“Wait a minute!” Nunzio squeaked. “Do you think there’s a chance that the Kid is actually the Ax?”
“Low probability,” Bunny said, speaking for the first time in the meeting. “Someone like the Ax has to work a low profile. The Sen-Sen Ante Kid is too noticeable. If he were a character assassin, people would notice in no time flat. Besides, when he wins, nobody thinks it’s because his opponents are disreputable . . . it’s because the Kid is good. No, I figure the Ax has got to be like the purloined letter … he can hide in plain sight. Figure the last person you’d suspect, and you’ll be getting close to his real identity.”
The conversation swirled on around me, but I didn’t listen very closely. For some reason, a thought had occurred to me while Bunny was talking. We had all been referring to the Ax as a “he,” but if no one knew his real identity, he could just as easily be a “she.” If anything, men were much less defensive and more inclined to brag about the details of their careers when they were with a woman.
Bunny was a woman. She had also appeared suddenly on our doorstep right around the time the Ax was supposed to be getting his assignment. We already knew that she was smarter than she let on … words like “purloined” didn’t go with the vacant stare she so carefully cultivated. What better place for the Ax to strike from than the inside?
I decided that I should have a little chat with my moll as soon as the opportunity presented itself.
Chapter Twelve:
“No one should hide their true self behind a false face.”