“It looks that way,” I said, sick of her.

Her mouth tightened, and she swung a slap at my face. I picked it off in mid-air, held her wrist, grinned at her. We were close, and I caught the smell of gin on her breath. I looked at her sharply. She was drunk all right. I wondered I hadn’t noticed it before.

“What goes on?” a flat voice demanded.

I looked around, saw a State Highway cop frowning at me. I let go of the girl’s wrist.

“Arrest that man!” the girl stormed. “He was trying to assault me.”

“Bad for business,” the cop said, eyeing me over.

“Very,” I said.

Clair appeared from nowhere.

I winked at her.

“The lady’s charging me with assault,” I said, and laughed.