The Dreadful Lemon Sky by John D. MacDonald Page A

"Honey, I'll get in touch again about the…"
    He spotted me in the mirror. He whirled and said, "Who the hell are you?"
    "This is Mr. Gee, Freddy."
    "McGee," I said. "Travis McGee."
    "This here is Fred Van Harn, my lawyer," Chris explained.
    I put my hand out. He hesitated and then shook hands and gave me a very pleasant smile. "How do you do?"
    "Honey I asked him in because he says he's got some of the money. Maybe he's got all of it. Tell him he has to give it to me, dear. Mr. McGee, it's my money."
    I looked at her in astonishment. "I haven't got any money!"
    "You said Carrie gave it to you to keep for her!"
    "She did, but I gave it right back. I couldn't accept the responsibility."
    "How much was it?" Chris Omaha demanded.
    "I'm sure I wouldn't have the slightest idea. She said it was a lot. She didn't say how much. What is a lot to one person is not a lot to another person."
    Chris said, "Oh, Goddamn everything." She plumped herself down on a fat hassock which hissed as she sat on it.
    Freddy said, "Do you know who did agree to keep the money for her?"
    "She didn't say who she was going to try next."
    "Where did this happen? And when?"
    "On Thursday May sixteenth, at about three or four in the morning aboard my houseboat moored at Bahia Mar in Fort Lauderdale."
    "Why would she come to you?"
    "Perhaps because she trusted me. We were old and good friends. I loaned her my houseboat for her honeymoon."
    Freddy had long lashes, rather delicate features, olive skin. His eyes were a gentle brown, his manner ingratiating.
    "Why did you come here, Mr. McGee?"
    "I had a long talk with Mr. Hascomb. I just thought Mrs. Omaha would like to know about Mrs. Milligan coming to me. I thought it might answer some questions about her husband."
    "You wouldn't listen to me, would you?" the woman said to Freddy in a whiny and irritating voice. "I told you that Milligan slut had to be in on it somehow, but you wouldn't listen to me. I happen to know as a fact that Jack was screwing her for years, even though he didn't know I knew, and-"
    "Be quiet, Chris."
    "You can't tell me to be quiet! You know what I think? He cleaned out the business and mortgaged everything in sight, this house and even the boat, and she was going to run off with him, but she probably had some boyfriend and they decided it was safer and easier to chunk my husband on the head and throw him into-"
    He moved close to her. "Shut up, Chris!"
    "I can put two and two together even if you can't, Freddy, and let me tell you one thing-" She didn't tell him one thing. He was one very fast fellow. He had a sinewy hand and a long whippy arm and a very nice clean pivot. He slapped her so fast and so hard I thought for one crazy moment he had shot her with a small caliber handgun. It knocked her completely off the hassock. She landed on her hip and rolled over onto her shoulder and ended up face down on the carpeting. He got to her quickly, turned her, and pulled her up to a sitting position. Her eyes were crossed. The impact area was white as milk. I knew it would turn pink, then red, and finally purple. She was going to be lopsided for quite a few days. A little trickle of blood ran from the corner of her mouth down her chin.
    He sat on his heels, holding her hand, and said, "Darling, when your attorney tells you to be quiet, there might be a very good reason for it So you have to learn to be still when he tells you to."
    "Freddy," she said in a broken voice.
    He pulled, her up to her feet and turned her toward a doorway and gave her a little push. "Go in and lie down, darling. I'll come in and say good-by in a few minutes. Close the door, please."
    She did as ordered. He turned mildly toward me and said, "Now let's understand where you fit, Mr. McGee. You just wanted to get involved?"
    "Doing my duty as a citizen."
    "I'm familiar with your type. The smell of money brings people like you out of the wood work. I can't think of a way you can work any kind of a con in this situation. So