Sea Change

“The ones tip like Mr. Ralston,” Brick said. “Plus he’s a really cool dude, you know. I mean, no offense, but he comes in here with some of the most bodacious-looking women, hoo hah!”

“Hoo hah?” Kelly Cruz said.

“You know,” Brick said, “bada-bing! Excellent.”

The bar was mostly empty. There were a few people scat -

tered at tables in the glass-walled room with the turquoise light from the ocean coming in on two sides. Outside on the deck, several other tables were occupied. A waitress moved among them with her tray.

“Know any of them?”

“The babes that hang with Mr. Ralston? Just to say s’happenin’.”

“Are any of these women here now?”

“No.”

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“Does Mr. Ralston have anyone, like, steady?”

“Naw,” Brick said. “Guy like that doesn’t do steady. He just hooks up, you know? Blonde one night, brunette the next.

No flames, no games. No hellos, no goodbyes. No aches, no pains. Just slam bam alakazam.”

Brick grinned.

“You admire Mr. Ralston,” Kelly Cruz said.

“You bet. He’s leading my life, instead of me.”

Brick slid a saucer of mixed nuts within Kelly Cruz’s reach.

“But I’ll get there.”

“Everybody needs a dream,” Kelly Cruz said.

“Want me to freshen up that DC?” Brick said. “Wedge of lime, anything?”

Kelly Cruz shook her head.

“Know what Mr. Ralston does for a living?”

Brick grinned wider.

“I think it’s maybe just slam bam alakazam,” he said.

“You ever been on his boat?”

“I have, in point of actual fact,” Brick said. “Worked a private party for him one night, tending bar. That was tough, baby. That was an absolute groove.”

“Wild party?” Kelly Cruz said.

“I mean, I don’t want to cause anybody any trouble,” he said.

“Just gathering information,” Kelly Cruz said. “I don’t care if there was a little blow being snorted.”

“Blow? Yeah, I guess so, and booze, and mara-joo-wanna, 1 4 5

R O B E R T B . P A R K E R

sure. But it was the sex thing, man, everybody doing everything with everybody and the video cameras rolling, and . . .

whew! I was afraid for a time there, I was going to lose my cherry.”

He smiled broadly.

“Know any of the people on the boat?” Kelly Cruz said.

“Not really, you know, ‘hi, howya doin’. But Courtney does.”

“Courtney,” Kelly Cruz said.

“The waitress,” Brick said. “Right over there. I know she hangs with one of Mr. Ralston’s girls. You wanna talk with her?”

“I do,” Kelly Cruz said.

“Hey, Court,” Brick said. “Come talk to the nice lady for a minute.”

The waitress came to the bar.

“I got half a dozen tables, you idiot,” she said to Brick.

“Nobody’s at the bar,” Brick said. “They need something I’ll cover it.”

Courtney frowned. Her face was so blank that the frown looked as if it had hurt to perform.

“No offense, ma’am. How can I help you?”

Kelly Cruz showed her badge.

“Kelly Cruz,” she said.

Courtney said, “Yes, ma’am.”

“Call me Kelly. Just a couple of girls gossiping.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

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S E A C H A N G E

“You know Thomas Ralston?” Kelly Cruz said.

“Mr. Ralston?”

“Un-huh.”

“Everybody knows him,” Courtney said. “He comes here a lot.”

“Do you know any of his, ah, girls.”

“His girls?”

“I heard,” Kelly Cruz said, “you hung with one of Mr.

Ralston’s girls.”

Courtney made her frown face again, and looked at Brick.

He grinned at her.

“You know, Court, the one with all the hair,” he said.

“Mandy.”

Kelly Cruz looked at Courtney and waited.

“Mandy,” Courtney said. “Yo, I know Mandy.”

“And she’s, ah, friendly with Thomas Ralston?” Kelly Cruz said.

Courtney looked back at the tables she was waitressing.

No one was looking for her. She looked at Brick. He smiled and shrugged.

“She dates him sometimes,” Courtney said after a time.

“Un-huh,” Kelly Cruz said. “You ever date him?”

“Me? Oh, God no. I’m in college.”

“Mr. Ralston doesn’t date college girls?”

Courtney struggled with her face. Kelly Cruz waited.

“No . . . I don’t know,” Courtney said. “I’m not the kind of girl he dates is what I mean.”

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“What kind of girl does he date?”

“Not like me,” Courtney said. “He’s been around too much, you know? I like guys my own age. He’s too . . . he’s too sexy.”

Kelly Cruz nodded.

“I’d like to get in touch with Mandy. Could you give me her address, please.”

“I don’t want to get her in trouble,” Courtney said.

Kelly Cruz nodded.

“I’ll need the address, Courtney.”

“Do I have to?”

“Yes, honey,” Kelly Cruz said, “you do.”

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31

I can’t watch those tapes with Molly,” Suitcase Simpson said.

“I’m all right with it, Suit,” Molly said.

“I’m not,” Suit said. “I’d be too embarrassed.”

“Okay,” Jesse said. “No need. If you have to see them you can watch later on your own.”

Molly and Jesse watched the tapes. They were predictably repetitive: sex, showers, changing clothes. One tape was of Cathleen Holton doing a drunken clumsy embarrassing strip on the deck. The tape continued with her having sex with Darnell, during which she was clearly willing, in fact eager, and clearly inept.

R O B E R T B . P A R K E R