Free The Code by Nick Carter

bedroom. When I told her a friend had suggested I get in touch with her, she invited me to come around. It was as easy as falling off a bar stool. "I'm crazy about meeting new people," she said.
    I soon discovered the reason. Meeting new people was Trudy's business. She worked in a bordello. She led me up a flight of stairs, clinging to my hand and talking a blue streak.
    "You come highly recommended. I got your number from Moose," I said.
    "Moose? Oh, sure." She tugged me into a room and slid down the zipper of my trousers while I was still looking around. "I have to check you over, honey, and give you a nice bath. The lady I work for says cleanliness is next to prosperity."
    I evaded her deft grasp. "She must be quite a philosopher. I'd like to meet her sometime."
    "No, you wouldn't. She's as cold as a loanshark's heart. Most madams are. Those movies where they have hearts of gold, that's a lot of Hollywood nonsense. What's the matter with you, honey? You got a thing about being touched?"
    At least I'd found a talker, I thought. If I asked her for directions to the stadium, she'd probably throw in the baseball club's lineup and last season's record.
    Trudy plastered herself against me. She was a big girl, a beauty parlor blonde, and there was a lot of her to plaster. Her nipples prodded my chest like bullets.
    "What happened to your face, honey?" She touched the cut at the edge of my lip, the stitches the doctor had put in the side of my head. "You look as if you fell into cement mixer."
    "I had an accident*
    "I'm sorry." Her hand seized hold of me again. "My, you're a real man, aren't you?"
    She probably told that to all her customers, but she sounded as if she meant it. I backpedaled hastily and worked at my zipper, knowing that if Hawk could see me now, he'd burst out laughing.
    "I want to ask you about Moose. When did you see him last?"
    "I really don't remember. Is that what you came here for, to find out where Moose is?"
    "You're a smart girl. You saw through me right away, didn't you?" I laid the flattery on as thick as I could. "I am looking for the big clown. We kind of lost touch, you know what I mean?"
    She edged closer to me and slid her left arm around my waist. Her right hand found my zipper again. She was faster than a pickpocket. "Since you're here, you might as well enjoy the visit. What turns you on?"
    I caught hold of her groping hand and turned it palm up. I pressed three twenties into her curled fingers. "Tell me about Moose."
    Her friendliness tapered off sharply. She folded the bills neatly and stuffed them into my belt "I sell sex, not information."
    "Moose and I are old friends. But we lost touch, like I said. Look, he gave me your number, didn't he?"
    "You could be lying about that. Anyway, I don't remember when I saw Moose last and I don't know where he is. Even if he's your long-lost brother, I don't want to talk about him."
    I took out two more twenties, folded all five together and stuck them into her low-cut blouse. "Are you sure?"
    "I'm absolutely sure. Moose likes to knock people around, and he does a good job of it. Nobody talks about him to strangers."
    "Give me an old address, a telephone number even. I won't tell where I got it."
    Trudy fished between her large breasts and pulled the bills out. She stroked the wrinkles out of them. "I haven't seen him in several months, maybe even a year. Honest. And I never knew any address. He came around here from time to time, that's all."
    "He had a name, didn't he?"
    "I thought you were a pal of his. Pals know each others names." She threw the bills at me and they fluttered to the floor. "You don't even look like a friend of his. You look too honest. Pick up your bribe and beat it."
    Negotiation having failed, I tried a more direct approach. I pushed back my coat so that she could see the Luger nestled in its leather sheath. "I want a name, Trudy."
    She licked her lower lip. "You a cop?"
    "No, just a man looking for Moose."
    "Jones is his name." She