The Girl Hunters

'Do we talk about it here?'

'Here's as good as any. It's more than you can put in your column.'

'You let me worry about space.'

So he sat back and let me tell him what I had told Laura, making occasional notes, because now was the time to make notes. I told him what I knew and what I thought and where everybody stood, and every minute or so he'd glance up from his sheets with an expression of pure incredulity, shake his head and write some more. When the implications of the total picture began really to penetrate, his teeth clamped down on the cigar until it was half hanging out of his mouth unlit, then he threw it down on his plate and put a fresh one in its place.

When I finished, he said, 'Mike--do you realize what you have hold of?'

'I know.'

'How can you stay so damn calm?'

'Because the rough part has just started.'

'Ye gods, man--'

'You know what's missing, don't you?'

'Sure. You're missing something in the head. You're trying to stand off a whole political scheme that comes at you with every force imaginable no matter where you are. Mike, you don't fight these guys alone!'

'Nuts. It looks like I have to. I'm not exactly an accredited type character. Who would listen to me?'

'Couldn't this Art Rickerby--'

'He has one purpose in mind. He wants whoever killed Richie Cole.'

'That doesn't seem likely. He's a trained Federal agent.'

'So what? When something hits you personally, patriotism can go by the boards awhile. There are plenty of other agents. He wants a killer and knows I'll eventually come up with him. Like Velda's a key to one thing, I'm a key to another. They think that I'm going to stumble over whatever it was Richie Cole left for me. I know what it was now. So do you, don't you?'

'Yes,' Hy said. 'It was Velda's location, wherever she is.'

'That's right. They don't know if I know or if I'll find out. You can damn well bet that they know he stayed alive waiting for me to show. They can't even be sure if he just clued me. They can't be sure of anything, but they know that I have to stay alive if they want to find Velda too.'

Hy's eyes went deep in thought. 'Alive? They tried to shoot you twice, didn't they?'

'Fine, but neither shot connected and I can't see a top assassin missing a shot. Both times I was a perfect target.'

'Why the attempt then?'

'I'll tell you why,' I said. I leaned on the table feeling my hands go open and shut wanting to squeeze the life out of somebody. 'Both tries were deliberately sour. They were pushing me. They wanted me to move fast, and if anything can stir a guy up it's getting shot at. If I had anything to hide or to work at, it would come out in a hurry.'

'But you didn't bring anything out?'

I grinned at him and I could see my reflection in the glass facing of the autographed pictures behind his head. It wasn't a pretty face at all, teeth and hate and some wildness hard to describe. 'No, I didn't. So now I'm a real target because I know too much. They know I don't have Velda's location and from now on I can only be trouble to them. I'll bet you that right now a hunt is on for me.'

'Mike--if you called Pat--'

'Come off it. He's no friend anymore. He'll do anything to nail my ass down and don't you forget it.'

'Does he know the facts?'

'No. The hell with him.'

Hy pushed his glasses up on his head, frowning. 'Well, what are you going to do?'

'Do, old buddy? I'll tell you what I'm going to do. I'm going after the missing piece. If I weren't so damn slow after all those years I would have caught it before. I'm going after the facts that can wrap up the ball game and you're going with me.'

'But you said--'

'Uh-uh. I didn't say anything. I don't know where she is, but I do know a few other things. Richie Cole came blasting back into this country when he shouldn't have and ducked out to look for me. That had a big fat meaning and I muffed it. Damn it, I muffed it!'

'But how?'

'Come on, Hy--Richie was a sailor--he smuggled her on the ship he came in on. He never left her in Europe! He got her back in this country!'

He put the cigar down slowly, getting the implication.

I said, 'He had to smuggle her out, otherwise they would have killed her. If they took a plane they would have blown it over the ocean, or if she sailed under an assumed name and cover identity they would have had enough time to locate her and a passenger would simply fall overboard. No, he smuggled her out. He got her on that ship and got her into this country.'

'You make it sound easy.'

'Sure it's easy! You think there wasn't some cooperation with others in the crew! Those boys love to outfox the captain and the customs. What would they care as long as it was on Cole's head? He was on a tramp steamer and they can do practically anything on those babies if they know how and want to. Look, you want me to cite you examples?'

'I know it could be done.'

'All right, then here's the catch. Richie realized how close The Dragon was to Velda when they left. He had no time. He had to act on his own. This was a project bigger than any going in the world at the time, big enough to break regulations for. He got her out--but he didn't underestimate the enemy either. He knew they'd figure it and be waiting.

'They were, too,' I continued. 'The Dragon was there all right, and he followed Cole thinking he was going to an appointed place where he had already hidden Velda, but when he realized that Cole wasn't doing anything of the kind he figured the angles quickly. He shot Cole, had to leave because of the crowd that collected and didn't have a chance until later to reach Old Dewey, then found out about me. Don't ask me the details about how they can do it--they have resources at their fingertips everywhere. Later he went back, killed Dewey, didn't find the note Cole left and had to stick with me to see where I led him.'

Hy was frowning again.

I said, 'I couldn't lead him to Velda. I didn't know. But before long he'll figure out the same thing I did. Somebody else helped Cole get her off that boat and knows where she is!'

'What are you going to do?' His voice was quietly calm next to mine.

'Get on that ship and see who else was in on the deal.'

'How?'

'Be my guest and I'll show you the seamier side of life.'

'You know me,' Hy said, standing up.

I paid the cabbie outside Benny Joe Grissi's bar and when Hy saw where we were he let out a low whistle and said he hoped I knew what I was doing. We went inside and Sugar Boy and his smaller friend were still at their accustomed places and when Sugar Boy saw me he got a little pasty around the mouth and looked toward the bar with a quick motion of his head.

Benny Joe gave the nod and we walked past without saying a word, and when I got to the bar I held out the card Art Rickerby had given me and let Benny Joe take a long look at it. 'In case you get ideas like before, mister. I'll shoot this place apart and you with it.'

'Say, Mike, I never--'

'Tone it down,' I said. 'Bayliss Henry here?'

'Pepper? Yeah. He went in the can.'

'Wait here, Hy.'

I went down the end to the door stenciled MEN and pushed on in. Old Bayliss was at the washstand drying his hands and saw me in the mirror, his eyes suddenly wary at the recognition. He turned around and put his hands