Baron Orgaz by Frank Lauria

Author:Frank Lauria [Frank Lauria]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: sf_mystic, religion_esoterics
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 13

As Orient drove home, he wondered if it wouldn't be wiser to buy himself a motorcycle outfit and begin exploring the leather bars on his own, without Jojo's help.

This week alone, the bearded hustler had sent him on three unusual but useless appointments. Not only had it consumed valuable time, it had cost him a good chunk of cash.

He'd undertaken a grimly methodical schedule since the night he'd almost been run down. Every day he was up at eight, out of the meditation room and on his way by nine, and back whenever his interviews with Arnold's S/M friends were finished, usually after midnight.

So far he'd turned up nothing of significance. Strangely enough, the only factor that kept his enthusiasm high was the fact that there'd been an attempt on his life. The combination of a slashed tire and runaway car with no lights was too perfect to have been accidental. It was more logical to assume he was getting too close to the truth for someone's comfort.

He'd also made several attempts to contact Oliver Fish, and was finally told that he'd checked out of the hotel, leaving a London forwarding address. Again, there were too many coincidental factors concerning the Englishman to let the matter rest there, including his presence at the Panther's Lair and the skull-headed stick. He'd already decided he'd go to London and look Oliver up if his efforts in New York proved fruitless.

The only bright spots in the relentless routine were his visits with Memphis Pye. He'd dropped in to visit or spoken to her on the phone almost daily since they'd met. Her undemanding good humor and natural understanding refilled his drained emotions. He also found that the knowledge that there were many things he couldn't yet share with Memphis was beginning to wear down his patience.

Because of the intensity of the investigation, he hadn't been able to spend much more than two hours at a time with her, but with each passing day the desire to be closer to the serene, ivory-skinned astrologer doubled like grains on the fabled chessboard, and would soon be too great to contain. He wondered if she felt the same pressures.

Memphis could be distant without being cold, and managed to retain a certain shyness, even while sharing a confidence. He couldn't tell if her enthusiasm for his calls was based on friendship or something deeper.

Right now it wasn't a problem, but in a few months, or perhaps even days, it would be, Orient speculated, swinging the long, gleaming hood of the Ghost through the automatically activated garage doors.

When he entered the study, Sordi was waiting with some warm sandwiches, cold salad, fresh juice, and a pale blue envelope.

Opening it, he found a blue-crested invitation to attend a reception on Sunday evening at the home of Baron Christian Orgaz in honor of his favored house guest Lady Lilith Sativa.

Sordi poured him some juice. "I got one too. I recognized Lily's handwriting."

Orient nodded glumly. "Should be quite an affair. But I may not have time.

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