Free Delicate Ape by Dorothy B. Hughes Page B

extinguishing that light, stood again in the shadowy hall. No one could come in without the guard admitting him, but anyone could give a fictitious name and reason for entry. His empty steps jarred his stomach and he pushed the buzzer with a damp finger. His hair crawled while he waited for the whine to rise. Even when it ceased at the floor he was taut until he saw the same guard who had brought him up.
    “All finished?”
    “Thanks, yes.” His forehead was damp. “Took me a little time but it’s all right now.”
    “I had a bit of trouble myself,” the man said. “Isn’t often you get it. Not much excitement in this racket though my wife gets kind of nervous for me sometimes.”
    Piers controlled his voice. “What sort of trouble?”
    “Fellow tried to push in, said he come to meet a Beers Hund here. Kept telling me this Hund was waiting for him.”
    Piers laughed a little. “Didn’t get in on that one, did he?”
    “You bet not.” The car jolted to a stop; Piers didn’t move from its safety. “I said there’s nobody here. You come around in office hours to see your man. And when he tried to talk back to me I just put my hand on his chest and pushed.” He scowled. “Talked like a Hun. Beers Hund. If he comes around again I’ll call the cops.”
    Piers was cautious. “Did he leave—after you pushed him?”
    “Not right away. Guess he’s gone by now.”
    He wasn’t. Piers knew that. He was waiting somewhere outside, waiting for Piers to reappear. To follow again? Not tonight. If that was all he wanted he’d have been content to wait outside, not show his hand. This was more of the real thing.
    Piers couldn’t show his own hand to the guard. He’d come through too well up to now. Gordon must not know of this visit. There was no excuse to offer for prowling by night where he had access at any time. He had no moral way of obtaining a key. Yet he couldn’t in sanity walk out into the arms of one of Brecklein’s men. Perhaps the uncle of one Johann Schmidt. He had to play it quickly; he couldn’t delay here with the presumptive reports for Gordon in his pocket. He bit his lip. “I wonder.” He was confidential. “These reports are important to the Conclave. I wonder if that man could be a German who doesn’t want me to carry them to Mr. Gordon.”
    The guard’s black eyes clicked.
    “He must have seen me come in. Maybe he listened in on Mr. Gordon’s call to me. Germany doesn’t intend to be turned down this time. She wishes to eliminate all chance of failure.”
    “Them dirty Huns.” The guard’s jaw squared.
    “I must get out without that man knowing it. In case he’s hanging around.”
    “We better call the cops.”
    “No.” Piers spoke sharply. It could have been too sharply the way the man peered at him under the peak of his cap. “Don’t you see?” Piers went on to explain. “That’s the last thing I can do. That would mean publicity. It would give Germany something against our country, an incident, a hold over us. By the time we finished apologizing for having one of their men arrested, we’d be promising them withdrawal.”
    The guard growled, “Diplomats are too lily-livered. I’d like to see myself knuckling under to any damn Hun.”
    “We must preserve peace,” Piers said. No matter what you’d like to do to those who threatened it.
    “Then how you going to get out?” the guard asked.
    “I don’t know.” He could call Cassidy to come for him. But Cassidy mustn’t be allowed to report that he’d visited the Peace office. He asked, “Is there a phone?”
    “Yeah.”
    “I’d better phone for a cab.”
    “You’d get one quicker standing outside.” He shook his cap. “You can’t do that though. If he’s out there.”
    “I’ll have to chance making it from the door to the cab. That’s all I dare do.”
    The guard spoke with regret. “Wish I could get my brother-in-law. He drives for Yellow. But he’s cruising Broadway this time of night.” He