按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！
ping up on Hoover and Vermont； spangly modern jobs where you could eat in your car and listen to music on speakers attached to the window posts。 I spent hours parked in them； KGFJ blasting be…bop； my two…way on low in case anything hot came over the air。 I eyeballed the street while I sat and listened； trawling for white hookers； telling myself that if I saw any who looked like Betty Short； I'd warn them that 39th and Norton was only a few miles away and urge them to be careful。
But most of the whores were jigs and bleached blondes； not worth warning and only worth busting when my arrest quota was running low。 They were women； though； safe places to let my mind dawdle； safe substitutes for my wife at home alone and Madeleine crawling 8th Street gutters。 I toyed with the idea of picking up a Dahlia/Madeleine lookalike for sex； but always quashed it…it was too much like Johnny Vogel and Betty at the Biltmore。
Going off…duty at midnight； I was always itchy； restless； in no mood to go home and sleep。 Sometimes I hit the all…night movies downtown； sometimes the jazz clubs on South Central。 Bop was moving into its heyday； and all…night sessions with a pint of bonded were generally enough to ease me home and into a dreamless sleep shortly after Kay left for work in the morning。
But when it didn't work； it was sweats and Jane Chambers' smiling clown and Frenchman Joe Dulange smashing cockroaches and Johnny Vogel and his whip and Betty begging me to fuck her or kill her killer； she didn't care which。 And the worst of it was waking up alone in the fairy tale house。
Summer came on。 Hot days sleeping it off on the couch； hot nights patrolling west niggertown； bonded sourmash； the Royal Flush and Bido Lito's； Hampton Hawes； Dizzy Gillespie； Wardell Gray and Dexter Gordon。 Restless attempts to study for the Sergeant's Exam and the urge to blow off Kay and the fairy tale house and get a cheap pad somewhere on my beat。 If it weren't for the spectral wino it might have gone on forever。
I was parked in Duke's Drive…in； eyeing a gaggle of trampy…looking girls standing by the bus stop about ten yards in front of me。 My two…way was off； wild Kenton riffs were ing out of the speaker hook…up。 The breezeless humidity had my uniform plastered to my body； I hadn't made an arrest in a week。 The girls were waving at passing cars； one peroxide blonde gyrating her hips at them。 I started synchronizing the bumps and grinds to the music； playing with the idea of pulling a shakedown； running them through R&I for outstanding warrants。 Then a scraggy old wino entered the scene； one hand holding a short dog； the other out begging for chump change。
The bottle blonde quit dancing to talk to him； the music went haywire…all screeches…without her acpaniment。 I flashed my headlights； the wino shielded his eyes； then shot me the finger。 I was out of the black…and…white and on top him； Stan Kenton's band my backup。
Roundhouse lefts and rights； rabbit punches。 The girl's shrieks out…decibeling Big Stan。 The wino cursing me； my mother； my father。 Sirens in my head； the smell of rotting meat at the warehouse； even though I knew it couldn't be。 The old geez blubbering； 〃Pleeese。〃
I staggered to the corner pay phone； gave it a nickel and dialed my own number。 Ten rings； no Kay； WE…4391 without thinking。 Her voice： 〃Hello； Sprague residence。〃 My stammers； then； 〃Bucky？ Bucky； is that you？〃 The wino weaving toward me； sucking his bottle with bloody lips。 Hands inside my pockets； pulling out bills to throw him； cash on the pavement。 〃e over； sweet。 The others are down at Laguna。 It could be like old…〃
I left the receiver dangling and the wino scooping up the better part of my last paycheck。 Driving to Hancock Park； I ran； just this one time； just to be inside the house again。 Knocking on the door； I had myself convinced。 Then Madeleine was there； black silk； upswept coiffure； yellow barrette。 I reached for her； she stepped back； pulled her hair loose and let it fall to her shoulders。 〃No。 Not yet。 It's all I have to keep you with。〃
IV
Elizabeth
CHAPTER TWENTY…NINE
For a month she held me in a tight velvet fist。
Emmett； Ramona and Martha were spending June at the family's beach house in Orange County； leaving Madeleine to look after the Muirfield Road estate。 We had twenty…two rooms to play in； a dream house built from immigrant ambition。 It was a big improvement over the Red Arrow Motel and Lee Blanchard's monument to bank robbery and murder。
Madeleine and I made love in every bedroom； tearing loose every silk sheet and brocade coverlet； surrounded by Piscassos and Dutch masters and Ming Dynasty vases worth hundreds of grand。 We slept in the late mornings and early afternoons before I headed for niggertown； the looks I got from her neighbors when I walked to my car in full uniform were priceless。
It was a reunion of avowed tramps； rutters who knew that they'd never have it as good with anyone else。 Madeleine explained her Dahlia act as a strategy to get me back； she had seen me parked in my car that night； and knew that a Betty Short seduction would keep me returning。 The desire behind it moved me even as the elaborateness of the ruse elicted revulsion。
She dropped the look the second the door shut that first time。 A quick rinse brought her hair back to its normal dark brown； the pageboy cut returned； the tight black dress came off。 I tried everything but threats of leaving and begging； Madeleine kept me mollified with 〃Maybe some day。〃 Our implicit promise was Betty talk。
I asked questions； she digressed。 We exhausted actual facts quickly； from then on it was pure interpretation。
Madeleine spoke of her utter malleability； Betty the chameleon who would be anyone to please anybody。 I had her down as the center of the most baffling piece of detective work the Department had ever seen； the disrupter of most of the lives close to me； the human riddle I had to know everything about。 That was my final perspective； and it felt bone shallow。
After Betty； I turned the conversation to the Spragues themselves。 I never told Madeleine that I knew Jane Chambers； broaching Jane's inside stuff in roundabout ways。 Madeleine said that Emmett was mildly worried about the forthing demolitions up by the Hollywoodland sign； that her mother's pageantry and love of strange books and medieval lore were nothing but 〃Hophead stuff…Mama with time on her hands and a snootful of patent medicine。〃 After a while； she came to resent my probes and demanded turnabout。 I told lies and wondered where I would go if my own past was all I had left。
CHAPTER THIRTY
Pulling up in front of the house； I saw a moving van in the driveway and Kay's Plymouth； top down； packed with boxes。 The run for clean uniforms was turning into something else。
I double…parked and bolted up the steps； smelling Madeleine's perfume on myself。 The van started backing out； I yelled； 〃Hey！ Goddamn it； e back here！〃
The driver ignored me； words from the porch kept me from going after him。 〃I didn't touch your things。 And you can have the furniture。〃
Kay was wearing her Eisenhower jacket and