The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett Read Free Book Online Page A

after what happened to Nick today. Do try to find Dorry, Gil. You must know some of her friends. Phone them. I suppose she’ll be along presently, but I worry about her.”
    “She’s over at our place,” I said.
    “At your place?” Her surprise may have been genuine.
    “She came over this afternoon and asked if she could stay with us awhile.”
    She smiled tolerantly and shook her head. “These youngsters!” She stopped smiling. “Awhile?” I nodded. Gilbert, apparently waiting to ask me another question, showed no interest in this conversation between his mother and me.
    Mimi smiled again and said: “I’m sorry she’s bothering you and your wife, but it’s a relief to know she’s there instead of off the Lord only knows where. She’ll have finished her pouting by the time you get back. Send her along home, will you?” She poured me a cocktail. “You’ve been awfully nice to her.” I did not say anything.
    Gilbert began: “Mr. Charles, do criminals—I mean professional criminals—usually—”
    “Don’t interrupt, Gil,” Mimi said. “You will send her along home, won’t you?” She was pleasant, but she was Dorothy’s Queen of France.
    “She can stay if she wants. Nora likes her.”
    She shook a crooked finger at me. “But I won’t have you spoiling her like that. I suppose she told you all sorts of nonsense about me.”
    “She did say something about a beating.”
    “There you are,” Mimi said complacently, as if that proved her point. “No, you’ll have to send her home, Nick.” I finished my cocktail. “Well?” she asked.
    “She can stay with us if she wants, Mimi. We like having her.”
    “That’s ridiculous. Her place is at home. I want her here.” Her voice was a little sharp. “She’s only a baby. You shouldn’t encourage her foolish notions.”
    “I’m not doing anything. If she wants to stay, she stays.”
    Anger was a very pretty thing in Mimi’s blue eyes. “She’s my child and she’s a minor. You’ve been very kind to her, but this isn’t being kind to her or to me, and I won’t have it. If you won’t send her home, I’ll take steps to bring her home. I’d rather not be disagreeable about it, but”—she leaned forward and deliberately spaced her words—“she’s coming home.”
    I said: “You don’t want to pick a fight with me, Mimi.”
    She looked at me as if she were going to say I love you, and asked: “Is that a threat?”
    “All right,” I said, “have me arrested for kidnapping, contributing to the delinquency of a minor and mopery.”
    She said suddenly in a harsh enraged voice: “And tell your wife to stop pawing my husband.” Nora, looking for another phonograph record with Jorgensen, had a hand on his sleeve. They turned to look at Mimi in surprise.
    I said: “Nora, Mrs. Jorgensen wants you to keep you hands off Mr. Jorgensen.”
    “I’m awfully sorry.” Nora smiled at Mimi, then looked at me, put a very artificial expression of concern on her face, and in a somewhat singsong voice, as if she were a schoolchild reciting a piece, said: “Oh, Nick, you’re pale. I’m sure you have exceeded your strength and will have a relapse. I’m sorry, Mrs. Jorgensen, but I think I should get him home and to bed right away. You will forgive us, won’t you?” Mimi said she would. Everybody was the soul of politeness to everybody else. We went downstairs and got a taxicab.
    “Well,” Nora said, “so you talked yourself out of a dinner. What do you want to do now? Go home and eat with Dorothy?”
    I shook my head. “I can do without Wynants for a little while. Let’s go to Max’s: I’d like some snails.”
    “Right. Did you find out anything?”
    “Nothing.”
    She said meditatively: “It’s a shame that guy’s so handsome.”
    “What’s he like?”
    “Just a big doll. It’s a shame.” We had dinner and went back to the Normandie. Dorothy was not there. I felt as if I had expected that. Nora went through the rooms, called up