Helen Framley laughed nervously, and said, “That’s where I got my complex on private detectives. They almost nailed us.”
“It wouldn’t have done ’em any good,” Pug said.
“They might have made a lot of trouble.”
“They could have talked,” Pug admitted, “but that’s all.”
“Well, I don’t like it, Pug. I wish you’d get something else lined up.”
“This is plenty good, babe, plenty good.”
I said casually, “I’m going to have to get back to Los Angeles.”
Pug said, “You’re acting awfully funny about this thing. You wouldn’t by trying to hand us no line, would you?” I shook my head.
Pug frowned and stared at me with his eyes sharp with suspicion. Abruptly, he said, “Get your things together, babe.”
“What do you mean?”
Pug’s eyes grew hostile. “There’s just a chance this guy’s trying to stall us along until the law can get us spotted. Where you got those coins?”
“In my — you know.”
“Okay,” Pug said, “beat it out and get ’em changed. If they raid the joint, we don’t want to have a lot of dimes and nickels and quarters on hand. And you, buddy, you better be going. Like you said, you’ve got a lot of things to do.”
“I’d like to ask a few more questions.”
Pug got to his feet, came over, and put his hand on my shoulder. “I know you would, but we’re busy. We’ve got things to do. You know how it is.”
“Now, Pug, don’t you hurt—”
“Forget it, babe. Get that stuff together and get it changed into currency. This guy’s leaving right now, and you’ve got work to do.”
Her eyes studied Pug for a minute, then came over to mine. Abruptly she smiled, walked over, and gave me her hand. “You’re one swell guy,” she said. “I like guys with nerve. You sure have plenty.”
“Go on. Get in that bedroom and get that stuff together,” Pug said sharply.
“On my way.”
Pug started me toward the door. ” ’By,” I said to Helen Framley, “and thanks. Where can I reach you if I want to get in touch with your?”
It was Pug who answered the question, and his eyes were cold. “That, buddy, is the thing I was going to tell you when I got you outside, but I might as well tell you now. You can’t.”
“Can’t what?”
“Can’t get in touch with her.”
“Why not?”
“For two reasons. One of ’em is that you won’t know where she is, and the other one is I don’t want you to. Get me?”
Helen said, “Pug, don’t be like that.”
Pug said, “On your way,” and gripped his fingers around my elbow. The push which he exerted was gentle but insistent. Over his shoulder, he said, “You get into that bedroom, babe, and make it snappy.”
Pug opened the door. “So long, guy,” he said. “Nice meeting you. Don’t come back. Good-by.”
The door slammed.
I looked at the door of the adjoining apartment and saw that there was a ribbon of light coming out from under the door.
I tiptoed gently down the stairs.
I walked out and stood in a doorway, watching the sidewalk, and waiting. The street lights were on now.
After a while, I saw Helen Framley walking down the street, a neat little package that would attract attention anywhere.
I sauntered along behind.
She went into one of the casinos, and started playing the wheel of fortune long enough to register with the gang around the place as one of the players. Then she went over to the cashier’s desk, opened her purse, pulled out an assortment of nickels, dimes, and quarters and got them changed into currency. She came out, crossed the street, went to another casino, and repeated the operation. When she came out of that place, I was waiting for her.
“Hello,” I said.
There was sudden fear in her eyes. “What are you doing here?”
“Standing here.”
“Well, you mustn’t be seen talking with me.”
“Why not? I have a couple of questions I wanted to ask you privately.”
“No, no, please. You can’t.”
“Why not?”
She looked around her apprehensively. “Can’t you understand? Pug’s jealous. I had an awful time with him after you left. He thinks I — thinks I was too nice to you, that I was trying to protect you.”
I fell into step at her side. “That’s all right. We’ll walk along the street and—”
“No, no,” she said, “not this way. Here, walk the other way if you’ve got to walk. Turn to the right at the corner. Get down that dark side street. Gosh, I wish you wouldn’t take chances like this.”
I said, “You wrote a letter to Corla Burke. Why and what did you say?”
“Why, I never wrote her in my life.”
“You’re certain?”
“Yes.”
“You didn’t send her a letter a couple of days before she disappeared?”
“No.”
I said, “She was blond. I don’t think she was the type to do things on impulse exactly. Like to see her picture?”
“Gosh, yes. You got one?”
I guided her into a lighted doorway and took the pictures from my pocket. They were a little cracked where Louie had pushed wrinkles in my coat when he jerked it back from my shoulders and down my arms.
“See. She looks quick on the trigger, but she’s a thinker:”
“How can you tell that?”
“From the lines of her face.”
She said, “Gosh, I wish I knew things like that.”
“You do. You unconsciously size up a person’s character as soon as you meet him. Perhaps you know someone with thin nostrils and—”
“Yeah, but I size ’em up wrong about half the time. Gosh, the double crosses I’ve had handed me, just because I play wide open. I take a good look at ’em and either like ’em or don’t. If I like ’em, I go the whole hog. Say, listen— Your name’s Donald, isn’t it?”
“Yes.”
“Okay. Now listen, Donald, we’ve got to cut this out. Pug’s awfully mean when he gets jealous, and he certainly is on the prod tonight. The way he was feeling when I left, he’s almost certain to get restless and start following us. That’s the trouble with Pug. He won’t stay put. When he gets nervous, he gets all excited.”
“Where can I get in touch with you, Helen?”
“You can’t.”
“Isn’t there some way I could reach you, some friend to whom I could write—”
She was shaking her head emphatically.
I gave her one of my cards. “There’s my address,” I said. “Will you think it over and see if you can’t figure out some way I could keep in touch with you? Some place I can get you in case it should be important, to have your testimony?”
“I don’t want to give any testimony. I don’t want to be dragged into the limelight and have a lot of questions asked me.”
“You can trust me. If you shoot square with me, I’ll play square with you.”
She slipped my card in her purse. “I’ll think it over, Donald. Perhaps I can drop you a card, letting you know where you can get in touch with me.”
“Do that little thing, will you?”
“Perhaps — Donald, can I tell you something — and have you play ball?”
“What?”
“I wasn’t telling you all the truth up there.”
“I was afraid of that.”
“Listen, I want to go some place where we can talk, and Pug may be down any minute.”
“The hotel lobby or—”
“No, no, some place right close. Here, come over in this — Now listen, Donald, I want to know exactly why you thought I was holding out.”