didn’t want to see him?”
“They argued a lot. Always out of my hearing. Carl wouldn’t tell me what about. He can be very close-mouthed. Next thing, they were friends. Carl fixed him a place to stay in the little house you mentioned. It was fine for a day or so, then they began arguing again. It got pretty bad.”
“Why didn’t you do something?”
“I asked Carl to tell the man to leave, but he said to forget it. It was real wild, the way they swore at each other.”
“This guy Black have any luggage?”
“Two suitcases, yes. He came in his own car.”
“Can you describe him?”
“Well—medium. Light hair, shortish. Most of the time he wore a gray suit without a tie. He looked tired and not well. He drove a Ford, kind of beat-up. A light gray two-door sedan, not a late model.”
I’d been thinking of the maroon Olds. “What year?”
“Maybe a forty-nine. I’m not good at those things, but I know a forty-nine because I used to drive one.”
“Anything distinctive about the car Maybe a dented fender, something like that?”
She shook her head, then hesitated. “The right front hubcap was missing.” She took a deep breath. The front of her robe moved abundantly outward, the open flare of throat separating to reveal the lush tops of large, smooth breasts.
I mentioned the note, wondering if the body could be this Bill Black and how the note and Carl’s wallet got into his pocket. “You asked Carl to hit Elk for some dough.”
“He owes it to us. Elk and Carl were starting a contracting business. Carl sank everything we had into it.” She shrugged. “Elk backed down at the last minute. The money was all gone. He’d spent it. Carl was plenty hot about that.”
“He never got any of it.”
“Elk put him off. He’s had practice.”
I checked my watch. “I’m going to have to beat it. Time will count, if I’m going to help you.”
“Don’t worry about money,” she said. “I sold the car after you left this afternoon. I want you to help me—I know you don’t work for nothing.”
I made no comment. I wanted to ask her a lot of things. There was no time now.
“To think I wanted to go back to him,” she said. “I know why. It’s because I was afraid. I thought if I could talk to him everything would be all right again.”
“Yeah. But he threatened you.”
Her fingers clenched on the robe. “It was crazy. I know that now.” Her gaze was tight. “You’ve got to find him before he finds me. I know he means what he said, now.”
“You may be right, you may be wrong.”
“I don’t love him. I never want to see him.” She held my gaze. “I’m frightened—it won’t go away.”
I stood up. “Listen, I want you to go to another hotel, invent a different name, and sign in. Then keep phoning my office, and my home, till you reach me.” I gave her my apartment number. “There’s a lot more to this than I can explain right now.”
She stood up and came close to me.
I asked her about pictures of Carl. She got her purse and took out a jeweled wallet and handed me three snapshots. I put them in my pocket.
“I’m still frightened, Lee,” she said. “But you’ve made me feel an awful lot better. Better than I’ve felt in years.”
I couldn’t see why. I’d done nothing. But it was very hard to think of her as a client. I took her hand in both of mine.
“You do as I say,” I told her. “As fast as you can. We’re a long way into the woods, and we’re going deeper. We want to be sure of a way out. Okay?”
“Okay, Lee.”
We looked at each other. It was enough to make you lock the doors and pull down the shades. I got the faintest whiff of that perfume again. I let go of her hand, snagged my slicker off the chair, and got out of there fast.
SIX
I TURNED ON the light. The office waiting room hadn’t cleaned itself. I closed the door, checking for mail. Six days in the home town had brought nothing to this waiting room except unpaid bills, morning and
“They argued a lot. Always out of my hearing. Carl wouldn’t tell me what about. He can be very close-mouthed. Next thing, they were friends. Carl fixed him a place to stay in the little house you mentioned. It was fine for a day or so, then they began arguing again. It got pretty bad.”
“Why didn’t you do something?”
“I asked Carl to tell the man to leave, but he said to forget it. It was real wild, the way they swore at each other.”
“This guy Black have any luggage?”
“Two suitcases, yes. He came in his own car.”
“Can you describe him?”
“Well—medium. Light hair, shortish. Most of the time he wore a gray suit without a tie. He looked tired and not well. He drove a Ford, kind of beat-up. A light gray two-door sedan, not a late model.”
I’d been thinking of the maroon Olds. “What year?”
“Maybe a forty-nine. I’m not good at those things, but I know a forty-nine because I used to drive one.”
“Anything distinctive about the car Maybe a dented fender, something like that?”
She shook her head, then hesitated. “The right front hubcap was missing.” She took a deep breath. The front of her robe moved abundantly outward, the open flare of throat separating to reveal the lush tops of large, smooth breasts.
I mentioned the note, wondering if the body could be this Bill Black and how the note and Carl’s wallet got into his pocket. “You asked Carl to hit Elk for some dough.”
“He owes it to us. Elk and Carl were starting a contracting business. Carl sank everything we had into it.” She shrugged. “Elk backed down at the last minute. The money was all gone. He’d spent it. Carl was plenty hot about that.”
“He never got any of it.”
“Elk put him off. He’s had practice.”
I checked my watch. “I’m going to have to beat it. Time will count, if I’m going to help you.”
“Don’t worry about money,” she said. “I sold the car after you left this afternoon. I want you to help me—I know you don’t work for nothing.”
I made no comment. I wanted to ask her a lot of things. There was no time now.
“To think I wanted to go back to him,” she said. “I know why. It’s because I was afraid. I thought if I could talk to him everything would be all right again.”
“Yeah. But he threatened you.”
Her fingers clenched on the robe. “It was crazy. I know that now.” Her gaze was tight. “You’ve got to find him before he finds me. I know he means what he said, now.”
“You may be right, you may be wrong.”
“I don’t love him. I never want to see him.” She held my gaze. “I’m frightened—it won’t go away.”
I stood up. “Listen, I want you to go to another hotel, invent a different name, and sign in. Then keep phoning my office, and my home, till you reach me.” I gave her my apartment number. “There’s a lot more to this than I can explain right now.”
She stood up and came close to me.
I asked her about pictures of Carl. She got her purse and took out a jeweled wallet and handed me three snapshots. I put them in my pocket.
“I’m still frightened, Lee,” she said. “But you’ve made me feel an awful lot better. Better than I’ve felt in years.”
I couldn’t see why. I’d done nothing. But it was very hard to think of her as a client. I took her hand in both of mine.
“You do as I say,” I told her. “As fast as you can. We’re a long way into the woods, and we’re going deeper. We want to be sure of a way out. Okay?”
“Okay, Lee.”
We looked at each other. It was enough to make you lock the doors and pull down the shades. I got the faintest whiff of that perfume again. I let go of her hand, snagged my slicker off the chair, and got out of there fast.
SIX
I TURNED ON the light. The office waiting room hadn’t cleaned itself. I closed the door, checking for mail. Six days in the home town had brought nothing to this waiting room except unpaid bills, morning and
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