"Telephone's right beside you."
She looked at it sulkily. Then she grabbed it and gave the number.
"Hello ... this is Mrs. Roland Prentiss ... is Gwen Taylor there?" She stuck out her tongue at me. "Gwen, darling!... dad's gone, at last ... sure ... that would be lovely ... of course!"
"Ace-in-the-hole," I said.
"Don't be—" She shrugged and laughed restlessly. "Oh—all right. It's my life, though, isn't it?"
"That's the idea."
"Phil!"
"Present—and unaccountable." I didn't feel witty.
"You come with me—" She was standing and she finished the highball standing.
I shook my head. "I'm going after Paul."