brown?”
“Just guessing. Complexion. Am I right?”
“Right.” She lifted the new glass. “You’d make a good detective.”
“Don’t know about that. I’m not getting many leads on this case.”
“But there’s nothing to tell. Honestly.” She leaned forward. “You know it all. Ryan went to his trailer that night, after we finished shooting.”
“Anything happen during the day to make you suspicious?”
“You mean, to make me think he was in trouble? No. But he acted kind of sulky. I knew what that meant.”
“What did it mean?”
“He wanted me out of the way. Some other woman on the string.”
“Who?”
“How would I know? He had plenty of choices. That boy played the field.”
“What about Estrellita Juarez?”
“Could be.”
“And you think he was just putting on an act, pretending to be angry so that you’d leave him alone that night?”
“Yes.”
“You didn’t actually quarrel or anything like that?”
“Of course not.”
“Did he quarrel with anyone at all before he went off and started drinking?”
“No. He said something to Tom Trent, but I don’t know what it was. Nothing serious, because Trent was willing to come with me when we went over to the trailer after dinner.”
“How did Ryan greet you?”
“He didn’t talk much. Just offered us a drink. We sat down and talked.”
“What about?”
“Trent was trying to get him to lay off the bottle. Because of the next day’s shooting schedule.”
“What did Ryan say to that?”
“If I told you, you’d wash my mouth out with soap.”
“Did Ryan seem nervous or upset?”
“Well, he kept looking at his watch.”
“As if he were expecting someone?”
“He said he was waiting for Joe Dean to get back. Joe was his valet, you know. He’d driven Abe Kolmar into town for an early preview. When Dean showed up, he brought Juarez with him.”
“Do you think that was the deal? Dean had been told to bring Estrellita Juarez to the trailer for Ryan?”
“The way it looked, she was Dean’s girl.”
“Could that have been for your benefit?”
“Maybe. But if it was, Ryan went too far. Because he got a skinful and fired Dean, and he kicked Juarez out. But you already know that.”
“Sure. And he hit Trent, too.”
“Hit him? He damned near broke him in half.”
“Why?”
“He had a skinful, like I said.”
“But there must have been some reason. Was it because Trent objected when Ryan threw Estrellita out?”
“Partly. But I guess it really started when he tried to pitch me out, too.”
“In other words, they had a fight over you.”
“I don’t know. There was so much noise, and then they started swinging, and I got out of there.”
“Statement says Ryan told you to go. Said he expected company.”
“I don’t know. I was crying, it all happened so fast.”
“Were you drunk?”
“No more than I am now.” Polly Foster stared down at the new Manhattan. “Hey, you’re getting me loaded!”
“Sorry. You don’t have to drink it.”
But she did. “Who cares? Feels good. You treat a girl right, Mr. Clayburn. Mark, isn’t it? Person’d never know you were just being polite, that you hated every minute you had to sit here with little old me.”
“Don’t rub it in,” I said. “I apologize. I know I have a temper.”
“Temper? You don’t have any temper. You’re a lamb compared to boys like Trent and Ryan. They’re the kind that haul off and clout you one. That lousy Ryan hit me on the arm when he threw me out.”
“Then he did toss you out?”
“Sure. What the hell. I didn’t want to say it, but that’s what happened. Tossed me out on my can. And Trent after me. Trent was looking for his gun, he was so damned mad.”
She stopped.
“Go on.”
“I don’t remember. We were all high, and I was crying. Of course, Trent was only talking. He didn’t have his gun anyway. Ryan did—in the trailer. And Trent went back to town to get patched up.”
“Are you
“Just guessing. Complexion. Am I right?”
“Right.” She lifted the new glass. “You’d make a good detective.”
“Don’t know about that. I’m not getting many leads on this case.”
“But there’s nothing to tell. Honestly.” She leaned forward. “You know it all. Ryan went to his trailer that night, after we finished shooting.”
“Anything happen during the day to make you suspicious?”
“You mean, to make me think he was in trouble? No. But he acted kind of sulky. I knew what that meant.”
“What did it mean?”
“He wanted me out of the way. Some other woman on the string.”
“Who?”
“How would I know? He had plenty of choices. That boy played the field.”
“What about Estrellita Juarez?”
“Could be.”
“And you think he was just putting on an act, pretending to be angry so that you’d leave him alone that night?”
“Yes.”
“You didn’t actually quarrel or anything like that?”
“Of course not.”
“Did he quarrel with anyone at all before he went off and started drinking?”
“No. He said something to Tom Trent, but I don’t know what it was. Nothing serious, because Trent was willing to come with me when we went over to the trailer after dinner.”
“How did Ryan greet you?”
“He didn’t talk much. Just offered us a drink. We sat down and talked.”
“What about?”
“Trent was trying to get him to lay off the bottle. Because of the next day’s shooting schedule.”
“What did Ryan say to that?”
“If I told you, you’d wash my mouth out with soap.”
“Did Ryan seem nervous or upset?”
“Well, he kept looking at his watch.”
“As if he were expecting someone?”
“He said he was waiting for Joe Dean to get back. Joe was his valet, you know. He’d driven Abe Kolmar into town for an early preview. When Dean showed up, he brought Juarez with him.”
“Do you think that was the deal? Dean had been told to bring Estrellita Juarez to the trailer for Ryan?”
“The way it looked, she was Dean’s girl.”
“Could that have been for your benefit?”
“Maybe. But if it was, Ryan went too far. Because he got a skinful and fired Dean, and he kicked Juarez out. But you already know that.”
“Sure. And he hit Trent, too.”
“Hit him? He damned near broke him in half.”
“Why?”
“He had a skinful, like I said.”
“But there must have been some reason. Was it because Trent objected when Ryan threw Estrellita out?”
“Partly. But I guess it really started when he tried to pitch me out, too.”
“In other words, they had a fight over you.”
“I don’t know. There was so much noise, and then they started swinging, and I got out of there.”
“Statement says Ryan told you to go. Said he expected company.”
“I don’t know. I was crying, it all happened so fast.”
“Were you drunk?”
“No more than I am now.” Polly Foster stared down at the new Manhattan. “Hey, you’re getting me loaded!”
“Sorry. You don’t have to drink it.”
But she did. “Who cares? Feels good. You treat a girl right, Mr. Clayburn. Mark, isn’t it? Person’d never know you were just being polite, that you hated every minute you had to sit here with little old me.”
“Don’t rub it in,” I said. “I apologize. I know I have a temper.”
“Temper? You don’t have any temper. You’re a lamb compared to boys like Trent and Ryan. They’re the kind that haul off and clout you one. That lousy Ryan hit me on the arm when he threw me out.”
“Then he did toss you out?”
“Sure. What the hell. I didn’t want to say it, but that’s what happened. Tossed me out on my can. And Trent after me. Trent was looking for his gun, he was so damned mad.”
She stopped.
“Go on.”
“I don’t remember. We were all high, and I was crying. Of course, Trent was only talking. He didn’t have his gun anyway. Ryan did—in the trailer. And Trent went back to town to get patched up.”
“Are you
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