The Pandora Directive: A Tex Murphy Novel Read Online Free PDF Page B

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    Back inside the Flamingo, I drained both glasses. The beautiful woman was getting friendly with the piano and singing a smoking version of “Love for Sale.” the thrill had left with Chelsee. I packed another cigarette and called for a double Scotch. Scratch that. Make it bourbon.
    The singer’s act went on for forty-five minutes. She was too good to be playing this section of town. I wondered what her story was, how she’d ended up in a dead-end lounge like this one. The last note of “Misty” faded into sparse, though enthusiastic, applause. With a graceful curtsy that completely contradicted the slinky gymnastics she displayed earlier, the young woman made her exit. Draining my bourbon, I casually made my way across the room. To the left of the stage, a doorway led to the restaurant and an ascending stairway. As I stepped through the doorway, a flash of red caught my eye from the top the stairs. I darted after the girl.
    Reaching the top, I turned to my right and saw the singer standing at a door, searching through a full key chain. I approached slowly, to avoid startling her.
    “Excuse me. Can I talk to you for a second?”
    The girl jumped. She turned to face me and retreated several steps. She was clearly frightened. “One step closer and I’ll scream! I mean it!”
    I stayed put. My hands were extended with palms out — the universal sign for “nothin’ up my sleeve.” “Whoa… no need for that. Okay? Just hear me out. I promise… I’m not a pervert. Well, hardly ever. And only with women I know really well.”
    The girl seemed less scared but didn’t relax her defensive stance. “What do you want?”
    The sound of heavy footsteps came from the stairs behind me. I talked fast. “I’m a friend of Thomas Malloy’s — I need to find him.”
    “What the hell are you doing up here?!” Leach pushed past me and stood between me and the girl. I didn’t answer; it was up to Emily — I figured the odds were split. I could get her to talk or I could be beaten to a pulp by the big mutant. Leach took a step toward me, fists clenched.
    Emily scrutinised me, obviously trying to determine if I was on the up and up. She turned out to be an excellent judge of character. “It’s OK, Gus. He just wants an autographed picture. I’ll come down in a minute.”
    Leach looked back at the girl, then at me, clearly irritated. Reluctantly, he moved toward the stairs, his eyes burning a hole in me. As he walked by, he dipped his shoulder slightly, knocking me off balance. I resisted my instincts and kept quiet until Leach was out of earshot.
    “That was exciting.”
    Emily found the correct key and inserted it into the door lock. “We’ll have to hurry. Gus doesn’t like me talking to guys.”
    I followed her into her apartment. A quick look around gave the impression of being in a wild teenage girl’s room. The smell of cheap perfume mingled with stale tobacco smoke. An open bottle of tequila, half full, sat on the table of a brightly-lit vanity. One shelf was lined with stuffed animals.
    Emily sat on the edge of her bed and clumsily lit a long, thin cigarette. She was younger than I thought she’d be. Under all the make-up, she was probably twenty-two, no older than twenty-four. A hard twenty-four.
    “You’re Tex Murphy, aren’t you?”
    I was caught off guard. It never occurred to me that she’d know who I was. “Yeah. Have we met?”
    She shook her head. “No. I just heard about you… that you’re a PI, that you can help people.”
    I knew I had a reputation. I’d always thought it was less than flattering. It made me wonder who she been talking to. “People usually hire me to do their dirty work. Most of my clients seem satisfied with my work.”
    “I need you to help me.” Emily looked me straight in the eyes. She sounded desperate.
    “What kind of help are you looking for?”
    “I think someone is going to murder me.”
    I could see she was trying hard to stay under control. I found