Suspects—Nine Read Online Free PDF

features that might have been a smile had there been any mirth in it.
    â€œI don’t know if you have any brains, Mr. Detective,” she said. “It isn’t likely, police haven’t as a rule. But you’ve got a sort of thick-headed common sense about you.”
    â€œIt is,” Bobby permitted himself to remark, “the official substitute for brains.”
    â€œI know perfectly well Martin’s a rat,” Lady Alice said, “and he knows perfectly well I’ll twist his neck for him if he tries any tricks on me.”
    â€œThat’s just it,” murmured Bobby regretfully. “In our narrow, thick-headed, red-tape way, we have to go through the routine even when it’s a rat’s neck that’s got twisted.”
    â€œWhen I do anything like that,” said Lady Alice slowly, her harsh immobile features harsher, more fixed than ever, the fire in those flint-like eyes of hers a little readier to leap out, “it’s little I’ll care for you and your routine.”
    Bobby let the remark pass. He saw no use in continuing the discussion. He had done what he felt was his duty in warning Lady Alice of the danger of having dealings with a man of Will Martin’s character, he would enter the fact in his official diary for record, and there the matter must end as far as he was concerned. He said,
    â€œI called from the people whose trade card I showed you—Olive, Hats. There has been an unfortunate misunderstanding about the hat you bought from them this afternoon. They find it had been promised to another customer. It would be a great favour if you could let us have it back. Of course, a selection of other hats would be sent for you to choose from.”
    â€œThat’s a very polite message,” said Lady Alice grimly. “I think I expected something stronger.”
    Bobby did his best to look both distressed and astonished.
    â€œReally,” he protested, “a firm like ‘Olive, Hats’ doesn’t send its most valued clients strong messages and it does try to be polite.”
    â€œSuppose I told you to get to hell out of here?”
    â€œI should gather,” answered Bobby, wrinkling a thoughtful brow, “that you did not feel you could see your way to accede to our request. Would that be an accurate assumption?”
    Lady Alice again permitted herself that grim contortion of her features that might have been a smile.
    â€œIt would,” she said. “Young man, I like you.”
    â€œVery kind of you,” murmured Bobby.
    â€œI like you,” repeated Lady Alice, “either for or against. You would be good to go tiger hunting with. And I think you would be worth while if you were on the side of the tiger—or the rat.”
    â€œI am always on the side of the law,” Bobby told her gravely.
    â€œYou’re what they call a ‘busy’, aren’t you?”
    â€œOh, sometimes, but criminals don’t use slang much now—spread of education, probably. A lot of bloodies and hells and damns, you know, just like the upper classes, but not much special slang. By the way, I suppose you can’t see your way to change your mind about that hat?”
    â€œNo,” said Lady Alice, “I wouldn’t have seen you at all if you had only come about that. When Martin rang up to say who you were, I thought I had better find out what you were after.”
    â€œThe hat,” said Bobby promptly.
    â€œForget it,” said Lady Alice equally promptly.
    â€œThen I mustn’t keep you,” said Bobby, rising to go. “I wonder what Mr. Martin thought I had come about.”
    She looked at him again with that long, blank, steady stare of hers that might mean so many things. She made no direct answer, and Bobby was confirmed in his belief that between her and Martin there was some connection they had no wish should be known to police authorities. She said,
    â€œSuppose I took a rat