“Great legs,” Ed Banning said.
“We can come back tomorrow,” Carolyn said as she put her hand on his arm. “The Christmas Show starts tomorrow. Great legs in Santa Claus costumes. I thought you would like the Rockettes.”
“Once is enough, thank you,” Banning said.
“What would you like to do now?”
“That’s supposed to be my line,” Banning said.
“This is my town. I’m trying to do my bit for the boys in service.”
“Well, if you really feel that way, three guesses what I would like to do.”
She squeezed his arm.
“Aside from that,” Carolyn said. “Are you hungry, Ed?”
“You’re speaking of food,” he said.
“Yes, I’m speaking of food. The word was ‘hungry.’ ”
“Oh,” he said. “Could I ply you with spirits?”
“Jack and Charlie’s,” she said.
“What’s that?”
“A saloon,” she said. “A real saloon. It was a speakeasy during prohibition. Not far, we can walk.”
“Fine,” he said.
“My mother told me that Jack’s boy has just joined the Marines.”
“Sounds like my kind of place.”
“I think you’ll like it.”
She leaned her head against his shoulder as they waited for the light to change.
“I thought New Yorkers didn’t pay attention to red lights,” Banning said.
“They do when they’re with boys from the country they want to keep from getting run over.”
The light changed and they crossed the street. A few minutes later they came to what looked to Banning like a typical New York City brownstone house… except for a rank of neatly painted cast-iron jockeys surveying a line of cold-looking people waiting to move down a shallow flight of stairs to a basement entrance.
“Is this it?” Banning asked.
“This is Jack and Charlie’s.”
“We can’t get in here,” Banning said. “Look at the line.”
“I think we can,” she said. “I used to spend a lot of time in here in the olden days.”
“With your husband?”
“Yes, with my husband. Does that bother you, Ed?”
“What if he’s in there?”
“I don’t mind being seen with a handsome Marine,” Carolyn said. “As a matter of fact, now that you’ve brought that up, I’m determined to get in.”
She let go of his arm, then elbowed her way past the people on the stairs and disappeared from sight. Banning was left feeling distinctly uncomfortable.
She was gone a long time, long enough for Banning to conclude that her onetime clout at this place had dissolved with her divorce.
Out of the corner of his eye, he became aware that he was being saluted. He returned the salute without taking a good look at the saluter, except to notice idly that he was a Marine.
“Excuse me, Sir,” a familiar voice said; there was a touch of amusement in it. “Is this where I catch the streetcar to the Bund?”
The Bund was in Shanghai, and the voice was very familiar. Banning turned and saw First Lieutenant Kenneth R. McCoy, USMCR.
Goddamn it, of all people!
He smiled, and held out his hand.
“Hello, Ken,” he said. “What clich‚ should I use? ‘Fancy meeting you here’? Or ‘small world, isn’t it’?”
“Are you waiting to go in?”
“My.’.. lady friend… is trying to buck the line.”
“Come on,” McCoy said, starting to shoulder his way through the People by the stair;]. He turned and motioned Banning to follow him.
If I were these people, and somebody tried to move ahead of me, I’d be annoyed.
Halfway down the stairs, he met Carolyn coming up.
“Come on,” she said. As she spoke, her eyes fell on McCoy; and then she swung her gaze back to Banning. “I got us a table.”
A large man in a dinner jacket was standing next to a headwaiter’s table. He stepped aside as Carolyn reached him. Banning moved after her, followed by McCoy.
If he stops McCoy, Banning decided graciously, I’ll tell him he’s with us.
The headwaiter spotted McCoy and gave him a smile of recognition.
“Miss Sage called, Lieutenant. She’ll be a few minutes late.”
“I’m a few minutes late, myself,” McCoy said. “Thank you, Gregory.”
Another man in a dinner jacket appeared, this one looking a little confused.
“Are you together?” he asked.