The Poisoners by Donald Hamilton Read Free Book Online Page A

bottle of spot remover. Returning, I put it into her hands. “Use that,” I said. “We don’t want people thinking you’ve been rolling in the alley, even if you have.” I examined her purse. It was one of those capacious, elaborately carved, but rather flimsy specimens of Mexican leather work you can buy quite cheaply in any of the border towns, say nearby Tijuana. I opened it. It contained no weapons. I gave it to her. “A little soap and water, and a comb are also indicated,” I said.
    She was staring at the purse and solvent bottle as if not quite certain what they were for. “What… what are you going to do with me?” she asked.
    “We’re going to see some people,” I said. “As soon as you’re presentable, I’ll call a cab.”
    She ran her tongue over her lips and spoke mechanically, “We don’t need a cab. I’ve still got the rental car,
her
rental car. It’s parked a couple of blocks the other side of the hospital.”
    “Your friends could have found it by now,” I said. “I hate loud noises when I turn on the ignition. Or steering wheels that don’t steer or brakes that don’t brake. That door over there should be the bathroom. It was a little while ago. If it isn’t now, come back and we’ll try again.”
    I watched her go across the room. The door shut behind her. I waited, making a little bet with myself. Presently the door opened again, and I chalked up one wager won.
    Now the red-gold hair was smooth and bright and the face and hands were clean. The current condition of the clothes could not be determined from where I stood since she wasn’t wearing them. I mean, all she had on was a white brassiere and a pair of little white nylon pants. The total coverage was about that of a bikini, but the opacity was considerably less.
    “I… I’m waiting for that stuff to dry,” she said, standing there more or less nude. “It burns if it gets on you.”
    “Sure,” I said. “Burns.”
    “I don’t suppose you want to make love to me,” she said. “I don’t suppose you even want to touch me. After what I did.”
    It was a rather neat twist in an otherwise rather predictable gambit. It was supposed to make me take her in my arms and tell her she wasn’t so terrible after all, after which—considering her costume or lack of it—nature would undoubtedly take its predictable course. The only trouble was, I wasn’t in a receptive mood and I don’t like playing games with it unnecessarily. There are times in this racket when you’ve got to fake a lot of emotions, including passion, but I couldn’t see that this was one of them. I just stood there without saying anything. At last Beverly flushed slightly, and shrugged her bare shoulders.
    “Well, it’s all I have to offer now,” she said. “For saving my life. Unless you want fifty-seven dollars and some change.”
    “Cut it out. When I want to get paid, I’ll send you a bill.” I regarded her coldly and went on. “That cleaning fluid evaporates pretty fast. I think you can safely get dressed again. I’ll call a cab.”
    She turned away sharply. She didn’t exactly slam the bathroom door behind her, but it didn’t close as gently as it might have. I grinned and went over to use the phone.

6
    Charlotte Devlin, complete with car, driver, and prisoner, was waiting outside the address she’d given me—an address I figured didn’t mean much to anybody or she wouldn’t have disclosed it to an unsavory character like me. It was a run-down business block with a filling station on the corner. The public phone at the station was probably the main reason the place had been picked as a rendezvous. After all, I had asked her to do a little research for me.
    I paid off the taxi driver and helped Beverly out of the vehicle. She seemed a bit startled, looking towards the other car, to see a woman awaiting us. My female associate got out and came to meet us. She looked Beverly up and down coldly during the introduction ceremony. It