“Good! I recommend that you comply.”
“You’re as bad as Jay, Farley, and that’s the truth. Neither of you is willing to take any action whatever in this matter. If you ask me, it’s not natural for a husband to be so indifferent to the unexplained absence of his wife.”
“Jay’s not indifferent. He’s stoic. He has become inured by constant repetition.”
“I don’t care a hang what you call it, it’s not natural. And, as I recall, you were kind of disturbed yourself in the beginning. What suddenly happened to make you change, I’d like to know?”
“Nothing happened. I merely decided to observe a period of quiet out of respect for the dead.”
“Dead!” Fanny gave a startled little leap. “Are you implying that Terry is dead?”
“Hell, no. I was referring to the Terry-Jay marriage. Surely you’re perceptive enough to see that it is, as the saying goes, as dead as last year’s bird nest.”
“Is that all?” Fanny relaxed. “I know you and Jay are convinced that nothing is indicated but a peccadillo, but I have been making an effort to learn the truth, and it’s my opinion that it’s time you did a little something to help.”
“Not I. I’ve withdrawn from the fray.”
“We’ll see about that. There is something helpful you can do without setting foot from this apartment.”
“Such as?”
“Such as calling the taxi companies. They must keep a record of calls, and one of them may be able to tell you if someone was picked up here, or near here, about three o’clock yesterday.”
“Like hell! I don’t intend to waste my time calling taxi companies.”
“Why not? Your time is largely wasted, anyhow. We could find out where Terry was taken, if she was taken.”
“If there’s anything to this Personal that’s got you so hot and bothered, she only went to the university library. The distance is easily walkable.”
“Because she went there is no sign she stayed there. She could have gone on in the taxi to some place else with whomever she met.”
“I simply won’t call any taxi companies. There’s no use asking me.”
“Very well. And next time you want five, or ten or twenty dollars, I simply won’t give it to you. There’ll be no use asking me.”
“So that’s the way it is!” Farley glared at her with a resurgence of his early animosity. “Blackmail!”
“I prefer to call it fair pay for services rendered. No services, no pay.”
“All right, damn it! If you’re going to be so nasty about it, I’ll have to humor you. Now get out of here, Fan. Go think of something else useless to do.”
He got up and, taking her firmly by an elbow, ushered Fanny to the door.
“Wait a minute,” said Fanny. “Not so fast, brother. I’m sorry to say that you can’t always be trusted to keep your word. When will you make the calls?”
“Just as soon as I’ve had some breakfast.”
“Breakfast! It’s past lunch time.”
“Breakfast, lunch, shmunch. As soon as I’ve eaten. Not before.”
“All right, then. But see that you do. If you don’t, I’ll make you sorry.”
Fanny permitted herself to be pushed into the hall. And at that moment, as luck would have it, there was Jay Miles, returning from the university.
7
“Hello, Fanny,” said Jay. “I was hoping to see you.”
“Were you?” said Fanny skeptically. “Why?”
“Well, I was pretty rude to you this morning. I want to apologize.”
“However rude you were,” Farley said, “it probably wasn’t rude enough. When you learn what this femme has been up to, you may want to insult her some more.”
“What have you been up to, Fanny?”
“Go on, Fanny,” Farley said. “Tell him what you’ve been up to.”
“I went down to the Journal office and inquired about the Personal. I wanted, if possible, to know who placed it.”
“Oh? Did you learn anything?”
“Nothing. The Personal was mailed in with the fee — in cash — enclosed.”
“Too bad you went to so much trouble for nothing.” Jay seemed surprisingly docile about the episode. “I told you last night the Personal was a coincidence, not directed to Terry at all. Didn’t you remember?”
“I remembered, but I didn’t believe it. And nothing’s developed, so far as I can see, to make me believe it now.”
“You see?” said Farley. “She simply will not mind her own business.”
“To be fair, I can’t say I blame her for being concerned. I’m really not so indifferent as I seem.” Jay, although he spoke without urgency, was clearly appealing for Fanny’s understanding. “As a matter of fact, I’ve been cudgeling my brain over this ever since last night, and I think I’ve finally come up with the answer. I owe you an explanation for all your worry and trouble. If you’d care to come in—”
“I accept both your apology and your invitation,” said Fanny. “Farley, go get your breakfast, or whatever you want to call it.”
“Not much,” Farley said. “If Jay’s going to explain something, I want to hear it, too.”
Jay unlocked his door and they all went in. He was carrying a briefcase, which he took into the bedroom while Fanny and Farley helped themselves to chairs.
“May I get you a drink?” Jay said, returning.
“Not for me,” Farley said. “My stomach’s empty.”
“Nor me,” said Fanny. “I had a martini with my lunch, and I can’t have any more until five o’clock. Where do you think Terry has gone? I’m dying to know.”
“I think she’s gone back to Los Angeles.”
“Back to Los Angeles?” said Fanny. “Is that where, she came from?”
“Yes. Didn’t you know? Actually, we were married in San Francisco. I had a job at the university there, and Terry had moved up from L.A. and was living alone in an apartment. Not attending the university, you understand. She just wanted to try living in San Francisco for a while. New experience. Terry was always keen for a new experience. Anyhow, we met at a party and got married. I don’t quite understand why. I went head over heels for her, of course, but somehow I never felt that I was the type to make Terry reciprocate. Perhaps she just had an urge to try the academic life.”
“But why would she run off to Los Angeles without a word to you or anyone else? If you ask me, it makes no sense.”
“It makes Terry’s kind of sense. If you knew her better, you’d understand that. She is perfectly capable of doing on impulse something that someone else would plan carefully.”
“Even after inviting Farley to dinner?”
“That would be no deterrent to Terry. She was probably halfway to L.A. before she even remembered it.”
“What about luggage?” Fanny pounced on the thought triumphantly. “Did she take any?”
“Apparently not. But it’s no more than two hours from here to L.A. by jet, and after she was there, she could easily prevail on Feldman to supply anything she needed.”
“Feldman?” Farley said. “Who’s Feldman?”
“Yes, Jay,” said Fanny, “please don’t just throw in new characters. It’s very confusing.”
“Maurice Feldman, an attorney. To be exact, he’s the executor of an estate left to Terry by her father, who was a minor movie executive.”
“You mean Terry is an heiress? I didn’t dream of such a thing!”
“Well, we didn’t talk about it much. It’s a pretty large estate, I think, but Terry won’t get control of it until she’s twenty-six, which will be about a year from now. Meanwhile Feldman doles out a limited allowance from the interest on the principal.”
“Why would Terry’s father want to tie things up that way?”