More interesting to me were the entries that involved what appeared to be dates, with initials presumably indicating Maureen’s escorts. “Here we have Dinner at Sardi’s, J.R.; Ballet, W.T.; Dinner at ‘21,’ E.M.; Gilbert & Sullivan Operetta, C.D.; Knicks game at the Garden, E.M.; BCR Dinner, E.M.,” I told Lily. “Any idea who these guys are — or at least should I assume they’re all guys?”
She allowed herself several seconds of looking skyward before her response. “I’m trying to recall which of these men I’ve actually met, and which ones I’ve only heard Maureen mention. Let’s see... J.R., that must be Jason Reed, who is a publisher with Ferris and Reed, which specializes in history and biography, not much fiction. With his company’s tastes, I’m guessing your boss has read some of their titles.”
“Could be. I can’t keep up with his books, given that he often goes through several in a week, and he keeps Murger’s in business. That’s a—”
“I know, that is a bookstore. And I’ve been in there. Have you?”
“Yes, but only once to pick up some books Wolfe had ordered, when I just happened to be in that neighborhood,” I said. “Usually, Murger’s makes deliveries to the brownstone, seeing as my boss is a very good customer of theirs. Have you met Jason Reed?”
“I have, once, at an auction benefiting children’s hunger. As you would expect, given Maureen’s obvious desirability, she would attract interesting men, and Jason was both interesting and charming — and not hard on the eyes.”
“Sounds like he may have captivated you,” I remarked.
“Oh, do you really think that it is only men — including yourself, of course — who are drawn to the opposite sex?”
“Just making an observation, that’s all. Did Maureen have an extended relationship with this dashing and charming publisher?”
“Not that I am aware of,” Lily said. “I did remark to her after meeting Reed that I thought he was quite impressive. I remember she acted rather blasé about the man, as though she didn’t really seem to care one way or the other.”
“She is hard to please, eh?”
“Maybe she sets high standards for herself. Or more likely, she was overly suspicious of all men after her husband’s behavior. I am not sure she saw much of Jason Reed after that night at the auction. I don’t recall her mentioning him again.”
“What do you think of women who in their datebooks use only the initials of the men they’re going out with?”
“What in the world is wrong with that?” Lily asked. “It’s just a form of shorthand, nothing that’s necessarily secretive.”
“Does that mean that I am ‘A.G.’ in your calendar on the nights when we go out?”
“Since you insist on knowing, I always write you down as just plain ‘A.’”
“I thought if you used my second initial, it might differentiate me from any Aaron, Anthony, Alan, or Algernon you might be seeing.”
“Believe me, I would never, and I do mean never, date anyone named Algernon. Now, as I said before, let us go back to work before Sofia gets antsy and wonders what’s taking us so long.”
“Thanks for keeping me focused. What can you tell me about W.T., C.D., and E.M.?”
“That first one would be Will Talmadge, who’s an interesting case,” Lily said. “He inherited millions, or so it’s said, from his father, who made his money in, of all things, electronic cables that run under the streets, if you can believe it.”
“I can believe it. After all, your own late father, who I regret never having met, made his own fortune in the sewer business, so much of his work was also beneath the streets.”
“As I’ve said before, you would have liked him.”
“I have no doubt whatever of that. Have you met Mr. Talmadge?”
“I have, twice. The best description of him I can come up with is debonair. He is a good deal older than Maureen, dresses exceedingly well, has white hair and a matching mustache, and smokes a pipe. He was divorced years ago and has no offspring I’m aware of. He likes being seen in the company of younger women, and by all accounts, they like being around him, too.”
“Does he have a job, or can he just live on the interest from family investments?”
“Probably the latter. He is a patron of the arts, and he has backed several Broadway plays, and some operas as well. And for the record, he lives in the Dakota.”
“Which means he brushes shoulders with a lot of other well-known people. Any idea how Maureen feels about him?”
“I don’t. As I have said, she doesn’t talk a lot about the men she sees, and I don’t think she has been out with Talmadge more than a few times.”
“Moving right along, who, pray tell, is C.D.?”
Lily looked at the ceiling again, as if seeking inspiration. “Mm, that would be... Clay Dalton, whom I know very little about, other than that he comes from a family that has made its fortune in the construction business — roads, bridges, tunnels.
“I met him just once, when he was with Maureen at a benefit dinner at the Waldorf. He was a little rough around the edges but seemed to be a decent fellow. As I said, his money comes from the construction business. I didn’t get the impression that there was anything serious between them, though.”
“And what about E.M., the one who seems to pop up most often on our girl’s dance card?” I asked. “Oh, wait. Of course, that’s Eric Mason, the ad guy I met at one of your soirees. The one who was oozing confidence and personality.”
“He should have a lot of self-confidence,” Lily said. “Eric’s with the agency Gordon and Grove and is among the top creative directors in New York. He’s won both a potful of awards and has earned a big salary in the process.”
“I see a pattern emerging,” I said. “La Carr appears to enjoy the company of well-heeled gentlemen.”
Lily raised an eyebrow at me. “If you are suggesting that she is a gold digger, I would remind you that Maureen has plenty of money of her own. The fact that she has dated well-off men probably has to do with the social circles she moves in.”
“You make a good point. I do believe we now have plumbed the lady’s diary for all the information that we are likely to get. I’m sure you noticed that the datebook was completely blank after the Katonah weekend. Didn’t that strike you as strange, given how busy our Miss Carr normally is?”
“It did, and I think I see where you are going with this, Mr. Detective. She has planned to... well, go away.”
“Certainly possible. What else was missing?”
She bit a lip. “I’m not sure what you’re getting at.”
“We found her diary of activities, all right. But no address book.”
“Ah, of course, meaning she has taken it with her.”
“Seems likely. Well, we have been in the boudoir long enough. Shall we see if Sofia has learned anything?”
Lily nodded her agreement and we found the maid in the pantry, where she apparently had been going through the shelves. Before either of us could ask, she replied, “I thought perhaps I might find out if Miss Carr had taken some food, either from here or the refrigerator, but everything seems as I had left it. Except, certain things had to be thrown out of the refrigerator, of course.”
“Certainly,” Lily said. “What about elsewhere, did everything seem to be in order?”
Sofia nodded, biting a lip. “I do not like to be a...”
“I know what you are about to say,” Lily replied, “and I agree that this is very difficult, but we all are worried about Miss Carr. Do you think if we go through her clothes, we will be able to find what she might have taken with her?”