Part 5 (1/2)
”Indeed. Thank you for coming. I hope it didn't disrupt your evening unduly.”
Bobbi and I were going to the movies, we'd still be able to catch the second feature.
The cops showed up in due time. At the last second, Escott cut away her gag, tossed it to me, and I slipped into the back. I waited long enough to hear the opening questions, then went out the window the same way I entered. My car and I were long gone by the time they were ready to take her away.
Bobbi had wanted to see Last of the Mohicans because she liked Randolph Scott, but Escott's accent had given me a taste for Shakespeare, and I talked her into going to Romeo and Juliet instead. Much to her own surprise, she enjoyed it.
”You can understand what they're saying in this one,” she commented during intermission. We'd arrived late and missed the newsreel and cartoon, but were in no particular hurry to leave. I bought her an extra soda and popcorn while we waited for the next cycle of features to start.
”Why not? The sound's good.”
”Well. I saw this once as a stage play and it was awful. The actors were bellowing to reach the back row and talked so fast you couldn't understand a thing. This kind of stuff you gotta talk clearly so you know what's going on. I like it as a movie better than on the stage.”
”I should get you and Charles together to discuss it.”
”Oh, yeah, but he's a good egg, he'd let me win just to be polite.”
”Don't be too sure, he's got some pretty firm ideas about the stage and Shakespeare in particular.”
”Staging I don't know, but I could give him a tough time about Shakespeare.”
”How do you mean?”
”Like this show, it was good, but the girl was a nitwit for not running away from home to start with. That's what I would have done. She was wearing enough jewels to live off of for years.”
”It wouldn't have been a great tragedy, then.”
”Romeo could have swiped her money, left her stranded- anything could have happened.”
”That's kind of a negative view.”
”It's more believable than gulping down drugs to fake your own death. I think it stinks that Shakespeare didn't let them get together in the end like they wanted, after all the trouble they went through. What made you want to see this instead of Randolph Scott?”
”He makes me jealous.”
”No, really.”
”They had the biggest ad in the paper and this is a fancier theater. I wanted to impress you.”
She glanced at our opulent surroundings. ”It worked. They could show a blank screen and people would still pay admission to sit here.”
”They do.”
”What?” She was half-wary for a joke.
”No kiddin', I knew this usher who swore to me that the ticket is for the chair you sit in, the movie itself is free.”
”That's crazy.”
”Nah, that's just the way it works out. This usher also told me that theaters make most of their money off popcorn sales.”
”It must take a h.e.l.l of a lot of five-cent bags to pay the rent on this joint.”
”Eat up, then, I'll get you another. I like this place.”
Another evening ended very pleasantly and as ever I was reluctant to leave. When I dragged my feet back to my hotel room in the small hours, though, I found Escott waiting for me. He was drowsing in my one chair, his feet propped up on the trunk.
shook his shoulder. ”Anything wrong?”
He blinked fully awake and alert. ”I think not. Did you enjoy your movie?”
”How'd you know I went to a movie?”
He indicated the paper I'd left on the bed, opened to the entertainments section.
”Or perhaps you went to a nightclub, but I recall hearing Miss Smythe state she was fed up with them for the time being.”
”She is, but how'd-”
”Her rose scent is quite distinctive, and traces of it linger on your clothes. What film did you see?”
”Romeo and Juliet. It was pretty good.”
”Yes, the princ.i.p.als were decent enough, if a little old for their parts, but the fellow playing Iybalt seemed to know what he was doing.”
I had no illusions that he'd been waiting all night to deliver a review. ”Charles...”
He straightened, putting his feet on the floor and fixing me in one spot with his eyes. ”I came by to have you satisfy my curiosity.”
”About what?” I tried to sound casual, but it wasn't working. He was far too sharp for me to lie to him, but I wasn't going to make it easy.
”About Selma Jenks... It was very odd, but when they began questioning her, she made a complete confession.”
”She did?”
”In fact, she confessed to every robbery and extortion she and her partner committed since they teamed up. She then told the police where he could be found.
They lost no time bringing him in, though he was not nearly so cooperative as Selma.”
”Sounds like a good thing, though.”
”Yes, an excellent bit of luck. But now I'm curious as to what you said to her after you got me out of the room.”
”I want you to know that that was a legitimate request.”
”I don't doubt it, but it was convenient for you. Did you hypnotize her?”