Free Death Watch by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles Page B

their own way typical of the man and the effect he had on people. It was certain that he understood animals, and was suspiciously lucky on the ponies, and that even previously one-man dogs would go up to him with love in their eyes and lay their lives at his feet. The sniffer-dog handlers at Heathrow Airport knew him very well indeed, and viewed him with considerable jaundice.
    Slider knew he had a weakness for the man, and that he wasn’t alone in liking him, in spite of all suspicions. Gorgeous had so far got away with having some very disreputable acquaintances, and had never yet collected a record, though many visits had been paid him by various coppers, wanting to discuss cars with a tendency towards elective surgery, and orphaned consumer durables in search of a caring family environment.
    ‘Well now, to what do I owe the honour of this visit?’ he said at last.
    ‘I just fancied a chat,’ Slider said blandly, pulling a chair across and sitting down opposite him. ‘How’s it going, George?’
    ‘When did you ever just want a chat? I hope this is notgoing to be a roust,’ Gorgeous said. He opened the box of twenty-five Wilhelms which was lying on the desk, extracted one, offered it to Slider, and then slipped it between his luscious lips. ‘Because’ he went on, the cigarillo wagging with the words, ‘I always think of you as the thinking man’s copper, and I should hate to see you wasting your time and making a fool of yourself.’
    He struck a match and drew the flame onto the tobacco. A blue wreath of smoke rose towards the ceiling.
    ‘Your concern touches me deeply. But you should know better than me whether I’ve any reason to want to roust you’ Slider said.
    ‘My conscience is clear,’ he said, lazily smiling. ‘Much to my relief. I couldn’t fob you off like that blue-eyed boy of yours – what’s his name?’
    ‘Detective Sergeant Atherton.’
    ‘Yeah, that’s him. He came round here the other week asking me about funny money – as if I’d ever have to do with counterfeit! He took some convincing, too – and when I had a customer hanging around about to buy one of my specials. Lost me a perfectly good sale. They should use him on the recruitment posters,’ he added with assumed disgust. ‘He does for community relations what Icarus did for hang-gliding.’
    ‘You shouldn’t underestimate him,’ Slider said. ‘He’s a good copper.’
    George shrugged, removed the cigar from his lips, and inspected the burning end with interest. ‘You shouldn’t send a boy out to do a man’s job,’ he said. ‘A boy with his mind on other things, as well – I saw him afterwards in The Wellington with his arm round a bird, looked like a plonk. Practically climbing inside her blouse, the eager little mountaineer.’
    Slider laughed out loud, and George lifted his eyes to him. ‘That’s rich, coming from you!’
    George grinned ferally. ‘Ah, but I don’t let it distract me from the real purpose of life.’
    ‘Which is?’
    ‘Making money,’ he said simply. ‘You got money, yougot power – and incidentally all the women you can eat. And, not to change the subject, what do you want?’
    Slider produced the photograph of Neal. ‘I believe you know this man.’
    Gorgeous George looked at it and handed it back indifferently. ‘Why should you think that?’
    ‘He was seen going into your premises on Saturday afternoon.’
    ‘Doesn’t mean to say I know him, does it? My premises are open to the general public.’
    ‘But he was here on Saturday afternoon?’
    ‘You’ve just said he was seen going in. What do you want from me? Reassurance?’
    ‘Did you see this man on Saturday afternoon?’
    ‘Nope.’
    ‘You’re sure of that?’
    ‘I couldn’t have seen him, because I wasn’t here on Saturday afternoon.’
    ‘Where were you?’
    ‘Well, as it happened, I had a business meeting with a financier in Newbury.’
    ‘At what time?’
    ‘Two o’clock, two-thirty, and