I was there for one purpose only. It was far different from what Gloria thought I had in mind. Nothing would be gained by prolonging the sham. Gloria felt the same way. “Why don’t you come sit over here,” she coaxed, patting the cushion next to her.
That was the opening I needed. If the repartee stayed on track — and it stood a good chance of doing so because Gloria’s senses weren’t at their sharpest — I was going to go away satisfied instead of leaving Gloria that way. A lot depended upon her reaction to my next statement. “You’re really something, Gloria. Only I don’t want to mess around if you’ve already got something going with General Martin.”
Her drink-fogged mind accepted it as an unloaded remark. She laughed. “Hell, he’s long gone. He won’t be comin’ back.” She saw the look on my face and laughed again. I was picturing a dead, cold trail. She was thinking something else. “Hey, Nick, honey, you got it all wrong. He wasn’t here because of me. I left the bedroom door wide open all night. He wasn’t having any, even though he must’a felt my body heat clear out here on the sofa. An’ no one’s been around since. They all see the car out there an’ take off like big-assed birds. I gotta get rid of the damn thing... it’s cuttin’ into my social life. You can fix that.” She wiggled sensuously. “You’re in no hurry, are you?” she added as appointed afterthought.
“That’s his car in the driveway.” My inflection kept it from being a firm question.
“He left it with me.” She leaned over her glass to stare at me. She interpreted what I said to mean that I doubted her truthfulness. “Really, he’s not around. I’m supposed to—” She stopped and leered at me again. It dawned on her that my interest was directed more toward the absent Martin than to her. “Wait a minute!” she slurred. “How’d you know Keith was here?”
“The old duffer at the corner service station recognized him when you were there for gas yesterday.” I made the error intentionally, hoping she would set me straight on the date.
She didn’t. A pouty, coquettish smile grew on her face. “You can forget about him. Come on, sit over here where I can touch you.”
“I guess I’d better leave if you have something to do for General Martin.” The statement was bait. To keep it from being too obvious, I stood up and moved as if to join her on the sofa.
She stretched to place her drink on the coffee table, sloshing some of the contents on its top as she put the glass down. “I don’t have to do that until tom—” She snapped her jaws tight. Her brows knitted. “Hey! What’s with you?” she demanded. “You keep talking about — Who the hell are you, anyway?” Indignation erupted. “You didn’t come here to see me!” She started to get up from the sofa.
Nice-guy time was over. I shoved Gloria back down, hard. Her hair tumbled over her face. I bent over the lamp on the end table next to the sofa and switched it on. Its strong beam shone upward over my tight-lipped features. I must have looked mean and sinister. I wanted to. Gloria sucked in her breath. She crossed her hands and brought them up to protect her face. Her beauty was her most prized possession. Fear of losing it was also her greatest weakness.
I grabbed both of her wrists with one hand and jerked down. My other hand brought Wilhelmina into view. I held it loosely in my half-opened palm. “Have you ever seen what’s left of a face after it’s been pistol-whipped?” I snarled. “It isn’t pretty. And you’ve got the delicate cheekbones that shatter easily. If you want to keep your teeth and caps, you’d better tell me where to find Keith Martin.”
A shiver of fear coursed through her body. She trembled as if an icy chill had seized her. She was so gripped by terror that she was speechless. She swallowed hard. For a moment I was afraid I’d overdone it and she was going to be sick.
I relaxed my hold on her wrists, but didn’t let go. “Look, Gloria, I don’t mean any harm to Keith Martin and I certainly don’t want to hurt you. Don’t force me to,” I said in a modified tone. She looked up at me fearfully out of the corners of her eyes. I tightened my grasp on her. “What did Martin tell you to do for him tomorrow?”
Tears made her eyes glisten. Her lips quivered, but she held back. I clutched her wrists painfully. “The car!” she shrieked. “The car! I’m supposed to take it back where he got it.”
“Why tomorrow?”
“I don’t know.” She squirmed under my hand pressure. “He told me to keep it so it would look like he was still here. He didn’t want anyone to know—” She clammed up again.
I twisted my hand, causing her to cry out. “Get it through your head, Gloria — I’m a friend. But desperate enough to hurt you if I have to. I’ve got to find Martin and you’re the only one who can tell me where he is.”
“I don’t know where he is,” she whimpered. “I really don’t know. Honest!”
“The car is here. How did he leave? By taxi? Did someone come and get him?”
“I drove him. In that car out there.” She was stone sober now, able to contend with her panic.
“Where did you take him?”
“To San Francisco. To the airport.”
She could be lying, but what she said fit in with Martin having used the phone in Melissa’s apartment to get travel information. I’d feel like a fool if he was on his way back to Washington. “Where was he going?” I asked again.
“Jesus! Why won’t you believe me? I said I didn’t know!”
“Did he have a ticket?”
Gloria clamped her lips together defiantly. I shoved the muzzle of Wilhelmina squarely against her left nipple. She gasped. “Yes! Yes, he had a ticket... in one of those airline envelopes.”
“What airline?” I gave an extra jab with the pistol.
“Quantas!” It came out half-scream, half-sob.
I almost dropped my gun.
Quantas Airways served the Pacific and Far East.
Keith Martin had left the country.
Seven
A man can push himself just so far. Hawk wouldn’t subscribe to that. He likes to think that AXE agents have few physical shortcomings and unlimited human endurance. I would be a complete disappointment to him right now. After countless hours on the job, I’d had enough for one day.
Mine had started early and been prolonged by the transcontinental trip. My empty stomach growled. I glanced at my watch. It was nearly eleven o’clock Washington time. A long day behind me, and much of it wasted.
Gloria Grimes had told me that I was as much as ten thousand miles behind Keith Martin. He could be anywhere. Quantas had routes covering the entire Far East. Japan and Australia were the northern and southern extremes of its widespread system.
This was one time when I wasn’t hesitant about going back to Hawk for guidance.
I felt a little badly about the way I had treated Gloria. There wasn’t a better way, really, to get the information from her in a hurry. She was an important link to Martin, although I was certain that she was only peripherally involved. I doubted if she understood why Martin used her house as a sanctuary to cover his trail.
Nothing had been learned to indicate how organized the conspiracy to help Martin was. It hardly mattered anymore. I had to assume that Layton and Wyler would want to know if anyone had gotten as close to Martin as Gloria Grimes. If it was important for them to know, she would tell them of my visit. When she did, the information would not bother them. I was a nuisance, but now so far behind Martin that catch up was impossible. Hawk might even consider it unnecessary. Whatever Martin’s intentions were a week ago, he had probably fulfilled them and was on his way back. Based on what I had learned, Hawk would probably tell me to pack it in and come home too. I had to let him know.