White Jazz by James Ellroy

Author:James Ellroy
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 2009-12-26T18:46:12+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

One Susan Ann Glynn DMV-listed--Ocean View Drive, Redondo Beach.

Twenty minutes south. A clapboard shack, no view-- a pregnant woman on the porch.

I parked and walked up. Blond, mid-twenties--DMV stat bullseye.

"Are you Susan Ann Glynn?"

She patted a sit-down place. Expectant: cigarettes, magazines.

"You're the policeman Doug called about?"

I sat down. "He _warned_ you?"

"Uh-huh. He said you looked through an old trick file that had my name on it. He said you might come to see me and make trouble like you did with him. I said I sure hope he makes it before three-thirty, when my husband gets home."

Noon now. "Your husband doesn't know what you used to do?"

A kid yelping inside--she lit a cigarette on reflex. "Uh-uh. And I bet if I cooperate with you, you won't tell him."

"That's right."

She coughed, smiled. "The baby kicked. Now, uh, Doug said the trick was Joseph Arden, so I put on my thinking cap. This isn't for murder or anything like that, is it? Because that man behaved like a gentleman."

"I'm investigating a burglary."

Cough, wince. "You know, I remember that I liked that man. I remember him good because Doug said be nice 'cause this other service girl gave him the clap, and he had to get it treated."

"Did he tell you his real name?"

"No. I used _my_ real name at the service for a while, but Doug accused me of trying to recruit customers for myself, so I stopped."

"What did Joseph Arden look like?"

"Nice looking. Cultured looking. Maybe in his late forties. He looked like he had money."

"Tall, short, heavy, slender?"

"Maybe six feet. I guess you'd say he had a medium build. Blue eyes, I think. What I guess you'd call medium-brown hair."

I showed the sketch. "Does this look like him?"

"This man looks too young. The chin sort of reminds me of him, though."

Noise inside--Susan winced. Check her magazines: _Photoplay_, _Bride's_. "Do you know what mug shots are?"

"Uh-huh, from the TV. Pictures of criminals."

Soft: "Would you--?"

"No" shakes--emphatic. "Mister, this man was no criminal. I could look at your pictures until this new baby of mine has her sweet sixteen and never see his face."

"Did he mention a son named Richie?"

"We didn't talk much, but on like our second date he said his wife just tried to kill herself. At first I didn't believe it, 'cause lots of men tell you sad things about their wives so you'll feel sorry for them and pretend you like it more."

"You said at first you didn't believe him. What convinced you?"

"He told me he and his wife had this fight a few weeks back, and she just started screaming and picked up a can of Drano and started drinking it. He said he stopped her and fetched this doctor neighbor of his so he wouldn't have to take her to the hospital. Believe me, that story was so awful that I knew he didn't make it up."

"Did he say that she went to a hospital for follow-up treatment?"

"No. He said the neighbor doctor took care of all of it.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.