THE STORY WAS easy to find.
Shawna Teaser.
Beautiful face, heart-shaped, unlined, crowned by a tower of pale ringlets. Almond eyes, shockingly dark. Pixie chin, perfect teeth, beauty undiminished by grainy black-and-white miniaturization, the cold, metal frame of the microfiche machine, the stale air of the research library microfilm vault2.
I stared at lovely glowing shoulders exposed by a strapless gown, sparkly things dotting the bodice. The gown Shawna Yeager had worn at her coronation as Miss Olive Festival. Silly little rhinestone3 crown pinned to the luxuriant curls, happiest-girl-in-the-world grin.
The contest had taken place two years ago in her hometown, an aggie4 community east of Fallbrook named Santo Leon. Shawna Yeager held a scepter in one hand, a giant plastic olive in the other.
The Daily Cub5 article said she'd graduated fifth in her class at Santo Leon High. A single paragraph summed up her precollege history: smalltown beauty queen/honor student travels to the city to attend the U. Shawna had surprised her friends by not pledging a sorority, choosing instead to live in one of the high-rise dorms. Turning into a "study grind."
She'd majored in psychobiology, talked about premed, used her beauty contest winnings and income from a summer teacher's aide job to pay her bills. She'd been enrolled6 for only a month and a half when she left the dorm on a late October night, informing her roommate that she was heading to the library to study. At midnight the roommate, a girl named Mindy Jacobus, fell asleep. At eight A.M. Mindy woke, found Shawna's bed empty, worried a bit, went to class. When Shawna still hadn't returned by two P.M., Mindy contacted the campus police.
The unicops engaged in a comprehensive search of the U's vast terrain7, notified LAPD's West L.A. and Pacific Divisions, Beverly Hills and Santa Monica Police, and West Hollywood sheriffs of the girl's disappearance8.
No leads. The campus paper carried the story for a week. No sightings of Shawna, not even a false report. Her mother, Agnes Yeager, a widowed waitress, was driven to L.A. from Santo Leon by a representative of the chancellor's office and provided living quarters in a graduate student dorm for the duration of the search.
A Cub follow-up—still no news—said the search had lasted three weeks.
After that, nothing.
I returned to the microfilm librarian, filled out cards, obtained spools9 from the Timesand the Daily News for the corresponding dates. Shawna's disappearance merited two days of page 20 media attention, then a senator's drunken son crashed his Porsche on the 1-5, killing11 himself and two passengers, and that story took over.
I returned to the Cub spool10, wrote down the reporter's name—Adam Green—and studied Shawna Yeager's beauty contest photo some more, searched for a resemblance to Lauren.
She and Lauren did share a sculpted12, blond loveliness but nothing striking. Both A students. Psychology13 major, psycho biology major.
Both were self-supporting too, one banking14 on pageant15 money, the other, "investments." Had each been on the lookout16 for extra income? Consulted the campus classifieds and gotten involved in one of the research studies Gene17 Dalby had described?
I searched for more parallels, found none. All in all, nothing dramatic. And plenty of differences:
At nineteen Shawna had been considerably18 younger than Lauren when she disappeared. Small-town olive queen, big-city call girl. Divorced mother, widowed mother. And Shawna had vanished during the second month of the quarter, Lauren during the break. I scrolled19 to the Cub's want ads, worked backward until I came upon a boldface entry in the middle of the JOBS!! section, posted two weeks before Shawna vanished.
Tired? Listless? Inexplicably20 sad? These may be normal mood changes, or they may be signs of depression.
We are conducting clinical trials on depression and are looking for
$$ PAID $$ volunteers. You will be offered free evaluation21 and, if you qualify,
may receive experimental treatment as well as a handsome stipend22.
No address, just a phone number with a 310 area code. I copied the information, kept scrolling23, found two similar ads for the entire month, one researching phobias and featuring a different 310 listing, the other a study of "human intimacy24" that provided a 714 callback.
"Human intimacy" had a sexual flavor to it. Racy research in Orange County? Sex was commerce to Lauren. Might something like that have caught her eye?
I obtained microfiche for the last quarter, checked classified after classified. No repeat of the intimacy ad, nothing even vaguely25 similar, and the only paid-research solicitation26 was for a study on "nutrition and digestion," with a campus phone extension that meant the med school. I wrote it down anyway, left the library, headed for the Seville.
Two girls gone missing, a year apart, very little in common.
Shawna had never been found. I could only hope that Lauren's disappearance would amount to nothing at all.
I drove home trying to convince myself she'd show up tomorrow, a little richer and a lot tanner, laughing off everyone's worries.
Gene Dalby had pegged27 her at thirty, and maybe he was right about her maturity28. She'd been living on her own for years, had street smarts. So no shock if the last week came down to a quick jaunt29 to Vegas, Puerto Vallarta, even Europe—money shrinks the world.
I drove up the bridle30 path that leads to my house imagining Lauren partying with a potentate31. Then seeing the dark side of the fantasy: Those kinds of adventures can go very bad quickly.
Lauren getting herself into something she hadn't counted on.
Silly to let my mind run. I barely knew the girl.
Thcjirl. She was well past childhood. No sense obsessing32.
I'd bother Milo one more time, tell him about Shawna Yeager, receive the expected response—the logical detective's response—
Interesting, Alex, but. . .
I pulled up in front of the carport, pleased to see Robin33's Ford34 pickup35 there, ready to stop wondering about a near stranger and be with someone I cared about.
But as I parked and climbed the stairs to the front door, I wondered: What would I tell Jane Abbot?
I knew I'd say little, if anything, to Robin about my day.
Confidentiality36 protects patients. What it does to therapists' personal relationships can be interesting. Private by nature, Robin's never had a problem with my not discussing work in detail. Like most artists, she lives in her head, can do without people for long stretches of time, hates gossip.
We've had perfectly37 romantic dinners where neither of us uttered a word. Part of that's her, but I tend to drift off and ruminate38. Sometimes I feel she's not with me, and I know there are instances when she views me as inhabiting another planet.
Mostly, we connect.
I called out a "Looocey, I'm home, babaloo!" and she shouted back, "Ricky!"
She was in jeans and a black tank top, everything filling nicely as she squatted39 to fill Spike40's feed bowl and sang along with the radio. Country station, Alison Krauss and Keith Whitley doing "When You Say Nothing at All." Whitley's rich baritone exhumed41 from the grave. Technology could resurrect sound waves, but it couldn't dampen a mother's grief.
Robin finished pouring kibble, stood, and stretched to her full, barefoot five-three. No bra beneath the tank top, and when I pressed her to me her breasts spread across my shirtfront. When I kissed her, her tongue tasted of coffee. Her auburn curls were loose and longer than usual—six inches past the middle of her back. When she gets her hair done, it's a half-day, three-figure affair at a place in Beverly Hills that reeks42 of nail polish and people trying too hard. I couldn't remember the last time she'd spent the time and money. Busy with a seemingly endless flow of guitar construction and repairs. "Better than the alternative" was her comment when I remarked on her long days. A few weeks ago she'd recorded a new phone message:
"Hi, this is Robin Castagna. I'm out in the studio carving43 and gluing, would love to talk to you, however it's going to be a while before I can be polite. If you have an urgent message, please leave it in detail, but..."
We kissed some more, and Spike yelped44 in protest. He's a French bulldog, twenty-five pounds of black brindle barrel, bat ears perked45, and deceptively soft brown eyes. I'm the one who rescued him on a hot, arid46 summer day, but forget gratitude47; the moment Robin smiled at him, I came to be viewed as an annoyance48.
Keeping one hand on Robin's bottom, I set my briefcase49 on the table. Spike nudged her shin. She said, "Hold on, handsome."
"Sure," I said. "Keep feeding his ego50."
She laughed. "You ain't chopped liver either."
Spike's flat face pivoted51, and he glared at me—I can swear he understands English. His attenuated52 larynx let out a strangled growl53, and he pawed the floor.
"Tom Flews deigns54 to speak," I said.
"Don't feud56, boys," said Robin, bending to pet him. "Long day, sweetie?"
"Me or him?"
"You."
I'd thought the cheer in my voice sounded authentic57, wondered why she'd asked. "Long enough, but over."
Spike sputtered58. A twenty-one-inch neck quivered. Drool sprayed.
"I'm staying for the evening, pal1. Deal with it."
His eyes pinched at the corners as he let out a belly59 grunt60. I kissed the back of Robin's neck, as much out of spite as anything. Spike began bouncing higher than stumpy legs had any right to take him, and Robin added something from the fridge to his dinner and toted it to the service porch. His nose was buried before the dish hit the floor.
"Is that last night's Stroganoff?" I said.
"I figured we're finished with it."
"We are now."
She laughed, bent61, picked up a stray bit of meat, hand-fed it to him. Breathing hard, he plunged62 his head back into the bowl. "Bon appetit, monsieur."
"He'd prefer foie gras and a fine burgundy," I said, "but he'll condescend63."
She laced her arms around my neck. "So, what's up?"
"What shall our dinner be?"
"Haven't thought about it," she said. "Any ideas?"
"Now you're being cranky." She started to leave, but I held her back, stroked her neck, her shoulder blades, slipped my hands under the tank top and kneaded the knobs of her spine65, cupped a breast—
"Food, first," she said. "Then, maybe."
"Maybe what?"
"Fun. If you behave yourself."
"Define your terms."
"I'll define them as we go along. So what went wrong today?"
"Who says anything went wrong?"
"Your face. You're all stressed around the edges."
"Wrinkles," I said. "The aging process."
"Don't think so." Her small, fine-boned hand topped my knuckles66.
"Look," I said, stretching my lips with my thumbs and letting go. "Mr. Happy."
She said nothing. I sat there and enjoyed her face. Another heart-shaped face. Olive-tinted, set upon a long, smooth stalk, framed by the mass of curls. Straight, assertive67 nose, full lips swelled68 by a hint of over-bite, the faintest beginnings of crow's-feet and laugh lines around almond eyes the color of bittersweet chocolate.
"I'm fine," I said.
"Okay." She played with her hair.
"How was your day?"
"No one bugged69 me, so I got more done than I'd planned." Her hand finger-walked over to mine, and she began playing with my thumb. "Just tell me this, Alex: Is it one of your own cases or something Milo's gotten you into?"
"The former," I said.
"Got it," she said, zipping a finger across her lips. "So nothing dangerous. Not that I'm harping70."
"Not remotely dangerous," I said. Remembering the talk we'd had last year. After I'd role-played with a group of eugenic71 psychopaths and ended up too close to dead. The pledge I'd given her . . .
"Good," she said. "'Cause when I see you . . . burdened, I start to wonder if maybe you're feeling constrained72."
"It's just a case from the past that I might've handled better. I need to make a few phone calls, and then we can figure out dinner, okay?"
"Sure," she said.
And that's where we left it.
I went into my office, poured the contents of my briefcase onto the desk, found the numbers Gene Dalby had given me for Professors Hall and de Maartens, and dialed. Two answering machines. I left messages. Next: Adam Green, the student journalist. Information had four Adam Greens listed in the 310 area code. No sense, at this stage of the game, trying to figure out which, if any, was the kid who'd covered the Shawna Yeager story. He'd spent three weeks of his life on the story a year ago. What could he possibly have to offer?
Arranging the photocopies73 I'd made of the Daily Cub microfiches, I retrieved74 the three phone numbers accompanying the want ads. The depression and phobia study listings were out of service, and the Orange County intimacy project—I'd saved the best for last—connected to a Newport Beach pizza parlor75. In L.A. it's not just the tectonic plates that shift.
Finally, I looked up hotels and motels in Malibu and made a dozen calls. If Lauren had checked into any of the establishments, she hadn't used her real name.
One last call: Jane Abbot. That would wait till tomorrow.
No, it wouldn't. I dialed the Valley number, planning to be vague but supportive, careful not to leech76 her hope. The phone rang four times, and I rehearsed the little speech I'd deliver to her robot guardian—ah, here he was: "No one can take your call but if you care to . . ."
Beef.
"Mrs. Abbot, this is Dr. Delaware. I've talked to a police detective about Lauren. Nothing really to report, but he's been made aware of the details. I'll stay on it, get back to you the moment I learn—"
A real man's voice broke in, very soft, halting. "Yes?" I identified myself.
Long silence.
I said, "Hello?"
"This is Mr. Abbot." More of an announcement than an exchange.
"Mr. Abbot, your wife spoke77 to me recently—"
"?Mrs. Abbot," he said.
"Yes, sir. She and I—"
"This is Mr. Abbot. Mrs. Abbot isn't here.''''
"When will she be back, sir?"
Several seconds of dead air. "The house is empty. . . ."
"Your wife called me about Lauren, and I was getting back to her."
More silence.
"Her daughter, Lauren," I said. "Lauren Teague."
Still nothing.
"Mr. Abbot?"
"My wife's not here," said the frail78 voice plaintively79. "She goes out, comes back, goes out, comes back."
"Are you all right, sir?"
"I'm upstairs, trying to read. Robert Benchley—ever read Benchley? Funny as hell, but the words get small ..."
"I'll call back later, Mr. Abbot."
No reply.
"Sir?"
Click.
收听单词发音 |
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pal
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| n.朋友，伙伴，同志；vi.结为友 | |
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vault
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| n.拱形圆顶，地窖，地下室 | |
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rhinestone
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| n.水晶石，莱茵石 | |
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aggie
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| n.农校，农科大学生 | |
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cub
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| n.幼兽，年轻无经验的人 | |
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enrolled
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| adj.入学登记了的v.[亦作enrol]( enroll的过去式和过去分词 )；登记，招收，使入伍（或入会、入学等），参加，成为成员；记入名册；卷起，包起 | |
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terrain
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| n.地面，地形，地图 | |
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disappearance
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| n.消失，消散，失踪 | |
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spools
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| n.（绕线、铁线、照相软片等的）管( spool的名词复数 )；络纱；纺纱机；绕圈轴工人v.把…绕到线轴上（或从线轴上绕下来）( spool的第三人称单数 )；假脱机（输出或输入） | |
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spool
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| n.（缠录音带等的）卷盘（轴）；v.把…绕在卷轴上 | |
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killing
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| n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财 | |
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sculpted
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| adj.经雕塑的 | |
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psychology
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| n.心理，心理学，心理状态 | |
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banking
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| n.银行业，银行学，金融业 | |
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pageant
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| n.壮观的游行；露天历史剧 | |
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lookout
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| n.注意，前途，瞭望台 | |
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gene
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| n.遗传因子，基因 | |
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considerably
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| adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上 | |
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scrolled
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| adj.具有涡卷装饰的v.（电脑屏幕上）从上到下移动（资料等），卷页( scroll的过去式和过去分词 )；（似卷轴般）卷起；（像展开卷轴般地）将文字显示于屏幕 | |
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inexplicably
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| adv.无法说明地，难以理解地，令人难以理解的是 | |
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evaluation
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| n.估价，评价；赋值 | |
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stipend
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| n.薪贴；奖学金；养老金 | |
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scrolling
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| n.卷[滚]动法，上下换行v.（电脑屏幕上）从上到下移动（资料等），卷页( scroll的现在分词 )；（似卷轴般）卷起；（像展开卷轴般地）将文字显示于屏幕 | |
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24
intimacy
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| n.熟悉，亲密，密切关系，亲昵的言行 | |
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vaguely
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| adv.含糊地，暖昧地 | |
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26
solicitation
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| n.诱惑；揽货；恳切地要求；游说 | |
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pegged
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| v.用夹子或钉子固定( peg的过去式和过去分词 )；使固定在某水平 | |
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maturity
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| n.成熟；完成；(支票、债券等)到期 | |
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jaunt
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| v.短程旅游；n.游览 | |
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bridle
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| n.笼头，束缚；vt.抑制，约束；动怒 | |
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potentate
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| n.统治者；君主 | |
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obsessing
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| v.时刻困扰( obsess的现在分词 )；缠住；使痴迷；使迷恋 | |
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robin
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| n.知更鸟，红襟鸟 | |
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Ford
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| n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过 | |
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pickup
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| n.拾起，获得 | |
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confidentiality
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| n.秘而不宣，保密 | |
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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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ruminate
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| v.反刍；沉思 | |
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squatted
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| v.像动物一样蹲下( squat的过去式和过去分词 )；非法擅自占用（土地或房屋）；为获得其所有权；而占用某片公共用地。 | |
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spike
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| n.长钉，钉鞋；v.以大钉钉牢，使...失效 | |
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exhumed
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| v.挖出，发掘出( exhume的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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reeks
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| n.恶臭( reek的名词复数 )v.发出浓烈的臭气( reek的第三人称单数 )；散发臭气；发出难闻的气味 (of sth)；明显带有（令人不快或生疑的跡象） | |
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carving
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| n.雕刻品，雕花 | |
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yelped
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| v.发出短而尖的叫声( yelp的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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perked
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| （使）活跃( perk的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）增值； 使更有趣 | |
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arid
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| adj.干旱的；(土地)贫瘠的 | |
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gratitude
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| adj.感激，感谢 | |
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annoyance
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| n.恼怒，生气，烦恼 | |
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briefcase
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| n.手提箱，公事皮包 | |
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ego
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| n.自我，自己，自尊 | |
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pivoted
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| adj.转动的，回转的，装在枢轴上的v.（似）在枢轴上转动( pivot的过去式和过去分词 )；把…放在枢轴上；以…为核心，围绕（主旨）展开 | |
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52
attenuated
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| v.（使）变细( attenuate的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）变薄；（使）变小；减弱 | |
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growl
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| v.（狗等）嗥叫，（炮等）轰鸣；n.嗥叫，轰鸣 | |
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deigns
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| v.屈尊，俯就( deign的第三人称单数 ) | |
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grumble
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| vi.抱怨；咕哝；n.抱怨，牢骚；咕哝，隆隆声 | |
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feud
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| n.长期不和；世仇；v.长期争斗；世代结仇 | |
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authentic
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| a.真的，真正的；可靠的，可信的，有根据的 | |
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58
sputtered
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| v.唾沫飞溅( sputter的过去式和过去分词 )；发劈啪声；喷出；飞溅出 | |
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59
belly
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| n.肚子，腹部；(像肚子一样)鼓起的部分，膛 | |
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60
grunt
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| v.嘟哝；作呼噜声；n.呼噜声，嘟哝 | |
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bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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62
plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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63
condescend
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| v.俯就，屈尊；堕落，丢丑 | |
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64
leftovers
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| n.剩余物，残留物，剩菜 | |
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spine
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| n.脊柱，脊椎；(动植物的)刺；书脊 | |
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66
knuckles
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| n.（指人）指关节( knuckle的名词复数 )；（指动物）膝关节，踝v.（指人）指关节( knuckle的第三人称单数 )；（指动物）膝关节，踝 | |
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assertive
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| adj.果断的，自信的，有冲劲的 | |
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swelled
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| 增强( swell的过去式和过去分词 )； 肿胀； （使）凸出； 充满（激情） | |
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bugged
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| vt.在…装窃听器（bug的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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harping
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| n.反复述说 | |
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71
eugenic
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| adj.优生的 | |
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constrained
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| adj.束缚的,节制的 | |
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73
photocopies
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| n.影印本( photocopy的名词复数 )；复印件 | |
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retrieved
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| v.取回( retrieve的过去式和过去分词 )；恢复；寻回；检索（储存的信息） | |
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parlor
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| n.店铺，营业室；会客室，客厅 | |
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76
leech
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| n.水蛭，吸血鬼，榨取他人利益的人；vt.以水蛭吸血；vi.依附于别人 | |
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77
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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frail
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| adj.身体虚弱的；易损坏的 | |
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plaintively
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| adv.悲哀地，哀怨地 | |
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