The Legend of Joe Moran
Chapter 7The plane landed in Terra Haute close to nine a.m. local time, after almost four hours of flying time. Stu repeated the actions he took upon arriving in Phoenix; rented a car and drove into town, looking for the Great Northern Hotel. Once found he parked and checked in, ending up in a room that he considered quite luxurious by usual standards.
Stu settled into his room and started to make a call when he looked at his watch. Jeff would be asleep and Stu wasn't about to wake him. Instead he went downstairs looking for a restaurant or coffee shop where he could get something to eat. He found what he was looking for and he got a newspaper from the front desk before waiting to be seated. The standard question, "One for breakfast, sir?" And he answered in the affirmative. The hostess seated him at a table next to a window.
Coffee came first, followed by 'farm fresh eggs' poached and melon. He opened the paper, looking for ads of any kind that might give him something to go on. The first thing he stumbled across was an advertisement for Terry's Dry Cleaners, In Terre Haute for Over Twenty Years. It was located at Tenth and Main, not far from the Great Northern. Stu went through the rest of the paper and found nothing else of interest.
By the time he finished breakfast it was past ten-thirty; he signed for his food and returned to his room. Now he sat on the bed and picked up the receiver, asking the operator for a long-distance call to California. Jeff's phone rang four times before he answered. "This better be Stu Bailey."
"It was the last time I checked. How are you, Jeff?" Stu said with a chuckle. While he waited for an answer he pulled out his cigarette case and his lighter.
"Asleep," came the mumbled reply. "Do you know what time it is?"
"Yes, sir, its seven-forty," Stu answered as he lit the cigarette he'd been holding. He took a drag on his smoke while he waited for that to sink in. Not being at home meant he didn't know if Jeff was working too hard or dating too hard. It wasn't like his partner to sleep this late when Stu was out of town on a case.
"Are you kidding me? My clock says four a.m. It must have died during the night. I meant to be in the office by this time. Can I call you back when I get there?" There was a note of frustration in Jeff's voice; Stu could hear it almost two-thousand miles away.
"How long's it going to take you? I want to get out of the hotel and go see what I can find."
"Maybe an hour," his partner answered. Jeff would prefer it to be less time than that, but he still had to shower, shave, get dressed and drive to the office. He hoped Stu would wait; he really wanted to hear what Bailey had uncovered that had taken him from California to Phoenix to Terre Haute. It didn't sound as if Stu had any appointments set up, so it was possible Jeff's dying alarm clock wouldn't have an adverse effect on Stuart's day.
Stu had been up early enough in the day that a one hour nap sounded delicious. "No problem. Just don't get tied up anywhere so that it's a lot longer. I'm at the Great Northern Hotel, room two-twenty-six. Good enough?"
"You've got it, Stu. I'll be back in touch." Jeff hung up the phone and glared at his alarm clock that still read four a.m. "You can be replaced, buster," and he picked up the clock and threw it in the wastebasket on his way to the bathroom. "Damn." He'd had every intention of being in the office when Stu called, and thanks to his little buddy he'd over-slept instead. He stripped quickly, turned on the water and got in. Instead of his usual leisurely shower he scrubbed everything as fast as he could, turned everything off and grabbed a towel. As soon as he was dry he wrapped the towel around his waist, picked up his razor and shaved. When he finished he took a minute to make sure there were no nicks or cuts. When his face came up smooth and clean he hurried into his bedroom to dress.
Ten minutes later Jeff was out the door. He'd send Suzanne over for coffee as soon as she got to the office. Knowing Suzanne as well as he did, she'd probably beat him there. Kookie was working nights this week so he pulled in back and parked his own car. He hurried around to the front door and found it unlocked. He was right, Suzanne had beaten him to work. Again. "Bonjour, Jeff."
"Good morning, Suzanne. My alarm died last night and I overslept. Can you go over to Dino's and get us both a large coffee? And remind me to give you money at lunch. I need a new alarm clock. Preferably one that doesn't quit in the middle of the night."
Suzanne giggled and got up from her chair. "Can you watch the switchboard, please?"
"Of course. But I'd rather watch you." Suzanne giggled again, but Jeff did watch her as she left the office. He sat down at the switchboard, knowing that as soon as he started for his office someone would call in. Since he was right there it was quiet as a mouse, and Suzanne was back in no time with two coffees and a sweet roll. "Oh, that smells good," he told her as he stood to give her back her seat.
"The coffee or the roll?" Suzanne asked, sitting down and putting on her headset.
"Both," was the answer.
"Good, because I got it for you. You didn't have any breakfast, did you?" she inquired knowingly.
Jeff took his coffee and the sweet roll. "You're an angel, and you have my undying gratitude." Gripping the coffee tightly, he went to his office and sat down. He looked at his watch. One hour and five minutes since Stu woke him. He set the coffee down and took a bite of the roll before doing anything else. Andres sweet rolls were the stuff legends were made of. He pushed the intercom. "Suzanne, get me the Great Northern Hotel in Terre Haute, room two-twenty-six."
"Oui, Jeff."
He got in one swallow of coffee and another bite of his roll before the intercom buzzed. "I have Stuart on line one."
"Stu, it took me a little longer but here I am, in the office and ready to hear what you've found out about Joe Moran." There was no response. "Stu. Stu." Jeff held onto the receiver but buzzed Suzanne back. "I thought you said Stu was on line one."
"He was, but he sounded like I'd woken him. Try him again; he must have fallen back asleep." Suzanne's switchboard rang and she answered the incoming call.
"Stuart," Jeff practically shouted into the receiver.
"Oh. Jefferson. Sorry, I laid down to take a nap and the next thing I knew my phone was ringing. I must have fallen asleep with the receiver in my hand."
"What time were you up this morning?" Jeff asked, while he proceeded to take another bite of his roll.
"Six. I had to be to get to the airport on time. I suppose you want to hear what I've learned so far," he remarked as he sat up.
"Before you end up in Wisconsin somewhere."
"Don't joke, it wouldn't surprise me." Stu loosened his tie further and wished he had another cup of coffee. "You know the story up to the dry cleaning plant in California. The manager there told me he thought that Moran had come from Phoenix, so I hopped on the next plane. After some nifty detective work," Stu paused. "That's where you're supposed to laugh."
"Oh. Ha, ha," Jeff countered back.
"Anyway, I found the dry cleaners Moran owned in Phoenix and the current owner told me Joe said he'd moved there from Terre Haute. I also found Phyllis Moran, Joe's ex-wife. She divorced him about three and a half years ago. She confirmed that they'd come there from Terre Haute. She's the reason I wanted to know about divorce laws in Phoenix. What did you find out?"
"Concerned about the legality of Audrey Moran's marriage? Well, you can quit worrying. It was legal. Divorces in Arizona are final thirty days after they're filed. The only place that allows divorce as quickly is Nevada." Jeff tucked that little nugget away, just in case they ever needed it again.
"Whew. By the skin of his teeth," Stu breathed a sigh of relief.
"But how would he know that? Or maybe he didn't care," Jeff suggested.
"It would be easy enough to find out. All he had to do was contact court records to find out when Phyllis had filed." Stu decided this morning when he got up that he still wanted to talk to Jeff about the strange effect Phyllis Moran had on him. But it still needed to be face to face. "Listen Jeff, there's something I want to ask you when I get back."
"Are you going to tell me what it is. Or do you want me to guess?"
"Neither," Stu answered. "I want to wait until I'm back in Hollywood."
Jeff made a kind of huffing sound and Stu could just see him smirking. "Is it about a woman?"
"In an odd manner of speaking, yes."
"You have piqued my curiosity, dad. I shall honor your wishes and wait until I can harass you in person."
Stu felt better. Now Jeff knew something was bothering his partner, and he might be more receptive to listening without laughing. "Alright, I have to get going. I'll call tonight if I can."
"Come home soon, would you. I can't talk to your desk and I need some help with Higgins insurance fraud."
"As soon as I can."
Stu hung up the phone and went into the bathroom. He splashed water on his face and grabbed the nearest towel to dry off with. Then he straightened his tie and went back into the bedroom to get his coat. He grabbed the small phone book from the nightstand drawer and took it with him. His first visit would be to Terry's Dry Cleaners.