Chapter 8

Lou Kennett thought as he poured himself a cup of coffee the next morning. God, but Buzz's wife was a luscious creature, and even better in the sack then he had anticipated. It hadn't been hard to get her there, either. A little sympathy and a lot of liquor, and there she was, legs spread wide and naked cunt open to welcome him. Of course, he'd laid his plans well, he admitted to himself admiringly. Planned his lays well, too, he punned, and burst out in a gale of raucous laughter at his own joke. He was a clever guy-he was doing okay. And then he brushed his thoughts of the previous night aside to concentrate on the one to come.

Same time, same place, and the same characters, too. Teresa, he was willing to concede, might be a bit more difficult to persuade into bed than she'd been the night before-he couldn't really pull off the sympathetic friend bit with her after what had happened. Still, he would find a way. As for the others, it would be a breeze. Listen to Buzz Cherry the way he'd listened to Teresa-play again the role of the understanding friend, helpful and wise-and Buzz would snap at the bait. He could count on him to bring that young local girl along, too, and he was looking forward to meeting her. He definitely was. Lou licked his lips lasciviously, thinking of the fun the four would have at the little surprise party he was planning.

He glanced at the ticking clock on the marble mantle: ten o'clock-and all was well. Just then the front doorbell rang.

"Come on in," he shouted, and waited for Buzz to open the door.

He walked into the living room to meet him as he came in. Buzz's face was drawn and haggard, his eyes listless. He shuffled across the room, took Lou's hand and shook it lethargically. The smirk was gone from Lou's face now, replaced by a gentle, understanding smile, a gaze that assured Cherry of his deep sympathy. "What is it, Buzz?" He asked unctiously. "My God, man, you look like someone's giving you a hard time."

Buzz sat down heavily in the chair opposite the fireplace, shaking his head. "They sure are, Lou," he said at last. And then, in a voice filled with despair, he added, "I guess it's my own damn fault."

You're damn right it is, Kennett thought. But he merely nodded his head sagely and folded his hands in front of him. "Suppose you tell me about it."

Buzz reached for the mahogany cigarette box on the desk-"Mind if I smoke?"-fumbled for matches, lit up the last, and inhaled deeply. "It's about me and Teresa and Heidi-she's my climbing guide," he said, blowing a smoke ring into the air.

Lou lifted his eyebrows, pretending bewilderment. "Climbing guide, I didn't know you were going to do any climbing."

"The Matterhorn," Buzz said miserably. "I know her father and so I hired her to take me up the Matterhorn."

"Well," Lou said brightly. "That must be making Teresa a little jealous."

Buzz shook his head. "Teresa hasn't seen her yet." No, he thought, that wasn't true. But he wasn't ready to go into those details yet. "You see, Lou," he said, a plea for understanding in his voice. "Teresa had to stay in Geneva a few extra days because of a ladies' tea given by the British-American club. We decided that I would go on ahead and start training for the Matterhorn."

Lou nodded his head gravely, as if he were just beginning to get the picture. "So you were alone with, uh, Heidi, then?"

Buzz swallowed, then said in a very low voice, "That's right."

Kennett thought for a moment, and then shook his finger waggishly at Buzz. "There was a little hankypanky, without Teresa, right? Is that it?"

"Well, yes," Buzz admitted. "There was some ... some hankypanky."

Lou gave Buzz a reassuring smile. "Well, Buzz," he said, "That isn't so bad. I'll bet there would have been with any man-any normal man-" he was careful to add, "under the circumstances." He lit a cigarette himself. "I'm sure everything will be okay, as long as Teresa doesn't find out, of course."

Buzz shifted his weight in the chair, then cleared his throat. "Teresa has found out," he said miserably.

"Good Lord, man! You didn't tell her, did you?"

Buzz shook his head. "No."

"Well, then, why do you think she knows?"

"Because she saw us!"

"She saw you?"

"I think so, Lou. At least the other night, when Heidi and I were...." his voice trailed off in embarrassment.

"Screwing?" Lou asked. An almost inperceptible smile played about his lips for a moment and then, carefully, he masked it. God, he was enjoying this! Seeing Buzz Cherry squirming in embarrassment, confessing his transgressions like a kid with his hand caught in the cookie jar.

"Screwing," Buzz admitted. He stared at the floor in confusion.

"So," Lou said, his voice cold and accusing now, "Teresa saw you. She walked in on the two of you, found Heidi with her pants down and you with your pecker up, is that it?"

"Yes," Buzz nodded, swallowing hard. "No, I don't know. Oh, for Christ's sake, Lou, I'm not sure. I'm not sure of anything anymore."

Lou rose, as if Buzz was welcome to leave. "How do you expect me to help you, Buzz, if you're not going to level with me."

"I am leveling with you," Buzz said desperately. "Oh, God, Lou, I'm doing the best I can.

"Well, then, just tell it to me the way it happened."

Buzz took a deep breath, while his eyes swept the room, lingered to stare out the window, then, at last, filled with anguish, met Lou's. He began his story again, in a low, choked voice. "Well, Heidi and I were up in the bedroom...." he paused.

"Fucking," Lou prompted.

"Okay, fucking. And I don't know what happened, except that that's what we were doing

...." he caught Lou's scowl ... well, fucking. And then," he said, "this morning, when I went into the living room, I found Teresa's purse on the floor outside the bedroom door. So naturally I guessed she'd been in the suite. And, naturally, I guess she saw us...."Fucking?"

"Yes," Buzz said impatiently. "Fucking. So I got kind of scared about the whole thing and I put a call through to our house in Geneva-and there wasn't any answer."

"Where is Teresa now?" Lou asked, his voice full of solicitude.

"God only knows."

"That's bad," Lou said. "But it could be worse."

It seemed that another eternity passed as Buzz sat watching the expressions change-like the light at a psychedelic show-on Lou's face. Later, he was aware that Lou-his good old buddy, Lou Kennett, he thought, he's a real friend-was pouring him a drink from the bottle he took from the liquor cabinet and was patting his shoulder helpfully. Then he saw that Lou was shaking his head gravely.

"I don't know what to tell you."

"Yes," Buzz said wretchedly. "I know."

They watched each other again. Lou began to glance openly at his watch, to busy himself with stoking the fire. He excused himself and went through his mail, opening letters, reading them, making notes on some of them. God damn, Buzz thought. He's trying to get rid of me.

Well, he wasn't going. Not until Lou promised to help him out of this mess. How the hell could he go climbing with Heidi today after all that had happened last night? How?

Buzz cleared his throat, and Lou looked up. "Yes?" he asked.

"What the hell am I supposed to do, Lou?"

Lou shook his head. "I don't know, Buzz. Just hope for the best, I guess. Hope no one learns about the way you fucked this Heidi Perrin. These locals don't think much of tourists who use their women." He paused, and deep furrows wrinkled his brow. "You're in real trouble, Buzz."

"Christ!" Buzz half rose from his chair and pounded his clenched fist on the leather-covered desk. "I know that. That's why I came to see you, for Christ's sake."

Lou ignored the outburst of anger and went on, speaking calmly. "Well, I guess you'd better just hope. Maybe she'll come back-and maybe she'll forgive and forget-maybe not." He sighed. "I just don't know, Buzz. I just don't know."

He picked up another letter from the stack on the desk and opened it, watching Buzz out of the corner of his eye the whole time. He had fit another cigarette, taken a couple of puffs, snubbed it out, lit another. Scared silly, Lou thought gleefully. Well, that was just the way he wanted him.

Buzz lit another cigarette, snubbed it out angrily, sighed, then warily pushed his chair back. "I suppose you want me to go?"

"Well," Lou said, his voice contrite, his manner apologetic, "I do have rather a lot to do." He put down the letter he was holding, got up, and walked across the room with Buzz. At the door, Buzz whirled around to demand again, "What the hell am I supposed to do?"

"Don't do anything right now, Buzz," Lou said in an avuncular tone.

"But...." Buzz began.

Lou interrupted him. "Let me think about it Okay?" He clapped Buzz on the shoulder. "Okay."

"Good. And look, Buzz, why don't you come over to my place tonight You and Heidi? We can talk some more."

"God, yes," Buzz said, wiping the perspiration from his forehead. "Well both be there."

And so will Teresa, Lou thought, a smile twitching at the corner of his mouth, and they were all going to have one great big party. The minute she had awakened this morning, she had promised to call, and then he was going to invite her over here for the evening, and what an evening what was going to be. An evening full of surprises for everyone!