rc.theladyinthelake-第13节
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y except for that flash。 His eyes were empty。 His jaws moved in gentle rhythm。
〃What's on your mind； son…besides breaking and entering？〃 I poked a chair out and straddled it and leaned my' arms on the back and looked around the cabin。
〃I had an idea；〃 I said。 〃It looked pretty good for a while； but I guess I can learn to forget it。〃 The cabin was larger than it had seemed from outside。 The part I was in was the living room。 It contained a few articles of modest furniture； a rag rug on the pineboard floor； a round table against the end wall and two chairs set against it。 Through an open dooi the corner of a big black cookstove showed。
Patton nodded and his eyes studied me without rancor； 〃I heard a car ing；〃 he said。 〃I knew it had to be ing here。 You walk right nice though。 I didn't heai you walk worth a darn。 I've been a mite curious aboul you； son。〃 I said nothing。
〃I hope you don't mind me callin' you 'son；'〃 he said。 〃I hadn't ought to be so familiar； but I got myself into the habit and I can't seem to shake it。 Anybody that don'l have a long white beard and arthritis is 'son' to me。〃 I said he could call me anything that came to mind。 I wasn't sensitive。
He grinned。 〃There's a mess of detectives in the L。A。 phone book；〃 he said。 〃But only one of them is called Marlowe。〃
〃What made you look？〃
〃I guess you might call it lowdown curiosity。 Added to which Bill Chess told me you was some sort of dick。 You didn't bother to tell me yourself。〃
〃I'd have got around to it；〃 I said。 〃I'm sorry it bothered you。〃
〃It didn't bother me none。 I don't bother at all easy。 You got any identification with you？〃 I got my wallet out and showed him this and that。 〃Well； you got a good build on you for the work；〃 he said satisfied。 〃And your face don't tell a lot of stories。 I guess you was aiming to search the cabin。〃
〃Yeah。〃
〃I already pawed around considerable myself。 Just gol back and e straight here。 That is； I stopped by my shack a minute and then e。 I don't figure I could let you search the place； though。〃 He scratched his ear。 〃That is； dum if I know whether I could or not。 You telling who hired you？〃
〃Derace Kingsley。 To trace his wife。 She skipped out on him a month ago。 She started from here。 So I started from here。 She's supposed to have gone away with a man。 The man denies it。 I thought maybe something up here might give me a lead。〃
〃And did anything？〃
〃No。 She's traced pretty definitely as far as San Bernardino and then El Paso。 There the trail ends。 But I've only just started。〃 Patton stood up and unlocked the cabin door。 The spicy smell of the pines surged in。 He spat outdoors and sat down again and rumpled the mousy brown hair under his Stetson。 His head with the hat off had the indecent look of heads that are seldom without hats。
〃You didn't have no interest in Bill Chess at all？〃
〃None whatever。〃
〃I guess you fellows do a lot of divorce business；〃 he said。 〃Kind of smelly work； to my notion。〃 I let that ride。
〃Kingsley wouldn't have asked help from the police to find his wife； would he？〃
〃Hardly；〃 I said。 〃He knows her too well。〃
〃None of what you've been saying don't hardly explain your wanting to search Bill's cabin；〃 he said judiciously。
〃I'm just a great guy to poke around。〃
〃Hell；〃 he said； 〃you can do better than that。〃
〃Say I am interested in Bill Chess then。 But only because he's in trouble and rather a pathetic case…in spite of being a good deal of a heel。 If he murdered his wife； there's something here to point that way。 If he didn't； there's something to point that way too。〃 He held his head sideways； like a watchful bird。 〃As for instance what kind of thing？〃
〃Clothes； personal jewelry； toilet articles； whatever a woman takes with her when she goes away； not intending to e back。〃 He leaned back slowly。 〃But she didn't go away； son。〃
〃Then the stuff should be still here。 But if it was still here； Bill would have noticed she hadn't taken it。 He would know she hadn't gone away。〃
〃By gum； I don't like it either way；〃 he said。
〃But if he murdered her；〃 I said； 〃then he would have to get rid of the things she ought to have taken with her； if she had gone away。〃
〃And how do you figure he would do that； son？〃 The yellow lamplight made bronze of one side of his face。
〃I understand she had a Ford car of her own。 Except for that I'd expect him； to burn what he could burn and bury what he could not burn out in the woods。 Sinking it in the lake might be dangerous。 But he couldn't burn or bury her car。 Could he drive it？〃 Patton looked surprised。 〃Sure。 'He can't bend his right leg at the knee； so he couldn't use the footbrake very handy。 But he could get by with the handbrake。 All that's different on Bill's own Ford is the brake pedal is set over on the left side of the post；' close to the clutch； so he can shove them both down with one foot。〃 I shook ash from my cigarette into a small blue jar that had once contained a pound of orange honey； according to the small gilt label on it。
〃Getting rid of the car would be his big problem；〃 I said。 〃Wherever he took it。 he would have to get back； and he would rather not be seen ing back。 And if he simply abandoned it on a street； say； down in San Bernardino； it would be found and identified very quickly。 He wouldn't want that either。 The best stunt would be to unload it on a hot car dealer； but he probably doesn't know one。 So the chances are he hid it in the woods within walking distance of here。 And walldng distance for him would not be very far。〃
〃For a fellow that claims not to be interested； you're doing some pretty close figuring on all this；〃 Patton said dryly。 〃So now you've got the car hid out in the woods。 What then？〃
〃He has to consider the possibility of its being found。 The woods are lonely； but rangers and woodcutters get around in them from time to time。 If the car is found； it would be better for Muriel's stuff to be found in it。 That would give him a couple of outs…neither one very brilliant but both at least possible。 One； that she was murdered by some unknown party who fixed things to implicate Bill when and if the murder was discovered。 Two； that Muriel did actually mit suicide； but fixed things so that he would be blamed。 A revenge suicide。〃 Patton thought all this over with calm and care。 He went to the door to unload again。 He sat down and rumpled his hair again。 He looked at me with solid scepticism。
〃The first one's possible like you say；〃 he admitted。 〃But only just； and I don't have anybody in mind for the job。 There's that little matter of the note to be got over。〃 I shook my head。 〃Say Bill already had the note from another time。 Say she went away； as he thought； without leaving a note。 After a month had gone by without any word from her he might be just worried and uncertain enough to show the note； feeling it might be some protection to him in case anything had happened to her。 He didn't say any of this； but he could have had it in his mind。〃 Patton shook his head。 He didn't like it。 Neither did I。 He said slowly： 〃As to your other notion； it's just plain crazy。 Killing yourself and fixing things so as somebody else would get accused of murdering you don't fit in with my simple ideas of human nature at alL〃
〃Then your ideas of human nature are too simple；〃 I said。 〃Because it has been done； and when it has been done； it has nearly always been done by a woman。〃
〃Nope；〃 he said； 〃I'm a man fifty…seven years old and I've seen a lot of crazy people； but I don't go for that worth a peanut shell。 What I like is that she did plan to go away and did write the note； but he caught her before she got clear and saw red and finished her off。 Then he would have to do all them things we been talking about。〃
〃I never met her；〃 I said。 〃So I wouldn't have any idea what she would be likely to do。 Bifi said he met her in a place in Riverside something over a year ago。 She may have had a long and plicated history before that。 What kind of girl was she？〃
〃A mighty cute little blonde when shc fixed herself up。 She kind of let herself go with Bill。 A quiet girl； with a face that kept its secrets。 Bill says she had a temper； but I never seen any of it。 I seen plenty of nasty temper in him。〃
〃And did you think she looked like the photo of some body called Mildred Haviland？〃 His jaws stopped munching and his mouth became almost primly tight。 Very slowly he started chewing again。
〃By gum；〃 he said； 〃I'll be mighty careful to look under the bed before I crawl in tonight。 To make sure you ain't there。 Where did you get that information？〃
〃A nice little girl called Birdie Keppel told me。 She was interviewing me in the course of her spare time newspaper job。 She happened to mention that an L。A。 cop named De Soto was showing the photo around。〃 Patton smacked his thick knee and hunched his shoulders forward。
〃I done wrong there；〃 he said soberly； 〃I made one of my mistakes。 This big bruiser showed his picture to darn near everybody in town before he showed it to me。 That made me kind of sore。 It looked some like Muriel； but not enough to be sure by any manner of means。 I asked him what she was want
