Bride of the Rat God Read Online Free PDF

ordeal.”
    “The cobbler’s excellent.”
    Sandringham drew himself up like King Lear in the first act. “My dear Mrs. Blackstone, I was not referring to food .” He produced a silver hip flask. “Mr. Enyart is famous throughout the cinematic community for the excellence of his—er—libations. Though why any country should have passed such a barbarous law in the first place...”
    “Which brings up the fact that we ought to be pushing on.” Kevin—or Kenneth—lounged over from the counter where he had been exchanging good-natured jibes with the obese and clever Ned Bergen, chief prop man of Colossus, and his assistant, the pale and willowy Ned Divine. Both Neds wore rather shabby Sunday bests and had clearly not been invited to rub elbows with Griffith and Gish at Frank Brown’s. Neither, apparently, had Flindy McColl’s beau, Dale Wilmer; he was arguing furiously with Hank Silver and a group of studio musicians with the rapid-fire, incoherent decisiveness that Norah had quickly learned to identify as one of the effects of cocaine.
    “You remember Fairbanks said he couldn’t stay long, and you did promise me an introduction.”
    “To be sure I did, and it’s a dreadful long drive out to Beverly Hills. Have you been to Karnak Estate, my dear? It really does have to be seen to be believed. Mrs. Black-stone, Keith Pelletier, the gentleman who actually had to hang over that cliff and fall thirty-five feet to the bottom when Christine raised objections to doing so.”
    “I didn’t mind that so much as being hauled out to Big Bear for retakes because some dumb cluck of a cameraman didn’t have the lens cap off or something.” He gave her a smile slightly too dazzling for first acquaintance.
    “I’d heard it was because Gus Campbell had some different ideas for camera angles, which I admit were quite stunning,” Sandringham said tactfully.
    The young man shrugged. “They all say that.” He studied Norah for a moment more, taking in not her face—which was to be expected, since she was well aware that beyond containing a small straight nose, small straight mouth, passable cheekbones, and quite pretty gray eyes, her face never stood a chance in Hollywood—but her clothing with an air of mildly impatient contempt. Not worth my time.
    “You aren’t coming out to Frank’s?”
    “I’m afraid I wasn’t invited.”
    He laughed, displaying very white teeth. “Jesus, honey, if you wait to be invited in this town, you’ll never get anywhere! Let’s go, Charlie. I don’t want to be so late we’ll miss the people who count.”
    He led the way in the direction of the back room, arrogant in his beauty, as if in a velvet cloak. Sandringham stood still a moment, gazing after him; Norah touched his hand and said softly, “‘Being your slave, what should I do but tend / upon the hours and times of your desire? / I have no precious time at all to spend, / Nor services to do, till you require.’”
    “True.” Sandringham sighed. “True. But you know what love is.” He followed then.
    “Poor Charlie.” Mindelbaum slipped back into the booth and tucked into his cobbler like a starving man. Father Christmas was now nowhere to be seen. “His last flame took him for enough gold cigarette cases and pinkie rings to stock Nieman Marcus and then went off with a Mexican bootlegger and a couple thousand dollars of Charlie’s money. I’m afraid this kid’s going to do the same. Though he is a hell of a stunter. Just once I wish Charlie would find somebody who’ll treat him as well as he deserves. And no, you can’t have any,” he added to Chang Ming’s ardent gaze. “I don’t care if Christine hasn’t fed you in three years and your Aunt Norah beats you every day.”
    “Mrs. Pendergast’s son was like that,” remarked Norah, sipping her tea and watching the two elegant black backs disappear through the speakeasy door. “Except with him, it was girls. And he was just as much a predator as they. But he