Fall Guy

You'll know him when you see him.“
    „Short arms. Short legs. Red hair.“
    „Irwin Del Toro.“
    „Yeah, right.“
    „He swears it's real.“
    „You're much too trusting,“ I told him.
    „No woman's ever said that to me before.“
    „Now that I believe.“
    I started to close the gate. He put his hand out to stop it.
    „If you change your mind about Friday ...“
    „I can call anytime, day or night.“
    „I didn't understand it before. But I do now.“
    „Understand what?“
    „Why Tim chose you.“
    „What do you mean?“ I asked.
    He pulled the gate closed behind him.
    „Why, Michael?“ I put my hand on top of his. „What did he want me to do?“
    He shook his head, slid his hand from under mine and headed across the street, back toward the station house. I stood there watching him leave, Dashiell at my side.

CHAPTER 12
    The box office at the Louise Lortell Theater didn't open until noon and when I knocked on the door, no one answered. There was no one named Bowling listed on the poster outside. But there was an Elizabeth Bowles among the cast names. Perhaps they were still hopeful she'd show up for the next performance with a whopper of a story about where she'd been. I wasn't so hopeful myself, not after what Brody had told me. And not after reading the article I found in the Metro section of the Times that morning.

ACTRESS VANISHES, POLICE INVESTIGATE

The police are investigating the mysterious disappearance of the actress Elizabeth Bowles, who was appearing in a play at the Louise Lortell Theater. Bowles, 53, who lives in Greenwich Village, did not show up for a performance last week and has not been seen since the evening before, when she left the theater after the show. Her nephew, Parker Bowles, 34, said she took a trip to Europe, but there is no record of her flight and her passport, police say, expired several years ago.
„Elizabeth would never walk out in the middle of the run of a play,” the director, Herbert Lewis, said. „She’s the consummate professional. If you want someone who will inhabit a character fully and never miss a curtain, you hire Elizabeth. We’re all very concerned, very worried.”
Police say that Parker Bowles, who is unemployed, has been living at her apartment off and on the last two years. Neighbors say they hadn’t seen Elizabeth for several days and that on Sunday, they saw her nephew and two friends throwing out what appeared to be women’s clothing and shoes. But police were unable to find these items. Mr. Bowles, also known as Parker Bowling and Dick Parker, denies knowing anything further about the disappearance of his aunt. Though the information he gave to the detectives was inconsistent, at this point, police sources say, there is no crime, so there is no suspect. However, a detective at the Sixth Precinct did say they did not believe Ms. Bowles had gone to Europe.
Though she primarily worked on the stage, Elizabeth Bowles appeared in eleven films, including Strangers on a Train and Zorba the Greek. She was never married but was said to have had numerous affairs, including one with the actor Anthony Quinn.

    I still had time before picking up O'Fallon's car and heading up to Piermont, so I walked over to O'Fallon's building and rang the bell for the apartment over his. The voice that answered was husky and I wondered if I'd woken him, if he'd been playing cards half the night and hadn't gotten to bed until the sun came up, letting my imagination run away with me.
    I stated my name and business and he buzzed me in. I climbed the stairs and as I lifted my hand to knock, the door opened and there he was, looking up at me, a scowl on his face.
    „I already talked to the police.“
    „I know.“
    „So what's the deal here? You a cop? No, doll, anyone can see you're not a cop. Your neck's not thick enough. And your shoes. Tuh. No way. Not a cop. So what the hell do you want?“
    Beyond him, I could see the living room, the same size as O'Fallon's but very different in appearance. The wall facing me was covered with posters. Brody hadn't mentioned that Del Toro had had a varied and jaded career in show business, a stint with Barnum & Bailey, nightclub appearances, some TV work. In the middle of the room there was a traditional poker table, covered in green, eight chairs around it. I could smell the cigars from the last game even though the ashtrays had been emptied.
    „I didn't see nothing. I didn't hear nothing. I don't know nothing. Case