— Well hell I, I don’t exactly know right off. You can’t just go and be that sure from these they’re none of them real sharp and…
— You mean you think they maybe ain’t her? They used that kind of camera that develops itself but just because you can’t see the color of every hair, you don’t see tits like that come down the street every day. I don’t know who else it could be with a ass like that.
— Why hell you never saw her naked like this neither did I Leo, hell. She might, it might be just somebody’s trying to get her in trouble, she…
— Like she didn’t know they was being taken? Look at this, no this here one with the three of them in it she’s twisted around him looking right in the camera having a whale of a time, look at that.
— Well you can’t just, unless it’s a hundred percent certain you can’t just go around and, hell there’s things they can do now with doctoring pictures that you can’t hardly tell it.
— That’s some doctor then is all I could say. You mean like pasting on somebody’s different face? Look at this here, you’d have to have a picture of her eating a cucumber to paste onto this one, that’s some doctor.
— Well just right now let’s just…
— Wait, wait, that there one spread-eagled over the chair look at it, don’t that look like that old leather chair right there in your office? all them little brass studs showing out of under her knees?
— Well, it…
— And the corner of this here curtain showing you can almost make out the little design, see it?
— Well it, it sure as hell does but we’re just going to wait and don’t say anything till…
— You think them boys in the shipping room ain’t saying…
— You just tell them to do what they’re paid to around here and any that don’t understand that get out, that’s the first God damn rule right down the line produce or get out and something else, you know that big old Welte piano down there in the basement? Go down and take a look at it, see what shape it’s in.
— I used to play on that Mister Angel, the old man had it right up in the…
— Well go down and see what shape it’s in, we might clean it up and set it up out here in the front.
— All right but all them tubes and bellows, that’s all probably cracked and…
— Just do what I’m asking will you Leo? and he turned down the wall of porous green tapping the soiled envelope against his leg out of sight as he came in behind his desk.
— Oh Mister Angel Kenny just called from Dayton on that order and those people in Chicago called again they said they’re up against the wall on these specifications, it’s that letter I put right on top there…
He looked down where an ellipse had already taken shape under his blunt pencil in the margin. — Same story isn’t it, want something done right you have to do it yourself.
— You have to go out there again? I’ll call about your tick…
— That’s all right no I’ll just pick it up at the airport, just call them up and tell them I’ll be out there this afternoon… but all that moved about him was his hand laboriously blacking in the shape in the margin there until she pushed her chair back from the typewriter.
— I’m just going for coffee. You want your regular?
— I don’t want any, no.
— Gee I never heard you turn down coffee, you okay Mister Angel?
— I’m fine Terry… he watched her turn for the door and then sat back staring at the worn leather chair near the coat rack, and then he came forward to open the soiled envelope down in the shelter of his desk, looking up from its contents to the chair, working his mouth and swallowing with apparent difficulty, finally pulling open the desk drawer and thrusting the envelope to the back of it, reaching forward to dial the phone and sit staring as it buzzed at his ear. When she came through the door balancing a cup he was sitting back as though studying the curtains.
— You going home and pack first Mister Angel? or…
— I’ll just buy a shirt and a toothbrush when I get out there… he stood tightening the knot at his wilted collar, brought a wallet up from a hip pocket to thumb through bills and double it back, reaching his jacket and pulling it on. — When Coen calls tell him if he gets out before I get back tell him to go ahead and get me everything he can on that old lawsuit over holes with that jukebox company tell him I heard they’re changing hands, tell him I couldn’t make any more sense than he did out there with this estate situation you got that number for them I gave you? Try and get hold of this Edward Bast out there try and get him and Coen together yes and wait, tell Coen the boy’s just not quite, just say he’s kind of hard to get to I couldn’t get to first base with him myself… by now he was in his coat, reached up for his hat — and see if you can get hold of my wife Terry, just tell her I’ll try to call her tonight.
— I can’t usually reach her Mister Angel, should I say how long you think you’ll be gone?
