The Legend of Joe Moran
Chapter 6Stu drove back to the hotel, still wondering about the feelings he'd experienced at Phyllis Moran's. He wanted to tell somebody, to talk it out and see if he could figure it out, and the logical person to discuss it with would be Jeff. At the same time he was worried that Jeff would think him crazy or worse yet, laugh. He had to call the office anyway and talk to his partner, but he decided not to mention the odd experience.
"Stu, Phoenix treating you any better this afternoon?"
"No, Jeff, not really. Can you find out something for me?" Stu sat down on the bed and waited for Jeff's answer.
"Sure. Anything."
"How long does it take to get a divorce in Arizona? What I mean is, how long do you have to wait after you file before the divorce is final?"
There was just a touch of concern in Jeff's voice, like he was worried Stuart had done something rash. "Is this for the case you're working on?"
"Of course. Did you think it was for me?" His partner should know him better than that, although he had done some unexplainable things during their partnership. He took out his cigarette case, pulled one out and lit it.
"Well . . . "
"Has our friend Audrey called again?" Stu blew smoke out, he was beginning to feel more like himself.
"No, she's been a good girl. When are you coming back?"
Stuart hesitated for just a moment before answering Jeff. He didn't expect his partner was going to be any too happy with him. "I'm not. I'm going to Terra Haute."
"Indiana?"
"That's the only one I know of. Listen I'll explain everything the next time we talk. Transfer me over to Suzanne, would you?" There was a minute or two delay; Suzanne must have been answering another line.
"Hello, Stuart. Do you need something?"
"I do. Can you find out when the next plane from Phoenix to Terra Haute, Indiana leaves and get me on it?" He could be packed and ready to leave the hotel in ten minutes.
"Do you want to hold?"
"I do. I mean I will."
Suzanne giggled. "I'll be back."
One minute passed, then two, then the third one, before Suzanne was back. "The next flight out of Phoenix isn't until tomorrow morning at eight o'clock. That's TWA Flight 26, Gate 12, and you're booked on it. Is there anything else you need, Stuart?"
"No, Suzanne. Tell Jeff I'll call him when I get to Terra Haute."
"Au Revoir, Stuart."
Stu hung up the phone and finished smoking his cigarette. He'd shower tonight and shave in the morning. Stu's beard was dense enough that if he shaved tonight he'd still have to shave again tomorrow. He checked his watch. Six-thirty. No wonder his stomach was growling. He closed and locked the door behind him and caught the elevator down to the main floor. The dining room was almost full but there was still a table over in the corner. "One for dinner?" the hostess asked.
"Yes, please." He followed her halfway before he thought about something to read. "Do you have a Phoenix newspaper, Miss?"
"I can get you one, sir. I'll leave the menu with you and be right back with the paper."
The waitress had already brought him a scotch by the time the hostess returned with the paper. "Sorry it took so long."
"That's alright. Thank you." Stu glanced at the front page before folding the paper and taking a sip of the scotch. It looked very much like the Los Angeles Times. A murder and news about the upcoming election, neither of which interested him right now. He turned to the society pages, not sure what he was looking for. At the bottom of page three there was a small ad for Phyllis's Flowers, located at the corner of Terrwood and Driscoll. Proprietor Phyllis Moran was written right below the phone number. Stu folded the section back up and set it aside, then began perusing the sports pages. When the waitress came back he ordered a New York Steak, medium rare, a baked potato with butter on the side and a cup of beef barley soup. "Oh, and a dinner roll too, please."
He'd finished the sports section and gone back to the front page by the time his soup arrived. He'd seen enough murder in LA and read the column about the election instead. It seemed like a fascinating matchup between the incumbent Vice-President and a fledgling Senator. It wasn't long before his dinner arrived, and he folded the paper and enjoyed his meal. Besides, his mind was too full of Joe Moran. Wondering about the man that married two attractive redheads and vanished on them both seemed like the beginning of a mystery. But why he'd left them was beyond Stu.
When he was finished with dinner he ordered a brandy. He was too preoccupied to notice the attractive blonde three tables away that kept staring at him and smiling. It was one of the few times Stuart Bailey failed to see a well-built woman staring at his handsome good looks. When the check came he signed his room number, picked up the society section he'd folded up earlier, and left the restaurant.
For just a moment he considered stopping in the bar for another brandy but changed his mind when he thought about catching an 8 a.m. plane for, of all places, Terra Haute, Indiana. When he got back to his room he laid out the clothes he intended to wear tomorrow, got undressed and took a shower. Once dry and in his pajamas he packed everything in his suitcase, including the society section he brought from downstairs, and left it open for his pj's in the morning. Then he took his shaving kit into the bathroom, set it on the sink and went back to the bed. He called the front desk and left a wake-up call for six, got into bed and fell asleep within minutes. He spent his sleeping hours dreaming about Audrey and Phyllis Moran.