Free 1945 - Blonde's Requiem by James Hadley Chase Page B

you. ”
    Beyfield went through my suit with practised hands. I watched him with forced calm, but I didn ’ t feel so good. When he came to the pocket where I had put the handkerchief I had a hard time not to start something. I was so surprised when his hand came out empty that I nearly gave myself away.
    “ Finished? ” I said, wanting to search the pocket myself. I knew he couldn ’ t have missed the handkerchief and that meant it was no longer in my pocket. It also meant that the female jiu-jitsu had got it, and that made me mad.
    Beyfield worked his jaws around the gum before saying: “ He ’ s bluffing. ”
    “ Do you think I ’ m crazy enough to keep anything in this room? ” I said. “ Whatever I ’ ve got is somewhere safe. And now if you ’ ve finished, suppose we get down to business. What are you going to do about Mary Drake? ”
    Macey put the automatic away. He pulled at his underlip and stared at me thoughtfully. I could see he didn ’ t know what to make of me.
    “ We ’ re looking for her, ” he said at last. “ We ’ ll find her all in good time. ”
    “ Luce McArthur disappeared a month ago, ” I said. “ You haven ’ t found her. ”
    Beyfield shifted restlessly, but Macey scowled at him. “ A month ’ s not such a long time, ” he said. “ We ’ ll find ‘ em all before long. ”
    “ Starkey could find them today. ”
    “ What makes you think that? ”
    “ It sticks out a mile, ” I told him. “ He ’ s kidnapped them to put Wolf and Esslinger on the spot. ”
    He shook his head. “ You ’ re wrong. ” He chewed the butt of his cigar reflectively and added: “ Starkey wouldn ’ t like that line from you. ”
    “ He ’ s going to get it all the same, ” I said, “ unless you can suggest something better. ”
    “ Me? ” He looked almost hurt. “ We ’ re working on it, but we don ’ t know nothing yet. These kids don ’ t amount to much. We ’ ll get around to ‘ em when we ’ re ready. ”
    “ Dixon says they were murdered, ” I said, watching him. “ Mass murder doesn ’ t sound so good. ”
    “ He ’ s crazy. Besides, he ’ s dead. ”
    “ Dead? ” I repeated, acting surprised. “ What do you mean—dead? ”
    He nodded his head. “ Yeah, ” he said. “ Like I said—dead. I ’ ve known him years. He was crazy, but I got used to him. ”
    “ But I was talking to him yesterday, ” I said, sitting forward in my chair.
    “ You know how it is. Here today, gone tomorrow. He had a seizure or something. The doctor said his heart had been bad for years. Went suddenly. They found him this morning. ”
    “ Who found him? ”
    “ We did, didn ’ t we, Beyfield? ”
    Beyfield grunted.
    “ They couldn ’ t open the office and we were passing. ” Macey touched off more ash, sighed and wagged his head. “ He was working late last night. Must have popped off around two o ’ clock. That ’ s what the croaker said. Well, we ’ ve all got to go. ”
    “ Yeah, ” I said, “ that ’ s true. ” I sat staring at the floor. I wanted to get rid of these guys so I could turn things over in my mind. “ I ’ ve got things to do, ” I went on after a long pause. “ If there isn ’ t anything else . . . ”
    Macey got to his feet. “ We just looked in, ” he said. “ We don ’ t like private dicks, so we thought we ’ d tell you. Kind of let you know how you stand. ”
    “ Sure, ” I said, not moving.
    “ The sensible thing for you to do would be to take the first train out. That ’ d be the sensible thing to do, wouldn ’ t it, Beyfield? ”
    Beyfield grunted.
    “ And another thing, ” Macey said, at the door, “ keep out of Starkey ’ s way. He doesn ’ t like private dicks either. ”
    “ I ’ m seeing Starkey this afternoon, ” I said, stubbing out my cigarette. “ I want to tell him about the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It ’ s a swell story, and it ’ ll interest him. ”
    “ He doesn ’ t like stories, ” Macey