Read Online Ross Macdonald - Lew Archer 01 - The Moving Target(aka Harper)(1949) by Ross MacDonald - Free Book Online Page B

moved back. I preferred a less complicated kind of pillow, stuffed
with feathers, not memories and frustrations.
                 The
waitress in the Valerio cantina called her by name,
escorted us to a booth, emptied the empty ash tray.
The bartender, a smooth-faced young Greek, came all the way around from behind
the bar to say hello to her and to ask after Mr. Sampson.
                 “He’s
still in Nevada,” she said. I was watching her face, and she caught my look. “A very good friend of mine. He stops here when he’s in
town.”
                 The
two-block ride, or her welcome, had done her good. She was almost sprightly.
Maybe I’d made a mistake.
                 “A
great old guy,” the bartender said. “We miss him around here.”
                 “Ralph’s
a wonderful, wonderful man,” said Mrs. Estabrook. “One sweet
guy.”
                 The
bartender took our order and went away.
                 “Have
you cast his horoscope?” I said. “This friend of yours?”
                 “Now,
how did you know? He’s Capricorn. One sweet guy, but a very
dominant type. He’s had tragedy in his life, though. His only boy was
killed in the war. Ralph’s sun was squared by Uranus, you see. You wouldn’t
know what that can mean to a Capricornian .”
                 “No.
Does it mean much to him?”
                 “Yes,
it does. Ralph has been developing his spiritual side. Uranus is against him,
but the other planets are with him. It’s given him courage to know that.” She
leaned toward me confidentially. “I wish I could show you the room I
redecorated for him. It’s in one of the bungalows here, but they wouldn’t let
us in.”
                 “Is
he staying here now?”
                 “No,
he’s in Nevada. He has a very lovely home on the desert.”
                 “Ever
been there?”
                 “You
ask so many questions.” She smiled side-eyed in ghastly coquetry. “You wouldn’t
be getting jealous?”
                 “You
told me you had no friends.”
                 “Did
I say that? I was forgetting Ralph.”
                 The
bartender brought our drinks, and I sipped mine. I was facing the back of the
room. A door in the wall beside the silent grand piano opened into the Valerio lobby. Alan Taggert and Miranda came through the
door together.
                 “Excuse
me,” I said to Mrs. Estabrook.
                 Miranda
saw me when I stood up, and started forward. I put a finger to my mouth and
waved her back with the other hand. She moved away with a wide-mouthed,
bewildered look.
                 Alan
was quicker. He took her arm and hustled her out the door. I followed them. The
bartender was mixing a drink. The waitress was serving a customer. Mrs.
Estabrook hadn’t looked up. The door closed behind me.
                 Miranda
turned on me. “I don’t understand this. You’re supposed to be looking for
Ralph.”
                 “I’m
working on a contact. Go away, please.”
                 “But
I’ve been trying to get in touch with you.” She was strained to the point of
tears.
                 I
said to Taggert: “Take her away before she spoils my night’s work. Out of the city, if possible.” Three hours of Fay had
sharpened my temper.
                 “But
Mrs. Sampson’s been phoning for you,” he said.
                 A
Filipino bellboy was standing against the wall hearing everything we said. I
took them around the corner into the half-lit lobby. “What
about?”
                 “She’s
heard from Ralph.” Miranda’s eyes glowed amber like a deer’s. “A special-delivery letter. He wants her to send him money.
Not send it exactly, but have it ready for him.”