The Mystery of the Scar-faced Beggar - M. V. Carey [39]
H s
i
s vo
v i
o c
i e
c
e wa
w s
a
s fl
f a
l t
a
t no
n w
o .
w
. He
H
e
so
s u
o nded al
a m
l ost
s
t in
i d
n i
d f
i f
f e
f r
e e
r n
e t
n .
t
. “The
se
s c
e o
c n
o d
n
d ha
h l
a f
l
f on
o
n de
d l
e i
l v
i e
v r
e y
r .
y
. Bu
B t
u
t no
n t
o h
t i
h n
i g
n
g
mo
m v
o e
v s
e
s wi
w t
i h
t o
h u
o t
u
t th
t e
h
e ad
a v
d a
v n
a c
n e
c — not a
thi
h n
i g.
. I don’t
t ne
n e
e d
e
d yo
y u
o ,
u
, yo
y u
o
u kn
k o
n w
o .
w
. I
ha
h v
a e
v
e pl
p e
l n
e t
n y
t
y of
o
f pl
p a
l c
a e
c s
e
s I
I ca
c n
a
n pe
p d
e d
d l
d e
l
e
the
h st
s uff
f .
f ”
Th
T e
h r
e e
r
e wa
w s
a
s si
s l
i e
l n
e c
n e
c
e fo
f r
o
r a
a fe
f w
e
w
mo
m m
o e
m n
e t
n s
t ,
s
, th
t e
h n
e
n Er
E ni
n e
i
e sa
s i
a d
i ,
d
, “All
ri
r g
i h
g t
h ,
t
, on
o e
n
e ha
h l
a f
l
f in
i
n ad
a vance. But we
ge
g t
e
t th
t e
h
e me
m r
e c
r h
c a
h n
a d
n i
d s
i e
s
e be
b f
e o
f r
o e
r
e yo
y u
o
u se
s e
e
e
th
t e
h
e ot
o h
t e
h r
e
r ha
h l
a f
l .
f
. You
o
u go
g
o ba
b c
a k
c
k to
t
o
Pa
P c
a i
c f
i i
f c
i
c St
S a
t t
a e
t s
e
s an
a d
n
d wa
w i
a t
i
t th
t e
h r
e e
r .
e
. I’ll call
yo
y u
o
u w
h
w e
h n
e
n I
I h
a
h v
a e
v
e t
h
t e
h
e m
o
m n
o e
n y
e .
y ”
“Why
h don
o ’t
t I
I wa
w i
a t
i
t he
h r
e e
r ?
e ” said
Strauss
s .
s
. “I don’t li
l k
i e al
a l
l
l thi
h s
i
s runnin
i g arou
o nd
n .”
“Because it will take time and that lady who’s my boss is sitting in her office right now getting very irritated because she thinks I’m loafing on the job. So you go back up the coast and wait for my call.”
There was silence, and Bob assumed that the man turned towards the glass-enclosed office. No doubt Eileen Denicola was there, and no doubt she was watching.
“Yeah,” said Strauss at last. “Okay. Maybe I shouldn’t have come here in the first place. Okay. I’ll wait for your call at Pacific States. But don’t try to stall. Remember, you need me more than I need you.”
Strauss walked away from Ernie and his friends, and Ernie said something in Spanish. It did not sound like a compliment, and the young men with Ernie murmured in angry agreement.
There were light footsteps on the dock then, and Bob heard a voice that was tight with annoyance.
“Who was that?” demanded Eileen Denicola.
“Somebody who belongs to some kind of fishing club,” said Ernie. “He said he saw the Maria-III from the highway. He wanted to know if she’s available.
“The next time someone wants to know if the boat’s available, you send them to me,” said Eileen.
“Yes, Mrs. Denicola,” said Ernie.
“Now go and get your lunch,” Eileen ordered. “I want you back here at one o’clock sharp so we can go and get gas. And leave you pals at home, you hear me?”
“Yes, Mrs. Denicola,” said Ernie meekly.
The young men moved off, and Eileen walked away. Bob waited in the shadows under the pier. When he saw Ernie and his friends strolling across the sand towards their ramshackle little house, Bob turned and went in the opposite direction. He wanted to find out where Pacific States was. It sounded like a town, but Bob had never heard of it before. He jogged back to the market and the telephone booth.
The telephone directory in the booth did not list a town of Pacific States, but under the P’s Bob found a Pacific States Moving and Storage Company on West Albert Road in Oxnard. He called the number listed and asked to speak to Mr. Strauss.
“He isn’t in right now,” said the man who answered the telephone. “Can I have him return your call?”
“No,” said Bob. “I’ll call back.”
He hung up. He was about to dial Headquarters again when he spied a familiar-looking man coming out of the market. As the man headed for his parked car, Bob stepped out of the telephone booth and casually walked in his direction.