I let smoke drift down my nostrils. “She’s a licensed operative, isn’t she?” I said. “Why did your father hire her if she’s that bad?”
Ted lifted his square shoulders helplessly. “I don’t know,” he said. “I wish I did. He must know she won’t get anywhere.”
“It’s no good, Ted,” McArthur said. “We’ve got to tell him the truth.” He leaned forward so I could see his troubled face. “Everyone likes Audrey,” he went on to me. “Ted’s father thinks by hiring her he’ll ride along on her popularity. He figures if she doesn’t find the girls they won’t blame him so much.”
“That sickens me,” Ted burst out. “Even my father isn’t worrying about the girls. All he thinks about is the election. Can’t you understand how I feel? It’s driving me crazy. My father won’t listen to me. When Mac told me he’d seen you, I knew you were our only hope. I don’t give a damn who becomes mayor, but these kids must be found!”
“If they’re anywhere around, I’ll find them,” I promised. “But I want help. There’s too much opposition in this town to please me. What do you think’s happened to them?”
“I can make a guess,” he said. “Mac doesn’t agree with my ideas, but I’m pretty sure I’m right.”
“Look,” I said patiently, “I said I was tired, didn’t I? Well, spill it, if you’ve got anything to spill, and let me get to bed.”
“I think the whole business is a frame-up to discredit my father and Wolf. I’ll bet even money Starkey’s kidnapped the girls, knowing father and Wolf will lose votes by it.”
“Guessing won’t help. Have you any proof?”
“There’s something that might help. I told Audrey about it, but she got nowhere with it.”
I pulled down a lungful of smoke and waited.
“The day before Luce disappeared she told me a street photographer had taken her photo, She was going to collect the photograph on the day she disappeared. The shop where she was to collect the photograph is owned by Starkey. It’s one of his sidelines.”
I thought about this. At face value it didn’t seem much, but I was interested. “You think that was where she was kidnapped?”
He nodded. “That’s how I worked it out.”
“You don’t know if the other girls were photographed in the same way? If they were, there might be something in it.” Then I remembered the three photographs Dixon had shown me and I sat up abruptly. The photographs had all been taken on the street, showing the girls’ heads and shoulders with buildings as a background. “They were all photographed like that!” I said, getting excited. “The Camille Gazette has photos of all three girls and they were all taken on the street.”
McArthur sucked his teeth. “I told you this guy could help. knew it as soon as I saw him.”
Ted stared at me. “Then Starkey must be at the bottom of it,” he said grimly. “What are we going to do about it?”
“I’ll take care of it,” I said. “Is there anything else?”
They looked at each other and decided there wasn’t anything eke. That was all right with me. They hadn’t wasted my time. I had something useful to work on.
“We want to be in on this, Mr. Spewack,” Ted said anxiously. “You won’t leave us out?”
“I’m working for Wolf,” I reminded him, “but if you want these girls found, you give me all the information you have.” I glanced at my watch. It was just after eleven. “Do you know where the photographs are collected?”
“It’s a shop called the Street-Camera and it’s halfway down Murray Street.”
“Okay.” I lit another cigarette. “We’ll go back now. Where can I get you if I want you?”
He scribbled a telephone number on the back of an old envelope and gave it to rue. “You’ll be careful, won’t you?” he said. “My father will be mad.”
“Don’t worry,” I said. “I’ll take care of that.”
He started the engine and then he said: “I hope your wife won’t be worried about you.”
“My wife?” I said, surprised. “I haven’t a wife.”
“I’m sorry.” He sounded embarrassed. “I thought the lady you were with...”
I laughed. “She’ s not my wife,” I returned. “I only met her tonight. We were lonely, so I took her out to dinner.”
“I see.” He still seemed embarrassed. “I thought I hadn’t seen her before. She’s very beautiful, isn’t she?”
I grunted. “Drop around one of these days. I’ll introduce you. She could do with a little company.”
“I most certainly will,” he said, brightening, and, engaging gear, drove back the way we had come.
I walked into the lobby of the hotel and glanced around. The place was empty except for a girl who sat behind the reception desk. She was chewing gum and reading a movie magazine. She didn’t look up until I reached the desk.
“Good evening,” I said.
She shot me an interested look and then reached for my key. “367?” she said.
“Right first time.” I took the key from her.
She was small, dark and nicely built. She had a red, pouting mouth and big, sulky eyes.
“Do you go with the hotel or are you hired by the hour?” I said, leaning on the desk and admiring her figure.
“Whichever way it is, it wouldn’t mean anything to you,” she said, touching her black curls with plump little fingers.
“It might,” I said. “I go for sophisticated dames in a big way.” She chewed thoughtfully and then lifted her shoulders. “Don’t waste your time on me,” she said. “When I prospect for gold I use a dredger.”
I took out a roll of notes and showed it to her. “I light cigars with this stuff,” I said carelessly. “I keep my spending money in the bank.”
Her eyes popped a little and she became more friendly.
“Maybe we could call on your bank one day,” she said.
“Sure, any day you like,” I returned, and feeling I had gained her interest, I went on: “Tell me, who’s the guy in 369?”
“369’s empty,” she returned. “Why?”
“Did I say 369?” I shook my head. “That’s the third mistake I’ve made today. I meant 365.”
Her eyes became calculating. “I can’t tell you things like that,” she said, resting her cheek on her hand. “This is a respectable hotel.”
“I’m glad to hear it.” I took out my roll and pulled off a five-dollar note. I put my roll back and laid the five-spot on the desk. “Who did you say was in 365?”
Her hand whipped the note out of sight so fast I could scarcely follow the movement. “A guy called Jeff Gordan.”
“Jeff Gordan,” I repeated, smiling at her. “Isn’t he one of Starkey’s boys?”
Her face froze and her eyes became sulky again. “I wouldn’t know,” she said, and turned back to her magazine.
I said good night and went upstairs.
In my room, I hung my hat on a peg on the door and walked over to the bureau. I walked heavily so the guy next door would know I was back. I poured myself a large whisky and sat down.
For my first day I hadn’t done so badly. It looked like these three girls had been kidnapped. That was a tough break for them. It meant they were either dead by now or when the election was tied up they’d most certainly be knocked off. Starkey wouldn’t let them loose to talk. A kidnapping rap was hard to beat these days.
It looked like the whole set-up revolved around Starkey. Max Esslinger was just a third-rate politician trying to make the grade. He was like all third-rate politicians. As long as he was elected, he wouldn’t care who suffered. Wolf was different. He was making an effort to find the girls. But even then, he was doing it not because he cared a damn what happened to them, but because he had to put on an act to beat Starkey and Esslinger.