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.Norma knew that Rambeau had spent a considerable sum that night, but she was shocked when she tallied it—thirty thousand dollars! It had happened too many times before—a beef the next day over a large amount of money.Norma decided soon after sunrise that she’d return half of it if Rambeau showed up at the house before getting on the train.By nightfall she assumed that the actress was on her way back to Hollywood.Norma’s purse bulged with the money; it would be safely in the bank the next morning.But at the Roosevelt Hotel, Rambeau and her young friend were barely able to get out of bed for dinner.Earlier in the afternoon, from her prone position, she’d called the cab company, looking for the driver who had taken her to Norma’s house.Hungover, she realized she had no idea where she’d been.She became adamant with the dispatcher; she claimed there’d been a robbery, and the cab company would have hell to pay if they didn’t help her find the culprits.Late in the afternoon the dispatcher located the address on Itchem’s trip sheet.Rambeau ordered some beef broth and Coca-Cola from room service and went back to sleep.The next morning Norma was getting ready to go to her bank in the Central Business District when she heard the front door open, followed by the maid saying, “Ma’am, please, you can’t go in there.I’ll call Miss Norma.”High heels struck the floorboards as a woman hurried toward the back parlor, her voice raised in anger.“I want my money!”Norma hid her purse and met Rambeau at the door to the parlor.The poor little straggler was still with her, looking licked.“What money?” Norma asked.Rambeau got right in Norma’s face, hostile.“Look, I want some of the money I spent the other night.That’s too much to drop in one place.” Before Norma could reply, she said, “You rolled me.” Norma recognized Rambeau’s woman-on-the-tough role from her movies.“And if you don’t give it to me.” Instead of finishing her threat, she stalked out to a pay phone in the hallway.Near the front door, Itchem nervously fingered the brim of his porkpie hat.Rambeau got out a nickel and lifted the receiver.“Oh, do you want to use the phone?” Norma inquired.“Who are you going to call?” Even though she was shorter than Rambeau, she stared Miss High-and-Mighty down.“I’m calling the police.”“Okay, honey,” Norma said, “you’re throwing your weight around pretty good here.You know, if you hadn’t tried to muscle me I might have considered what you had to say.Instead, I think I’ll do a little nickel dropping myself.You call the police, and I’ll call The Times-Picayune.Now won’t they have a juicy little story.” Rambeau blanched.“I have nothing to lose,” said Norma.“What about yourself?” She took the phone from Rambeau’s rather limp hand, took her nickel as well, and started to drop it.Rambeau put her hand over Norma’s.“Let’s not be hasty, Norma.What do you say we have a talk?”“Fine with me.” Norma hung up the phone.The two women went into the parlor.Itchem tried to eavesdrop from down the hall.Norma gave the cabbie an arched eyebrow and banged the door.By the time Rambeau sank into the sofa cushions, she had recovered her good humor.“How about some champagne,” she asked, “for old times’ sake?” Norma nodded to the maid.Norma had been bluffed since she was nine years old, and she could smell a con coming.Rambeau kissed her, said she’d had a beautiful time, but, after all, that was a lot of money, could they talk about it? “You can’t use it anyway, because it’s all marked.My husband, when I left Florida, gave me that money, but he didn’t approve of me carrying so much, so he said he had the serial numbers recorded on all of it.”Norma said nicely, “If I can’t cash those hundred-dollar bills, shame on you, because you’ll be reading about it.” She let Rambeau take that in, then went on.“Look, if you had come in here right, instead of barging in and being hostile, I might have given you some of your money back.But I’ve decided there’s nothing you’re going to do about it.”Rambeau thought about it and recognized that Norma had the bigger muscle.“Okay, let’s just forget this.I’ll charge it off to experience, and if you ever come to Los Angeles, look me up and I’ll show you one gorgeous time [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]