Giving Piers’ name was a longshot, but it had paid off. I didn’t want to use Ruthie’s. That was too close to home, but her father was the perfect reference.
After validating my credit card, I had my reservation all thanks to Piers—and Mike. I couldn’t very well have sent the original picture. Poor Jeffrey would have had a cow.
After wishing Jeffrey a great day, I prepared to head out and replenish my supplies, but Mike had other plans.
“Hey, Mike. Thanks for dropping by unannounced.”
“Love you too, Bright Eyes.”
“Just got off the phone with The Abyssinian. I’m leaving in four days for the sunny skies of Cali. It never rains there, you know.”
“So I’ve heard,” she said with a straight face. Falling back on the couch, she did a back flop. The unique method of becoming supine could catch on. “So did they find out how The Creeper got into the Weissmans’ without setting off the alarm? That’s still bugging me.”
“Yup. Got the info straight from Wolfie. It was kept out of the papers, since it involves one of the children.”
“Amy?” she queried, craning her head up.
“Nope, Thomas is the culprit. Hank became quite chummy with the kid during the soccer matches held in Wallace’s backyard. So Wallace sees him out for a walk with his brother and pulls him aside. Tells Tommy that he has a surprise party planned for Tom’s mom and dad, but that he needs to get into the house.”
“And so Tommy turns off the burglar alarm and leaves the back door open. That is so evil, Savage.”
“It is indeed, but some would call it clever. Like Wallace leaving the window open for the police to think he’d gained entre vous that way. ”
“Well, I can see why they left the kid’s name out of things. Wouldn’t want him traumatized by bad press.”
“I feel the same, but you gotta be thrilled about the way things are going,” I remarked, changing the subject. “Must feel good to frame someone.”
“Hey!” she retorted, glaring at me something fierce. “I told you about justice!”
“Look, you went through hell, but that does not give you the right to tamper with evidence so that things come out your way.”
This was the only time since starting our buddyship that I was mad at her. I wasn’t about to back down. Not even for a friend.
“Okay, why the big swing to the dark side? You were just fine with things the other night.”
“I was not fine with things. I said I understood. Besides, I think you lied.”
“What?”
She was now fully sitting up with that shocked expression on her face, but I knew she was the consummate actress when she needed to be.
“You heard me. That stuff about the links and dump sites; the cops didn’t mention that. None of it. They only mentioned the CDs. I think it’s because the other stuff doesn’t exist.”
“Oh, it exists, all right! I know it’s there! I just didn’t have time to find it!” she defended.
“Do you hear yourself? That’s the most pathetic excuse I’ve ever heard!”
“Really? So what are you saying?”
“I’m saying that I’m giving this breathing room to see what develops. But if there isn’t any other evidence proving Wallace was dabbling in kiddie porn, I might have to intervene.”
“You’d do that?”
“I would indeed,” I stated firmly. I wasn’t going to bend.
“Fuck!” she cried. Springing to her feet, she started pacing. “It’s okay. What you’re saying is okay because I already found something.”
Sitting back down, she took a couple of deep breaths.
“What’s that mean? Wait a minute. do you have a copy?”
“You better believe I made a back-up of his entire hard drive! Think I’d leave it to those assholes?”
“The Creston police and FBI are not assholes.”
“Says you. But then, you’re one of them.”
“Then why are you here?” I was starting to get hot under the collar. It didn’t matter that my t-shirt didn’t have one.
“I’m here because … because you’re a friend. And I did lie. Not only about the links, but about what I just said. You’re nothing like them. You’re trying to be fair and that’s different than not listening.”
I let it go at that. Mike was my friend and I wanted to keep it that way. Now that she knew what I was going to do, she could act accordingly. If I did have to go to Wolfie, it wouldn’t be behind her back.
“Is that why you came by?” I asked.
“No, it’s to say goodbye. I bought that ticket again. The one to Tokyo.”
“Can’t stay away from Candy, huh?”
“It’s not that I can’t stay away. It’s that I think something bad is going down.”
“How do you figure?”
“From the things she’s saying. The gig started out with legitimate modeling, but now she’s having to meet men. She’s invited to this party that she’s required to attend.”
“Might be nothing. Clients like to schmooze.”
“I got a feeling.”
“Oh, Christ, here we go again!” I teased.
“You can mock me all you like, but I know,” she responded, tapping two fingers against the ribs housing her heart.
“You’re never wrong?” I queried.
“Not about things like this.”
CHAPTER 34
With Hank no longer skulking around, I spent the days at Marge’s. She’d passed my name around to a friend who wanted her husband followed. Seems Mrs. Clauson was suspicious of his frequent business trips. Sounded like the Lampreys all over again.
I took the case. It meant solid money in my pocket for very little work. It still left my days open, and I took advantage by joining a tennis club. My backhand was pretty rusty, but my knees didn’t give out. For that, I was grateful.
There’s that school of thought that says we make our future. So whether you believe I set things into motion by resuming the game of tennis or whether you think it dropped out of the sky, I received an unexpected invitation from Janice Armstrong.
We ran into one another at the local market. I was dressed in my Wimbledon attire while she was nattily outfitted in designer yogawear. We chitchatted for a while. She was fascinated by the subject of Hank, as were most of the people in our neighborhood. The talk culminated in her inviting me to her country club so I could check out their courts. I took her up on it. I figured it was the only way I’d ever see the inside of Quest Pines.
I met her there on Saturday morning. As it happens, so did her friend Victoria Marshall. The song “Pretty Woman” must have been written about her. Not a fool, well, at least not that way, I scored her number, setting up a dinner date for the following weekend. I was looking forward to seeing her, but there was a little trip to Cali that came first.
I caught the red-eye on Monday night. I arrived in the northern part of my home state, I rented a car and drove to The Abyssinian. When I finally reached the remote destination, the first gander was awe-inspiring. The stately stucco was impressive as hell. Its iron porticos and grounds that ran forever tickled my fancy to no end. I unloaded my two bags out of the front seat of my car. Need I say that a valet took care of the rest?
I checked in at the front desk. A concierge that looked like Dee Wallace Stone handled the formality like a pro. Not that I would have minded it taking a little longer since I’d had a crush on that actress ever since seeing her turn into a hot-looking werewolf.
It was with trepidation that I entered 311, a bellboy leading the way. I crossed his palm with a bill whose denomination I didn’t confirm. If it was more than twenty dollars, so be it. It was only making up for the people that stiffed him.
I remembered Jeffrey’s comment about the room having changed, but I had no idea how. Yes, I did. It was partly the bed. This one had a tufted headboard with no paint to be found. I stared at the mattress, wondering if
this was where Ruth had lain. I had no idea if the entire bed was swapped out or only the framing. I opted for the whole thing having been replaced. It would make sleep so much easier
I kicked around the suite, but it didn’t take long to realize that this was a mistake. There was nothing I was going to learn here. I’d made another blunder. Would I never learn?
My muscles were tight from the cramp quarters on the plane, so I treated myself to a quick shower. With the day in front of me, I hit the hotel’s eatery, cursing myself for being hoodwinked by Dr. Shadows again. That phantom was costing me money I didn’t have.
The restaurant was a grand affair. Big as a ballroom, a few guests sat munching on their vittles while I sat alone—but not for long. A tall, willowy woodland creature sat beside me. She must have been born in some fantasy land. Either that or I’d forgotten just how beautiful the girls in California were.
“Hi, I’m Sophia.”
She had a smoky voice, bedroom eyes, and a smile that said, “Come get me.” I’d be glad to. Just let me get my tongue outta the way before I trip over it.
“I’m Curt. Nice to meet you, Sophia.”
“I haven’t seen you here before,” she continued, tossing that mane of redliciousness back off her face. The glossy mass slipped down like a veil.
“That would be because I’ve never been. I take it you’re a regular?” The waiter deposited a large tumbler of freshly squeezed OJ in front of me. “Can I order you something?”
“I’ve already eaten,” she replied, patting her flat stomach as if to prove something. I would have taken her word. “But a cup of coffee would be nice.”
The waiter nodded, hurrying off to get the vixen her caffeine fix. Me? I sat and stared into those emerald eyes that didn’t look real.
“Yes, I’m here quite often,” the girl with the foxlike smile continued. “I live in LA, but it gets to be too much. So I come here to unwind. They have nature trails, you know.”
“Yes, I noticed on the website. So what do you do down in the City of Lost Angels?”
“I’m in movies.”
“An actress?”
“No, producer. It pays more,” she responded with a chuckle. The waiter served our coffee, along with two over easy.
“It’s probably easier in the long run. At least you don’t have to obsess over your stellar good looks.”
“Oh, no! That remains the same. Everyone is expected to keep up appearances. Wouldn’t want the plastic surgeons to starve,” she replied with an evil snicker.
“I guess not,” I responded, going with the flow.
“And what keeps you occupied and paying for vacations at The Abyssinian?”
“Dog walking,” I answered without a grin. Telling the truth never got anyone anywhere. Trust me on that.
“I had no idea it paid that well. I do have a dog and he does need walking—”
“I’m afraid I work out of Pennsylvania. Kind of a long commute.”
“I could make it worth your while,” she teased, her foot tracing the planes of my shin.
“I’ll bet you could do just about anything you set your mind to doing—including driving a man half insane. I take it you’re not married?”
“Does it matter?”
“Hell, no. Just being polite.”
My humor was doing its job in amusing her. It had been a while, but maybe I was back in the game. Two nibbles in one week. I reminded myself the only reason I was here was because of Ruthie. No, that wasn’t true. It was because of her murder.
“So will you join me for some bareback riding?”
“Excuse me?” I queried, polishing off the last of my toast. That meal was damn fine. I was going to enjoy it here.
“Horses. I’m talking horses. There are tons of trails and places to get lost for a week or two. You must have seen that on the website too.”
I patted my lips, dropping the napkin back in my lap.
“Yeah, now that you mention it. Something about this being the ideal honeymoon location for couples wanting to blow through their trust funds and not leave anything for posterity.”
“You’re a funny man.”
“And you are one beautiful lady.”
With that, I reached forward and kissed the back of her hand. It might not be the best move, but at least it was mine.
CHAPTER 35
Sophia and I rented a couple of horses and were on our way up the bunny trail in no time at all. While her steed was breathing fire and brimstone out its nostrils, mine was something out of a kiddypark. It was no problem for me. I let Sophia and Satan gallop on ahead, while Thumbelina and I caught up at a leisurely pace.
An hour into things, Sophia led me to a glade fashioned out of fairy dust. Satan was winded, so we decided to rest and feed our horses by a stream. Tying them up to a fallen log, Sophia and I snuggled together on a patch of green. I was only expecting to talk, but Sophia turned out to be a wild child. Before I knew it, she went down on me.
Oral sex was always good, but this was life changing. I hoped she didn’t mistake me for someone important. If she did, she might be thinking that the favor would get her somewhere. It was enough to make me feel guilty—not enough to stop her, you understand. Just enough to be regretful about her wasting all that suction.
When she was finished, she hopped on her stallion and took off without a backward glance. I was beginning to believe I’d imagined the whole thing. I untied my large white mare. Prodding her with my heels, I tried to remember my way back.
I wasn’t doing such a good job of remembering. Thumbelina knew it and so did I, but someone once told me about horses always knowing their way home. So I gave her the lead and my little lady did the rest.
I dropped the old gal at the barn, noting that Satan was already there and being cooled down. It left the question of where my sprite had gone to and whether I’d get to return the favor. One can always hope.
I crossed the grounds, spotting an altercation in the distance. A man was on the other side of the gated boundary. Two security officers were accosting him, trying to confiscate his camera. I trotted on over to see what the commotion was.
“Hey, you have no right to be taking my camera!” the man protested. The two guards ignored him, taking out the memory card and giving him back the not-that-expensive equipment.
“We can if you’ve been taking pictures, Mr. Blanchard. You know the rules. We tell them to you every other day. No photos of our guests allowed. That goes for on or off our property.”
As the taller of the two read the riot act, Blanchard continued to go ballistic, even tossing his brown fishing hat to the ground.
“No! You have no legal right to prevent anything taking place off your property! And I’m on the other side of the fence, you goddamned jackasses!”
“Easy, easy,” the shorter one admonished before nodding to me.
“What’s going on?” I inquired.
“Nothing that concerns you. Mr. Blanchard was just leaving.”
With that, the two turned, making their way slowly across the lawn.
“NO, I’M NOT GOING ANYWHERE!” Blanchard screamed.
“Why are you taking pictures, anyway?”
You have to understand that I asked that before I remembered Sophia. Maybe the man had taste.
“Like I’d explain anything to one of you!” he huffed.
“One of who?”
“THEM!” he shrieked. “You are a guest, aren’t you?”
“Yes,” I replied.
“Think I don’t know what that makes you?” he responded. He started to laugh hysterically. I feared for him being left alone with sharp instruments.
“Um, no. What?” He snorted air like a commuter train. What was it with this guy? All accusations with no explanations? It’s like a sandwich with no bread. And no, I’m not picking up meat wrapped in a lettuce leaf. “Look, it’s my first time here.”
He squinted, backing away.
With the camera slung around his neck, he was good to go.
“Oh, aren’t you the clever one! You’re trying to get me to tell you what I know! Well, I’ll tell you what I know! I know enough to bring an extra storage disk and to make a fuss when the blank one is taken!” Smiling triumphantly, he dug out the memory card containing what I guessed was the guests’ ugly mugs from his back pocket. “SUCKERS!”
Darting towards his car at the speed of light, the maniacal laugh never ceased.
CHAPTER 36
I spent the afternoon kicking around. Lounging by the pool, I got in a few sets of tennis with some other guests. I asked if they knew a Ruth Warwick, but no cigar.
My eyes were on the lookout for a blazing hot chick named Sophia. She was a no show, so I showered and changed. I figured if worse came to worse, I could always sit with the Chandlers. They were a couple that had exchanged volleys with me.
I did seek out the Chandlers’ company. We ate our way through about five courses. They told me about themselves, while I made up enough lies to satisfy their curiosity. I’d been with Ruthie long enough to know how the other half lives and could supply the answers they wanted to hear. I’d finished my chocolate mousse when music started to play. A small orchestra appeared out of nowhere. I was stunned at how pleasant dinner could be.
“It happens every night, young man,” Percy stated. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, Miriam would like to dance.”
He led her to the center of a dance floor. I’d been wondering why the spot was cleared. Duh.
“He’s right, you know.”
I would have recognized her anywhere. Even without those luscious breasts pressed into the back of my head. Leaning down, my fallen angel gave me a kiss.
“How the hell have you been?” I greeted as she slid into Miriam’s empty chair.
“About as well as could be expected,” she replied, rubbing my hand.
“What did you mean ‘he’s right’?”
“I meant Percy when he said, ‘It happens every night.’ It could for you, too, if you play your cards right.” That smirk was back, her dress sliding up, her leg starting to swing. “I could make you a happy man.”
Her finger traced my lips. I wanted to take her right then and there. Throw her on the table and have at her.
“You already did,” I admitted.
“Did I now? That’s good to hear.”
“Yeah, well it was even better on my end of things, but I want to reciprocate if I can.”
Savage Summer Page 14
