I was being stampeded to leave the country.”
“I believe the end’s in sight,” Crystal said, sighing with relief.
“It is,” I said. “I arranged with Harry to kid Netta into thinking he
would fly us to the States . . .”
“And a very fine job I made of it, too,” Bix said, beaming.
“I gave O’Malley the facts and he nabbed Cole, and laid a trap for
Corridan. As luck would have it, Corridan heard that Cole had been
arrested and guessed something had gone wrong with his plans. He
took a chance and came on to Madge’s flat just as Netta and I were
about to leave for the airport. I think his idea was to knock me off and
get Netta to persuade Harry to take her and Corridan to the States.”
“As if I would,” Bix said scornfully.
“Anyway, O’Malley was listening in and Corridan walked into the
trap,” I concluded. “If those two don’t swing, I’ll be surprised.”
“You mean you thought all that out without any help?” Crystal
said, gazing at me with unconcealed admiration. “I’m proud of you,
precious. I should never have thought it of you.”
“Come on,” I said, signalling the waiter, “let’s get out of here. If
you two fellows haven’t anything better to do, amuse yourselves;
Crystal is going to amuse me—alone.”
“Give me five minutes, precious,” she said, getting to her feet.
“I’m going to powder my nose and then I’ll be very amusing.”
When she had gone Ullman glanced at his watch, got to his feet.
“I’ve got to write this story,” he said. “You two guys keep each other
company. Say good-bye to Miss Godwin for me, will you? So long and
thanks for the details.”
Bix made a move to follow him, but I grabbed his arm.
“Listen, lug,” I said, “you stick around where I can see you. I want
you to stay right here until Crystal comes back, then I want you to
fade quietly away.”
“What makes you think she cares for you, you sap?” Bix
demanded heatedly. “Why, I’ll have her eating out of my hand if I can
get her alone for two minutes.”
“It may surprise you to know she’s not that kind of a girl,” I said
with dignity. “Moreover, she eats off a plate, and if you start anything
I don’t like I’ll make you think the war’s started again.”
We sat glowering at each other for half an hour, then we both
became uneasy.
“Now I wonder where she’s got to,” I said, looking towards the
grill-room door. “No sign of her. She can’t be powdering her nose all
this time.”
I saw suspicion and alarm in Bix’s eyes.
“You don’t think that rat . . . ?” he began.
I jumped to my feet, made a dash into the lobby with Bix on my
heels. There was no sign of her out there. I went up to the hall-porter,
asked him if he had seen her.
“Miss Godwin left about twenty minutes ago, sir,” he said, “with
Mr. Ullman. I believe Mr. Ullman was saying something about showing
her his Press cuttings.”
“And I was going to show her my tattoo marks,” Bix wailed.
I tapped him on the chest. “It was the bags under that rat’s eyes
and his talk about his mother that did it,” I said savagely. “The girl’s
dissolute.”
“I like ‘em that way, don’t you?” Bix asked, leading me towards
the bar.
I said I did.
THE END
