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.NineON SATURDAY morning I saw that the Byline was gone and knew Meyer would have ashortened cruise rather than none at all.I had some ideas to throw at him.Healways seems to know which ones to field and which ones,to let roll on out tothe warning track.I took a swim, took a beach walk, and intercepted a Frisbeewith the back of my head, an incident that seemed to strike horror into agroup of fourteen-year-old ladies.I gave it back, into the wind, with all thewrist flick I could put on it, and by great good fortune it stood still afterit reached them.They stared at it, and one of them reached out and picked itout of the air.So it made a game.Three of them on one side, one of me on the other.It is agreat game for running, stretching, and leaping.Usually in any group ofteens, one out of three will give promise of growing up into a dog.But notone of these.Comely maidens all, and very competitive.They whirred thatchampionship plastic at me with sincere attempts to whack my head off with it.They were practicing catching the Frisbee behind their back and under a leg,and I served up floaters to give them a sense of achievement.Their brownleaping bodies and half-formed breasts and hips instilled in me such a wistfullechery, I wondered if it might be best if I turned myself in.They could putme away where I'd do no harm.The game broke up.We had never exchanged a name.They went trotting into thesea, and I went walking back to Bahia Mar.After my shower, I got out thePage 40ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlbattered old looseleaf address book and sat in the lounge in my robe, turningpages, looking for the right California connection: And in the L's I foundWalter Lowery, both his business phone in San Francisco and his home phone inSan Mateo.I brought the phone on the long cord over to the curved yellowcouch, swung my feet up and tried the San Mateo number, got a recordedannouncement, got a different number from information and entered it in mybook, and tried it."Hello?" said a cautious female voice."Marty.""No.This is Ginny.Who is this?""My God, you sound all grown up, Gin.This is T.McGee, your honorary uncle inFlorida.Your father around?""Hi! I'll get him.Hold on." After a long minute he came on and said,"Obviously, sir, you are an impostor pretending to be a friend I used tohave.""Time flies, friends flee, temperance fuggit.Look, maybe I'm coming outthere.""People usually know whether they are coming out or not.""Then let's say I will be out.When is not certain.I am out of touch.Youstill have the office in Los Angeles?""Yes, we do.""Is Lysa Dean still a client?""Let's say she doesn't have as many legal problems as she used to.But yes.We're still on a retainer arrangement.""And you do remember recommending me to her?""Indeed I do.Let's say she was very satisfied with your performanceprofessionally, and furious as hell at you about something else, which shenever explained.""I get the impression she's doing a lot of game shows.""Indeed she is.At very good rates.She's in demand because she is really veryquick and often very funny, which is rare out here with most actresses.Andshe gets some cameo roles now and again.""She gave me the impression-back when I knew her-of knowing everything abouteverybody out there.""Gossip is a hobby with Lee.""Did she ever marry that forty million dollars from Hawaii?"I heard him sigh."She came close, buddy.Really close.He was on the verge ofgetting his annulment through the Vatican when his wife came down withleukemia.So what could he do? He settled a nice little bundle on Lee, andthey kept up the relationship, and he died of a heart attack last year.Hiswife is still living.""Lee live in the same place?""Same house.Beverly Hills.She redecorates it every twenty or thirtyminutes." I read him the address out of my book and he confirmed it."Have you got her unlisted number?""Before we go into that, Travis, if she feels toward you like I think shefeels toward you, you won't get past hello.Secondly, it is quarter to ten outhere, and she won't even lift the edge of her sleep mask or take out anearplug until noon.""So I'll call her at four o'clock my time.And I will never tell her where Igot the number.And I will try to keep her from hanging up on me.""I'll give you the number if you tell me what you did to make her so furious."I thought it over [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]