Free The Diamond Bikini by Charles Williams Page A

new station, and a man’s voice was talking: “And now for the local news,” it said. “Police reported today there have been no new developments in the sensational gangland killing of Vincent (Tiger) Lilly which shook the city a week ago. The prosecution’s star witness is still reported to be—”
    He turned the dial again and some more music came on. “But this place is going to be wonderful for her,” he went on. “It’s just what I was hoping to find when I took charge of the case. She can get the rest her condition calls for. You gentlemen probably don’t realize the absolutely man-killing social pace a debutante like Miss Harrington has to keep up with. Parties, balls, receptions, charity bazaars—it never lets up for a minute. I tell you, going through medical school is a cinch compared with it.”
    Miss Harrington nodded. “It’s rough, MacDuff.”
    “And with that anemia sapping her strength by the hour,” Dr Severance went on, “well, it was killing her, that’s all.”
    Miss Harrington finished her drink and put the glass down on the table. She got up and walked down to the end of the trailer where you could see out over the lake.
    She kind of swung and swayed when she walked, and Pop and Uncle Sagamore watched her real anxious like they was afraid she might fall or something.
    Dr Severance went on talking what hard work it was being a debutante, whatever that was. Miss Harrington stood looking out over the lake, and I figured she was probably homesick all right, and lonesome. I liked her, because you could see she was real nice and she wasn’t always wanting to grab a-hold of you and make a fuss like them Welfare ladies, so I felt sorry for her and wished she didn’t have to go away from home like that, and eat vegetables.
    Just then the radio changed to another tune, a real pretty one that made you want to tap your feet. Miss Harrington was still looking the other way, but you could tell she heard it because she started moving her feet in time with it and swaying her body like she was going to dance. It was real pretty to see.
    Dr Severance was still talking and didn’t notice, but Uncle Sagamore and Pop was watching real close. She swung around in her dancing, but it didn’t seem like she even saw us. She had a faraway look in her eyes and you could tell she was humming the tune. Then she swung back facing the other way, and doggone if she didn’t reach up behind her back and unsnap the end of that bosom thing she was wearing.
    As it came off she took one end of it in her hand and waved it like a streamer while she swayed back and forth in time to the music. She was still faced the other way, but you could see she didn’t have nothing on but them little candy-striped pants. Then she turned back towards us, and as she did she caught up the bosom thing and held it pressed to her with one arm where it would have been if she was still wearing it, smiling kind of dreamy like, and I could hear her singing the words of the song.
    She had a real nice voice.
    Well, Pop and Uncle Sagamore was just enchanted with it, it was such a pretty dance. They leaned forward on their hunkers till they like to fell over, with their eyes bugged out, and the drinks in their hands was spilling on the ground. Miss Harrington swung on around away from us again and as she did she pulled the bosom thing away once more and started waving it in her hand like she was directing the orchestra.
    Pop dropped his glass on the ground. He started to clap his hands, but then he caught hisself and looked at Dr Severance and didn’t. But just then the doctor noticed the funny expressions on their faces and glanced around and saw Miss Harrington’s dance.
    He jumped half out of his chair and knocked his drink over. His eyes were as cold as ice. He clapped his hands together real hard and yelled. “Choo-Choo! Uh— Pamela!”
    She jumped, and looked around, like she’d just remembered where she was. “Oh,” she says, slipping