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or we do it here in Philadelphia.”

“Are you going to tell me what these ‘new developments’ are?”

“There’s no time for that now. If there’s time in the morning, Washington will fill you in then.”

“Okay.”

“Hold on once more,” Wohl said, went off the line for another forty seconds, and came back on. “Mr. Davis wants to know how you’re doing with the Reynolds woman.”

“Tell him she’s naked in my bed right now.”

“Goddamn it, that’s not funny! Do you have anything or don’t you?”

“No, sir.”

“You going to see her anytime soon?”

“Tomorrow, probably.”

“Calhoun is your priority, but the other remains in place. If you think she’s going to meet with Chenowith, call Jack Matthews.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Washington will be waiting to hear from you around eight.”

“Yes, sir.”

“We’ll be talking,” Wohl said. “Good night, Matt.” The line went dead.

“ ‘She’s naked in my bed right now’?” Susan quoted when he had hung up the phone.

“I don’t think he believed me.”

“I really think you have a screw loose,” she said.

“Well, now that we’re wide awake, whatever shall we do?”

“I should get dressed and go home,” Susan said.

“It’s only . . .”

“Quarter past three,” Susan furnished. “My God!”

“That late? I had no idea! Say, I just had a marvelous idea! Why don’t you just lie back down, we’ll leave a call for, say, half past five, have a good breakfast . . .”

“Matt, I had to sneak out of the house to come here. The last thing I need now is for my mother to catch me sneaking back in. Sometimes she gets up early. . . . I have to go.”

“Spoken like a true member of the next generation of a Bennington mommy.”

“We have enough trouble without her finding out that I’ve been with you all night.”

“You think Mommy doesn’t already have deep suspicions—with more than a little reason—that you and I have been playing Hide the Salami?”

“Of course she doesn’t! Why should she? And I really hate you when you’re vulgar!”

“Princess, that model of the Bennington mommy—and God knows, I know them well; your mommy, Chad’s mommy, Daffy’s mommy, and Penny’s mommy were all stamped out of the same mold—is not really as airheaded and naive as they would have their children believe.”

“Meaning what?”