Killerfest Read Online Free PDF Page B

you again.”
    “A pleasure,
Mr. Quimper,” Blue said.
    They shook and
Quimper turned to Scarne.
    “And you are
the famous private eye.”
    “Aw, shucks,”
Scarne said, holding out his hand. “Randolph has been bragging about me again.”
    Blue coughed
into his hand to suppress a laugh and Shields looked like he had sucked on a
lemon.  
    Quimper turned
to the young woman.
    “When are you
leaving?”
    “In about an
hour.”
    “And when will
you be back?”
    “Early next
week.”
    “Make sure you
come by before you go.”
    “Yes, sir.”
    Quimper turned
to his guests and gestured at some seats around a low-slung ornate coffee table
made out of what looked to be white ash. It had cherubs carved into its side
and on each leg and in the center was an ivory inlay. Quimper noticed Scarne
admiring the table.
    “Cost me a
fortune,” he said. “It was owned by Mark Twain.”
    Scarne smiled
at the irony and said, “He was known for his sense of humor.”
    Quimper looked
confused and Nigel Blue quickly said, “It’s quite beautiful, Sebastian.”
    They had
barely sat when another young woman brought in a coffee service that included a
tray of small pastries, including some cheese Danishes. She  poured the coffee,
casting nervous glances at Quimper before hurrying out.
    “She’s new,”
he said.
    After some
preliminary chit-chat, Randolph Shields got to the point of the visit as
Scarne, who never met a pastry he didn’t like, took a Danish. With the ice
broken, Nigel Blue grabbed one, too.
    “Sebastian, I
know you think your security is adequate, but I would like to bring Mr. Scarne
on as backup, at least until after the conference.”
    Quimper took a
sip of his coffee.
    “Do you know
something I don’t, Randolph?”
    “No, no.
That’s not it. I’m just being cautious. Call it overkill.” As soon as he said
it, he regretted the word. “I mean, just another layer of security.”
    “All this is
very tiresome, Randolph. And intrusive. What’s so special about Scarne?”
    “He’s a bit
unconventional, but gets the job done. Seems to always be in the right place at
the right time. We’ve had our differences, but he’s top drawer.” Shields turned
to Blue. “Isn’t that right, Nigel?”
    Despite the
compliments, Scarne was annoyed at being discussed like a lamp.
    “He’s very
good,” Blue said.
    “I don’t think
my security team will take kindly to an interloper. I don’t need him.”
    Scarne had
enough.
    “Do I have to
be here for this meeting? Perhaps I can lope somewhere and find a book. I’ll
read quietly until you three are finished. There must be a Quimper lying
around. I can probably knock it off before you get to your second cup of
coffee.”
    The author
stared at Scarne.
    “I don’t find
you particularly funny, Scarne.”
    “I get a lot
of that, Seb. Here’s the deal. These gentlemen want to offer you some extra
protection. You’d be a fool not to take it. We don’t want overkill. What we
want is underkill. From the look of that army division you have outside, I’d
guess you’re not as sanguine about your situation as you pretend.”    
      Shields
jumped in.
    “Look,
Sebastian, you know how fond of you I am. You are a national treasure. Why, I
was just telling Emma that ….”
    Shields was in
mid-sentence when Quimper jumped up. Audrey Perkins had come into the room and
now stood by the open door to an adjacent study.
    “Excuse me
gentleman,” Quimper said, “I’ll only be a moment.”
    Without
another word he walked quickly into the study. The young woman followed in his
wake and then shut the door, smiling back at the other three men.
    “What the
hell?” Shields said.
    “He won’t be
long,” Blue said.
    “Is he doing a
Simenon?” Scarne asked Blue.
    “Yes. It never
fails. I don’t know if he does it for effect, to impress people, or if he
really is a satyr.”
    Shields stared
at the two men.
    “What the hell
are you both talking