He hesitated.
“Will you, chéri?” There was an edge to her voice now.
He said: “I’d like to talk to you alone, Josette.”
She stared at him. Her face in that dim, ghastly light was expressionless. Then she moved towards the door. “I think,” she said, “that it will be better if you have a little talk with José.”
“José? What’s José got to do with it? You’re the person I want to talk to.”
“No, chéri. You have a little talk with José. I am not very good at business. I do not like it. You understand?”
“Not in the least.” He was speaking the truth.
“No? José will explain. I will come back in a minute. You talk to José now, chéri.”
“But …”
She stepped into the corridor and slid the door to behind her. He went to open it again.