"Robert B. Parker - Poodle Springs (v1.1)" - читать интересную книгу автора (Parker Robert B)

"Divorce?"

"Never touch it, Sergeant."

"Good. That helps. I can't say I'm enthusiastic, but we could get along, if you leave police business to the police."

"I'd like to, but I've never been able to find out just where to stop."

He scowled. Then he snapped his fingers. He yelled, "Norman!"

The pretty blonde opened the door. "Who is this character?" the sergeant wailed. "Don't tell me. Let me guess."

"I'm afraid so, Sergeant," she said demurely.

"Hell! It's bad enough to have a private eye mousing around. But a private eye who's backed by a couple or three hundred million bucks -- that's inhuman."

"I'm not backed by any two hundred million, Sergeant. I'm on my own and I'm a relatively poor man."

"Yeah? You and me both, but I forgot to marry the boss's daughter. Us cops are stupid."

I sat down and lit a cigarette. The blonde went out and closed the door.

"It's no use, is it?" I said. "I can't convince you that I'm just another guy trying to scratch a living. Do you know somebody named Lapshultz who owns a club?"

"Too well. His place is out in the desert, outside our jurisdiction. Every so often the Riverside D.A. has him raided. They say he permits gambling at his joint. I wouldn't know."

He passed his horny hand over his face and made it look like the face of a man who wouldn't know.

"He braced me in front of the office of a real estate man named Thorson. Said he was in trouble."

The sergeant stared at me expressionlessly. "Being in trouble belongs with being a man named Lipshultz. Stay away from him. Some of that trouble might rub off on you."

I stood up. "Thanks, Sergeant. I just wanted to check with you."

"You checked in. I'm looking forward to the day you check out."

I went out and closed the door. The pretty policewoman gave me a nice smile. I stopped at the desk and stared at her for a moment without speaking.

"I guess no cop ever liked a private eye," I said.

"You look all right to me, Mr. Marlowe."

"You look more than all right to me. My wife likes me part of the time too."

She leaned her elbows on the desk and clasped her hands under her chin. "What does she do the rest of the time?"

"She wishes I had ten million dollars. Then we could afford a couple more Fleetwood Cadillacs."

I grinned at her fascinatingly and went out of the cop house and climbed into our lonely Fleetwood. I struck out for the mansion.