attending to some other desires of Dr. Drilling’s. That part of it is out of my jurisdiction.”
She was watching me closely. “Then you do not represent the U.S. government, Mr. Clevenger?”
“Not me,” I said. “I’m a private investigator from Denver, Colorado. We were recommended to your husband by another firm that already had an operative on the job.”
She frowned. “You mean the man who calls himself Michael Green? I thought...” She checked herself and was silent.
I said, “That’s the man. Mike Green.”
She asked, “Why would Mr. Green’s detective agency, if that’s what he really worked for, recommend a rival firm? Don’t tell me the confident, handsome Mr. Green needs help to do a simple job like deceiving a woman?”
I said, “Mike needs plenty of help, ma’am, but none of it’s going to do him much good. He’s dead. He was murdered last night.”
I heard the kid behind me gasp. The woman before me changed expression, started to speak, and stopped. At last she said flatly, “I don’t believe you! Murdered?”
“It’s in the papers,” I said. “Of course they don’t say murder. They say suicide.” I glanced around. “Duck out to my car and get the newspaper from the back seat, will you, honey?”
“You stay right there, Penny!” snapped her mother. She licked her lips. “The paper says suicide but you say murder, Mr. Clevenger?”
I said, “Mike would never have killed himself, ma’am. What, deprive all the women of the world of his fascinating personality? He’d never have been so cruel.”
A faint smile touched the woman’s lips briefly. “At least you’re telling the truth in one respect. Obviously you did know Mr. Green.” She hesitated. “Does anybody... is it known who killed him?”
“I wouldn’t know, ma’am. I just read the papers. The police may have their own theories, but as a private op I prefer not to consult with them when I don’t have to.”
“And why are you telling me this?”
I said, “Hell, you asked me. Excuse me. Didn’t mean to swear in front of ladies. But you asked me why I was here. I’m taking Mike’s place.”
“I see.”
“Mike was trying to be subtle, I guess, pretending to be an insurance man on vacation or something. Well, I’m not the subtle type of guy, ma’am. Cards on the table, that’s me.”
“And you have come about Penny? And that was what Mr. Green was after all the time? I wondered what he had in mind.”
I said, “Yes, ma’am. Dr. Drilling would have come himself, I’m told, but apparently the government isn’t encouraging him to take any long trips right now, particularly out of the country, so he had to hire somebody to come for him.”
I kept looking straight ahead as I said it, ignoring the girl behind me. No matter which parent she preferred, she’d presumably like to think the other cared enough to come after her. It was easier to lie without looking at her face.
Genevieve Drilling laughed abruptly. “You don’t mean they suspect he might be in collusion with me? Oh, that’s wonderful! That must make him absolutely livid!” She stopped laughing and drew a deep breath. “I’m sorry. I just... Living with that stuffed scientific jackass for over a dozen years, being given a lecture on security every time I asked a simple wifely question... I hope they take away his clearance! That would hurt him worse than... than being castrated, or something. Oh, much worse! After all, he hardly ever...” She stopped, and turned pink, and glanced at her daughter, and at me. “Damn you! How did we get on that?”
It was an interesting glimpse into the Drilling family relationships. I waited, hoping for more, but it didn’t come. I said, “You’re not going to make it, Mrs. Drilling. I haven’t been told what all the big deal is you’ve got yourself into here, but everybody’s got you spotted and you’ll never get away. Sooner or later you’ll make a wrong move and get clobbered. Do you
She was watching me closely. “Then you do not represent the U.S. government, Mr. Clevenger?”
“Not me,” I said. “I’m a private investigator from Denver, Colorado. We were recommended to your husband by another firm that already had an operative on the job.”
She frowned. “You mean the man who calls himself Michael Green? I thought...” She checked herself and was silent.
I said, “That’s the man. Mike Green.”
She asked, “Why would Mr. Green’s detective agency, if that’s what he really worked for, recommend a rival firm? Don’t tell me the confident, handsome Mr. Green needs help to do a simple job like deceiving a woman?”
I said, “Mike needs plenty of help, ma’am, but none of it’s going to do him much good. He’s dead. He was murdered last night.”
I heard the kid behind me gasp. The woman before me changed expression, started to speak, and stopped. At last she said flatly, “I don’t believe you! Murdered?”
“It’s in the papers,” I said. “Of course they don’t say murder. They say suicide.” I glanced around. “Duck out to my car and get the newspaper from the back seat, will you, honey?”
“You stay right there, Penny!” snapped her mother. She licked her lips. “The paper says suicide but you say murder, Mr. Clevenger?”
I said, “Mike would never have killed himself, ma’am. What, deprive all the women of the world of his fascinating personality? He’d never have been so cruel.”
A faint smile touched the woman’s lips briefly. “At least you’re telling the truth in one respect. Obviously you did know Mr. Green.” She hesitated. “Does anybody... is it known who killed him?”
“I wouldn’t know, ma’am. I just read the papers. The police may have their own theories, but as a private op I prefer not to consult with them when I don’t have to.”
“And why are you telling me this?”
I said, “Hell, you asked me. Excuse me. Didn’t mean to swear in front of ladies. But you asked me why I was here. I’m taking Mike’s place.”
“I see.”
“Mike was trying to be subtle, I guess, pretending to be an insurance man on vacation or something. Well, I’m not the subtle type of guy, ma’am. Cards on the table, that’s me.”
“And you have come about Penny? And that was what Mr. Green was after all the time? I wondered what he had in mind.”
I said, “Yes, ma’am. Dr. Drilling would have come himself, I’m told, but apparently the government isn’t encouraging him to take any long trips right now, particularly out of the country, so he had to hire somebody to come for him.”
I kept looking straight ahead as I said it, ignoring the girl behind me. No matter which parent she preferred, she’d presumably like to think the other cared enough to come after her. It was easier to lie without looking at her face.
Genevieve Drilling laughed abruptly. “You don’t mean they suspect he might be in collusion with me? Oh, that’s wonderful! That must make him absolutely livid!” She stopped laughing and drew a deep breath. “I’m sorry. I just... Living with that stuffed scientific jackass for over a dozen years, being given a lecture on security every time I asked a simple wifely question... I hope they take away his clearance! That would hurt him worse than... than being castrated, or something. Oh, much worse! After all, he hardly ever...” She stopped, and turned pink, and glanced at her daughter, and at me. “Damn you! How did we get on that?”
It was an interesting glimpse into the Drilling family relationships. I waited, hoping for more, but it didn’t come. I said, “You’re not going to make it, Mrs. Drilling. I haven’t been told what all the big deal is you’ve got yourself into here, but everybody’s got you spotted and you’ll never get away. Sooner or later you’ll make a wrong move and get clobbered. Do you
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