"The blackmailed wife" - читать интересную книгу автора (Jensen Peter)

CHAPTER FOUR

The powerful Jaguar sports car purred smoothly along the highway, going south out of San Diego. Ann Morrow relaxed back in the passenger seat and let her long golden hair flow out into the cool refreshing slip stream of the car. She felt completely relaxed and at ease for the first time in six months.

She gazed over gratefully at Julia, the driver. She had been the one who had lifted this veil of self pity she had thrown around herself when Dave had left for fleet duty in Vietnam last January. This trip was going to be wonderful for her and Julia had convinced her she should forget everything and leave her troubles behind for the weekend.

"Let's pretend we're eighteen again," Julia had said just before they had left, "and we don't have an attachment in the world."

She had explained to Ann while they had several Martinis in her sumptuous apartment overlooking the harbor at San Diego. "We've won this trip from the office for two, all expenses paid for three days to Tijuana and the bull fights, so let's make the most of it."

After the third Martini Ann decided it might be fun. She needed some kind of diversion to keep from going mad.

Julia had warned her that they would have to watch themselves as there were some pretty unsavory characters down there who would like nothing better than to take advantage of a couple of good-looking and fancy-free Gringo girls, but if they were careful and watched their step they could have a good clean weekend of fun. Ann had thought it a wonderful idea and had agreed to try and not think about her loneliness. For the first time since Dave left, she was going to enjoy herself.

Ann had met Julia several months ago when she had taken a job as a secretary in one of the large department stores in San Diego to relieve the boredom while Dave was away. She had written to him about her plans and he had answered that he thought it was a good idea for her to keep herself busy. She had been expressing her depression to him too much lately in her letters and he had good-naturedly admonished her about this – saying he didn't want a worried looking old hag of twenty-two years old for a wife when he returned.

Julia was the first real friend she had made since her husband's departure. She was Mr. Schroeder's, the store owner's, private secretary and also had a husband who was away at sea. That gave them something in common right way.

Julia had invited her out for coffee the second day she was on the job and they had hit it off immediately, even though she was six or seven years older than Ann.

Julia was a little different in many respects and Ann recognized this, but at least, she was someone she could talk to and unburden her frustrations on. She hadn't seen much of Julia after office hours but had gone out with her several times in the evening for a quiet drink when she had been overly persistent. Ann had much rather go home and read a good book or compose her nightly letter to Dave which usually took up four or five pages. This alone took two or three hours.

She hoped he had the time to read them – though she sometimes wondered. His answers would ignore some of the most important points – and he hadn't been writing much lately, in fact, his last letter was over a month ago. This was beginning to hurt Ann and she sometimes had difficulty in sleeping at night – wondering if he still cared as much for her. Her concern gradually turned to frustration and then to anger with him for neglecting her this way.

Perhaps, as Julia had suggested, she had just let him take her too much for granted – perhaps she should go out once in awhile and let off some steam – maybe it would teach him a lesson…

Ann was not quite so certain that Julia was the devoted wife she made herself appear to be. Her husband was a Commander who was making a good income but this didn't seem to be able to satisfy the expensive tastes that Julia had.

Her apartment alone must have taken his entire salary per month, even without the minks, the sports car, and club memberships.

Ann wondered about these things but never really discussed them. Julia had mentioned once that her husband had inherited some money so this could be the answer. Ann couldn't quite put her finger on it but she knew that Julia wasn't worrying the way Ann herself did.

She also felt that Julia might be just a little jealous of her. She had caused quite a stir in the store when she had first gone to work and had taken away much of the attention that Julia was receiving from the male employees herself. She knew this hurt Julia as she throve on attention and was quite a beautiful girl.

Her figure was almost as perfect as Ann's and her face was a chiseled perfection that would have been the delight of a Greek sculptor. Her hair was a silky jet black and always in the latest hair-do.

Ann wondered sometimes how she found so much time to have it done when working as the owner's secretary. But somehow she did, and this was perhaps the thing that Ann admired most – her efficiency and self-reliance.

Julia didn't seem to worry about Bob, her husband, as much as Ann did about Dave – and, seldom mentioned him. She took things as they came to her and she didn't appear to suffer as much as Ann or the other wives did.

Ann suspected that there was something between Julia and Max Schroeder, her boss. He was notorious for the parties he gave at his palatial estate and Julia often attended these. But Ann had nothing concrete, no reason to think Julia was going to bed with her boss.

Julia tried to get Ann to attend some of these parties, saying it would relieve her boredom and she owed it to herself not to be so tense and worried all the time. She also had tried to get Ann to go to Tijuana for the weekend with her several times but Ann had always managed to find some excuse – in reality, she had no interest in these things and for entertainment would have preferred a quiet movie. She had never really liked to drink, except for one or two Daiquiris before dinner when Dave was home.

She had the feeling that Mr. Schroeder was interested in her and that might have been the reason Ann was hired. Many of the other Navy wives had tried to find jobs but said it was impossible. They had almost succeeded in convincing Ann not even to try.

She had gone to the Schroeder store and been interviewed by the woman personnel manager who had informed her that there were no job openings at present and probably would not be in the near future but would keep her application on file. Mr. Schroeder had walked in during the interview and Ann could see him take more than casual notice of her. Nothing was said at that time but several days later she received a call to come to work – and at a very good salary.

Since that time she had caught the boss watching her several times – she could detect in his looks more than just an appreciation of her beauty – it was an outright lewd appraisal. He had made many invitations but Ann had always coldly refused.

She shuddered just thinking about him and could not understand how Julia could stand to be close to him. He was short, bald, had a huge stomach and was always perspiring, even in the air-conditioned store, he always chewed a large, fat cigar between his heavy lips. He was absolutely repulsive to Ann. It was inconceivable to her that Julia was receiving money to live the way she did by going to bed with him.

This was one reason Ann had always refused the invitations to go to parties at Schroeder's estate. But Ann still trusted Julia implicitly and felt it was none of her business what Julia did.

She was so understanding and nice to talk with, that Ann couldn't help feeling Julia had a real interest in her welfare, that the invitation were really a good-natured attempt to get her out of the shell of self-pity into which she had withdrawn. For this, Ann was grateful to her and had often explained that she didn't really need gay parties to keep her mind from Dave's absence, that her books and letters from him would keep up her spirits until he returned.

Julia had seemed to accept this explanation after a while, and did not bother her with further invitations, except for the occasional drinks they had together after work.

This time it was different, there had been a contest at the store for the best slogan to use during the spring sale. Every employee had been required to submit one. She had not thought much of hers, which she had turned in at the last minute, but somehow she and Julia had tied for first place and had each won a prize of an expense paid weekend to the bullfights in Tijuana.

She hadn't really wanted to go, but under the circumstances, it was difficult to find an excuse not to – besides, she felt she needed it now. Dave had been gone for six months and was flying missions over Hanoi and Ann was almost going out of her mind with worry.

Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by Julia's voice, "Mexico coming up, border's right ahead."

"Wonderful, I can't wait!" Ann replied. She had been down only once before, with Dave before he left, and the girls had made reservations at the same hotel.

"Pull your skirt down," Julia suggested laughingly. "If the Mexican border guards see a knee they'll keep us here an hour checking everything in the car just so they can look."

Ann did as she was told and they passed through the customs station with just the usual quick questions, though she did notice the admiring look one of the young border guards cast in their direction. Looks of this kind she didn't mind. In fact, she appreciated them.

The scenery across the border changed immediately. It had shocked her the first time she had seen it and it still did. The clean, neat buildings and houses of California changed to the decrepit and decaying buildings of old Mexico. Even those built within the last six months seemed to have a sense of shoddiness about them. They always looked the same way from the time they were built until they collapsed or were torn down.

The same smell was there too, that of burning meat in the streets from the vendors who cooked their hot tacos on the corners. Noise was everywhere – horns were blowing and people were screaming at each other for no apparent reason. Children were selling everything imaginable on the sidewalks, and running up to the car to thrust chewing gum, cashew nuts, and souvenirs right in their faces.

One boy not more than twelve, reached into the car and squeezed Ann's right breast tightly. She jumped in surprise and slapped at him but he ran off into the crowd, laughing.

"Did you see what that little – little – brat did?" she choked disbelievingly to Julia. "He… he grabbed my breast!"

"Honey, you'll be lucky if that's all that gets grabbed in this town. You've got to watch them every minute and use all four of your hands for protective covering," Julia said, laughing it off.

"Well, it wasn't funny. I've never been so insulted in my life," Ann pouted, still unable to believe it had happened. "They had just better not try that again. Don't they have any respect for a woman at all?"

"Only when she's flat on her back on a bed, dear," Julia replied, "but we're big girls, we can take care of ourselves. Don't worry about it."

Ann was upset and furious all the way to the hotel and was relieved when they arrived. She felt safer now, away from the clanging noises and cries in the streets. It would give her a chance to adjust a little more slowly to this sudden change in tempo.

The hotel was beautiful, and immediately memories of Dave flooded her mind. If only he were here, she thought, everything would be perfect.

It was called the El Cortez and the architecture was typically Spanish, with low curved arches for doors and beautifully colored tiles on the walls and floors. Lush green plants in large ceramic pots in the lobby gave the place a tropical atmosphere.

They checked in and followed the bell-boy up to their suite. It was on the seventh floor, at the top of the hotel, and commanded a view from the terrace of the patio with a lovely Spanish tile swoons pool surrounded by palm trees. Colorful umbrellas were scattered about the edge of the pool, looking like giant mushrooms. Being in such plush surroundings made Ann feel more relaxed than she had in months. "Well, what do you think of the suite?" Julia asked.

"It's just gorgeous!" Ann answered looking around at the beautiful living room and terrace that had its own table and umbrella, "I can't believe its ours for the weekend!"

"Well it is," Julia quipped, "Would you have believed that slogan of yours would win you something like this?"

"Certainly not! I wouldn't even have entered one if it hadn't been required by Mr. Schroeder. I've never won anything before in my life."

"We each have a bedroom, too," Julia said, throwing open one door and showing Ann the interior of one beautiful room with a king-sized bed that looked as though it could hold ten people. "Which do you want?"

"Oh, it's beautiful!" Ann said gleefully, "but you choose, I just can't."

"All right," Julia said, "you take this one. They're both the same."

They had their bags put in their respective rooms and unpacked their things. Ann had been buying new and exciting lace bikini lingerie for the time when her husband would come home and decided to wear them this one time. She had wanted to make it a lovely weekend and thought these few concessions to her vanity wouldn't matter. No one else would see them, anyway. She stacked them neatly in her drawer, humming contentedly to herself.

She finished her unpacking and freshened up a bit. It wasn't a long drive from San Diego but with the top down it was pretty dusty and she had that traveler's grit feeling about her.

"Ready for some lunch?" Julia called from the living room.

"Yes, I'm famished," Ann answered, "I'll be right out."

The girls decided to eat on their own terrace and take a short siesta before the bullfight. The Toredo didn't start until five o'clock so this gave them plenty of time. The lunch was delicious and relaxed Ann so much that she dozed off as soon as she hit the bed. The excitement had really taken its toll of her. Her eyes fluttered shut as the sweet cloak of sleep enfolded her.