Hard Case Crime: Honey in His Mouth by Lester Dent Read Free Book Online Page A

“Oh, Walter, he is just slightly terrific, isn’t he?”
    Harsh scowled at her. He did not know who she was talking about, but he would bet it was somebody who wore pants with well-filled pockets. “Where have you been all day?”
    “Don’t be sore. Someone had to show Mr. Brother around, after he came all the way out here to Missouri from the east just to look you over. And you should see what he came in. Walter, you should see it! He has a big private airplane all his very own.”
    “Is Brother still around here?” Harsh lifted up on the bed. “The way he took out of here as if he’d been turpentined, I figured school was out. Did he leave for good?”
    “And what an airplane, Walter. Instead of just seats for passengers, private cabins and a private office and a private television set. Inside, it’s all lined with velvet that’s a kind of bedroom purple and the two fellas flying the thing for him wear liveries the same purple color.”
    Harsh was speechless with rage.
    Vera Sue lifted on tiptoes and did a turn in front of him. “Walter, notice anything new has been added?”
    “Goddamn it!” His voice shook with fury. “I asked you, is the guy still in town?”
    “Yes. Didn’t you notice my new dress?”
    “The hell with the new dress.”
    “Walter, I wish you wouldn’t be nasty. I like to hear you say nice things about my clothes, and not growl at me like a bear.”
    He wanted to grab hold of her, shake some sense into her—but he forced himself to grin weakly instead. “Sure, honey, I know. It’s just that I lie here not knowing what’s going on and it makes me blow my top.”
    “Well, it isn’t very nice.”
    Walter bit back a curse. “I’m nuts about you, honey, you know that.”
    “You’re awfully sweet when you want to be, Walter. I wish you would want to be all the time.”
    “Kiss me, honey.”
    She kissed him and he discovered her mouth tasted of eight-dollar-a-bottle Benedictine. So she had gotten her hands on more than just what it took to buy the new dress and the new hat. The Benedictine was a giveaway, because on special occasions she would buy a bottle and carry it around in her purse and nip at it. He suspected that someone had once told her Benedictine was the liqueur of quality folks, but had neglected to tell her it was supposed to be sipped out of thimble-sized glasses after dinner. Anyway, she had gotten hold of some money, and he had a good idea where.
    “Vera Sue, I hope you didn’t go making any deals with this Brother guy. We can’t until we know more than we know now.”
    “How do you mean, Walter?”
    “He gave you some dough, right?”
    She stroked her hair with her hand, and the innocent expression on her face told him she was trying to think up a lie.
    “Look, Vera Sue, it’s all right with me for you to latch on to his money. I got no kicks, I want you to have dough, only you should talk it over with me first.”
    “I was almost broke, Walter, and you were acting snotty.”
    He controlled his fury with difficulty. “Well, like I say, I got no kicks. But baby, the only thing is, you and me are in this together, and we got to keep our eyes open. I know how to handle guys like Brother, so you better let me handle him. I’ll give you a sample of how I would handle him. He wanted me to give him some references, see, but he’s not going to get any names from me for nothing. I’m going to make him pay me five dollars a name. If he wants five names, it will cost him twenty-five bucks.”
    Vera Sue’s expression became odd. “How much for each name, Walter?”
    “Five dollars. He pays five bucks, or he won’t get a single name.”
    Vera Sue’s mouth started twitching, and suddenly a shriek of laughter escaped her. She laughed so hard that she had to lean on the bed for support.
    Harsh glared. “What’s killing you now?”
    “Walter, you sure are some whiz-bang businessman.”
    “Huh?”
    She picked up a corner of the bed sheet and wiped the tears of