1945 - Blonde's Requiem by James Hadley Chase Read Free Book Online

They ’ ve guaranteed to find the girls. It ’ s in Macey ’ s interests now for them not to be found. ”
    “ Can you believe people could be so wicked? ” McArthur said, punching the back of my seat.
    “ So the police aren ’ t working on the case? ” I said, jerking my hat lower over my eyes. “ How about the investigator your father ’ s hired? ”
    Ted made an impatient movement with his hands. “ Audrey? I can ’ t think what father ’ s doing. He ’ s crazy to expect Audrey Sheridan to do anything. She ’ s a good kid. I ’ ve known her all my life, but against Macey and Starkey she ’ s helpless. Besides, she ’ s never had any experience of this kind of thing. ”
    I let smoke drift down my nostrils. “ She ’ s a licensed operative, isn ’ t she? ” I said. “ Why did your father hire her if she ’ s that bad? ”
    Ted lifted his square shoulders helplessly. “ I don ’ t know, ” he said. “ I wish I did. He must know she won ’ t get anywhere. ”
    “ It ’ s no good, Ted, ” McArthur said. “ We ’ ve got to tell him the truth. ” He leaned forward so I could see his troubled face. “ Everyone likes Audrey, ” he went on to mc. “ Ted ’ s father thinks by hiring her he ’ ll ride along on her popularity. He figures if she doesn ’ t find the girls they won ’ t blame him so much. ”
    “ That sickens me, ” Ted burst out. “ Even my father isn ’ t worrying about the girls. All he thinks about is the election. Can ’ t you understand how I feel? It ’ s driving me crazy. My father won ’ t listen to me. When Mac told me he ’ d seen you, I knew you were our only hope. I don ’ t give a damn who becomes mayor, but these kids must be found! ”
    “ If they ’ re anywhere around, I ’ ll find them, ” I promised. “ But I want help. There ’ s too much opposition in this town to please me. What do you think ’ s happened to them? ”
    “ I can make a guess, ” he said. “ Mac doesn ’ t agree with my ideas, but I ’ m pretty sure I ’ m right. ”
    “ Look, ” I said patiently, “ I said I was tired, didn ’ t I? Well, spill it, if you ’ ve got anything to spill, and let me get to bed. ”
    “ I think the whole business is a frame-up to discredit my father and Wolf. I ’ ll bet even money Starkey ’ s kidnapped the girls, knowing father and Wolf will lose votes by it. ”
    “ Guessing won ’ t help. Have you any proof? ”
    “ There ’ s something that might help. I told Audrey about it, but she got nowhere with it. ”
    I pulled down a lungful of smoke and waited.
    “ The day before Luce disappeared she told me a street photographer had taken her photo, She was going to collect the photograph on the day she disappeared. The shop where she was to collect the photograph is owned by Starkey. It ’ s one of his sidelines. ”
    I thought about this. At face value it didn ’ t seem much, but I was interested.
    “ You think that was where she was kidnapped? ”
    He nodded. “ That ’ s how I worked it out. ”
    “ You don ’ t know if the other girls were photographed in the same way? If they were, there might be something in it. ” Then I remembered the three photographs Dixon had shown me and I sat up abruptly. The photographs had all been taken on the street, showing the girls ’ heads and shoulders with buildings as a background. “ They were all photographed like that! ” I said, getting excited. “ The Camille Gazette has photos of all three girls and they were all taken on the street. ”
    McArthur sucked his teeth. “ I told you this guy could help. knew it as soon as I saw him. ”
    Ted stared at me. “ Then Starkey must be at the bottom of it, ” he said grimly.
    “ What are we going to do about it? ”
    “ I ’ ll take care of it, ” I said. “ Is there anything else? ”
    They looked at each other and decided there wasn ’ t anything eke. That was all right with me. They hadn ’ t wasted my time. I had something