Free Hard Case Crime: The Vengeful Virgin by Gil Brewer Page B

the hospital.”
    “What?”
    “Doctor Miraglia’s there right now,” she said. “I told him I had some shopping to do, that I’d only be gone a few minutes. I’ve been driving up and down past your darned store for over a half an hour.”
    She was nervous and scared. “Why didn’t you call me?”
    “You said not to call.”
    “I told you if something unforeseen....”
    She broke in. “All right.” She scraped at her lower lip with her teeth. “I was afraid to call, Jack. I didn’t know what to do. I thought if I could just catch your eye—I wasn’t thinking.”
    I tried to act calm. “What do you mean, he wants to go to the hospital?”
    “He’s been at me all day. How good he feels, stuff like that. He wants to go to the hospital for a complete physical check-up.”
    “Can’t the doctor give that to him at home?”
    “It’s not that. He doesn’t carry all the facilities around in his pockets. They use machines on him, all sorts of things.”
    It hit me hard. It was very bad and for a second there I saw the whole thing exploding soundlessly in our faces. Her face was wrung. “Take it easy,” I said. “Try to smile and make it look good. You never know who might come by. I know a lot of people in this town.”
    “That’s not all,” she said. “There’s more.”
    “Naturally.”
    “Doctor Miraglia talked with me privately. He says this is a miracle. He says it’s his chance—once he gets Victor to the hospital, he thinks he can talk him into staying there.”
    I rubbed one hand across my face, hanging onto my jaw.
    “Jack.” She whispered it tightly. “What will we do?”
    “Easy, now,” I said. “Here’s what you’ll have to do. First, you get back there as fast as you can. And be sure to stop at the market and buy some stuff, so it’ll look as if you really went shopping.”
    “Yes. But what—?”
    “Ten to one, Miraglia will leave. He’ll plan to come back for him. Maybe an ambulance. Anyway, it’s up to you to get to Victor. He’s always been scared about hospitals. You’ll have to make him think that way again. Scare the hell out of him. Only you’ve got to do it so Miraglia won’t get wise. Play it careful—kid him, make it look good. If you fail, we’re done.”
    She didn’t speak. She was staring at the front of a jewelry store, thinking. You could almost see the wheels winding up.
    “All right,” she said. “I think I can do it.”
    “But be careful.”
    “Don’t worry.”
    The way she said it, she would scare anybody.
    “Jack,” she said, looking at me. “I love you so. Why must it be like this?”
    “You know why.”
    “I do love you so.”
    “Easy. We’re on the street,” I said. “Now, get moving. And remember, I’m with you every minute.”
    “It’s just that we have so much, so very much, Jack.”
    “Yeah. Now, get—”
    A horn beeped lightly by the curb. It was Mayda Lamphier, driving a dusty Pontiac convertible, with the top down. The maroon paint job was scratched, dented.
    I spoke fast to Shirley from the side of my mouth.
    “Make it look right. We met on the street.”
    She looked a little worried, but otherwise okay. We went over to Mayda’s car.
    “Well,” Mayda Lamphier said with a shade of insinuation. “What are you two doing downtown?”
    I gave her the story of bumping into each other on the street. She believed it, but made with the eyes anyway. I didn’t like any part of it. She possessed that knack of being in the wrong place at the right time.
    “I’m shopping,” Shirley said. “I’m afraid I’ll have to run along. I only have a few minutes. Bye, now.”
    She was gone before either of us could speak.
    “Busy girl,” I said.
    “Yes, isn’t she?” Mayda said. “Can I give you a lift somewhere?”
    “I was on my way back to the store. Just had lunch.”
    “Hop in, then.”
    Horns blared behind her. She had begun to tie up traffic. We cut off down toward the bay. Things seemed just a little tense.