Swan Dive - Jeremiah Healy by Jeremiah Healy Page B
Authors: Jeremiah Healy
who knew enough about Marsh, and me, to see me as a good
patsy. Now that isn’t a whole lot of people."
"What do you mean, set up?"
I explained about the mugging and the cops’ visit
to my door. When I got to the gun, Chris said, "Holy shit."
“ Now do you see what I mean?"
Chris kneaded his hands. "Jeez, John, I’m
sorry. When the cops called, they didn’t say anything about the
gun." He looked away. "So somebody hits you and then plants
your gun in the room. God in heaven."
"Chris, who knew about my blowup with Marsh at
Felicia Arnold’s office?"
"Aw, I don’t know. Felicia, Hanna. I told
Eleni a little bit about it."
“ What about that guy in Arnold’s office?"
“ What guy?"'
"I think his name was Paul Troller."
"Oh, he’s . . . Look, I don’t know him too
well, you understand? But he isn’t the first young stud lawyer
Felicia’s hired, if you get my drift."
"Any reason he’d have for doing Marsh?"
"Jeez, John, how would I know? Wait a minute.
When did you say you got mugged?"
“ Maybe five-fifteen, give or take a couple of
minutes."
Chris shook his head. "No, that lets Troller
out."
"Why?"
"The county bar association dinner was last
night over in Salem, and they always, do a cocktail thing beforehand.
Troller was on line, a couple people in front of me, ordering a
drink."
"And what time was this?"
"No later than five-thirty. I remember thinking
that if the bartender didn’t speed things up, I’d never get
another round in before dinner."
"What about Felicia?"
"Didn’t see her. But I talked with her this
morning, and I can’t see how she could have anything to do with
it."
"What did you talk about?"
"What do you think? Marsh’s dying kinda
screwed things up for me, you know."
"I don’t follow."
Chris spread his hands on the desk. "Couple
decides to get divorced, even if the papers are filed and everything,
it isn’t effective till it’s final."
"Meaning?"
"Meaning Marsh’s dying like that ends the
divorce action."
"The law makes sense after all."
“ You’re not getting it. Hanna doesn’t need me
anymore."
"What about the settlement?"
"It’s off. She doesn’t need it now."
“ Why not'?"
Chris made a face. "Because she gets everything
anyway. Felicia told me this morning Marsh was too fucking cheap to
make a will, like to try to disinherit her. You can’t really do
that in this state, and some of it is gonna have to go into the kid’s
name, but basically everything goes to Hanna like she and Marsh were
still lovey-dovey."
"Hanna gets the house?"
"Like I said. Everything."
I thought about somebody putting Marsh through the
window and shooting Teri Angel. Then I thought about Hanna’s broad,
sturdy body and her determination about the family hearth in
Swampscott.
I looked up at Chris, but he was already standing and
shrugging into a sports coat that hung very lopsided on him, as if
there was a great weight in his pocket. '
"John, I’m sorry, but I really got to get on
the road here."
"What’s in the coat?"
"Huh?"
"The pocket."
"Oh." He reached in, then withdrew his hand
again. "I got a permit to keep one in the house a long time ago,
back when Eleni first . . . got sick and couldn’t move around so
good. For burglars, you know? Now this thing’s got Eleni so scared,
with drugs and all being involved, that I just carry it around the
place, make her feel better."
I tried to catch Chris’s eyes. I’d have bet money
he would scare before she would. But all he said as he brushed past
me was "Hanna gets everything and I lose a ten-thousand-dollar
fee. Jeez, if I went into the hat business, kids’d be born without
heads, you know?"
When we walked back into the reception area, Fotis
was standing, the paper folded and stuck in one of his jacket
pockets. Something else weighed down the other pocket. The partisans’
mountain stronghold. Fotis said, "Eleni want to see you."
Chris stopped. "Hey, Fotis, I gotta get going
here."
Fotis said, "Not
patsy. Now that isn’t a whole lot of people."
"What do you mean, set up?"
I explained about the mugging and the cops’ visit
to my door. When I got to the gun, Chris said, "Holy shit."
“ Now do you see what I mean?"
Chris kneaded his hands. "Jeez, John, I’m
sorry. When the cops called, they didn’t say anything about the
gun." He looked away. "So somebody hits you and then plants
your gun in the room. God in heaven."
"Chris, who knew about my blowup with Marsh at
Felicia Arnold’s office?"
"Aw, I don’t know. Felicia, Hanna. I told
Eleni a little bit about it."
“ What about that guy in Arnold’s office?"
“ What guy?"'
"I think his name was Paul Troller."
"Oh, he’s . . . Look, I don’t know him too
well, you understand? But he isn’t the first young stud lawyer
Felicia’s hired, if you get my drift."
"Any reason he’d have for doing Marsh?"
"Jeez, John, how would I know? Wait a minute.
When did you say you got mugged?"
“ Maybe five-fifteen, give or take a couple of
minutes."
Chris shook his head. "No, that lets Troller
out."
"Why?"
"The county bar association dinner was last
night over in Salem, and they always, do a cocktail thing beforehand.
Troller was on line, a couple people in front of me, ordering a
drink."
"And what time was this?"
"No later than five-thirty. I remember thinking
that if the bartender didn’t speed things up, I’d never get
another round in before dinner."
"What about Felicia?"
"Didn’t see her. But I talked with her this
morning, and I can’t see how she could have anything to do with
it."
"What did you talk about?"
"What do you think? Marsh’s dying kinda
screwed things up for me, you know."
"I don’t follow."
Chris spread his hands on the desk. "Couple
decides to get divorced, even if the papers are filed and everything,
it isn’t effective till it’s final."
"Meaning?"
"Meaning Marsh’s dying like that ends the
divorce action."
"The law makes sense after all."
“ You’re not getting it. Hanna doesn’t need me
anymore."
"What about the settlement?"
"It’s off. She doesn’t need it now."
“ Why not'?"
Chris made a face. "Because she gets everything
anyway. Felicia told me this morning Marsh was too fucking cheap to
make a will, like to try to disinherit her. You can’t really do
that in this state, and some of it is gonna have to go into the kid’s
name, but basically everything goes to Hanna like she and Marsh were
still lovey-dovey."
"Hanna gets the house?"
"Like I said. Everything."
I thought about somebody putting Marsh through the
window and shooting Teri Angel. Then I thought about Hanna’s broad,
sturdy body and her determination about the family hearth in
Swampscott.
I looked up at Chris, but he was already standing and
shrugging into a sports coat that hung very lopsided on him, as if
there was a great weight in his pocket. '
"John, I’m sorry, but I really got to get on
the road here."
"What’s in the coat?"
"Huh?"
"The pocket."
"Oh." He reached in, then withdrew his hand
again. "I got a permit to keep one in the house a long time ago,
back when Eleni first . . . got sick and couldn’t move around so
good. For burglars, you know? Now this thing’s got Eleni so scared,
with drugs and all being involved, that I just carry it around the
place, make her feel better."
I tried to catch Chris’s eyes. I’d have bet money
he would scare before she would. But all he said as he brushed past
me was "Hanna gets everything and I lose a ten-thousand-dollar
fee. Jeez, if I went into the hat business, kids’d be born without
heads, you know?"
When we walked back into the reception area, Fotis
was standing, the paper folded and stuck in one of his jacket
pockets. Something else weighed down the other pocket. The partisans’
mountain stronghold. Fotis said, "Eleni want to see you."
Chris stopped. "Hey, Fotis, I gotta get going
here."
Fotis said, "Not