Read Online Ross Macdonald - 1960 - The Ferguson Affair by Ross MacDonald - Free Book Online Page A

face. Might
bring him to. That man’s got a capacity on him, I tell you.”
                 I
looked back at Ferguson. He was sleeping peacefully.
                 “I
suppose you know Mrs. Ferguson.”
                 “Sure thing. She’s a damn fine woman. Always nice to the
help, can hold her liquor, a real lady in my book. I’ve seen a lot of these
Hollywood people when I was at the Oasis Club in Palm Springs. Most of them,
they get their front feet in the trough, and bingo, they think they’re the
kings of the world. But not Holly—Mrs. Ferguson.”
                 “You
call her Holly?”
                 “Sure.
She called me Tony, I called her Holly, in the bar, you know. You can’t make
anything out of that. She’s democratic. Her parents were working people, she
told me so herself.”
                 “Was
she democratic with Larry Gaines?”
                 “So
I hear.” He sounded disappointed, in Holly, perhaps in me. “I never saw them
together. He stayed out of my territory. Something was going on there, but I’ll
lay you odds it ain’t what people think. I saw a lot of her in the last six
months, over the bar, and that’s when you see people plain. I’ve seen her
handle a lot of heavy passes, some of them from experts. But she wasn’t having
any. She isn’t that type at all.”
                 “I
heard different.”
                 Padilla
said aggressively: “I know there’s people don’t like
her. So what? I didn’t say she was perfect. I said she isn’t the type to play
around. If you ask me, I’d say she loved her husband. He isn’t much to look at,
but the old boy must have his points. She always lit up like a candle when he
came into the room.”
                 “Then
why did she walk out on him?”
                 “I
don’t think she did, Mr. Gunnarson. I think something happened to her. There
she was, the life of the party one minute, and the next minute she was gone.”
                 “Where
did she go?”
                 “I dunno . I had my hands full at the bar. I didn’t see
her leave. All I know is, she left and didn’t come back. And her husband’s
damned worried about her. If you ask me, that’s what’s driving him crazy.”
                 “What
could have happened to her?”
                 Padilla
sighed. “You don’t know this town like I do, Mr. Gunnarson. I was born and
brought up here, right down at the end of Pelly Street. There’s people who will knock you off for the change in your pockets. And Holly—Mrs.
Ferguson—was wearing fifty grand in diamonds last night.”
                 “How
do you know what her jewels were worth?”
                 “Don’t
get suspicious of me now. I wouldn’t hurt a hair of that lady’s head. Show me
the bum that would, and I’ll beat him within an inch of his life.”
                 “You
didn’t answer my question.”
                 “About the diamond brooch? Hell, she told me. Her husband
gave it to her, and she was kind of bragging. I warned her to shut up about it.
Even at the Foothill Club, you don’t want to broadcast—Hey!” The car swerved
under the pressure of his hands. “You think that Gaines was after her jewels?”
                 “It’s
possible.” Two versions of Holly May were forming in my mind, but they refused
to combine into a single understandable woman. “Have you spoken to anybody
about your suspicions?”
                 “Just
to Frankie, he’s my helper. I tried to talk to Mr. Bidwell, but he didn’t want
to hear it. And the Colonel had enough on his mind already.”
                 “Does
he believe his wife has met with foul play?”
                 “I
think he does, in a way. Only he won’t admit it to himself. He keeps pretending
she ran off