Nightwork

'Will you see me again?'

'If I have nothing better to do.'

'Are you as tough as you pretend to be?'

'Tougher, Grimes, much tougher. What would you be coming back to Washington for?'

'Maybe for you.'

Try that once more, please.'

'Maybe for you.'

'You do have nice manners. Maybe for what else?'

'Well,' I said slowly, thinking, this is as good a place and as a good a time to dig for information, 'supposing I was looking for somebody ...'

'Somebody in particular?'

'Yes. Somebody whose name I know, who's dropped out of sight.'

‘In Washington?'

'Not necessarily. Somewhere in the country, or maybe even out of the country....'

'You are a mysterious man, aren't you?'

'Someday I may tell you the whole story,' I said, sure that I never would, but pleased that luck had put me into the bed of a woman who was in on the secrets of government, and whose job, partially, at least, must involve tracing people down, people usually who did not want to be traced down. It's a private, delicate matter. But suppose I had to find this hypothetical friend, how would I go about it?'

'Well, there are a lot of places you could look,' she said. The Internal Revenue Service - they'd know his address at the time he sent in his last return. The Social Security people. They'd have a record of whom he was working for. The Selective Service people, although that would probably be outdated. The FBI. You never know what you can pick up in that factory. The State Department. It would all depend upon whether or not you knew the right people."

Take it for granted that I would get to know the right people,' I said. For a hundred thousand dollars, I could take it for granted somebody would be able to reach the right people.

'You probably would eventually be able to pick up your friend's trail. Say, are you a private detective or something! '

'Or something,' I said ambiguously.

'Well, everybody comes to Washington eventually,' she said. 'Why not you? It's America's real living theater. Standing room only at every performance. Except that it's a peculiar audience. The good seats are all filled by actors.'

'Are you an actress?'

'You bet your life. I'm playing a role that can't be beat. The dauntless Portia striking deadly blows at the malefactors of great wealth. Women's Lib at Justice and Injustice. I've gotten rave reviews in the best beds in town. Do I shock you?'

'A little,"

'While on the subject,' she said, 'let me give you a t.l.

'What's a t.l.?'

'Where have you been, you poor innocent?' She reached over and pinched my cheek. 'T.I. stands for trade last. A compliment. You gave almost the best performance of anyone I've slept with in this town. You were even as good as a certain Senator from a Western state whom I shall not name, who used to be at the head of the list. Until the poor dear was beaten at the last election.'

'I didn't realize I was giving a performance.' I had no desire to hear the defeated Senator's name.

'Of course you were. Otherwise you wouldn't be in Washington. And every performance calls on enormous talent here. We all have to pretend we love our roles.'

'Are you like that, too?'

"You must be kidding, honey. Of course. I'm a big, grown woman. Do you think that, if I went into that office every day for the next hundred years, it would make the slightest difference to you or General Motors or the United Nations or anybody's pet dog? I just play the game, honey, and have fun like everybody else, because this town is the best place to have fun anybody's found for people like us. Actually, what I believe is that, if everyone here, from the President down to the janitor at Indian Affairs, would only be allowed to operate two weeks a year, America would turn out to be the greatest country in the world.'

I had finished the whiskey by now and felt an overwhelming desire to sleep. I barely suppressed a yawn.

'Oh,' she said, 'I'm boring you.'

Not at all,' I said truthfully. 'But aren't you tired?'

'Not really.' She put her glass down, slipped out of her robe, and got into bed beside me. 'Sex invigorates me. But I have to get up early and it doesn't do for me to look debauched when I get to the office in the morning.' She snuggled up to me and kissed my ear. 'Good night, Grimes. Of course call me when you come back.'

* * *

When I awoke, it was nearly ten o'clock and I was alone. The curtains let enough sun through for me to see that it was a nice day. There was a note on the dresser, where she had put my money clip the night before. 'Dear Guest: Off to work.

You were sleeping like a baby and I hadn't the heart to wake you. I am happy to see such evidence of a clear conscience in this naughty world. There's a razor and shaving cream in the medicine cabinet and a big glass of orange juice in the refrigerator and a pot of coffee on the stove. The good servant deserves his hire. I hope you find your friend. B.C.'