The Virtuous Woman by Gilbert Morris Read Free Book Online Page A

voice—oh my, Mr. Key, he sounded like a crow!”
    “This was only three years ago. Do you suppose he’s still acting?”
    “Oh no. He went into motion pictures.”
    Key could not resist the smile that came to his lips. “You don’t regard people who make motion pictures as actors or actresses?”
    “Why, certainly not! They do every scene entirely out ofcontext. There’s no continuity to it. They have people standing on every side telling them exactly what to say. That’s not theater, and it will never last.”
    “I’m sure you’re right, Mrs. Fountain. Well, this makes my job much simpler. Now all I have to do is find Charles Bannister.”
    “Let me make a call for you, Mr. Key. I know an agent who knows the status of every actor in the business.”
    He could not help feeling that God himself had sent him to this place. “That would be most helpful,” he said.
    Francis waited while Blanche got her glasses, perched them on her nose, and dialed a number. She spoke to a man who gave her another name, and finally she called an agent by the name of Abe Goldfein.
    “Mr. Goldfein, this is Blanche Fountain.” A pause, and then she said, “Certainly you must remember me. I have a gentleman here who needs help finding Charles Bannister. Would you know his whereabouts?”
    Key was sitting straight up listening, and when the actress reached for a tarnished brass pencil to write something down, he felt the burden of finding this man lift from his shoulders.
    Putting the phone down, she handed him the slip of paper and said, “He’s in Hollywood. Awful place!”
    Key rose, and when she put her out hand, he bent over it and kissed it as if he were a prince. “Thank you so much, Mrs. Fountain. You’ve been so helpful. I know this is not usual, but I would have spent money finding out this information.” He reached into his pocket, pulled out a money clip, and removed a twenty-dollar bill. “Please give this to your favorite charity in your name.”
    “Why, certainly I will be happy to do that.”
    Francis was certain that her favorite charity would be Blanche Fountain, but that didn’t bother him. “I’ll be eagerly anticipating your comeback, Mrs. Fountain. Look for me in the front row.”
    “Certainly. You must come backstage after the performance.”
    ****
    “Mr. Winslow, I think I found the man that took your daughter away from Bertha Zale.”
    Phil Winslow’s voice crackled with excitement over the telephone. “That’s great! Where is he?”
    “He’s in Hollywood. Los Angeles, actually. I have his address. I can’t guarantee he’ll be there, Mr. Winslow, but this is the best lead I’ve come upon.”
    “I want you to go out there at once, but come by here first. I’ll get you a ticket for the train and I’ll give you some money. You’ve done good work.”
    “You can thank Blanche Fountain.”
    “No, I can thank you,” Phil said with relief in his voice. “I’ll have the ticket and the money ready for you.”

CHAPTER SIX
    The Ring of Death
    The taxi pulled up in front of a single-story building stretched behind a line of tall royal palms. Francis eyed it suspiciously. “This is Bellingham Hospital? It doesn’t look like a hospital to me.”
    The burly cab driver turned around to face him. His face and arms were bronzed by the California sun, and he had two teeth missing. “It ain’t no hospital if that’s what you want,” he grunted. “If you’re sick, you’d better go someplace else.”
    “What do you mean it’s not a hospital?” Key demanded. He searched the building in vain for a sign, but he saw none. “Isn’t this Bellingham Hospital?”
    “I said it ain’t no hospital. It’s just a clinic. It ain’t even that. It’s a place where rich people come to dry out when they get the DT’s.”
    Key chewed his lower lip thoughtfully and pushed his reading glasses up with his forefinger as he checked the address again. “If there’s no hospital by that name, I guess this is