The Galton Case by Ross MacDonald Read Free Book Online Page B

fisherman’s knife had fish scales still clinging like faded sequins to the cork handle. A crumpled greenish tuxedo jacket was preserved as a memento from some more sophisticated past.
    A union card issued in San Francisco in 1941 indicated that Culligan had been a paid-up active member of the defunct Marine Cooks’ Union. And there was a letter, addressed to Mr. Peter Culligan, General Delivery, Reno, Nevada. Culligan hadn’t been a loner all his life. The letter was written on pink notepaper in an unformed hand. It said:
    Dear Pete
,
    Dear is not the word after all I suffered from you, which is all over now and I’m going to keep it that way. I hope you realize. Just so you do I’ll spell it out, you never realized a fact in your life until you got hit over the head with it. So here goes, no I don’t love you anymore. Looking back now I don’t see how I ever did love you, I was “infatuated.” When I think of all you made me suffer, the jobs you lost and the fights and the drinking and all. You certainly didn’t love me, so don’t try to “kid” me. No I’m not crying over“spilt milk.” I had only myself to blame for staying with you. You gave me fair warning plenty of times. What kind of person you were. I must say you have your “guts” writing to me. I don’t know how you got hold of my address. Probably from one of your crooked cop friends, but they don’t scare me.
    I am happily married to a wonderful man. He knows that I was married before. But he does not know about “us.” If you have any decency, stay away from me and don’t write any more letters. I’m warning you, don’t make trouble for me. I could make trouble for you, double trouble. Remember L. Bay.
    Wishing you all success in your new life (I hope youre making as much money as you claim),
    Marian
    Mrs. Ronald
S.
Matheson (and bear it in mind). Me come back to
you?
Don’t ever give it another thought. Ronald is a very successful business exec! I wouldn’t rub it in, only you really put me through the “wringer” and you know it. No hard feelings on my part, just leave me alone, please.
    The letter had no return address, but it was postmarked San Mateo, Calif. The date was indecipherable.
    I put everything back and closed the suitcase and kicked it under the bed.
    I went out into the court. In a room on the other side of it, a woman or an animal was moaning. Sable must have been watching for me. The sound became louder as he opened a sliding glass door, and was shut off as he closed it. He came toward me, his face tinged green by the reflected light from the foliage:
    “Find anything significant?”
    “He kept shells for an automatic in his drawer. I didn’t come across the automatic.”
    “I didn’t know Peter had a gun.”
    “Maybe he had, and sold it. Or it’s possible the killer took it away from him.”
    “Anything else?”
    “I have a tentative lead to his ex-wife, if you want me to explore his background.”
    “Why not leave it to the police? Trask is very competent, and an old friend of mine into the bargain. I wouldn’t feel justified in taking you off the Galton case.”
    “The Galton case doesn’t seem so very urgent.”
    “Possibly not. Still, I think you should stay with it for the present. Was Cassie Hildreth any help?”
    “Some. I can’t think of much more to be done around here. I was planning to drive to San Francisco.”
    “You can take a plane. I wrote you a check for two hundred dollars, and I’ll give you a hundred in cash.” He handed me the check and the money. “If you need any more, don’t hesitate to call on me.”
    “I won’t, but I’m afraid it’s money down the drain.”
    Sable shrugged. He had worse problems. The moaning behind the glass door was louder, rising in peaks of sound which pierced my eardrums.

chapter
7
    I HATE coincidences. Aboard the plane, I spent a fruitless hour trying to work out possible connections between Maria Galton’s loss of her son andPeter