John MacDonald - Slam the Big Door

“Is this a private line here?”

“Yes. What’s happened?”

“Something bad and something good. The bad isn’t too serious, Mary. Just messy.” He told her about the arrest, the car, told her Troy was in bed asleep.

“I shouldn’t have gone away like this. It was a bad idea.”

“No, it wasn’t. Maybe it brought it all to a head. I’ve got news on the land thing, and I guess it’s good news, but it isn’t the good news I meant.” He told her about Troy’s confession of the black object in his head.

“I’ll come back right away.”

“Now wait a minute. He talked to me. He promised he’d see a doctor. I’ll get one lined up. I’ll refresh hell out of his memory if he pretends to draw a blank. I’m no shrinker, but I don’t think this is physical. You know, a tumor, anything like that. I think it’s a kind of anxiety. I think he scared hell out of himself today, and I think that’s good. I think we’re getting someplace. But I’m afraid if you come roaring back, he’s going to back off into a defensive position again, and maybe we won’t be able to get him to cooperate. Do you see what I mean?”

“Yes, but...”

“I’ll be talking to him tomorrow. And then I’ll be in touch with you, Mary, and I swear if I think you can help me get him to do something constructive about this, I’ll yell for you. I promise.”

“All... all right, Mike.”

“Cheer up, honey. I think we’re moving in the right direction.”

“That sounds like an order. All right. I’ll cheer up.”

“I talked to an old duck today who wants to see you sometime. Purdy Elmarr.”

“Purdy! My goodness, how did you happen to meet him?”

“It’s a long story. I’ll tell you the whole thing later on. I’m an expert on Florida land development all of a sudden.”

“Mike, would you do one thing for me?”

“Of course.”

“If... it should happen that you don’t think it would be wise for me to come back, after you talk to Troy tomorrow, could you come up and tell me what’s been happening? Phones are no good. Not for a thing like this.”

“It might be Friday instead of tomorrow.”

“That would be all right. But phone me tomorrow anyway.”

“Sure.”

After he hung up he looked at Troy again. He was reasonably certain Troy wouldn’t stir for at least fourteen hours. With luck he’d sleep through the more desperate symptoms of hangover.

As he walked back into the living room, Debbie Ann came in, eyebrows high in inquiry.

“I got him hosed off and sacked out,” Mike said.

“Good.”

“I just talked to your mother.”

“That’s what I wanted to ask you about, if you or I should phone her. Is she upset?”

“Sure, she’s upset.”

“Is she coming back?”

“Not right away. I told her you did a fine job of taking care of things.”

“Up to a point.”

He shrugged. “You couldn’t have helped me with what I had to do.”

“I’ve had more experience than you might guess, Mike. Dacey tied on some beauts. It’s quite an experience, swabbing off lipstick and wondering whose it is. I just got fed up with him, with Troy, on the way back.”

“Why? What happened?”

“I think he thought I was somebody else. I couldn’t understand him very well, but he certainly called me all the names in the book. He started with slut and went on from there. Of course, deep in that alcohol fog, he may have known exactly who he was talking to.”

“Have you given him cause?”

“That’s a funny damn question.”

“I just wondered whether he ever got that towel routine you worked on me.”

Anger went out of her. “Why, I’m just a simple little affectionate girl-type girl,” she lisped, “and I just can’t understand why the menfolks keep getting wrong ideas about me, I swear I can’t.”

“That ends the discussion, of course, which is just what you wanted to do. You’ve got more defenses than a radar system.”

“So let’s not tire ourselves out emotionally, Mike. There are more practical things to consider. Food. Drink.”

“You look all gussied up for a date.”

“I had one, but I just canceled out. I couldn’t stand the thought of all that polite, humble attentiveness from Rob again. He keeps looking at me like a spaniel begging me to throw a stick so he can show how wonderfully he can bring it back. I had one meager idea. I looked in the deep freeze. There’s a steak in there the size of a coffee table, and a charcoal grill over at the cabaña, so let’s get into beach togs and phone Shirley and I’ll pick her up while you do something important about some drinks and the charcoal.”

Rob Raines had been within minutes of leaving to drive out to the Key and pick Debbie Ann up when she had called him and had broken the date with such a bored, irritable, arrogant manner that it cut deeply.

“But I thought we could just...”

“I don’t want to do anything . I just don’t feel like seeing you. Isn’t that clear enough?”

She had hung up on him. After a few seconds he put the phone back on the cradle.

His mother called to him from the kitchen. “Who was that, sweetie?”

“Uh... Debbie Ann.”

She came into the hallway, licking chocolate from her thumb. “She just can’t leave you alone, can she. You’re going out there anyway, but she just has to call up and...”

“She broke the date, Mom. She... doesn’t feel well.”

“Ha! If I know that one, she’s got somebody else all lined up all of a sudden, and she knows she can lead you around by the nose any old time, and she...”

“Cut it out, will you?”

“You don’t have to yell at me, sweetie.”

“But you keep on bad-mouthing her every chance you get. I get sick of it.”

“The only reason I even asked about the phone call at all, Robert, was on account of I thought it might be Purdy Elmarr calling you, or Mr. Arlenton or Mr. Haas. You know, sweetie. Your new business associates. I’m so proud of how well you’re doing, honey.”

He shrugged and went to his room. And a half hour later Purdy Elmarr, much to Rob’s astonishment, did call him.

“Raines? Elmarr talkin’. Wondered how you’re comin’.”

“Oh, I’m coming along fine, just fine,” Rob said heartily. “I’m getting the Twin Keys Corporation all set up just the way you said you wanted it, and...”

“Any fool knows how to set up a little corporation, boy. You think I’d bother phoning you to ask about that?”

“Well... I guess not, Mr. Elmarr.”

“Then you know what I am asking about. I want to know about that funny-name foreigner.”

“Mr. Rodenska? Well, sir, I talked to him, like you suggested. I think I got it across pretty strongly that he’d be making a mistake going into Jamison’s project with him.”

“You tole him it was real sour, eh?”

“I got that across all right.”

“And he believed you?”

“Yes sir. I’m... pretty sure he did.”

There was a long silence during which Rob got more and more uncomfortable. “Then maybe you can tell me this, boy. Maybe you can tell me how come that Rodinsky fella is going all over town asking a lot of questions about Horseshoe Pass Estates.”

“I... I didn’t know that, Mr. Elmarr.”

“You’re supposed to know stuff like that. Has Rodinsky talked to Jamison about loanin’ him money?”

“I don’t really know.”

“Then you better start hustlin’ your tail to and fro and be a-findin’ out some of these things you don’t know, boy. Or we can get right impatient with you, hear?”

Purdy Elmarr heard the nervous protestations as he slowly placed the phone back on the hook.