Kiss and Kill by Ellery Queen Read Free Book Online Page A

studies she made on her Mexican tour. There were hundreds of them.”
    Barney glanced at Ed Tollman, who was standing in the doorway silently listening.
    â€œStudies of what?”
    â€œOh, scenes, natives, the people she was traveling with.”
    â€œThe people she was traveling with,” said Ed. “That’s it, Barney. That’s what they were after here.”
    Barney nodded. “And they’re picking the whole crew up. At first they were using Kiddoo, the driver, to make identifications. When they found these photos here, they didn’t need him any more. I’d give a hell of a lot to know what happened on that tour.”
    â€œThey’re not picking the whole crew up,” said Ed. “They didn’t pick the Bartons up. They killed the Bartons. And now they’ve killed the tour driver. Where does that leave my wife?”
    â€œIn their hands.” Barney avoided the obvious reply that Liz Tollman might well be dead, too. “They must be holding Liz for different reasons.” I hope, he thought, and turned to Arthur, who was listening avidly. “We’re leaving, Artie girl. We can’t afford any delays right now, so you give us one half-hour’s start when we get out of here before you phone the cops about that beached whale in there. Understand?”
    â€œOh, I understand,” said Arthur quickly.
    â€œYou’d better. The cops are going to ask you how you happened to find the body. You tell them that, not having heard from Miss English, you came around here to check the studio. And you’re not to mention anything about that gentleman there and me. Do you understand that ?”
    â€œOh, yes,” said Arthur, even more quickly.
    â€œIf you do,” said Barney, “I’ll come back and do something very naughty to you. Very naughty, Arthur. What I’ll do to you might put you out of the strike zone for a long, long time, and you wouldn’t like that, would you, Arthur? Losing all the fun in life?”
    â€œYou wouldn’t!” cried Arthur, clutching himself.
    â€œTry me. And remember, the best thing to do with cops is not volunteer information. Just answer their questions and keep us out of it.”
    They left Arthur still clutching himself.
    When they were on the road, Barney said, “We could stop and rest, Ed.”
    â€œCould you?”
    Barney laughed. “No.”
    â€œNeither could I. After seeing that driver. At that, I never thought I’d be glad to see a dead man. I thought we’d find Liz.” Ed shuddered.
    A few miles later he said, “I’ve been thinking, Barney. You could go on and check the librarian in Indianapolis, while I look up that male schoolteacher in Detroit.”
    â€œSuppose you caught up with the killers there?”
    â€œThat’s the idea,” said Ed emptily.
    â€œAlone? There’s probably three of them. Could you handle three hoods and get Liz out at the same time?”
    â€œThe police—”
    â€œWhy do you think I haven’t phoned ahead for help? We can’t stir the fuzz up until we have your wife out of danger.”
    â€œYou’re right, Barney.” Ed tried to relax; he leaned back. Barney watched him struggle to get loose.
    â€œTake deep breaths, Ed. And empty your head. Just concentrate on breathing, as if you’d come up from half-drowning.”
    Ten minutes later Ed was snoring.
    Barney swallowed a benny, lit a cigarette, and turned the radio on low.
    It was his seventh day of driving.

4
    The woman’s name was Ingrid Johns; she was a fifty-year-old librarian who worked for a chemical research company. She lived in a four-story former mansion that had been converted into dowdy apartments.
    Barney parked across the street half a block away. “Wait a half hour, Ed, then call her number. If there’s no answer, yell copper.”
    As he crossed the street a curtain moved; he glimpsed a face just pulling