The Wrong Girl by Donis Casey

Author:Donis Casey
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Published: 2019-09-26T16:00:00+00:00

1926, Hollywood, California

Hot on the trail, Oliver catches a faint scent.

Mr. Ruhl had told Ted Oliver that Graham Peyton had kept a one-room office above a clothing store in Hollywood, right on Hollywood Boulevard. Ruhl did not immediately remember the exact address, but he thought that it was somewhere close to the intersection of Las Palmas and Hollywood Boulevard. Armed with a snapshot of a smiling Peyton, Oliver planned to hit every establishment within a mile of Hollywood and Las Palmas, slowly working his way up the north side of Hollywood Boulevard, then back down the south side. The very first place he tried was the restaurant in the middle of the block, an upscale place called “Philippe” (not Phil’s, or Philip’s or even Philippe’s, which is how Oliver knew without setting foot in the place that it was upscale), located directly across the street from Peyton’s former office. Philippe had been doing business on this block for some years, and the likelihood was that a man like Peyton, with expensive tastes and the income to indulge them, would have been a frequent customer. Oliver had timed his visit so that he would arrive at about 2:00 in the afternoon, between luncheon and the dinner hour. He asked for the maître d’, since a place called Philippe surely had one, and was not disappointed. A tall man with oiled, center-parted hair and the posture of a Prussian general stalked out of the empty dining room and looked down at him as they stood in the marbled entrance. “I am Maurice,” he intoned. “How may I assist you?”

Maurice’s almost-sneer suggested that the detective was a bit too déclassé for the joint. Oliver suppressed a chuckle at the waiter’s bearing. He introduced himself and explained about the skeleton at the bottom of the palisades.

“I’m trying to trace the movements of a man who I expect used to be a regular diner here. This would have been five years ago. Do you have any waiters or staff who have been working here that long?”

“Yes, sir. In fact, I have been the headwaiter here since the restaurant opened. If the man was a regular diner, it is quite likely that I served him. Do you suspect that this man has something to do with the remains?”

“The police are pretty sure the skeleton is all that’s left of one Graham Peyton, who had an office just across the street, here. I am investigating the final days of Mr. Peyton’s life, and I’m hoping that you can help me out.”

The man’s eyes widened for a fraction of a second and Oliver felt a stab of hope. He removed the snapshot from his pocket and handed it to the waiter. “Do you recognize the name? Is this him?”

Maurice took the photo and gazed at it for a long moment before handing it back. “Yes, I remember Mr. Peyton very well. He’s dead, you say? Well, that is a shame. He was an excellent tipper. I have often wondered what became of him.

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