many battles.
He repeated passionlessly: “I said murder.”
“Who?”
“It’s in the papers. But you wouldn’t need to read about it.”
Her eyes were pleading.
“I don’t understand. Honestly. Who are you talking about?”
“The linnet will sing no more,” Simon said. “And if I hadn’t been a calloused skeptic and walked out on you last night, I’d be doing my own singing in a very minor key and a most undecorative cage.”
She stared at him in utter stupefaction.
“Mr Linnet? You mean he’s been murdered?”
“Very thoroughly.”
“I can’t believe it.”
“Nobody seems to believe anything these days,” Simon re-marked sadly. “But it’s still no thanks to you that a lot of large and unfriendly policemen aren’t showing me their incredulity right now with a piece of rubber hose.”
Half of her mind still seemed to be unreached by his meaning.
“Who did it?”
“I think one of the gentlemen in your bedroom might be able to tell you.”
“The what?”
“One of the men in your bedroom. I ran into him at the scene of the crime last night; but he got away. However, it’s all right now. It was quite a jolly reunion.”
“Are you still raving?”
“Come and see for yourself.”
He took her arm and pushed her into the bedroom, kicking the door open with his foot. She stopped with a faint gasp on the threshold, her mouth open and one hand going to her throat.
“Who are they?” she begged.
“Friends of yours, I take it. Anyway, they were here when I arrived, and they seemed to feel very much at home.”
“You’re joking!”
“I am not joking, darling. Neither were they. In fact, they were proposing to do some very serious and unpleasant things to me. It’s rather lucky I was able to discourage them. But I must say I take a poor view of your choice of playmates.”
She fought his cynical remoteness with wild and desperate black eyes.
“I’ve never seen them before in my life. I swear I haven’t You must believe me!”
“Then how did they get in here?”
“I don’t know.”
“I suppose they just broke in,” Simon suggested, ignoring the fact that that was exactly what he had done himself.
“They might have.”
“Or did they have a key?”
“I tell you, I don’t know them.”
“Who else has your key?”
It was as if he had hit her under the ribs. All the blood drained out of her face and turned the warm golden glow to a sick yellow. The strength seemed to go out of her with it, so that he felt her weight grow on the arm he was holding. He released her again, and she sank on to the bed as if her knees had turned to water.
“Well?” he said ruthlessly.
“I can’t tell you.”
“Meaning you won’t.”
She shook her head so that her long hair swirled like a dancer’s skirt.
“No …” Her gaze was imploring, frantic, yet trying ineffectually to draw back and harden. “What are you trying to do anyhow, and what right have you got–-“
“You know about me. I’m trying to break the iridium black market. And there was robbery and murder tied up with it even before I started. You may have heard that there’s a small war in progress. Iridium happens to be a ridiculously vital material. Gabriel Linnet had had dealings with the black market, and I was going to talk to him last night. You were planted there to keep me away while he was having his voice amputated–and incidentally to make sure I wouldn’t have an alibi so I could be hung for it.”
“No,” she said.
“If you aren’t anything worse, you’re just another butterfly trying to throw curves God didn’t give her to toss around. Maybe you thought it was all good clean fun—great sport for a pretty girl to play Mata Hari and dip her little fingers into international intrigue–-“
“No,” she said. “It wasn’t like that.”
“Then how was it?”
She twisted her hands together between her knees.
“I was planted there last night. That’s true.” Her voice was light
He repeated passionlessly: “I said murder.”
“Who?”
“It’s in the papers. But you wouldn’t need to read about it.”
Her eyes were pleading.
“I don’t understand. Honestly. Who are you talking about?”
“The linnet will sing no more,” Simon said. “And if I hadn’t been a calloused skeptic and walked out on you last night, I’d be doing my own singing in a very minor key and a most undecorative cage.”
She stared at him in utter stupefaction.
“Mr Linnet? You mean he’s been murdered?”
“Very thoroughly.”
“I can’t believe it.”
“Nobody seems to believe anything these days,” Simon re-marked sadly. “But it’s still no thanks to you that a lot of large and unfriendly policemen aren’t showing me their incredulity right now with a piece of rubber hose.”
Half of her mind still seemed to be unreached by his meaning.
“Who did it?”
“I think one of the gentlemen in your bedroom might be able to tell you.”
“The what?”
“One of the men in your bedroom. I ran into him at the scene of the crime last night; but he got away. However, it’s all right now. It was quite a jolly reunion.”
“Are you still raving?”
“Come and see for yourself.”
He took her arm and pushed her into the bedroom, kicking the door open with his foot. She stopped with a faint gasp on the threshold, her mouth open and one hand going to her throat.
“Who are they?” she begged.
“Friends of yours, I take it. Anyway, they were here when I arrived, and they seemed to feel very much at home.”
“You’re joking!”
“I am not joking, darling. Neither were they. In fact, they were proposing to do some very serious and unpleasant things to me. It’s rather lucky I was able to discourage them. But I must say I take a poor view of your choice of playmates.”
She fought his cynical remoteness with wild and desperate black eyes.
“I’ve never seen them before in my life. I swear I haven’t You must believe me!”
“Then how did they get in here?”
“I don’t know.”
“I suppose they just broke in,” Simon suggested, ignoring the fact that that was exactly what he had done himself.
“They might have.”
“Or did they have a key?”
“I tell you, I don’t know them.”
“Who else has your key?”
It was as if he had hit her under the ribs. All the blood drained out of her face and turned the warm golden glow to a sick yellow. The strength seemed to go out of her with it, so that he felt her weight grow on the arm he was holding. He released her again, and she sank on to the bed as if her knees had turned to water.
“Well?” he said ruthlessly.
“I can’t tell you.”
“Meaning you won’t.”
She shook her head so that her long hair swirled like a dancer’s skirt.
“No …” Her gaze was imploring, frantic, yet trying ineffectually to draw back and harden. “What are you trying to do anyhow, and what right have you got–-“
“You know about me. I’m trying to break the iridium black market. And there was robbery and murder tied up with it even before I started. You may have heard that there’s a small war in progress. Iridium happens to be a ridiculously vital material. Gabriel Linnet had had dealings with the black market, and I was going to talk to him last night. You were planted there to keep me away while he was having his voice amputated–and incidentally to make sure I wouldn’t have an alibi so I could be hung for it.”
“No,” she said.
“If you aren’t anything worse, you’re just another butterfly trying to throw curves God didn’t give her to toss around. Maybe you thought it was all good clean fun—great sport for a pretty girl to play Mata Hari and dip her little fingers into international intrigue–-“
“No,” she said. “It wasn’t like that.”
“Then how was it?”
She twisted her hands together between her knees.
“I was planted there last night. That’s true.” Her voice was light
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