met you, I might have."

I shook my head. "No, you wouldn't."

"Why d'you say that?"

"Because you're not who you were anymore. You've grown up past Slick and that kind of trap."

"With your help."

"Maybe I speeded things up a little, but you do it yourself, you just don't always realize it. The important thing here is that you nailed Archy on what he was up to, and you're not going along with it."

"d.a.m.n right I'm not. But he isn't going to like my answer. I've heard stories about how Ike LaCelle arranges things for him. All this tonight-he fixed it up. And I think it was my fault."

"It's not your fault he's a jerk." "But it is that he knew where to find me tonight. He overheard me talking to Adelle about the date I had with you."

"He was at the dance rehearsal, too?"

She made a growl of exasperation. "He was everywhere today. He wasn't intrusive or anything, but just around, acting friendly, not overdoing it."

"What's Adelle think of this? She keeps a close watch on him."

"Not now. She's read the writing on the wall and shifted her attention to Gordy."

"Has Adelle got a diamond bracelet? A new one?"

Bobbi shot me a surprised look. "Yes, she was showing it off last night. What's that got to do with things?"

"I heard from Gil Dalhauser that that's Archy's standard good-bye gift to his girls."

Now it was a distinct snarl of exasperation, and she hit the side of the door again. "So it's the queen is dead, long live the new queen-meaning me? How dare he expect me to fall right into line'?"

"Because he's a rat?"

"If I'd just kept my mouth shut-"

"No, it's better this way. You know for sure he's a rat and can be on guard against him. I figure he told Ike where you'd probably be tonight and he got there ahead of us and arranged the whole thing with the band and the photographers."

"That had to be it. While that was going on I saw you talking with Gil Dalhauser and then Ike."

"Yeah, Gil tried to warn me to fade from the picture, then Ike came by to fix a deal with me to get out of the picture, but he changed his mind. He won't be fixing anything else for Archy with you."

"What'd you say to him? And how?"

"We came to an understanding. He's not going to do any more favors for Grant as far as you're concerned."

"Jack, you didn't-"

"Yes, my dear, I gave him a triple evil-eye whammy-but not one word of it had to do with your career."

She relaxed slightly.

I told her what Dalhauser had told me, then what I'd put into LaCelle's head. "He'll get with Archy and thoroughly discourage him about bothering you again, but make him think it's not coming from you at all. Or even me. Gordy's already warned Ike to leave us alone, but Ike decided to ignore him. This way it just seems like Ike is the one who changed his mind." She thought that one over a long time. "It'll work fine for Ike, but I don't think so for Archy. If you'd heard the way he talked to me, you'd know. He's determined enough to not listen to Ike, I'm sure of it."

"I trust your call. Will you be able to put him off until after the show?"

"Since there's no need to worry about reprisals from Ike, yes."

"How in h.e.l.l are you going to be able to work with Archy knowing all this?"

"Oh, that's nothing. It's just being professional. I'll get through it without a hitch. It's afterward that things will get sticky. He'll have expectations. I can handle it... but I don't want to. I can give Archy the air and do it easy so we're all friends, but it'd take a while. I don't want to be around him, have to play the game he's set up or give him the chance to know more about me than he already does. He'd just use it against me. Besides, whenever I think of him I want to knock his block off."

"Would you like a shortcut?"

She looked at me, big hazel eyes full of wistful appeal. "Yes."

My heart instantly turned into mush. "One triple-deluxe evil-schmevil, mind-changing whammy at your service, ma'am," I said. "If he's awake and sober-even if he's only sober-I can have him doing a tap dance on the Wrigley Building during a lightning storm."

"Holding golf clubs?" "Wearing a suit of armor."

She threw her arms around me for another kiss; this time I prudently stopped the car.

9

When I got up Tuesday night Escott had left the papers, undipped and open to the right sections, on the kitchen table.

They all had pictures-above the fold-of Bobbi and Grant dancing, smiling, and otherwise looking like they were having a terrific time with each other. The fruitier captions suggested that a new romance was brewing between Chicago's own radio celebrity Archy Grant and beautiful, talented club singer Bobbi Smythe. They even spelled her name right.

"Perhaps," said Escott, who stood in the hall doorway, "this fellow is operating under the belief that if one says an untruth often enough it will be believed, even by those who know better. From the evidence presented here I've a.s.sumed your evening out with Miss Smythe did not go as planned."

"You could say that. He bushwhacked us for a publicity stunt and Bobbi had to play along with it or look bad."

"How unfortunate."

"She's gonna kill him for this," I said, skimming a caption festooned with exclamation points and question marks.

"What about your own reaction?"

"I should have taken care of him last night."

"If I may ask, what were you planning to do?"

"Just a little mind changing. I wasn't going to punch him out; now I'm not so sure. On the other hand, Bobbi will probably beat me to it."

"Would you bring me up to date on this business? If she's going to a.s.sault the man, I'd like some background to enhance my appreciation of the event."

"The business will be all over after tonight."

"Then I should like to know what I've missed."

I brought him up to date.

He shook his head and tsked when I finished. "I must commend you for your singular show of restraint."

"Yeah, well, you won't be seeing much more of it. Publicity for his d.a.m.ned show is one thing, but this gossip about a romance is over the limit. Bobbi threw a conniption when he made his pitch to her; she's gonna boil right over for this."

"Which has likely already occurred since these editions have been out all day."

"Jeez, I better call her."

He went upstairs to give me privacy while I attacked the kitchen phone. I dialed the right number, but it just kept ringing unanswered. Bobbi must have been getting a lot of calls on this. Next time I dialed I let it ring once, then hung up and dialed again. It was a code we'd worked out long ago for those times when she wanted to be unavailable to the general populace.

"h.e.l.lo? Jack?" She sounded both anxious and hopeful.

"Right here, angel. I just woke up and saw. You all right?"

She let out a long sigh. "Yes, I'm fine, but the phone's been going off since this morning. I never knew I had so many friends and that there were so many other people pretending to be my friends. There's also been reporters from every rag you can think of, a woman from Radioplay magazine came by the hotel trying to get an interview, and some cigarette company wants me to do an ad for them. I don't even smoke!"

"So? Just pose for the picture and pick up the check."

"I turned everyone over to my agent. This is driving me nuts. When I first saw the photos I laughed; now it's not so funny."

"I thought you wanted to be a star." "I still do, but because I'm good at my job, not because they think I'm Archy Grant's girlfriend. That's what this is all about-him, not me."

"He's going to be taken care of tonight, I promise. You gonna be okay for the show?"

"That's the least of my problems. I can do that standing on my head."

"Wear some pants, then."

She made sputtering noises and dropped the receiver. I heard some strange, distant choking sounds, then something like a hen laying an especially large egg. A few clatters and clunks later she came back, breathless and with laughter still in her voice. "G.o.d, but I've missed you all day."

"You've got me for all night. I'll try and make up for it."

"Just hang Archy out to dry for me."

"First chance."