“Mitchell’s dead,” she said in a low breathless voice. “I didn’t mean to be nasty. Where?”
“His car has been found abandoned in a place you wouldn’t know. It’s about twenty miles inland, on a road that’s hardly used. A place called Los Penasquitos Canyon. A place of dead land. Nothing in his car, no suitcases. Just an empty car parked at the side of a road hardly anybody ever uses.”
She looked down at her drink and took a big gulp. “You said he was dead.”
“It seems like weeks, but it’s only hours ago that you came over here and offered me the top half of Rio to get rid of his body.”
“But there wasn’t—I mean, I must just have dreamed—”
“Lady, you came over here at three o’clock in the morning in a state of near-shock. You described just where he was and how he was lying on the chaise on your little porch. So I went back with you and climbed the fire stairs, using the infinite caution for which my profession is famous. And no Mitchell, and then you asleep in your little bed with your little sleeping pill cuddled up to you.”
“Get on with your act,” she snapped at me. “I know how you love it. Why didn’t you cuddle up to me? I wouldn’t have needed a sleeping pill—perhaps?”
“One thing at a time, if you don’t mind. And the first thing is that you were telling the truth when you came here. Mitchell was dead on your porch. But someone got his body out of there while you were over here making a sucker out of me. And somebody got him down to his car and then packed his suitcases and got them down. All this took time. It took more than time. It took a great big reason. Now who would do a thing like that—just to save you the mild embarrassment of reporting a dead man on your porch?”
“Oh, shut up!” She finished her drink and put the glass aside.
“I’m tired. Do you mind if I lie down on your bed?”
“Not if you take your clothes off.”
“All right—I’ll take my clothes off. That’s what you’ve been working up to, isn’t it?”
“You might not like that bed. Goble was beaten up on it tonight—by a hired gun named Richard Harvest. He was really brutalized. You remember Goble, don’t you? The fat sort of man in the little dark car that followed us up the hill the other night.”
“I don’t know anybody named Goble. And I don’t know anybody named Richard Harvest. How do you know all this? Why were they here—in your room?”
“The hired gun was waiting for me. After I heard about Mitchell’s car I had a hunch. Even generals and other important people have hunches. Why not me? The trick is to know when to act on one. I was lucky tonight—or last night. I acted on a hunch. He had a gun, but I had a tire iron.”
“What a big strong unbeatable man you are,” she said bitterly.
“I don’t mind the bed. Do I take my clothes off now?”
I went over and jerked her to her feet and shook her. “Stop your nonsense, Betty. When I want your beautiful white body, it won’t be while you’re my client. I want to know what you are afraid of. How the hell can I do anything about it if I don’t know? Only you can tell me.”
She began to sob in my arms.
Women have so few defenses, but they certainly perform wonders with those they have.
I held her tight against me. “You can cry and cry and sob and sob, Betty. Go ahead, I’m patient. If I wasn’t that—well, hell, if I wasn’t that—”
That was as far as I got. She was pressed tight to me trembling. She lifted her face and dragged my head down until I was kissing her.
“Is there some other woman?” she asked softly, between my teeth.
“There have been.”
“But someone very special?”
“There was once, for a brief moment. But that’s a long time ago now.”
“Take me. I’m yours—all of me is yours. Take me.”
24
A banging on the door woke me. I opened my eyes stupidly. She was clinging to me so tightly that I could hardly move. I moved her arms gently until I was free. She was still sound asleep.
I got out of bed and pulled a bathrobe on and went to the door;
I didn’t open it.
“What’s the matter? I was asleep.”
“Captain Alessandro wants you at the office right away. Open the door.”
“Sorry, can’t be done. I have to shave and shower and so on.”
“Open the door. This is Sergeant Green.”
“I’m sorry, Sergeant. I just can’t. But I’ll be along just as soon as I can make it.”
“You got a dame in there?”
“Sergeant, questions like that are out of line. I’ll be there.”
I heard his steps go down off the porch. I heard someone laugh. I heard a voice say, “This guy is really rich. I
