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Authors: Donald Hamilton
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overflow their clothes like that, all arms and legs and naked shoulders?”
I said, “Never mind my taste, or hers. That little tart, as you call her, has just been beat up and raped because of us. You might keep it in mind while you criticize her clothes. You might also keep it in mind the next time you feel like shutting off your phone for personal reasons. This isn’t a friendly rubber of bridge, you know. Just what were your personal reasons?”
“I told you. Just somebody I didn’t want bothering me with calls.” She wasn’t thinking of this at all. She was looking at me with shock and disbelief. “ Raped ?”
“It’s a technical term for sexual intercourse achieved by violence. Just who is this guy you don’t want to talk to?”
“Never mind,” she said evasively. “It’s a private matter. It has nothing to do with this. Why was the girl... raped?”
“Apparently as a gesture of spite and defiance,” I said. “I was using her to create a diversion and somebody saw through it and took this way of telling me what he thought of my tricks. Anyway, that’s one explanation. There may be others.”
Olivia was frowning. “Then you didn’t leave me just because—” She stopped.
“Just because I suddenly got hot pants for the kid? Not exactly,” I said. “We were being watched, Doc, by a man who wasn’t buying what we were selling. I thought I could confuse the issue, but the idea backfired.”
“Then... then I owe you an apology.”
“I’d rather have some dope on this guy who’s been pestering you on the phone.”
She shook her head. “I assure you, it’s completely irrelevant, Mr. Corcoran. You say we are being watched? Well, that’s what we hoped, isn’t it? That was the reason for the great dramatic effort. So you’ve already identified the man we’re after?”
“Yes, I’ve identified him,” I said grimly. “The only trouble is, he’s identified me, too. He’s behaving very peculiarly, however, so until we get him figured out we’ll go right on with the show as if nothing had happened.” I looked at her for a moment. It was obvious that she had no intention of answering questions and we were wasting time, so I said, “I’m leaving now. The sooner I get out of here the better; maybe we can still salvage this act. You will lock your door and call the desk right away and tell them to put through any calls. Then you will give me twenty minutes to check around outside and get set to watch over you properly. If I call in the meantime and tell you to stay put, you will stay put come hell or high water. You will not open to anyone who doesn’t give this knock.” I rapped lightly on the back of a chair, three and two. “You will not leave this room for anyone who gives you instructions over the phone, regardless of who they claim to be. If it takes a week, you’ll wait right here until somebody comes along who gives the proper knock. You’ve got water in the bathroom and people have lived for months without food, I’m told. Do I make myself clear?”
She licked her lips. “All right, Mr. Corcoran. And if you don’t call, what do I do when the twenty minutes are up?”
I told her. She didn’t like it, but my shocking news and the fact that she’d misjudged me had apparently rattled her, and she didn’t protest very hard. I went out and waited until I heard the lock set behind me; then I went down to a pay phone and called Mac to let him know no female scientists had been lost or damaged. I told him how the situation stood. Then I made a check of the premises and found no sign of Kroch, which didn’t necessarily mean anything. He seemed to be good at leaving no sign when he didn’t want any left.
Olivia came out of her room in exactly twenty minutes by the clock. There was something to be said for working with scientific personnel after all. I watched her descend the stairs and cross the lobby, gave her a minute or two in the lounge, and went in after her.
She’d
I said, “Never mind my taste, or hers. That little tart, as you call her, has just been beat up and raped because of us. You might keep it in mind while you criticize her clothes. You might also keep it in mind the next time you feel like shutting off your phone for personal reasons. This isn’t a friendly rubber of bridge, you know. Just what were your personal reasons?”
“I told you. Just somebody I didn’t want bothering me with calls.” She wasn’t thinking of this at all. She was looking at me with shock and disbelief. “ Raped ?”
“It’s a technical term for sexual intercourse achieved by violence. Just who is this guy you don’t want to talk to?”
“Never mind,” she said evasively. “It’s a private matter. It has nothing to do with this. Why was the girl... raped?”
“Apparently as a gesture of spite and defiance,” I said. “I was using her to create a diversion and somebody saw through it and took this way of telling me what he thought of my tricks. Anyway, that’s one explanation. There may be others.”
Olivia was frowning. “Then you didn’t leave me just because—” She stopped.
“Just because I suddenly got hot pants for the kid? Not exactly,” I said. “We were being watched, Doc, by a man who wasn’t buying what we were selling. I thought I could confuse the issue, but the idea backfired.”
“Then... then I owe you an apology.”
“I’d rather have some dope on this guy who’s been pestering you on the phone.”
She shook her head. “I assure you, it’s completely irrelevant, Mr. Corcoran. You say we are being watched? Well, that’s what we hoped, isn’t it? That was the reason for the great dramatic effort. So you’ve already identified the man we’re after?”
“Yes, I’ve identified him,” I said grimly. “The only trouble is, he’s identified me, too. He’s behaving very peculiarly, however, so until we get him figured out we’ll go right on with the show as if nothing had happened.” I looked at her for a moment. It was obvious that she had no intention of answering questions and we were wasting time, so I said, “I’m leaving now. The sooner I get out of here the better; maybe we can still salvage this act. You will lock your door and call the desk right away and tell them to put through any calls. Then you will give me twenty minutes to check around outside and get set to watch over you properly. If I call in the meantime and tell you to stay put, you will stay put come hell or high water. You will not open to anyone who doesn’t give this knock.” I rapped lightly on the back of a chair, three and two. “You will not leave this room for anyone who gives you instructions over the phone, regardless of who they claim to be. If it takes a week, you’ll wait right here until somebody comes along who gives the proper knock. You’ve got water in the bathroom and people have lived for months without food, I’m told. Do I make myself clear?”
She licked her lips. “All right, Mr. Corcoran. And if you don’t call, what do I do when the twenty minutes are up?”
I told her. She didn’t like it, but my shocking news and the fact that she’d misjudged me had apparently rattled her, and she didn’t protest very hard. I went out and waited until I heard the lock set behind me; then I went down to a pay phone and called Mac to let him know no female scientists had been lost or damaged. I told him how the situation stood. Then I made a check of the premises and found no sign of Kroch, which didn’t necessarily mean anything. He seemed to be good at leaving no sign when he didn’t want any left.
Olivia came out of her room in exactly twenty minutes by the clock. There was something to be said for working with scientific personnel after all. I watched her descend the stairs and cross the lobby, gave her a minute or two in the lounge, and went in after her.
She’d
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