Read Online Tough as Nails: The Complete Cases of Donahue From the Pages of Black Mask by Frederick Nebel - Free Book Online Page A

tawny-brown and his eyes were nut-brown beneath wiry black brows. He threw his hat on a wide divan and opened his raglan coat.
    The small neat young man closed the door, and still wearing his agreeable smile, said cheerfully, “Have a seat. Crosby ought to be back if you say you have a date with him…. I didn’t get the name?”
    “I’m Donahue. My boss sent me down here. Crosby called up late this afternoon and asked to send a man down…. You a friend of Crosby’s?”
    “We room together.”
    Donahue dropped into a huge leather easy chair beside a fireplace in which red embers glowed. He snapped a match on his thumb-nail and lit a cigarette. Throwing the match into the fireplace, he said offhand, “What’s worry-ing Crosby?”
    The neat young man was standing with his back to the door eying Donahue quizzically. “Was something worry-ing him?”
    Donahue looked up sharply. “Enough to want a private dick.”
    “Oh… I see.” The neat young man put his hands on his hips. “He just came back from Paris, you know. We haven’t seen much of each other. But he looked worried. I didn’t know. Didn’t he say anything over the telephone?”
    “No. He just said send a dick down.”
    “Then he must be worried!” The neat young man left the door, crossed to the bathroom, came out a minute later and said, “He should be back any minute. He went out to get a bite to eat. I’ve a date. Hope you don’t mind waiting alone.”
    “Not at all.”
    The neat young man put on a blue ulster and a derby and pulled on yellow gloves. “Make yourself at home. Cigs in the box there, and some cigars, I think. Tell Crosby I’ll be back late.”
    “Okey.”
    The man said, “Well, good-night, Mr. Donahue,” smiled agreeably, opened the door and went out.
    Donahue swung the chair around to face the fire and stuck his feet on a split log. When he finished the cigarette he opened the humidor on the low brass Moorish coffee table and helped himself to a cigar. He lighted it com-placently.
    The bronze clock on the mantel said nine-thirty when he tossed the cigar butt into the grate and stood up with an impatient grunt.
    A soft knock on the door made him turn abruptly and look at it. Then he crossed to the door, opened it and stood looking down at the face of an incredibly beautiful girl. She was smiling, but a glimmer of surprise showed through her smile.
    When she said nothing, Donahue said, “Yes? Do you want to see Mr. Crosby?”
    She nodded. “Ye-es.”
    “He’s not in, but I’m waiting, too, so you may as well join me… though”—as she walked in—“I was just on the point of leaving.”
    His eyes slanted down at her, appraised her with satis-faction, and he was closing the door when she turned around and stood with her back to the fireplace. She wore a mole coat and a dark snug cloche hat. She was very small, with small white teeth, brown big eyes and olive satin skin, and there was a distinct odor of liquid-heavy Shalimar perfume.
    Donahue smiled, showing long narrow teeth. His dark eyes glittered, and he bowed, saying, “You might as well sit down.”
    “I’ll get warm first,” she said, and shivered, adding, “Miserable weather!”
    He said brightly, “Yes, rotten out. It’s been comfortable by the fire. Crosby should have been in long ago. We had a date. Guy lives with him asked me to wait and then breezed… he had a date.”
    She said, “Oh, yes?” in a far-away voice, and threw a series of veiled looks around the room.
    “You know Crosby well?” Donahue asked bluntly.
    “Rather well. He telephoned me he was back from Eu-rope. I just dropped in… wasn’t certain of finding him. Since you have a date with him perhaps I’d better go.”
    “Nonsense! Hang around.”
    She sighed. “Mine is not important… merely a hello call. Did his friend say when Mr. Crosby’d come back?”
    “No. No, he didn’t. He just said he figured he’d be back if we had a date. He was a nice agreeable little