trees made an effective screen, and the man on watch at the green-painted back gate was definitely cut off from view. The girl's eyes regarded him gravely.
"Up," he said.
He followed her to the roof, automatically noting the smooth limber movement of her hips, the length of her long, firm legs. The sun made a griddle of the tar-and-gravel rooftop. She paused again, and this time Durell went ahead, toward the housing of the elevator shaft at the far side. He found Tom Elderman there, in the sharp angle of shadow cast by the small structure. Elderman had been Lew Osbourn's working teammate. The agent was unconscious, with a nasty-looking wound on the back of his head, with blood covering one side of his narrow face. Durell felt for his pulse. It was steady enough. Elderman already showed signs of reviving.
He signaled to the girl to join him. Her face was white and her mouth shook again. But her voice was low and controlled.
"Do you believe me now? I didn't kill anybody."
He didn't think she had. Not now. He said, "Deirdre, you're in trouble. Bad trouble. None of this would have happened if you had trusted me before."
She whispered, "I don't know."
"Are you ready to tell me about Calvin now7"
"I… I can't decide."
"You and Calvin are mixed up in something much bigger than you think. Something big and dangerous. You know that now. You know I want to help you. You know that, don't you?"
Her eyes were level in the hot sunlight, studying him. "Yes. I think so. But I won't be bullied. Not even now. I've got to help Calvin, too. If you arrest me, I won't tell anything."
"But surely you can't…"
"I'm sorry. Calvin comes first."
"There is a fine man downstairs, and he's dead. Because of you. Because of this thing you've got about cops, about me…"
"Not about you," she said quickly.
"All right, then. Where is your brother?"
She was silent.
"Is he in trouble?"
She nodded. "He wants to see me and talk to me before he makes his decision about something. That's all I can tell you. I wouldn't even tell you that, but I've got to trust somebody. I can't — I guess I can't do any good for Calvin alone."
"Suppose I help you?" Durell offered. "Then will you tell me what I need to know?"
She bit her lip. "Yes. But how can you? There's been a murder. You've got to arrest me."
"Come on," Durell said.
She didn't understand. Her face closed against him, guarded, defensive. He said quickly, "Wait a minute. Look. If I help you get away from here, if I hold off the arrest, will you tell me where to find your brother? Or will you let me go with you? Just me. I promise you, no tricks. Just you and me, and we'll go to see your brother and talk all this out."
She regarded him with deep suspicion. "If this is a trick…"
"I told you, no trick," he said. "You'll never make it alone, you know that now. They'll stop you, whoever they are. Or we will. And then you won't be able to help Calvin at all. He'll lose out, either way."
"I have no choice, have I?"
He shook his head. "It's not like that. I'm offering you a deal. I give you my word. I'll help you get to your brother. But I've got to go with you. Nobody else. Will you trust me that far? When we see your brother, we'll both know better what to do next. You'll never get to him otherwise," he said again. "Surely you can see that."
"But suppose I — suppose I double-cross you? You're taking a big chance with your job, with everything."
He smiled tightly. "It's I who have to trust you on that."
"You're so very sure of yourself. You're so strong…"
"Come on," he said.
"I won't promise anything."
"All right. We'll let it go at that."
Nobody saw them and nobody stopped them as they made their way downstairs in the adjacent apartment house and reached the street There was no alarm from inside Deirdre Padgett's building. Knowing the way the stake-out was disposed, Durell led the girl to the next corner, waited until several cars crossing the intersection offered them a temporary
"Up," he said.
He followed her to the roof, automatically noting the smooth limber movement of her hips, the length of her long, firm legs. The sun made a griddle of the tar-and-gravel rooftop. She paused again, and this time Durell went ahead, toward the housing of the elevator shaft at the far side. He found Tom Elderman there, in the sharp angle of shadow cast by the small structure. Elderman had been Lew Osbourn's working teammate. The agent was unconscious, with a nasty-looking wound on the back of his head, with blood covering one side of his narrow face. Durell felt for his pulse. It was steady enough. Elderman already showed signs of reviving.
He signaled to the girl to join him. Her face was white and her mouth shook again. But her voice was low and controlled.
"Do you believe me now? I didn't kill anybody."
He didn't think she had. Not now. He said, "Deirdre, you're in trouble. Bad trouble. None of this would have happened if you had trusted me before."
She whispered, "I don't know."
"Are you ready to tell me about Calvin now7"
"I… I can't decide."
"You and Calvin are mixed up in something much bigger than you think. Something big and dangerous. You know that now. You know I want to help you. You know that, don't you?"
Her eyes were level in the hot sunlight, studying him. "Yes. I think so. But I won't be bullied. Not even now. I've got to help Calvin, too. If you arrest me, I won't tell anything."
"But surely you can't…"
"I'm sorry. Calvin comes first."
"There is a fine man downstairs, and he's dead. Because of you. Because of this thing you've got about cops, about me…"
"Not about you," she said quickly.
"All right, then. Where is your brother?"
She was silent.
"Is he in trouble?"
She nodded. "He wants to see me and talk to me before he makes his decision about something. That's all I can tell you. I wouldn't even tell you that, but I've got to trust somebody. I can't — I guess I can't do any good for Calvin alone."
"Suppose I help you?" Durell offered. "Then will you tell me what I need to know?"
She bit her lip. "Yes. But how can you? There's been a murder. You've got to arrest me."
"Come on," Durell said.
She didn't understand. Her face closed against him, guarded, defensive. He said quickly, "Wait a minute. Look. If I help you get away from here, if I hold off the arrest, will you tell me where to find your brother? Or will you let me go with you? Just me. I promise you, no tricks. Just you and me, and we'll go to see your brother and talk all this out."
She regarded him with deep suspicion. "If this is a trick…"
"I told you, no trick," he said. "You'll never make it alone, you know that now. They'll stop you, whoever they are. Or we will. And then you won't be able to help Calvin at all. He'll lose out, either way."
"I have no choice, have I?"
He shook his head. "It's not like that. I'm offering you a deal. I give you my word. I'll help you get to your brother. But I've got to go with you. Nobody else. Will you trust me that far? When we see your brother, we'll both know better what to do next. You'll never get to him otherwise," he said again. "Surely you can see that."
"But suppose I — suppose I double-cross you? You're taking a big chance with your job, with everything."
He smiled tightly. "It's I who have to trust you on that."
"You're so very sure of yourself. You're so strong…"
"Come on," he said.
"I won't promise anything."
"All right. We'll let it go at that."
Nobody saw them and nobody stopped them as they made their way downstairs in the adjacent apartment house and reached the street There was no alarm from inside Deirdre Padgett's building. Knowing the way the stake-out was disposed, Durell led the girl to the next corner, waited until several cars crossing the intersection offered them a temporary
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