Ross Macdonald - 1960 - The Ferguson Affair Read Online Free PDF

had a plan for getting
it. If it worked, they could marry before the year was out and live in comfort
for the rest of their lives. But he was going to need her help in carrying out
the plan. He needed someone in the hospital to supply him with the names of new
patients, especially wellheeled ones in private
suites.
                 “Did
you help him, Ella?”
                 She
shook her head emphatically. “I certainly did not.”
                 “Then
how did you get the diamond ring and the watch?”
                 “He
gave them to me before I broke off with him. I guess he thought it would change
my mind. But after I found out about him, I didn’t want any part of him or his
plans. A nurse who would take advantage of her patients like that should have
her uniform torn right off her back.”
                 “But
you didn’t tell the police about his plans.”
                 “I
just couldn’t.” She hung her head. “I was stuck on him, I guess, for a long
time after I broke with him. Larry was my first real crush. It made me do crazy
things. Like last week—” She interrupted herself again.
                 “What
happened last week?”
                 “I
kept reading about these houses and stores being broken into in town. I
couldn’t believe Larry was doing it. At the same time I knew he was mixed up in
it. I had to do something, settle my mind one way or the other. I borrowed a
car from a girl-friend and went out to Larry’s place. I intended to ask him
outright if he was the burglar. He wouldn’t tell me the truth, probably, but I
wanted to see the look on his face when I asked him. Then I’d know what to do.
                 “There
was a light in the house. I left the car down the road and sneaked up on it,
kind of. I could hear voices inside. He had a woman with him. I knocked on the
door—I didn’t care what happened. I saw her when he opened the door. She was
sitting on the studio couch, a blonde in a Japanese kimono—the same one I used
to wear. It sort of set me off, and I called him a name.
                 “Larry
stepped outside and closed the door on her. I never saw him mad before. He was
so mad it made his teeth chatter. He said if I ever came there again, or
bothered him in any way, that he would tell a friend of his to put a knife in
my heart. I was scared. My knees were shaking so that I could hardly get back
to the car.”
                 “Did
he mention the friend’s name?”
                 “No.”
                 “It
wasn’t Gus Donato?”
                 “I
never heard of any Donato. All he said was a friend. Some friends he must
have.”
                 “You
should have gone to the police, Ella.”
                 “I
know I should. You think I should talk to them now, don’t you?”
                 “Decidedly.”
                 “You
honestly think they’ll let me go if I talk?”
                 “It
won’t be quite as simple as that, I’m afraid. If you satisfy the District
Attorney, he should consent to a lowering of your bail at least. It was set
very high.”
                 “Yeah, five thousand dollars. I can’t raise that kind of
money, and I haven’t got the five hundred to pay a bail bondsman. How low do
you think you can get it down?”
                 “I
won’t make any promises. It depends.”
                 “Depends
on what?” she said impatiently.
                 “On
whether or not you’ve told me the whole truth, and tell the same to the police
and the prosecutor.”
                 “Don’t
you believe this is the truth?”
                 “I’ll
be frank with you, Miss Barker. One or two things about your story bother me.
Why did you sell Broadman the ring that Larry gave you?”