Read Page 35

"Who is this? Hello?" Kyle shouts before the line goes dead.

Amanda never made it to Palm Springs the next morning and when it's confirmed to Rain that Amanda never showed up the following afternoon this is taken for some reason as a bad sign and not something someone who has been described to me as "crazy" and "really messed up" and who Rain slapped across the face in the apartment on Orange Grove and who had read my palm in an airport lounge and who had an affair with Rip Millar, who was, in fact, a member of his "pussy posse," would be prone to do. The first ominous news comes in early this evening: Mike and Kyle find Amanda's blue Jeep in a parking lot off Interstate 10 outside of Indio. All of her bags are gone, including the one with the twenty thousand dollars in cash.Advertisement

I'm listening patiently as Rain tries to give me a version of the story that's been edited carefully enough that I don't have to ask any questions and she says she shouldn't be telling me this at all but the need is apparently overwhelming even though she has erased the real fear of it as she tries to keep it together with Patron and a joint and assuring herself that Amanda will show up eventually. I keep telling Rain that maybe there was a mystery Amanda needed to solve. I tell Rain that maybe Amanda wanted the answer to something. The other thing that soothes Rain, besides the tequila and the dope and the Xanax I've given her, is the callback for The Listeners that I arranged for next week.

"What does Julian think?" I ask when she's been silent too long. "About Amanda?"

She can't answer that question because Julian's name can't be mentioned between us anymore. I finish the drink I'm holding.

"Well, maybe Rip's involved in this," I say, imitating a child investigating a crime. "Isn't Rip f**king her too? He must be very worried as well."

Rain just shrugs, ignoring me. "Maybe."

"Maybe he's worried or maybe he's f**king her or maybe he's involved in this?"

She says nothing, just stares out the window of my office, slumped on the chair while I sit behind my desk watching her.

"If you think her disappearance is connected to Rip shouldn't you go to the police?" I ask, my voice idle and detached.

Rain turns and looks at me like I'm insane.

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"You don't care, do you?" she asks.

"You never told me what happened between you and Kelly Montrose."

"It was nothing. Whatever anyone told you, it's not true." She turns back to the drink and finishes it. "Nothing ever happened between me and Kelly."

"I don't believe you," I say, swiveling slowly back and forth in my chair, planning how this scene will play out. "You must have promised him something."

"Not everyone's like you."

I don't say anything.

"Maybe Kelly wanted something to happen," she finally admits. "Maybe that's why he made the call for me. I don't know."

"And maybe that explains why Rip got so angry," I say, trying to remain calm, trying to rein in my excitement. "Maybe he felt Kelly was about to make a move on you ... "

"Rip Millar is just ... very f**ked up."

"Maybe that's why the two of you got along so well."

"Are you seriously talking to me like this?"

"You knew something that day," I tell her. "You knew that something had happened to Kelly. The day before you left for San Diego with that piece of shit. Kelly hadn't been found yet, but you knew that Rip had done something - "

"Fuck off," she screams.

"I don't really care anymore," I finally say, moving toward her, stroking her neck.

"You really don't care, do you?"

"I didn't know her, Rain."

"But you know me."

"No. I don't."

I lean in to kiss her face.

She turns away. "I don't want to," she mutters.

"Then get out of here," I say. "I don't care if you ever come back here."

"Amanda's missing and you're - "

"I said I don't care." I take her hand. I start pulling her toward the bedroom. "Come on."

"Just let it go, Clay." Her eyes are closed and she's grimacing.

"If you're not going to do this, then you should leave."

"And if I leave, what will happen?"

"I'll make a call to Mark. I'll make another call to Jon. I'll call Jason." I pause. "And I'll cancel everything." pqdm.com