Stevenson, Richard - [Donald Strachey Mystery 03] - Ice Blues by Stevenson Richard

Author:Stevenson, Richard [Richard, Stevenson,]
Language: deu
Format: epub
Published: 2011-04-04T16:03:50+00:00

"My God."

"Ernie has Patagonia, but I've at least got my pamphlet. I do what works. I guess you're more of a purist. Like Ernie, except without the cash to act on it."

"I certainly do envy your wealthy and highly imaginative friend," I said.

"And I guess I envy you the apparently satisfying erotic existence that your pamphlet has provided you. But I've never been able to do anything halfway. Like Jack Lenihan. Once Jack decided what he wanted to do, he went all the way with it." While Toot watched me bug-eyed, I described Jack's two-and-a-half-million-dollar political project in Albany. "Did he tell you about this?" I asked.

Toot's mouth hung open. "No. No, he didn't. Jesus!"

"Did he tell Al?"

"Not that I know of. No, Al would have told me. Where's the money now?"

"I don't know. Joan Lenihan may have it, I'm not sure. Jack was about to ship the money to me in Albany for safekeeping, but Joan kept him from doing that. She was against the project for reasons that are not at all clear to me. My plan is to find the money, take it and carry out Jack's project for him. Will you help me?"

He swallowed hard. "Well—maybe. But Jack was killed, you said. Doesn't that probably mean the owners of the money are trying to reclaim it? Maybe they already have."

"I don't think so. I think it's here in Los Angeles. How well do you know Joan Lenihan? Somebody has to reach her, but it looks as if it's not going to be me."

"I've met her a few times, but that's all. She wouldn't trust me any more than she'd trust you."

"Who does she trust?"

"Gail Tesney, her lover."

"She's been shut out too. She doesn't like it, but she can't seem to do anything about it."

"Then forget it. If Gail can't get Joan to open up, nobody can."

"Then Gail will have to do it. She has no choice."

He peered at me, looking a little queasy. "You'd interfere in Gail and Joan's relationship just so you might influence an election in some fur-trading outpost in upstate New York?"

I thought about this, then said lamely, evasively, "It's what Jack Lenihan wanted. It's what he would have wanted me to do."

Eyeing me evenly, Toot said, "Maybe in that respect Jack Lenihan was a heartless creep. Did you ever consider that?"

I had to admit that I hadn't. I had been careful not to. Where was Timmy? He

was my moral guardian, not this raffle-ticket-stapling Uncle Vanya. I said,

"Why don't you come over to the motel and meet Timmy? Maybe he can make this whole business clearer than I've been able to. Bring your raffle tickets along and a couple of extra staplers. This evening we can have a wild threesome—click-shoosh, click-shoosh. The motel we're staying in can probably even come up with a couple of extra stapling artists. Though I don't know that they'd necessarily be the safe-stapling type."

"What's the name of the place?"

"The Golden Grapefruit."

"Oh, that guy can get safe-staplers. He can get you anything you want.

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