27 The Mystery of the Magic Circle by M. V. Carey

Author:M. V. Carey [Carey, M. V.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

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11

Friends and Enemies

THE MOTEL THAT Estelle DuBarry managed was on a side street off Hollywood Boulevard. When Bob rang the bell outside the office, an ageing woman with bleached blonde, curly hair and very black eyelashes came to the door.

"Miss DuBarry?" said Bob.

"That's right." She squinted slightly, as if she might need glasses.

"Elliott Farber told us you might be willing to talk with us," said Bob. "We're doing a paper for school.

It's a summer project on the history of the motion picture."

"Why, how nice!" said the woman. "I'll be happy to talk with you." She opened the screen door and swung it wide. The boys went into a stuffy little room that was part office and part living-room. They took seats, and the faded actress immediately launched into the tale of her career in films. She had come to Hollywood as a young girl, and had taken a screen test. She told them how she had been given roles in several unimportant pictures and a few important ones. And since Estelle DuBarry's career hadn't been outstanding, she soon ran out of things to say to the boys.

Jupiter mentioned Madeline Bainbridge then, and the atmosphere in the little room changed abruptly.

"That terrible woman!" cried DuBarry. "She hated me. She always hated me! I was pretty, and not so high and mighty as she was. If it hadn't been for her, I wouldn't be running this crummy motel today. If it hadn't been for her, Ramon and I would be married and living in some big house in Bel Air!"

There was shocked silence. DuBarry glared at Jupe and he looked away. "Mr Farber mentioned a coven," he said at last. "Can you tell us anything about the coven?"

The colour left Estelle DuBarry's face, then flooded back in a crimson tide. "We . . . we were just playing games, you know," she said. "We didn't believe in it. Except for Madeline. She believed in it."

"So you didn't believe in witchcraft, and you still don't?"

"Of course not!" cried the former actress.

"You said an interesting thing a few moments ago," said Jupe. "You said that if it weren't for Madeline Bainbridge, you and Ramon Desparto would be living in Bel Air today. How could that be? Ramon file:///D|/Old%20Shivam%20E/Shivam%20(I)/KOSHA/m...%20The%20Mystery%20Of%20The%20Magic%20Circle.txt (44 of 83)2/5/2008 2:43:23 PM

Desparto died in an accident."

"That was no accident!" cried the woman. "It was . . . it was . . ."

She didn't finish the sentence.

Bob moved awkwardly in his chair. "It was very nice of you to take the time to see us," he said. "Do you know of anyone else we should see--any friend of Madeline Bainbridge who might still be in touch with her? Or with her secretary for that matter?"

"I do not," said the woman.

"There was a man named Charles Goodfellow," said Jupe. "Do you know what became of him?"

She shrugged. "He just dropped out of sight."

"I see," said Jupe.

The boys left, and walked down the drive to the car, where Beefy waited.

"She doesn't know anything that can help us," said Bob.

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