Tuesday morning, I called Robin1, got her machine, hung up.
In my office, a dusty stack of psych journals beckoned2. A twenty-pagetreatise on the eye-blink reflex in schizophrenic Hooded3 rats lowered myeyelids.
I went down to the pond and fed the koi. For fish, they’re smart, havelearned to swarm4 the moment I come down the stairs. It’s nice to be wanted.
Warm air and sloshing water put me under again. The next thing I saw was Milo’s big face crowding my visual field.
Smile as wide as a continent. Scariest clown in the known world. I mumbledsome kind of greeting.
“What’s with you?” he said. “Snoozing midday like a codger?”
“What time is it?”
He told me. An hour had vanished. “What’s next, white shoes and dinner atfour?”
“Robin naps.”
“Robin has a real job.”
I got to my feet and yawned. The fish sped toward me. Milohummed the theme from Jaws5. In his hand was a folder6. Unmistakable shade ofblue.
“A new one?” I said.
Instead of answering, he climbed back up to the house. I cleared my head andfollowed.
He sat himself at the kitchen table, napkin tucked into his collar, dishesand utensils7 set for one. Half a dozen slices of toast, runny Vesuvius ofscrambled eggs, sixteen-ounce glass of orange juice, half emptied.
He wiped pulp8 from his lips. “Love this place. Breakfast served any time.”
“How long have you been here?”
“Long enough to rob you blind if such were my intention. Why can’t Iconvince you to lock your door?”
“No one drops in but you.”
“This isn’t a visit, it’s business.” He stabbed the egg mound9, slid the bluefolder across the table. A second file separated from the first. “Read ’em andwake.”
A pair of missing persons cases. Gaidelas, A. Gaidelas, C.
Consecutive10 case numbers.
“Two more girls?” I said. “Sisters?”
“Read.”
Andrew and Catherine Gaidelas, forty-eight and forty-five, respectively, haddisappeared two months after Tori Giacomo.
The couple, married twenty years with no children, were owners of a beautyparlor in Toledo, Ohio, called Locks of Luck. In L.A. for a springvacation, they’d been staying in Sherman Oaks with Cathy’s sister andbrother-in-law, Dr. and Mrs. Barry Palmer. On a clear, crisp Tuesday in Aprilthe Palmers went to work and the Gaidelases left to go hiking in the Malibu mountains. Theyhadn’t been seen since.
Identical report in both files. I read Catherine’s. “Doesn’t say where in Malibu.”
“Doesn’t say a lot of things. Keep going.”
The facts were sketchy12, with no apparent links to Michaela or Tori. Was Imissing something? Then I came to the final paragraph.
Subject C. Gaidelas’s sister, Susan Palmer, reports Cathy and Andy said theywere coming out to Califfor vacation but after they got there talked about staying for a while so theycould “break into acting13.” S. Palmer reports her sister did some “modeling and theater” after high school and used to talk about becoming an actress. A.Gaidelas didn’t have acting experience but everyone back home thought he was ahandsome guy who “looked like Dennis Quaid.” S. Palmer reports Andy and Cathywere tired of running a beauty parlor11 and didn’t like the cold weather in Ohio. Cathy said shethought they could get some commercials because they looked “all-American.” Shealso talked about “getting serious and taking acting lessons” and S. Palmerthinks Cathy contacted some acting schools but doesn’t know which ones.
At the rear were two color head-shots.
Cathy and Andy Gaidelas were both fair-haired and blue-eyed with disarmingsmiles. Cathy had posed in a sleeveless black dress trimmed with rhinestonesand matching pendant earrings14. Full-faced, with plump shoulders, she had teasedplatinum hair, a strong chin, a thin, straight nose.
Her husband was a tousled gray-blond, long-faced and craggy in a whitebutton-down shirt that exposed curls of pale chest hair. I supposed hisoff-kilter grin had a Dennis Quaid charm. Any other similarities to the actoreluded me.
All-American couple well into middle age. They might qualify for Mom and Dadparts on commercials. Pitches for dog food, TV dinners, garbage bags…
I shut the file.
Milo said, “Wannabe stars and now they’regone. Am I reaching?”
“How’d you come across it?”
“Checking out other MP cases with either an acting connection or a Malibu link. As usual,the computer flagged nothing, but a sheriff’s detective remembered theGaidelases as would-be thespians15. In his mind, no homicide, two adultsrabbiting. I reached the brother-in-law, plastic surgeon. The Gaidelases arestill missing, family got fed up with the sheriffs, tried the P.I. route, wentthrough three investigators16. The first two gave them zilch, the third turned upthe fact that the Gaidelases’ rental17 car had showed up five weeks after thedisappearance, sent them a big bill and said that’s all she could do.”
“The sheriffs never thought to tell the family about the car?”
“Venturapolice auto-recovery case, sheriffs weren’t even aware of it.”
“Where was it found?”
“Camarillo.One of the parking lots at that big discount shopping outlet18 they’ve gotthere.”
“Huge place,” I said.
“You shop there?”
Twice. With Allison. Waiting as she tried on outfits19 at Ralph Lauren andVersace. “Five weeks and no one noticed the car?”
He said, “For all we know, it was stashed20 somewhere and moved. TheGaidelases’ rental contract was for two weeks and when they didn’t return it,the company started phoning the number on the form, got no answer. When thecompany tried to bill for late charges, they found out the Gaidelases’ creditcard and cell phone had been canceled the day after they disappeared. Companykept tacking21 on fees at a usurious rate of interest. The bill compoundedseriously and after thirty days, the debt got assigned to a collection agency.The agency found out the Gaidelases’ number in Ohio, got another disconnect. What’s itsound like to you?”
“A skip.”
“Ten points. Anyway, a lien22 got put on the Gaidelases’ assets, screwed uptheir credit rating. Private Sleuth Number Three pulled a credit check and backtraced. The Palmers say no way the Gaidelases skipped, the two of them werehyped up about making it as actors, loved California.”
“Did the car get checked for evidence?”
He shook his head. “No reason to check a recovered rental. By now, no oneknows where it is. Probably put up for auction23 and shipped to Mexico.”
“The Camarillo outlet’s miles up the coastfrom Malibu,” Isaid. “The Gaidelases could’ve gone hiking and followed up with a shoppingtrip—duds for auditions24. Or they never got out of the hills.”
“Shopping’s unlikely, Alex. The last credit card purchase they made beforethe account was canceled was lunch at an Italian place in Pacific Palisades theday before. My vote’s for a nature walk turned nasty. Couple of touristsdigging the view, never figuring on a predator25.”
He pushed eggs around his plate. “Never liked nature. Think it’s worthpursuing?”
“Malibu anda possible acting school link say it needs to be.”
“Dr. Palmer said he’d ask his wife if she was willing to talk. Two minuteslater, Dr. Susan Palmer’s secretary phones, says the sooner the better. Susan’sgot a dental practice in Brentwood. I’mmeeting her for coffee in forty minutes. Let me finish my breakfast. Am Iexpected to wash my own dishes?”
Dr. Susan Palmer was a thinner, plainer version of her sister. More subduedshade of blond in her short, layered hair, true-blue eyes, a frame that lookedtoo meager26 for her wide face. She wore a ribbed white silk turtleneck, navyslacks, blue suede27 loafers with golden buckles28. Worry lines framed the eyes andtugged at her mouth.
We were in a Mocha Merchant on San Vicente, in the heart of Brentwood. Sleek29 people ordered complex six-dollar lattesand pastries30 the size of an infant’s head. Reproductions of antique coffeegrinders hung from cedar-paneled walls. Smooth jazz alternated with Peruvianflute on tape-loop. The scorched31 smell of overdone32 beans bittered the air.
Susan Palmer had ordered a “half-caf iced Sumatran Vanilla33 Blendinesse, partsoy, part whole milk, make sure it’s whole, not low-fat.”
My request for a “medium coffee” had confused the kid behind the counter.
I scanned the menu board. “Brew of the day, extra-hot, Medio.”
Milo said, “The same.”
The kid looked as if he’d been cheated out of something.
We brought our drinks to the pine table Susan Palmer had selected at thefront of the coffeehouse.
Milo said, “Thanks for meeting with us, Doctor.”
Palmer looked down at her iced drink and stirred. “I should thankyou—finally someone’s interested.”
Her smile was abrupt34 and obligatory35. Her hands looked strong. Scrubbed pink,the nails trimmed close and smooth. Dentist’s hands.
“Happy to listen, ma’am.”
“Lieutenant36, I’ve come to accept that Cathy and Andy are dead. Maybe thatsounds terrible, but after all this time, there’s no other logical explanation.I know about the credit card cancellation37 and the utilities back in Toledo, but you have tobelieve me: Cathy and Andy did not run away to start a new life. No way wouldthey do that, it’s not in either of their characters.” She sighed. “Cathy wouldhave no idea where to run.”
“Why’s that, Doctor?”
“My sister was the sweetest person. But unsophisticated.”
“Escape isn’t always sophisticated, Dr. Palmer.”
“Escape would be beyond Cathy. And Andy.” More stirring. The beigeconcoction foamed38 unpleasantly. “Let me give you some family background. Ourparents are retired39 professors. Dad taught anatomy40 at the Medical College ofOhio and Mom taught English at the University of Toledo. My brother,Eric, is an M.D.-Ph.D. doing bioengineering research at Rockefeller U.,and I’m a cosmetic41 orthodontist.”
Another sigh. “Cathy barely made it out of high school.”
“Not a student,” I said.
“Cathy had what I now realize were learning disabilities and with that cameall the self-esteem issues you’d expect. Back then we just thought she was…notas sharp as the rest of us. We didn’t mistreat her, just the opposite, wecoddled her. She and I had a great relationship, we never fought. She’s twoyears older but I always felt like the big sister. Everyone in the family wasloving and kind but there was this…Cathy had to feel it. Way too much sympathy.When she announced her plans to learn to be a cosmetologist, our parents madesuch a big deal you’d think she’d gotten into Harvard.”
She tasted her drink, nudged the cup a few inches away. “Mom and Dad are notebullient people. When my brother did get into Harvard, their reaction was low-key.Cathy had to know she was being patronized.”
Milo said, “She and her husband ran abusiness. In terms of her ability to plan—”
Susan Palmer moved her head rapidly, more quiver than shake. “In any otherfamily, Cathy would’ve been able to think of herself as successful. But inours…the business came about after a long…how can I say this…Cathy got intodifficulties. When she was younger.”
“Teenage difficulties?” said Milo.
“Cathy had an extended adolescence42. Drugs, drinking, hanging with the wrongcrowd. Eight years after high school she still lived at home and did nothingbut sleep late and party. A couple of times, she ended up in the E.R. That’swhy my parents were thrilled when she went to beauty school. That’s where shemet Andy. Perfect match.”
“Andy wasn’t a student, either?” said Milo.
“Andy also struggled through high school,” said Susan Palmer. “He’s niceenough—nice to Cathy, that’s what’s important. They both got jobs as stylistsat local salons43. But their incomes never progressed much and after ten years,they were still living in a cruddy little apartment. So we set them up. Barryand I, my brother and his wife, Mom and Dad. We found an old commercialbuilding, renovated44 it, bought beauty equipment. Officially it was a loan butno one’s ever discussed repayment45.”
“Locks of Luck,” I said.
“Corny, no? That was Andy’s inspiration.”
“They make money?” said Milo.
“The last few years they were turning a small profit. Mom and Dad stillhelping out.”
“Mom and Dad are in Toledo?”
“Geographically in Toledo.Psychologically in Denial.”
“They think Cathy and Andy are alive.”
“I’m sure sometimes they even believe it,” said Susan Palmer. “Othertimes…let’s just say it’s been tough. Mom’s health has deteriorated47 and Dad’saged terribly. If you could learn anything, you’d be helping46 some really nicepeople.”
Milo said, “Do you have any theories aboutwhat happened?”
“The only one that makes sense is that Cathy and Andy went hiking and metsome psycho.” Susan Palmer shut and opened her eyes. “I can only imagine. I don’twant to imagine.”
“The morning they went hiking, did anything unusual occur?”
“No, it was just a regular morning. Barry and I both had a full day ofpatients, we were really rushed. Cathy and Andy were just waking up when wewere about to leave. All excited about exploring nature. Barry and I were sohurried, we didn’t pay much attention.” Her eyes misted. “How could I know itwould be the last time I’d see my sister?”
She tasted her drink. “I Specifically said whole milk, this is low -fat.Idiots. ”
Milo said, “I’ll get you another.”
“Forget it,” she snapped. On the brink48 of tears. Her face softened49. “No,thanks, Lieutenant. What else can I tell you?”
“Did Cathy and Andy mention where in Malibuthey were headed?”
“Barry and I thought they’d enjoy the ocean, but they had a Triple-A bookand wanted to hike somewhere at the top of Kanan Dume Road.”
“Where atop Kanan Dume?”
“I couldn’t tell you,” said Susan Palmer. “I just remember them showing us amap in the book. It looked pretty curvy but that’s what they wanted. We toldthe sheriffs all this and they said they drove up and checked the area.Frankly50, I don’t trust them, they never took us seriously. Barry and I havespent hours driving all over land-side Malibu.”She exhaled51. “So much space.”
I said, “Their car was found around twenty-five miles north of Kanan Dume.”
“Which is why I’ve come to believe whatever happened was up in the hills. Ithad to be that way, right? Why else would someone cancel Cathy and Andy’scredit card if they weren’t trying to cover up something terrible? Same forditching the car. It was to throw us off the trail.”
“Were Cathy and Andy aware of the discount outlets52?”
“We never told them about it, but maybe from the Triple-A book.” She placedboth elbows on the table. “My sister and brother-in-law were simple, directpeople. If they said they were going hiking up in Malibu,they went hiking up in Malibu.No way would they just disappear and go off on some crazy adventure.”
“They did have one fantasy,” I said.
“What do you mean?”
“Acting.”
“That,” she said. “During those eight years after high school Cathy managedto convince herself she was going to be an actress. Or a model, depending onwhat day it was. Not that she ever did anything to pursue those goals beyondreading fan magazines. My mother knew the owner of Dillman’s department storeand they gave Cathy a runway job modeling spring fashions. Cathy’s pretty, whenshe was young she was gorgeous. But by that time a few years older and notexactly anorexic.”
She sniffed53 and held her breath for several seconds. “I flew out to attendthe show. Mom and I sat in the front row and we both bought clothing we didn’tneed. The following spring, Dillman’s didn’t ask Cathy back.”
“How’d she react?” I said.
“She didn’t. Which was Cathy’s way, she’d just take every bit of indignityas if she deserved to be disappointed. We all hated when Cathy gotdisappointed. That’s why Mom encouraged her to take some acting lessons. AdultEd at the community center, musical revivals54, that kind of thing. Mom wanted Cathyengaged in something and Cathy finally agreed. She seemed to be having a goodtime. Then she stopped and announced she was going to become a cosmetologist.That’s why Barry and I were shocked when she and Andy got here and announcedthey’d come to pursue acting.”
“Was it Andy’s dream, as well?”
“It was Cathy’s dream but Andy got with the program, like he always did.”
Milo said, “That can make for a goodmarriage.”
“Andy and Cathy were best friends. It was almost…I don’t want to sayplatonic, but the truth is, I’ve always wondered, and so did my husband and mybrother and anyone who’s met Andy.”
“Wondered about what?”
“His being gay.”
“Because he’s a hairdresser,” said Milo.
“It’s more than that. Andy has a definite feminine side to him. He’s reallygood at clothes and decorating and cooking and that sounds prejudiced but ifyou met him, you’d understand.” She blinked. “Maybe he was one of thoseeffeminate straight men. It doesn’t matter, does it? He loved my sister. Theyadored each other.”
Milo said, “The missing persons filementioned something about acting schools.”
“It did?”
“You’re surprised, Doctor?”
“I told the sheriff that but I had no idea he actually wrote it down. Is itimportant?”
“Anything that fills in Cathy and Andy’s activities during their trip to L.A. could be important.They mention specific schools?”
“No, the only thing they talked about was tourist stuff. Disneyland,Universal City Walk, Hollywood and Vine—theywent to the Hollywood museum on Vine, the oldMax Factor building. That they loved, because of the emphasis on hair andmakeup. Andy kept talking about the Blonde Room, the Brunette Room—” Shebrightened. “Maybe they found an acting school in Hollywood. There’s bound to be some there,right?”
“More than a few.”
“I’d be willing to check, Lieutenant. I’ll call every single one.”
“I’ll do it, Dr. Palmer.”
She eyed him warily55.
“Cross my heart.”
“Sorry, it’s just…I need to relax and trust someone. I get a good feelingabout you, Lieutenant.”
Milo’s turn to blush.
“I hope I’m right,” said Susan Palmer.
收听单词发音 |
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robin
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| n.知更鸟，红襟鸟 | |
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beckoned
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| v.（用头或手的动作）示意，召唤( beckon的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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hooded
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| adj.戴头巾的；有罩盖的；颈部因肋骨运动而膨胀的 | |
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swarm
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| n.(昆虫)等一大群；vi.成群飞舞；蜂拥而入 | |
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jaws
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| n.口部；嘴 | |
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folder
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| n.纸夹，文件夹 | |
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utensils
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| 器具，用具，器皿( utensil的名词复数 )； 器物 | |
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pulp
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| n.果肉，纸浆；v.化成纸浆，除去...果肉，制成纸浆 | |
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mound
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| n.土墩，堤，小山；v.筑堤，用土堆防卫 | |
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consecutive
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| adj.连续的，联贯的，始终一贯的 | |
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parlor
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| n.店铺，营业室；会客室，客厅 | |
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sketchy
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| adj.写生的，写生风格的，概略的 | |
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acting
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| n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的 | |
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earrings
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| n.耳环( earring的名词复数 )；耳坠子 | |
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thespians
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| n.演员( thespian的名词复数 )；悲剧演员 | |
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investigators
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| n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 ) | |
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rental
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| n.租赁，出租，出租业 | |
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outlet
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| n.出口/路；销路；批发商店；通风口；发泄 | |
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outfits
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| n.全套装备( outfit的名词复数 )；一套服装；集体；组织v.装备，配置设备，供给服装( outfit的第三人称单数 ) | |
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stashed
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| v.贮藏( stash的过去式和过去分词 )；隐藏；藏匿；藏起 | |
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tacking
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| （帆船）抢风行驶，定位焊[铆]紧钉 | |
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lien
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| n.扣押权，留置权 | |
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auction
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| n.拍卖；拍卖会；vt.拍卖 | |
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auditions
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| n.（对拟做演员、歌手、乐师等人的）试听，试音( audition的名词复数 ) | |
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predator
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| n.捕食其它动物的动物；捕食者 | |
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meager
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| adj.缺乏的，不足的，瘦的 | |
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suede
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| n.表面粗糙的软皮革 | |
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buckles
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| 搭扣，扣环( buckle的名词复数 ) | |
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sleek
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| adj.光滑的，井然有序的；v.使光滑，梳拢 | |
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pastries
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| n.面粉制的糕点 | |
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scorched
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| 烧焦，烤焦( scorch的过去式和过去分词 )； 使（植物）枯萎，把…晒枯； 高速行驶； 枯焦 | |
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overdone
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| v.做得过分( overdo的过去分词 )；太夸张；把…煮得太久；（工作等）过度 | |
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vanilla
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| n.香子兰，香草 | |
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abrupt
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| adj.突然的，意外的；唐突的，鲁莽的 | |
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obligatory
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| adj.强制性的，义务的，必须的 | |
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lieutenant
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| n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员 | |
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cancellation
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| n.删除，取消 | |
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foamed
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| 泡沫的 | |
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retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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anatomy
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| n.解剖学，解剖；功能，结构，组织 | |
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cosmetic
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| n.化妆品；adj.化妆用的；装门面的；装饰性的 | |
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adolescence
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| n.青春期，青少年 | |
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salons
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| n.（营业性质的）店( salon的名词复数 )；厅；沙龙（旧时在上流社会女主人家的例行聚会或聚会场所）；（大宅中的）客厅 | |
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renovated
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| 翻新，修复，整修( renovate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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repayment
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| n.偿还，偿还款；报酬 | |
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helping
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| n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的 | |
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deteriorated
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| 恶化，变坏( deteriorate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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brink
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| n.(悬崖、河流等的)边缘，边沿 | |
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softened
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| （使）变软( soften的过去式和过去分词 )； 缓解打击； 缓和； 安慰 | |
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frankly
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| adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说 | |
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exhaled
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| v.呼出，发散出( exhale的过去式和过去分词 )；吐出（肺中的空气、烟等），呼气 | |
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52
outlets
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| n.出口( outlet的名词复数 )；经销店；插座；廉价经销店 | |
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53
sniffed
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| v.以鼻吸气，嗅，闻( sniff的过去式和过去分词 )；抽鼻子（尤指哭泣、患感冒等时出声地用鼻子吸气）；抱怨，不以为然地说 | |
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54
revivals
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| n.复活( revival的名词复数 )；再生；复兴；（老戏多年后）重新上演 | |
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warily
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| adv.留心地 | |
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