me and I was smiling through it ail. Then she-let
go and Waltzed over to the guy who was getting
– hitchedmpudgy little fellow with big eyeglasses–and
slipped her hand down his pants. Everything
got real quiet then. He was red as a beet but he
couldn’t say anything cause it woulda made him
look like a wimp in front of his friends. He got a
sick look on his face, forced himself to smile. She
started tonguing his ear, kept yanking his chain.
The other guys started to laugh. To relieve their
tension. Soon they’were yelling out lewd comments.
Nona was high, like she was really getting off on
groping the poor sucker.
“Finally I was able to ease her away without it
looking like a hassle. We got out of there and I
yell.ed at her in the car. She looked at me like I was
nuts, said what was the matter, we got a big tip,
didn’t we. I could see it was no use talking to her so
I gave up. We got on the freeway. I was driving fast
because I couldn’t Wait to get away from her. Then
all of a sudden I felt her pulling at my zipper.
Before I know it, my cock is out and she’s got it in
her mouth. We’re going seventy and she’s sucking
me off and telling me to admit it, I love it. I was
helpless, just praying the highway patrol wouldn’t
pull us over–that would be my balls, right? I asked
her to stop but she had me and she wouldn’t let go
until she finished me off.”
“The next day I complained to Rainbo, insisted .I
wouldn’t work with her anymore. She just laughed,
said Nona would be
out she’d left, just walked out.”
Telling the story had made
cused himself, went to the bathroom,
back freshly combed and sprayed and-smelling of
aftershave. Milo started questioning before he sat
back down.
“And you have no idea where she went?”
Carmichael shook his head.
“She ever talk about anything personal ?”
“Nope. There was nothing personal about her.
She was all on the surface.”
“No hint where she might be headed ?”
“She never even said where she came from. Like
I told you, we did three or four gigs, then she
split.”
“How’d she connect with Adam and Eve?”
“No idea. Everyone gets into it differently. Rainbo
called me after she caught my act at Lancelot’s.
Some find out by word of mouth. She runs ads in
the underground papers and skin mags. Gets more
applications than she wants.”
“All right, Doug,” said Milo, standing, “I hope
you’ve been straight with us.”
“I really have, Detective. Please don’t pull me
into this.”
“I’ll do the best I can.”
We left. Back in the car Milo checked in with the
dispatcher. There were no important messages·
“So what’s the diagnosis on Surfer Boy?” he asked.
“Off the cuff? Personality problems, probably
narcissistic.”
“Which means ?”
“That he’s got low self-esteem and it expresses
150
Jonathan Kellrman
itself in self-obsessionmm’uscles, vitamins, constant
attention paid to his body.”
“Sounds like half of L.A.,” hegrowled and turned
on the ignition. As we pulled away, Carmichael.
came out of his house in swim trunks carrying a
surfboard, a towel, and tanning lotion. He saw us,
smiled, waved, and headed toward the beach.
Milo parked in a no parking-zone near the entrance
to Western Peds. “I hate hospitals,” he said,
as we boarded the elevator and rode up to the fifth
floor. It took a while to locate Valcroix. He was
examining a patient and we waited for him in a
small conference room off the ward.
He came in fifteen minutes later, gave me a disgusted
look, and told Milo to hurry, he was busy.
When the detective began talking, he made a show
of pulling out a medical chart, perusing it, and
writing notes.
Milo’s a skilled interrogator but he struck out
with the Canadian. Valcroix continued to chart,
unflustered,as the detective confronted him with
knowing the Touch visitors and his affair with NOna
Swope.
“Are you through, Officer?”
“For the time being, Doctor.”
“What am I supposed to do, defend myself?”