Read Online The Intimidators by Donald Hamilton - Free Book Online
Authors: Donald Hamilton
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time grasping it. I guess I just want you to... well, to tell me what I saw with my own eyes, so I’ll know I wasn’t dreaming.”
I said, “Well, the little man had a gun—a funny-looking pistol with a telescope on it—and I saw him assemble it, load it, point it in your direction, and cock the hammer, if that’s the correct firearms terminology. It seemed inadvisable to let him proceed to the next step: pulling the trigger. Yes, Miss Rockwell, I think it’s safe to say that murder was very much on his mind, and that you were the intended victim.”
“But I’d never seen him before in my life! Why in the world...”
“You didn’t know him at all?”
She shook her head. “Mr. Helm, they let me look at him to make sure. It wasn’t a... a very pleasant experience. But he was a total stranger to me. That’s what’s so mysterious, so terrifying. If you can tell me anything-that will make some sense of the whole thing, I’ll be very grateful.”
I asked, “How can I? I didn’t know him either, any more than I know you.... What’s the matter?”
“But you must have known him! Otherwise, why...” She stopped.
I frowned at her. Thinking was hard work, but it obviously had to be done. “What do you mean?” I demanded. “Why the hell must I have known him? I don’t know anybody in Nassau except a taxi-driver I owe a few bucks for a city tour we never finished, and I can’t even remember his name. Paul, or Mike, or Steve, or something. What happened was, I saw a crummy-looking punk pointing a gun at a nice-looking girl, and I decided, in my idealistic way, that something ought to be done about it.” I touched the side of my bandaged head in a cautious way. “Maybe next time I’ll be smart and mind my own business.”
She said quickly, “I don’t mean to sound ungrateful or... or suspicious. Naturally, I appreciate what you did for me. I appreciate it very much. I’m just trying to understand .... if you didn’t know Mr. Menshek, or whatever the police said his name was, why were you hiding in the bushes spying on him? Or... or were you spying on me?”
I stared at her for a moment. Then, again because it had to be done, I threw back my head and laughed uproariously, and stopped abruptly, and waited for the blinding pain to go away.
“Don’t be so funny, Lacey Rockwell. It hurts,” I whispered when I could talk once more.
“But—”
I said, “Look, doll, I’d been riding around in that cab, sightseeing. I’d had a late breakfast in my hotel room, with a big pot of coffee. The driver still had some places he wanted to show me, and I wanted to get my money’s worth, and the town doesn’t seem to be really loaded with sidewalk facilities like some of those practical European cities where they recognize the limitations of the human plumbing.... So, hell, I told the guy to drop me off down there where the bushes were nice and thick and wait for me outside the gate and I’d join him in a couple of minutes. Okay? And naturally I was a little sensitive about being seen, under the circumstances, so when I heard somebody coming I just kind of stepped a little farther back into that jungly stuff hoping he’d go away, but he didn’t. When I saw what he was doing, well, it just seemed like my duty as a good citizen to abort my primary mission, pull up my zipper again, and try to stop him....” I looked at her closely. “Why, Miss Rockwell, you’re blushing!”
She was, too, and she had the right skin for it; it was a very pretty display. Before she could speak, the door opened and all kinds of officialdom, plainclothes and uniformed, black and white, invaded the room. In the van was a heavy, dignified-looking black man with short, gray hair, and a lean, good-looking white man with long brown hair, considerably younger. They were both in civilian clothes, but there were police uniforms behind them.
The younger one spoke to the girl, who had come to her feet facing them. He said, “That was
I said, “Well, the little man had a gun—a funny-looking pistol with a telescope on it—and I saw him assemble it, load it, point it in your direction, and cock the hammer, if that’s the correct firearms terminology. It seemed inadvisable to let him proceed to the next step: pulling the trigger. Yes, Miss Rockwell, I think it’s safe to say that murder was very much on his mind, and that you were the intended victim.”
“But I’d never seen him before in my life! Why in the world...”
“You didn’t know him at all?”
She shook her head. “Mr. Helm, they let me look at him to make sure. It wasn’t a... a very pleasant experience. But he was a total stranger to me. That’s what’s so mysterious, so terrifying. If you can tell me anything-that will make some sense of the whole thing, I’ll be very grateful.”
I asked, “How can I? I didn’t know him either, any more than I know you.... What’s the matter?”
“But you must have known him! Otherwise, why...” She stopped.
I frowned at her. Thinking was hard work, but it obviously had to be done. “What do you mean?” I demanded. “Why the hell must I have known him? I don’t know anybody in Nassau except a taxi-driver I owe a few bucks for a city tour we never finished, and I can’t even remember his name. Paul, or Mike, or Steve, or something. What happened was, I saw a crummy-looking punk pointing a gun at a nice-looking girl, and I decided, in my idealistic way, that something ought to be done about it.” I touched the side of my bandaged head in a cautious way. “Maybe next time I’ll be smart and mind my own business.”
She said quickly, “I don’t mean to sound ungrateful or... or suspicious. Naturally, I appreciate what you did for me. I appreciate it very much. I’m just trying to understand .... if you didn’t know Mr. Menshek, or whatever the police said his name was, why were you hiding in the bushes spying on him? Or... or were you spying on me?”
I stared at her for a moment. Then, again because it had to be done, I threw back my head and laughed uproariously, and stopped abruptly, and waited for the blinding pain to go away.
“Don’t be so funny, Lacey Rockwell. It hurts,” I whispered when I could talk once more.
“But—”
I said, “Look, doll, I’d been riding around in that cab, sightseeing. I’d had a late breakfast in my hotel room, with a big pot of coffee. The driver still had some places he wanted to show me, and I wanted to get my money’s worth, and the town doesn’t seem to be really loaded with sidewalk facilities like some of those practical European cities where they recognize the limitations of the human plumbing.... So, hell, I told the guy to drop me off down there where the bushes were nice and thick and wait for me outside the gate and I’d join him in a couple of minutes. Okay? And naturally I was a little sensitive about being seen, under the circumstances, so when I heard somebody coming I just kind of stepped a little farther back into that jungly stuff hoping he’d go away, but he didn’t. When I saw what he was doing, well, it just seemed like my duty as a good citizen to abort my primary mission, pull up my zipper again, and try to stop him....” I looked at her closely. “Why, Miss Rockwell, you’re blushing!”
She was, too, and she had the right skin for it; it was a very pretty display. Before she could speak, the door opened and all kinds of officialdom, plainclothes and uniformed, black and white, invaded the room. In the van was a heavy, dignified-looking black man with short, gray hair, and a lean, good-looking white man with long brown hair, considerably younger. They were both in civilian clothes, but there were police uniforms behind them.
The younger one spoke to the girl, who had come to her feet facing them. He said, “That was
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