"Amory." "Amory." "I told you to get out of here." "What does it take?" "Toni." " Listen to me." " Don't touch me." "Leave." "Now!" "And take all your things." "I'm suffocating in here with all your things." "I don't even know who I am anymore." "Everywhere I look, all I see is you!" "Your taste, your culture, and what you think is good and proper!" "Amory Gilliam!" "Amory Gilliam!" "I am not whatever it is you want me to be!" "I'll never let you go." "Get out of here!" "I don't want you!" "I don't want any part of you!" "Not that she can't converse on all subjects, but she may not have quite the refinement that a man like you obviously requires, Mr. Gilliam." "I mean, Bay Area Escort prides itself on providing our clients with the most compatible young ladies." "And if you'll just turn the page, Mr. Gilliam" "No." "This is the girl." "Imperial Palace Restaurant, 9:00." "Hello." "I'm Kim Ahern." "Amory Gilliam." "I'm so glad that you could come." " Thank you." "So am I." " Won't you come and sit down?" " Would you like a cocktail?" " No, thank you." "Waiter." "Another martini, please." "Very dry, very cold, with two olives." " Well, what do you--?" " Well, you're exactly" " You were going to say?" " No, you go first." "I was going to say that you're exactly on time." "I like that." "Well, I could've been really late." "Things got jammed up." " Well, I'm glad you made it." " So am I." "Toni Craig." "Right." "Prints gave us the name, FBI gave us the face." "Now, at least, we know what she looked like." "Girl they dug up from the Golden Gate Park this afternoon." "From San Antonio." "She's beautiful, isn't she?" "Ten days under a pile of rocks." "You know, she looks familiar." " From where?" " I don't know." "Somewhere." "Well, here." "Maybe this will jog you." "Fact sheet has her working door-to-door," "Gary Products Cosmetics." "No." "Well, then run her through RI." "Somewhere." "and classes." "Painting, yoga..." "You know, just having fun, living." " May I ask you a question?" " Of course." "Are you married?" "Does it make a difference?" "Well, yes and no." "Night-time dates, we have five hours." "They told you that at the escort service, didn't they?" "Well, I just find sometimes that married men are really nice for the first four." "It's the fifth when they get a little silly." "Well, I promise I won't be silly." "So you're not married?" "Straight arrow?" "Divorced." "Tell me more about you." "You really wanna know why I do this, don't you?" "For the money, Mr. Gilliam, and for the people I meet." "Okay?" " What are you looking at?" " Your hair." "Don't you like it?" "It's very long, isn't it?" "Sort of." "That's the way you should wear it always." "Long, not up like that." " May I say something?" " Sure." "You're a very nice-looking man, Mr. Gilliam." "What's a nice-looking man like you doing paying for a date?" "Look at this." "Hey, how much rent do you get for a place like this?" "Five hundred a month." " Who paid for it?" " She did." "Miss Craig." " Check?" " Cash." "You know, Mike, there's not much in here you come by selling door-to-door, that's for sure." "What do you think, a love nest?" "So where's the bird who bought it?" "Penny." " You'll hate me." " No." "Well, this afternoon, in sketch class, our instructor brought by a print by Dufy." "I was just thinking how beautiful it was." "Which is awful, because it has nothing whatsoever to do with you and everything tonight should concern you." "Sounds a little like the end of a lovely evening." "What time is it?" "I'm sorry I wasn't more fun." "Oh, wait a minute." "It was a lovely evening." "If you think I'm gonna have you drive me all the way home thinking it wasn't, well, I just won't go." "I won't." "Now you're being what the Bay Area Escort calls "compatible."" "You listen to me, Amory Gilliam." "You're a very special man." "You are." "You're intelligent, and you're witty, and you order the best meal ever, and I love to hear you talk." "And I'll remember this evening for a long, long time." "And you want to go home." " The truth?" " Straight arrow." "I'm beat." "But you needed the money." "Listen, if I can help" "If you reach into your wallet, I'll walk home." " I'll take you home." " Almost home." "Bay Area Escort." "I know." "The nearest taxi stand." "Rules is rules." "Thank you again for a lovely evening." " I'll see you again." " All right." "The lady will tell you where to go, driver." "About three or four months, I'd say, which is longer than the girls usually last." "You know, they get married, find a boyfriend..." "Is that what happened to Toni Craig?" " No, Toni saw stardust." " Stardust?" "Some time ago, a motion picture company came to the city to film." "And they hired some young men and women as extras." "She took it very seriously, decided on a whole new career." " Did she get work?" " How many do?" "But she wanted to register with a talent agency, and she asked my advice." "So we picked one out together, in the yellow section." "Here, this one." "The one right there." "What's this word?" ""D-C-U-W-C-Y?"" "It's not a word." "Initials." ""Don't call us, we'll call you."" " Seven out of eight." " And the eighth?" "Right there." " Did she write that, "Here I come"?" " Yes." " Got the address?" " Yeah." "You mentioned a boyfriend." "Can you link up a name with Toni?" "No." "I know she went out a great deal, but I don't think there was anyone special." "In fact, at that time in her life," "I really don't think anyone mattered to Toni but Toni." " Thank you very much, Miss Holloway." " You're welcome." "What's the matter?" " Oh, that handwriting." " What about it?" "She just seemed so excited, you know?" "All those exclamations." "She ends up under a pile of rocks." " Don't let it get to you, buddy boy." " You mean it doesn't get to you?" " That's not bad." " Thanks." " It's Impressionistic." " To say the least." "Let's see yours." "Oh, that's good, David." "That's really good." "I like it." "Oh, I'll tell you what, I'll even sign it for you." " An original." " David." "I don't believe it." "What?" "Excuse me, David." " Hello, Kim." " What are you doing here?" "I wanted to talk to you." "You followed me home last night, didn't you?" " Now, Kim" " Then you followed me this morning." "I don't like that." " Wait." " Hey, man." "Hey, just cool it." "Get lost, sonny." "It's all right, David." "Honestly, it's all right." "Why did you do that?" "Kim, I brought you something." "I'm not interested." " You're being very difficult, Kim." " So are you." "Come on." "Oh, come on." "It's in the car." "If you don't like it, you can hit me with it." "Is it heavy?" "It's a gift, not a bribe." "Oh, Amory." "A Dufy litho." "It's beautiful." "Thank you." "Thank you very much." " But you're a liar." "It is a bribe." " Of course." " What do I have to do for it?" " Give me the rest of the day." "It's a deal." "She was so enthusiastic." "You know, she had these great bursts of" " What?" "Verve." "Toni Craig had dynamite verve." " Did you ever get her a job?" " Acting?" "Oh, come on, she was no actress." "Personality, sure." "Charm, she had lots." "But talent..." "Well, her talent was in her smile." "Well, I finally had to lay it on her." "She just didn't have it." "But she was a good kid, so I did what I could." " I called Murray." " Murray?" "Golden Gate Escort." "It's the new thing." "You know, rent-a-girl." "Murray tries harder because he's last." "So I thought I'd send him a charger like Toni." "You know, do them both a favour." "Hey, I don't know why you're looking for her, but these might help you find her." "Super stills." "That kid didn't have a bad angle." "Full face, profile..." " Mike, it just hit me." " What?" "Where I saw this face." "Here it is." " Could be twins." " Read the make." ""Deceased." "Cara Hale, female, Caucasian, age 22." "Found murdered March 6, 1972, Seattle, Washington." "Assailant unknown." "Last place of employment, Schyler Escort Service."" " Little more than a coincidence, huh?" " Well, odds don't go that high." " Mike." " Yeah, I'm listening." "On Toni Craig." "I just got off the phone with Austin." "He's checking out the other tenants." "One of them said that they talked to her a couple of weeks ago." "Said that she was talking about checking out going back to San Antonio." "Said she was frightened, but he didn't know why." "I think we do, Norm." " It isn't too low, is it?" " No." " Are you sure?" " Live with it a while." "You'll see." "I don't know why I'm arguing with you." "Pointless." "Come here." "You bought four other outfits." "Don't you want to see them?" "Here." "Oh, I want you to see them." "I know what you look like." "That's why I chose them." "Same way you knew what music I'd like?" "And what wine?" " Where's the flaw, Amory Gilliam?" " What?" " How did she let you go?" " Who?" "Your wife." "Oh, Anita." "She wanted to grow old gracefully." "How old are you?" "Fifty-one." "No, no, no, I mean right now, right this minute." "My life is starting all over, Cara." "Cara?" " Whatever that means." " "Heart of mine."" "I can help you, Kim." "I can make you into something we'll both be proud of." "Would you like that?" "Very much." "Do something for me." "What?" "Let down your hair." "You do it." "four, one, two, three, four..." " Come in." " Fix it, ladies." "That's it." "One, two, three, four." "One, two, three..." "Mrs. Short?" "Yes, come on in." "I'll be through in a minute." "One, two, three, four." "One, two, three, four." "And there you are, ladies." "That's it." "Oh, police." " Inspector Keller." " Oh, hello." "Excuse me." "I wonder if you could give us a few minutes of your time." "Yes, yes, of course." "Is it about Toni?" "Yeah, I believe you talked to one of our inspectors earlier." "You mentioned to him that Miss Craig seemed frightened about something." "Yes, yes, I did." "She said that she was going home, but she didn't say why." " And you think it was a man." " I'm sure it was." "Well, do you know who?" "Oh, no." "She really kept him to herself once she found him." "Excuse me, could I ask you why you think she was seeing only one man?" "Well, it had to be." "I mean, what was she earning before?" "A hundred, $150 a week with the service?" "And she was seeing someone almost every night." "And then she stopped." " I know it was a man." " Now, how do you know?" "Well, all the new clothes, and that streak in her hair." "It was always down the same way." "Besides, that's the way it was with Artie." " Artie?" " My husband." "I met him, and that was it for me too." "Except for now that we both feel secure with each other, maybe we need a little extra money or something" "Excuse me, but you're hired out through the same escort service?" " Golden Gate, same as Toni." " And you still go?" " Yes." " Even though you're married?" "Oh, sure, a lot of the girls do." "It's" " Really nothing can get heavy unless..." "You think that the man that she met at the service is the man who...?" "Mrs. Short, I want you to tell me everything that you know about this escort service, and about everybody who uses it." " A penny." " What?" "For your thoughts." "Oh, forgive me." "Ten minutes without a word." "Where have you been?" "Out there." "Look." "Look at it." "Constant, powerful, timeless." "Are you afraid of growing old, Amory?" "Not now." "Lovely." " I'm not sure it's me." " It's you." "You know what's scary, Amory?" "Sometimes I think you know me better than I know myself." "I see you very clearly." "I've waited for you for a long time." "We belong, Kim." "Together." "Here or someplace like this." "Have you ever been to the tower?" " What tower?" " Robinson Jeffers' tower." "Down the coast, south of here, near Big Sur." "It's a fortress against the world." " Who was he?" " A poet." " And he built his own home?" " Yes." "With his own hands, stone by stone." "What did he write about?" "The sea, nature, man's failure." "Violence, wildness, the power of passion love." " I'd like to read him someday." " I intend for you to." "I'll bet you have a whole reading list picked out for me." "You're too much, Amory." "These clothes, my hair, the pictures in my apartment, the music I listen to, the books I read..." "My whole life." "You wanna change everything." "But why me in the first place?" "Why not somebody who already has it already in the first place?" "Do you mind?" "I'm not sure." "I'm really not." "It's all so sudden, so serious." "I just..." "Just let it happen." "We'll go there, to the tower." " Now?" " Well, it's not far from here." "We have the time." "I want you to see it." "I can't." "That is one word that is deleted from your vocabulary as of this moment." "Amory, I have a date." "Amory," "I'm sorry." "I really am." "But whatever it is you want me to be, even if I want it too, it can't happen this fast." "I need time." "You don't have to keep this date." "Amory, you love the sea, right?" "Well, maybe one of the reasons you love the sea is because it's free." "I'm free too, until I choose not to be." "And that's something nobody can change, not even you." "This is a license, lieutenant." "All nice and legal." "So if you're thinking about hassling me, you can forget about it." "Murray..." "Murray..." "Murray Taylor?" "Name change legal too?" " My mother's maiden name." " Your mother's maiden name." "Does she know what you're doing with her name these days?" "She was a lady, and so are the others in this book too." "Well, we'd like to ask you about one of those ladies, Toni Craig." " The one that got hit?" " Yeah." "Man, I don't know anything about it." " What do you know about her?" " Just that she was a nice kid." "Brought me lots of action." "I could've used a dozen like her." "Miss Ryan told us how she got here." "All we want to know is how long she stayed." " Until she found a live one." " Who was it?" "By me." "I just collect a $50 fee and split it right down the middle." "Now, come on." "You know who goes out with the same girl more than once." "Sure, but what she does on a date is her own business." "I don't wanna know about that." "Just so she doesn't spill on the tablecloth and makes nice." "I want a list of every guy who saw Toni Craig a second time." "Nothing said that the guy you're after has gotta be on my list, lieutenant." "I got a very classy clientele here." "That's just the kind of list I wanna see." "Starlight and dew drops Are waiting for thee" "Sounds of the rude world" "Heard in the day" "Lulled by the moonlight Are all passed away" "My name is Conroy." "Did you wanna see me?" " Yes, sir." " Now, if it's about the insurance" "No, no." "My name is Inspector Keller." "I'm with the San Francisco Police Department." "Oh, well, I can't remember doing anything illegal lately, but then I can't count too much on remembering anything lately." " You sure it's me you wanna talk to?" " Yes, sir, I think so." "It has to do with a young lady called Toni Craig." "Oh, I read about it." "Awful." "Let's sit down." "My legs ain't what they used to be." " Fine." " Over here." " Now." " Now, regarding Toni Craig..." "Oh, yes, yes." "I read all about it in the papers." "Just awful." "Well, how did you happen to meet her?" "I won her." " You won her?" " She was second prize." "We don't always just sit around here, you know." "We go to ball games, nightclubs, have dances." "We may be old, but we ain't dead." "That poor girl." "She couldn't have been over 24, 25 years old." "You were mentioning you won the second prize." "Raffle." "We have raffles here all the time." "That time, I won second prize." "It was a dinner and a date." "Well, was she from an escort service?" "Maybe, but harmless." "As far as I'm concerned, anyway." "She was really, really quite a charming girl." "You know, she used to chatter away, laugh at my silly stories." "Lovely, lovely evening." "I'm afraid that's all I can tell you about her." "Well, that's all right." "But would you mind if I asked you one more question?" " No, go ahead." " What was first prize?" " You might find it hard to believe." " Well, try me." "You get to sit right here in front of the television, and for a whole evening-- And no one can give you an argument." "you get the remote-control switch right in the palm of your hand." "For the whole evening." "That's fantastic." " Good afternoon." " Amory Gilliam?" "Correct." "Lieutenant Stone." " Yes?" " I'd like to ask you a few questions." " Concerning?" " Toni Craig." "Oh, the girl who was found at the park." "Under a pile of rocks." "Yes, I read about it." "Please, come in." "Thank you." "I was just catching up on my late afternoon phone calls." "Won't you sit down, lieutenant...?" "Stone, was it?" "Yes." "I like to work out the kinks every chance I get." "Most of the time, I'm behind a desk or the wheel of a car." "Are you a collector, Mr. Gilliam?" "Of sorts." "Nothing too expensive." "Graphics, mostly." " May I get you a drink?" " Oh, no." "No thanks, I'm happy." "Graphics, huh?" "What's this...?" "These small numbers here in the corner?" "What do they tell you?" "They tell you how many copies were run, and which number that particular piece is." "Seventeen over 50." "That means 50 of them were run off" " and this is the seventeenth?" " That's right." " Must be valuable." " Depends on the artist." " And the artist of this one is?" " Matisse." "Well..." "The signature's kind of small, isn't it?" "It's framed beautifully." "Yeah, they all are." "I had them custom-made to complement each particular piece." " Who does the work for you?" " Various people." "But why do you ask, lieutenant?" "Are you planning on having someone framed?" "Hey, that's very good." "Mr. Gilliam, how well did you know Toni Craig?" " Not well." " How did you meet her?" "Lieutenant, it occurs to me that, by now, you are well aware that I met her through an escort service, and that I saw her on three separate occasions." " Only three, Mr. Gilliam?" " Three, lieutenant." "Now, that's a funny number." "Once you didn't like her." "Twice, you liked her a little." "Three times, Mr. Gilliam..." "Why only three?" "Why not four?" "Well, I suppose because after three strikes you're out." "I asked her three times, she said no three times." " What did you ask her?" " To come and see my etchings." " And you struck out, huh?" " Yes, lieutenant." "Look, I'm sorry, but I have very little time." "Would you mind coming to the point?" " Have you ever been to Seattle?" " Often." "It's one of my favourite cities." " In the early part of March?" " I'm not sure." "I can find out for you though." "My records are with my taxman." "But could you find out for me, let's say, before tomorrow morning?" "No problem at all." " Around ten?" " Fine." "I'll see you then." "Too bad she never saw these." "I bet she would have liked them." "Matisse." "M-A-T-I-S..." " Double S-E." " S-E." "Foreigners." "Why don't they learn to spell?" "This one doesn't have to." "He's a painter, Haseejian." "Why don't you look it up if you can't spell it?" " Coroner's seal still on the place?" " Yeah." "And I only want that one picture." "And by 10:00 tomorrow morning," "I want a complete report of this guy, Amory Gilliam." " Gilliam." "Is that one L or two?" " Two." "Thanks again, Bob." "It was a lovely evening, as usual." "Good night." " Are you Mrs. Gilliam?" " Yes." "I wonder if we could have a few minutes of your time." "This is Inspector Keller, I'm Lieutenant Stone." "Oh, certainly." "Jenny, go on with your lesson." "I'll be right back." "Your daughter's got quite a forehand." "Well, that's my granddaughter, but thank you very much." "Yes?" "We'd like to ask you a few questions about your husband." "Amory?" "Well, is he all right?" "Well, I spoke to him yesterday, and I have an appointment with him at 10:00 this morning." " Then he's in some sort of trouble." " He could be." "Poor Amory." "What is it?" "I don't know how close you have been with him recently, but anything that you can tell me about him over the past few months," "I'd like to know." "Well, we've been separated for almost a year." " Was that your idea or his, ma'am?" " Well, I" "I'm sorry for being so personal, but it's really important." "Well, it isn't anything really to hide." "It's just, I guess Amory just didn't like the idea of getting old." "The thought of dying suddenly seemed to terrify him." "He started seeing younger women." " One in particular." " Do you know which one?" "No." "He never told me, and I never asked." "It was apparent that she meant a lot to him." "I realized that when he kept finding excuses to check his territory up there." "The plane fare alone must have put quite a dent in his expense account." "Excuse me, but was this territory in Seattle?" "Yes." "Mrs. Gilliam, I think you ought to tell us everything that you can remember about those trips." "Amory." "Amory, they're beautiful, all of them." "And the luggage..." "I've never had anything like this." "But why?" "I thought you should have a proper trousseau." "A what?" "Oh, you're putting me on." " No." " Amory..." "Marry me, Kim." "I can't." "Oh, this isn't real." "Don't give me your answer now." " Wait until you've seen it." " What?" "Our own private tower, yours and mine." "It's on a point at Crystal Cove, near Monterey." "I'll take this down while you decide what else you want." "I told you I'd show you Robinson Jeffers' tower." "Then it occurred to me that we ought to have our own." "Not as imposing, perhaps, not built of stone but built of what we can put in it." "From the strength we give each other, the beauty we can create, the eternity we can share." "I love you, Kim." "Amory I can't." "It's not that I'm not fond of you." "I'm very fond of you, I really am." "Wait." "Amory." "Wait." "Amory Gilliam, 52 years old, male." "Manufacturer's representative, top tool-and-dye firm." "Married 30 years, father of three children, all grown and all graduated from college." "Right so far?" "Right." "And according to his wife, he seemed to develop an almost overnight obsession with dying." "And that's when he started having affairs with younger chicks." " So, what do you think?" " Top of the head?" " Could be." " Top of the head?" "Eight years in shrink school, and you're gonna give me the top of your head?" "Easy, man." "The ego's a fragile thing." "You know, too much flattery, I'll need to find my own shrink." "What else you got?" "The girl that he finally left his wife for lived in Seattle." "Now, if we can prove that that was the girl that was murdered in March," "Cara Hale, then I think we got something." " Mike." " Yeah." "No message on Gilliam, but there's a picture from the Craig apartment." "You know, you just might have a classic type there." "A guy gives up everything he's built over a lifetime for some chick and she rejects him?" "Eighteen over 50." "I think Gilliam's number may be up." "He's got 17 off the same run." "Yeah, if he killed the first chick, then he might wanna re-create her, even down to the streak in her hair, if that's what your Cara Hale had." " She had a streak, yeah." " It could be a pattern." "Seeking perfection, killing her to keep from losing her," " again and again, if necessary." " Listen, all of this could tie in, because we got a report on an assault case last night." "This guy left this girl that he had met at one of these escort services." " Which one?" " Bay Area." "Said he had seen her five different times, same girl." "So last night, when he leaves her, he gets jumped." "No robbery, so he figures, what, jealousy?" " Got the girl's name?" " Yeah, Kim Ahern." "Get her home phone number." "I want a list of every guy that ever dated her." "Listen, you want a description on that guy that got jumped last night?" "Rugged-looking, gray hair, well-dressed, six feet tall, 52 years old." "Yeah." "He could be a real psycho." "Are you sure that's the girl's number?" "Yeah, it's the number the operator" "Can I speak to Miss Ahern, please?" "Is this the answering service?" "Well, did she leave word where she could be reached?" " Oh, come on, come on." " Yes, please." "And how long is she gonna be gone?" "I see." "No, there's no message." "Thank you very much." "She left town with a friend for a few days." "A friend." "That takes care of my call." "Where are they heading?" "Crystal Cove Point." "That's near Monterey." "Let's move it." " Haseejian." " Yeah." "Put out an APB on Gilliam." "Check at DMV on the make and model of his car, and then give it to the highway patrol." "You got that?" "Talk about rejection." "Let's go and take a look at the inside." " No, Amory." " Why not?" "It's a lovely house, I just know I don't wanna live in it." "But how can you tell until you've seen the inside?" " I just know." " That's nonsense." " Amory, please." " I want you to." " Amory, it's cold." "I don't like it." " You will." "Amory, let's go back." "No, Kim." "There is no going back." "Now we're here, this is where we stay." " Amory" " This is where we belong." "You and I together." " Wait a minute" " Nothing can reach us here." " Now, just wait" " Nothing can change." "Wait" " Wait a minute." "I think I missed a chapter somewhere." "Do you want to fill me in?" "Amory, is this somewhere you've been before with someone else?" "No." "Am I supposed to be that someone else?" "Is that it?" "Amory, that's weird." "That's sick." "I don't want any part of it." "Not the hair, not the clothes, not the list of poets, none of it." "It's over, Amory." "It's over." "No." "Cara, I gave it all up for you." " I gave it all up for you, Cara." " Amory" "We can have more than anyone has ever had before, ever." "Believe me." "Trust me." " Trust me." " No." "Cara!" "Cara!" "Amory, please, no!" "No, Amory, no!" "No!" "No!" "Gilliam let her go." "Come on, that's not what you want." "Gilliam, you don't wanna die." "That's what you're running from." "Now, you let her go, Gilliam." "Let her live." "Gilliam." "Gilliam, listen to me." "Are you listening?" "Listen, Gilliam." "Listen to me." " Are you listening?" " Yes, yes." "He said this was gonna be our private tower, just like the one the poet built in Big Sur." " Poet?" " Robinson Jeffers." "He built his own place out of rocks, called it a "tower beyond tragedy."" "I'd call him a dreamer." "Man hasn't come up with a place that safe yet." "Some men keep trying." "Thank you."