Chapter 21

Milo talked to Susan Palmer for another tenminutes, easing into open-ended questions, putting pauses and silences to work.
Good technique but it didn’t produce. She talked about how much she missedher sister, lapsed¹ into exclusive past tense. When she shot to her feet, hereyes looked bruised². “Got an office full of malocclusions. Please stay intouch.”
We watched her cross the parking lot and get into a silver BMW740. Thelicense plate read: I STR8 10.
Milo said, “Her office is two blocks awaybut she drove.”
“Californiagirl,” I said. “Something her sister wanted to be.”
“Acting lessons and a hike above Kanan Dume. Can’t be coincidence. Thequestion is how do the Gaidelases figure in with a couple of pretty-face femalevictims?”
“That girl we spoke⁴ to—Briana—said Nora rejected applicants⁵ for reasonsother than talent.”
“Wanting ’em young and pretty,” he said. “Cathy and Andy were both too oldand Cathy was too fat. So what, they got turned away from the Playhouse andkilled? Talk about flunking⁶ an audition⁷.”
“Maybe their obvious vulnerability got a predator⁸ sniffing⁹.”
“Someone at the school spots ’em and stalks ’em?” He gazed out the windowand back at me.
I said, “Could be the same way Tori Giacomo was spotted¹⁰. If her ex is rightabout her dating someone, you’d think that person would’ve surfaced when shewent missing. Unless he had something to do with her death.”
“A good-looking predator. As in Meserve. What, he proposed a three-way tothe Gaidelases and the party went bad?”
“Or he just offered to help them with their careers.”
“Yeah,” he said, “that would work.”
“On the other hand,” I said, “Reynold Peaty had plenty of opportunity tocheck out the flock at the PlayHouse.”
“Him…let’s see if Sean’s seen anything.” He tried Binchy’s number, scowled,clicked off. “No connection. Maybe the cell waves are upset by environmentallyconscious mochalicious fumes¹¹.”
I said, “Nora’s attachment¹² to youth is interesting.”
“Why? That just makes her like everyone else in showbiz.”
“But she has no profit motive¹³. The school’s a make-work project, so why getpicky? Unless what she really wanted was a personal dating pool.”
“Sample the studs,” he said.
“And when they get too close, Brother Brad chases them off. Or thinks hedoes.”
“Okay, she’s a middle-aged¹⁴ horn-dog. How do the Gaidelases figure in withthat?”
“I don’t know, but when Susan Palmer was describing her family situation, Iwas struck by parallels between Cathy and Nora. Both floundered well intoadulthood. Family connections got Cathy a runway gig that she couldn’t hold onto. Nora’s got her a single sitcom¹⁵ walk-on that went nowhere. Cathy hadlong-standing drug problems. Nora smokes dope to get her day going. Eventually,both women were set up in business. Cathy’s salon¹⁶ had been making a profitrecently. Meaning it lost money for years. The Dowd family fortune has relievedNora from any financial pressure, but bottom line, we’ve got a couple ofprodigal daughters. Maybe Cathy showing up at the PlayHouse evoked¹⁷ something inNora that Nora didn’t want to see.”
“Cathy’s too much like her, so she kills her? That’s a little abstract,Alex. Why would Nora even know about Cathy’s history if she turned her away?”
“What if Cathy did have a chance to audition?” I said. “Nora’s a big one foropening the soul.”
“Cathy emoted and it made Nora squirm? Fine, but I don’t see flashpointepiphany as a motive for murder. All Nora has to do is send her and Andy awayand move on to the next stud. And if uncomfortable memories are the issue, howdoes Michaela fit in? Or Tori Giacomo who disappeared before the Gaidelases?This feels more like a sexual thing, Alex. Just what you said: Some psychopathscopes out the herd¹⁸ and picks off the weak ones. Cathy may have been over thehill for a starlet, but she wasn’t a bad-looking woman. To a guy like Peaty shecoulda looked downright sexy, no?”
“Peaty was caught peeping at college girls. Michaela and Tori would fit,but—”
“Cathy wouldn’t. So maybe he’s not as limited as that oafish¹⁹ demeanorsuggests. Or Cathy set something off—fond memories of a barroom floozy whorejected him back in Reno.Hell, maybe Cathy reminded him of his mother and he snapped. You guys stillbelieve in the Oedipal thing?”
“It has its place.”
“No telling what goes on in the old cranio, right?” He got up and paced. “Ifit’s a sexual thing, there could be more victims out there. But let’sconcentrate on the victims we know about. What they have in common is actingschool and/or the Malibuhills.”
“One person with links to both is Meserve,” I said. “He picked Latigo forhis hoax²⁰ allegedly because he’d hiked up there. Nora was angry at the hoax, butinstead of kicking him out, she promoted him. Maybe she wasn’t clueless afterall.”
“Dylan and Nora planned the hoax together? Why?”
“The real performance game. Two failed actors writing a script. Discardingthe bit players—that sounds like Hollywood.”
“Nora choreographs²¹, Meserve acts it out.”
“Nora directs. It’s what everyone in the industry aims for.”
 
--- oOo ---
 
The coffeehouse got warmer and noisier as every table filled. Sleek²² peoplebegan milling at the entrance. Lots of peeved²³ glances aimed our way.
Milo hooked his finger and we left. A womanmuttered, “Finally.”
We drove to the station and ran into Sean Binchy exiting Milo’soffice. Binchy’s Doc Martens gleamed as shiny as his rusty²⁴, gelled hair.
“Hey, Loot. I just took a call for you.”
“I tried to call you, ” said Milo.“Anything new on Peaty?”
Binchy beamed. “We can arrest him if you want. Driving without a license³.”
“He has a car?”
“Red Datsun minivan, old and messed-up looking. He parks it on the street,three blocks from his apartment. Which shows intent to conceal²⁵, right? Theplates are inactive, originally came from a Chrysler sedan that was supposed tobe junked ten years ago. Your basic little old lady from Pasadena. Literally²⁶, Loot. And guess what,that’s exactly where Peaty drove this morning. Ten East to the 110 North, offat Arroyo²⁷ Parkway,and then he took surface streets.”
“Where?”
“Apartment building on the east side of town. He pulled mops and cleaningstuff out of the van and went in there to work. I tried to call you but yourcell wasn’t receiving.”
“Designer coffee messed up the air,” said Milo.
“Pardon?”
“Go back to Peaty’s tonight, Sean. See if you can get a VIN number from thevan and trace it.”
“Sure,” said Binchy. “Did I do wrong by terminating the surveillance, Loot?There were a few things I needed to do back here.”
“Like what?” said Milo.
Sean shifted his weight. “Captain called me in yesterday, I’ve been wantingto tell you. He wants me to work a new case with Hal Prinski, liquor storerobbery and pistol-whipping on Sepulveda. Robberies aren’t my thing but Captainsays I need breadth of experience. I’m not sure what Detective Prinski willwant from me. All I can say is I’ll do my best to get back to Peaty.”
“Appreciate it, Sean.”
“I’m really sorry, Loot, if it was up to me, I’d be doing nothing but yourstuff. Your stuff’s interesting.” He shrugged²⁸. “That illegal car buttressesPeaty being lowlife.”
“Buttresses²⁹,” said Milo.
Binchy’s freckles³⁰ receded³¹ as the skin behind them deepened. “New word a day.Tasha’s idea. She read somewhere the brain starts deteriorating³² afterpuberty—like we’re all rotting, you know? She’s into crosswords³³, word games, tostay mentally challenged. To me, reading the Bible’s plenty challenging.”
Milo said, “The van buttresses, Sean. Ifyou can’t spend any more time on Peaty, don’t sweat it but let me know rightaway.”
“For sure. About that call, the one that just came in? It’s related toPeaty, too. Individual named Bradley Dowd. Name’s in the Michaela Brand file.He’s Peaty’s boss.”
“What’d he want?”
“Wouldn’t say, just that it might be important. He sounded real rushed,wouldn’t talk to me, only you. The number he left’s a cell, not in the file.”
“Where is it?”
“Next to your computer. Which I noticed was turned off.”
“So?”
“Well,” said Binchy, “I don’t want to tell you how to operate, but sometimesit’s better to just leave it on all the time, especially with an outmodedmachine. ’Cause booting up by itself can cause power surges and—”
Milo edged past him. Slammed his door.
“—drain energy.” Binchy smiled at me.
I said, “He’s had a busy day.”
“He usually does, Dr. Delaware.”Shooting a French cuff³⁴, Binchy examined a bright orange Swatch watch. “Whoa,noon already. All of a sudden, I got a burrito Jones. Hello, vending³⁵ machine.Have a nice day, Doc.”
I opened Milo’s door, nearly collided withhim as he stormed out. He kept walking and I hurried to keep pace.
“Where to?”
“The PlayHouse. Just got a call from Brad Dowd. He’s got something to showus. Talking fast but he didn’t sound rushed to me. More like scared.”
“He say why?”
“Something about Nora. I asked if she was hurt and he said no, then he hungup. I figured I’d wait till we were face-to-face before applying my powers ofdetection.”

1 lapsed   

adj.流失的，堕落的v.退步( lapse的过去式和过去分词 )；陷入；倒退；丧失

参考例句：

• He had lapsed into unconsciousness. 他陷入了昏迷状态。
• He soon lapsed into his previous bad habits. 他很快陷入以前的恶习中去。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 bruised   

[医]青肿的，瘀紫的

参考例句：

• his bruised and bloodied nose 他沾满血的青肿的鼻子
• She had slipped and badly bruised her face. 她滑了一跤，摔得鼻青脸肿。

3 license   

n.执照，许可证，特许；v.许可，特许

参考例句：

• The foreign guest has a license on the person.这个外国客人随身携带执照。
• The driver was arrested for having false license plates on his car.司机由于使用假车牌而被捕。

4 spoke   

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

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

5 applicants   

申请人，求职人( applicant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There were over 500 applicants for the job. 有500多人申请这份工作。
• He was impressed by the high calibre of applicants for the job. 求职人员出色的能力给他留下了深刻印象。

6 flunking   

v.( flunk的现在分词 )；（使）（考试、某学科的成绩等）不及格；评定（某人）不及格；（因不及格而） 退学

参考例句：

• Is there some school of the ear I'm flunking out off right now? 我是不是被什么听力学校淘汰了？ 来自电影对白
• Twelve freshman footballers were flunking classes and had to leave. 当时有12名高中一年级的美式足球（即橄榄球）队员没有通过考试而不得不离开。 来自互联网

7 audition   

n.(对志愿艺人等的)面试(指试读、试唱等)

参考例句：

• I'm going to the audition but I don't expect I'll get a part.我去试音，可并不指望会给我个角色演出。
• At first,they said he was too young,but later they called him for an audition.起初，他们说他太小，但后来他们叫他去试听。

8 predator   

n.捕食其它动物的动物；捕食者

参考例句：

• The final part of this chapter was devoted to a brief summary of predator species.本章最后部分简要总结了食肉动物。
• Komodo dragon is the largest living lizard and a fearsome predator.科摩多龙是目前存在的最大蜥蜴，它是一种令人恐惧的捕食性动物。

9 sniffing   

n.探查法v.以鼻吸气，嗅，闻( sniff的现在分词 )；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

参考例句：

• We all had colds and couldn't stop sniffing and sneezing. 我们都感冒了，一个劲地抽鼻子，打喷嚏。
• They all had colds and were sniffing and sneezing. 他们都伤风了，呼呼喘气而且打喷嚏。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

10 spotted   

adj.有斑点的，斑纹的，弄污了的

参考例句：

• The milkman selected the spotted cows,from among a herd of two hundred.牛奶商从一群200头牛中选出有斑点的牛。
• Sam's shop stocks short spotted socks.山姆的商店屯积了有斑点的短袜。

11 fumes   

n.(强烈而刺激的)气味，气体

参考例句：

• The health of our children is being endangered by exhaust fumes. 我们孩子们的健康正受到排放出的废气的损害。
• Exhaust fumes are bad for your health. 废气对健康有害。

12 attachment   

n.附属物，附件；依恋；依附

参考例句：

• She has a great attachment to her sister.她十分依恋她的姐姐。
• She's on attachment to the Ministry of Defense.她现在隶属于国防部。

13 motive   

n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的

参考例句：

• The police could not find a motive for the murder.警察不能找到谋杀的动机。
• He had some motive in telling this fable.他讲这寓言故事是有用意的。

14 middle-aged   

adj.中年的

参考例句：

• I noticed two middle-aged passengers.我注意到两个中年乘客。
• The new skin balm was welcome by middle-aged women.这种新护肤香膏受到了中年妇女的欢迎。

15 sitcom   

n.情景喜剧，（广播、电视的）系列幽默剧

参考例句：

• This sitcom is produced in cooperation with Hong Kong TV.这部连续剧是同香港电视台联合制作的。
• I heard that a new sitcom is coming out next season.我听说下一季会推出一个新的情境喜剧。

16 salon   

n.[法]沙龙；客厅；营业性的高级服务室

参考例句：

• Do you go to the hairdresser or beauty salon more than twice a week?你每周去美容院或美容沙龙多过两次吗？
• You can hear a lot of dirt at a salon.你在沙龙上会听到很多流言蜚语。

17 evoked   

[医]诱发的

参考例句：

• The music evoked memories of her youth. 这乐曲勾起了她对青年时代的回忆。
• Her face, though sad, still evoked a feeling of serenity. 她的脸色虽然悲伤，但仍使人感觉安详。

18 herd   

n.兽群，牧群；vt.使集中，把…赶在一起

参考例句：

• She drove the herd of cattle through the wilderness.她赶着牛群穿过荒野。
• He had no opinions of his own but simply follow the herd.他从无主见，只是人云亦云。

19 oafish   

adj.呆子的，白痴的

参考例句：

• The bodyguards,as usual,were brave but oafish.这些保镖照旧勇气可嘉但鲁钝无礼。
• But we will never see that glory if we till the soil like oafish farm hands.但是要是我们象白痴农奴那样去耕地，我们永远也看不到这样的荣耀！

20 hoax   

v.欺骗，哄骗，愚弄；n.愚弄人，恶作剧

参考例句：

• They were the victims of a cruel hoax.他们是一个残忍恶作剧的受害者。
• They hoax him out of his money.他们骗去他的钱。

21 choreographs   

v.设计舞蹈动作( choreograph的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• And Nick Gillard, the fellow who choreographs the fights, came out as well. 设计这些打斗动作的尼克-吉拉德也去了。 来自互联网

22 sleek   

adj.光滑的，井然有序的；v.使光滑，梳拢

参考例句：

• Women preferred sleek,shiny hair with little decoration.女士们更喜欢略加修饰的光滑闪亮型秀发。
• The horse's coat was sleek and glossy.这匹马全身润泽有光。

23 peeved   

adj.恼怒的，不高兴的v.（使）气恼，（使）焦躁，（使）愤怒( peeve的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He sounded peeved about not being told. 没人通知他，为此他气哼哼的。
• She was very peeved about being left out. 她为被遗漏而恼怒。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

24 rusty   

adj.生锈的；锈色的；荒废了的

参考例句：

• The lock on the door is rusty and won't open.门上的锁锈住了。
• I haven't practiced my French for months and it's getting rusty.几个月不用，我的法语又荒疏了。

25 conceal   

v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽

参考例句：

• He had to conceal his identity to escape the police.为了躲避警方，他只好隐瞒身份。
• He could hardly conceal his joy at his departure.他几乎掩饰不住临行时的喜悦。

26 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

27 arroyo   

n.干涸的河床，小河

参考例句：

• She continued along the path until she came to the arroyo.她沿着小路一直走到小河边。
• They had a picnic by the arroyo.他们在干枯的河床边野餐过。

28 shrugged   

vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• Sam shrugged and said nothing. 萨姆耸耸肩膀，什么也没说。
• She shrugged, feigning nonchalance. 她耸耸肩，装出一副无所谓的样子。 来自《简明英汉词典》

29 buttresses   

n.扶壁，扶垛( buttress的名词复数 )v.用扶壁支撑，加固( buttress的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Flying buttresses were constructed of vertical masonry piers with arches curving out from them like fingers. 飞梁结构，灵感来自于带拱形的垂直石质桥墩，外形像弯曲的手指。 来自互联网
• GOTHIC_BUTTRESSES_DESC;Gothic construction, particularly in its later phase, is characterized by lightness and soaring spaces. 哥特式建筑，尤其是其发展的后期，以轻灵和高耸的尖顶为标志。 来自互联网

30 freckles   

n.雀斑，斑点( freckle的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• She had a wonderful clear skin with an attractive sprinkling of freckles. 她光滑的皮肤上有几处可爱的小雀斑。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• When she lies in the sun, her face gets covered in freckles. 她躺在阳光下时，脸上布满了斑点。 来自《简明英汉词典》

31 receded   

v.逐渐远离( recede的过去式和过去分词 )；向后倾斜；自原处后退或避开别人的注视；尤指问题

参考例句：

• The floodwaters have now receded. 洪水现已消退。
• The sound of the truck receded into the distance. 卡车的声音渐渐在远处消失了。

32 deteriorating   

恶化，变坏( deteriorate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The weather conditions are deteriorating. 天气变得越来越糟。
• I was well aware of the bad morale and the deteriorating factories. 我很清楚，大家情绪低落，各个工厂越搞越坏。

33 crosswords   

纵横填字谜( crossword的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Doing crosswords gives the mind some exercise. 做纵横字谜游戏能锻炼脑筋。
• He spends all his time on crosswords and other trifles. 他把所有的时间都用在做纵横填字游戏和其他无聊的活动上。

34 cuff   

n.袖口；手铐；护腕；vt.用手铐铐；上袖口

参考例句：

• She hoped they wouldn't cuff her hands behind her back.她希望他们不要把她反铐起来。
• Would you please draw together the snag in my cuff?请你把我袖口上的裂口缝上好吗？

35 vending   

v.出售（尤指土地等财产）( vend的现在分词 )；（尤指在公共场所）贩卖；发表（意见，言论）；声明

参考例句：

• Why Are You Banging on the Vending Machine? 你为什么敲打这台自动售货机？ 来自朗文快捷英语教程 2
• Coca-Cola had to adapt almost 300,000 vending machines to accept the new coins. 可口可乐公司必须使将近三十万台自动贩卖机接受新货币。 来自超越目标英语 第5册