Cynthia asked him, somewhat formally, if he would come to dinner the following evening, for what she described as a surprise.
She added, as if to clarify the situation, that her son Randy would be there too. Dean agreed.
Later that evening, Ethel Rosewater confirmed Cynthia's visit as she was unzipping Dean's trousers. "It may take a while, but she shouldn't have any real difficulty having her husband declared dead-but she refuses to sue. I'd go broke if everyone was that icky-sticky moral. It's downright disgusting."
Dean ignored the remark and changed the subject. "That was a nice touch sending old Arthur to the memorial service to represent the firm." She looked at him as if he was crazy and he nodded, knowingly. "You didn't send him, did you?"
"Of course not. Why in God's name would I do that?"
"He was there. The lying bastard said you sent him."
"Well, I didn't. Arthur's getting nuttier than a Christmas fruitcake. Since I said I wouldn't marry him, he's been doing all sorts of weird things. Maybe he's going through the change or something."
"Weird things like taking on Vinnie Baratto for a client?"
"Never heard of him. He must be a referral from his Philly pals."
Dean was hesitant to discuss this or any aspects of the job with Ethel. Quite frankly, he was never sure he could trust her. But fishing was fair play. He chose his words carefully. "Whoever referred him to Vinnie, he'd better watch out. Those boys want to take Vinnie on a one-way fishing trip. What other weird things is ol' Arthur doing?"
"Oh, like snooping-looking through my files. I don't think his finances are any too strong either."
"You're partners. Shouldn't you each know what the other's doing?"
"I charge him for the office space and clerical help but we operate independently. It's my show. His name's on the sign so it looks like we're a big-ass razzle-dazzle firm just like in Philly. No one respects a one-person shop."
"So why was he at the Byrne memorial service? Bird-dogging one of your clients?"
She thought a minute. "The bastard better not be."
"How much work does Arthur really do for the bad guys? Any way of telling?" She started to protest attorney-client privilege but he shook his head. "I'm not looking for details, I'm just curious."
She laughed. "Arthur's always bragging-talking about his connections in Philly. It's mostly talk. Sometimes they toss him a crumb but they have their pros for the important stuff. Why? Is this Vinnie Baratto a big time bad guy?"
"He thinks he is. But he's gotten some wild idea about the Byrne case. Do me a favor and keep Arthur away from that file. First, it's none of his business and second, he's all wet; there is no connection. Plus, I wouldn't trust Arthur as far as I could toss him and if he screws around with this he could get someone killed."