Robber Bride - Margaret Atwood [241]
Tony has dragged Charis off to one side to keep her out of harm’s way. She just hopes Charis will shut up about her vision, which – Tony has to admit – was accurate enough, though somewhat after the fact. But what really happened? Tony counts the possibilities: Zenia fell, Zenia jumped, Zenia was pushed. Accident, suicide, murder. Tony inclines towards the third: Zenia was killed – surely – by person or persons unknown. Tony’s glad she took her gun home, in case there are bullet holes, although she didn’t see any. She doesn’t think Charis could have done it, because Charis wouldn’t hurt a fly – it being her belief that flies might be inhabited by someone related to you in a previous life – but she’s not that sure about Roz. Roz has a temper, and can be impetuous.
“Did anyone know this woman?” says the policeman.
The three of them glance at one another. “Yes,” says Tony.
“We all came to see her, earlier today,” says Roz.
Charis starts to cry. “We were her best friends,” she says.
Which, thinks Tony, is news to her. But it will have to do for now.
Roz drives Charis to the ferry terminal, and then she drives Tony home. Tony goes up the stairs to West’s study, where he’s plugged into two of his machines via the earphones. She turns off his switch.
“Did Zenia call here?” she says.
“What?” says West. “Tony, what is it?”
“This is important,” says Tony. She knows she’s sounding fierce but she can’t help it. “Have you been talking to Zenia? Has she been here?” She finds the idea of Zenia rolling around on the carpet with West among the synthesizers highly distasteful. No: unbearable.
Maybe, she thinks, West did it. Maybe he went over to Zenia’s hotel room to beg and plead, hoping to run off with her again, and Zenia laughed at him, and West lost it and heaved her off the balcony. If that’s what happened Tony wants to know. She wants to know so she can shield West, think up a watertight alibi for him, save him from himself.
“Oh, yeah,” says West. “She did call, I don’t know – a week ago. But I didn’t talk to her, she just left a message on the machine.”
“What did it say?” says Tony. “Why didn’t you tell me? What did she want?”
“Maybe I should’ve mentioned it,” says West. “But I didn’t want you to get hurt. I mean, we both thought she was dead. I guess I would’ve liked her to stay that way.”
“Really?” says Tony.
“She didn’t want to talk to me,” says West, as if he knows what Tony’s been thinking. “She wanted you. If I’d had her on the phone in person I would’ve told her to forget it; I knew you wouldn’t want to see her. I did jot it down – where she was staying – but after I thought things over, I threw it out. She’s always been bad news.”
Tony feels herself softening. “I saw her, though,” she says. “I saw her this afternoon. She seemed to know that your study’s on the third floor. How would she know that, if she’s never been here?”
West smiles. “It’s on my answering machine. Third floor, Headwinds. Remember?”
By this time he’s unwired and standing up. Tony goes over to him and he folds himself up like a bridge chair and wraps his knottedrope arms around her, and kisses her on the forehead. “I like it that you’re jealous,” he says, “but you don’t need to be. She’s nothing, any more.”
Little does he know, thinks Tony. Or else he does know and he’s pretending not to. Squashed up against his torso, she takes a sniff of him, to see if he’s been drinking a lot. If he has, it will be a dead giveaway. But there’s nothing besides the usual mild scent of beer.
“Zenia is dead,” she tells West solemnly.
“Oh, Tony,” says West. “Again? I’m really sorry.” He rocks her to and fro as if she’s the one who needs to be consoled, and not him at all.
When Charis gets back to her house, still shaky but under control, there’s a light on in the kitchen. It’s Augusta, taking a long weekend break, paying a visit. Charis