new?”
“Nothing, sir. A complete blank. I talked to Mr. Palmer this morning and told him I had nothing to report. He now wants a full report on my work and he is going to persuade Hamel to drop the investigation.”
“You are quite sure Mrs. Hamel hasn’t been misbehaving herself and hasn’t been associating with other men?” Parnell asked, his steel blue eyes probing.
“As far as I can tell, sir, she has been behaving herself, and has not been associating with other men. I have not been able to follow her this afternoon when she took off in the yacht, but when I did in the chopper, she just fished. I am satisfied that Hamel is getting crank letters to upset his work, and that’s all there is to it.”
Parnell nodded.
“Let me have your report, and I’ll send it to Palmer. Gloria tells me you are due for your vacation.”
“Yes sir.”
“Okay. Start tomorrow. Have a good time.”
“Thank you, sir.”
I returned to my office, copied out the first report I had shown Nancy, took the second, damaging report from my wallet and tore it into small pieces.
I went along to Gloria’s office and handed over the report.
“I start my vacation as from now, baby, I said. “If you tell me to have a good time, I’ll burst into tears.”
“Come the day,” Gloria said as she began to read my report.
I left her and went along to Edward’s office. There I collected my month’s salary, plus vacation money. I was rich again!
Back in my office, I found Chick waiting. As soon as I entered, he held out his hand. I returned the $50 he had lent me.
“Where are you going?” he asked as he stowed the bill away.
“I can’t afford to go anywhere. I’ll chat up the dolly birds and generally relax,” I said. “Think of me. If I see you, slogging at work, I’ll buy you a drink.”
Chick grinned.
“After borrowing the dough from me.” He got to his feet. “I guess I’ll get home. Have a ball, Bart, but don’t spend all your money.”
“Just some of it,” I said, and sitting down at my desk, I reached into the drawer for the Scotch. “A drink before you go?”
“Gotta date,” Chick said. He started for the door, then paused. “I was forgetting. Got something for you. Came in about a couple of hours ago from the FBI.” He produced a sealed envelope. “What’s Coldwell writing to you about?”
I took the envelope.
“Vacation plans,” I said. “He promised to send me the dope on renting a boat.”
Chick shrugged.
“Don’t get drowned,” then he left.
I regarded the envelope, puzzled, then I opened it.
There was a brief note and a mug shot of a woman. The note ran: I promised to let you have this photo of Aldo Pofferi’s wife, Lucia Pofferi. Keep an eye out for her. Lu.
I picked up the mug shot and looked at it. It showed a blonde woman of around twenty-four or five who stared at me from the photograph with hard, vicious eyes.
I felt an explosive shock run through me. If this woman hadn’t been blonde, I would have sworn she was Nancy Hamel! With unsteady fingers, I picked up a felt pen and inked the hair black. Again I stared at the mug shot.
I had no doubt now.
This woman, wanted on two murder charges and married to one of the most dangerous Italian terrorists was Nancy Hamel!
CHAPTER FIVE
F anny Battley, the night clerk in charge of The Paradise City Herald’s morgue, looked up as I entered the big room, lined with folios containing the back editions of the newspaper, and steel cabinets containing a complete record of all the photographs that had appeared in the paper since its inception.
The Parnell operators often made use of the facilities of the morgue, and we were all well known to Fanny, a lively coloured girl, good at her job and always helpful.
“Hi, Bart! Don’t tell me you’re still working?” she said with a wide smile of welcome.
“Hi, Fan!” I came to rest at her desk. “I’m going on vacation tomorrow. I have one little job to clear
“Nothing, sir. A complete blank. I talked to Mr. Palmer this morning and told him I had nothing to report. He now wants a full report on my work and he is going to persuade Hamel to drop the investigation.”
“You are quite sure Mrs. Hamel hasn’t been misbehaving herself and hasn’t been associating with other men?” Parnell asked, his steel blue eyes probing.
“As far as I can tell, sir, she has been behaving herself, and has not been associating with other men. I have not been able to follow her this afternoon when she took off in the yacht, but when I did in the chopper, she just fished. I am satisfied that Hamel is getting crank letters to upset his work, and that’s all there is to it.”
Parnell nodded.
“Let me have your report, and I’ll send it to Palmer. Gloria tells me you are due for your vacation.”
“Yes sir.”
“Okay. Start tomorrow. Have a good time.”
“Thank you, sir.”
I returned to my office, copied out the first report I had shown Nancy, took the second, damaging report from my wallet and tore it into small pieces.
I went along to Gloria’s office and handed over the report.
“I start my vacation as from now, baby, I said. “If you tell me to have a good time, I’ll burst into tears.”
“Come the day,” Gloria said as she began to read my report.
I left her and went along to Edward’s office. There I collected my month’s salary, plus vacation money. I was rich again!
Back in my office, I found Chick waiting. As soon as I entered, he held out his hand. I returned the $50 he had lent me.
“Where are you going?” he asked as he stowed the bill away.
“I can’t afford to go anywhere. I’ll chat up the dolly birds and generally relax,” I said. “Think of me. If I see you, slogging at work, I’ll buy you a drink.”
Chick grinned.
“After borrowing the dough from me.” He got to his feet. “I guess I’ll get home. Have a ball, Bart, but don’t spend all your money.”
“Just some of it,” I said, and sitting down at my desk, I reached into the drawer for the Scotch. “A drink before you go?”
“Gotta date,” Chick said. He started for the door, then paused. “I was forgetting. Got something for you. Came in about a couple of hours ago from the FBI.” He produced a sealed envelope. “What’s Coldwell writing to you about?”
I took the envelope.
“Vacation plans,” I said. “He promised to send me the dope on renting a boat.”
Chick shrugged.
“Don’t get drowned,” then he left.
I regarded the envelope, puzzled, then I opened it.
There was a brief note and a mug shot of a woman. The note ran: I promised to let you have this photo of Aldo Pofferi’s wife, Lucia Pofferi. Keep an eye out for her. Lu.
I picked up the mug shot and looked at it. It showed a blonde woman of around twenty-four or five who stared at me from the photograph with hard, vicious eyes.
I felt an explosive shock run through me. If this woman hadn’t been blonde, I would have sworn she was Nancy Hamel! With unsteady fingers, I picked up a felt pen and inked the hair black. Again I stared at the mug shot.
I had no doubt now.
This woman, wanted on two murder charges and married to one of the most dangerous Italian terrorists was Nancy Hamel!
CHAPTER FIVE
F anny Battley, the night clerk in charge of The Paradise City Herald’s morgue, looked up as I entered the big room, lined with folios containing the back editions of the newspaper, and steel cabinets containing a complete record of all the photographs that had appeared in the paper since its inception.
The Parnell operators often made use of the facilities of the morgue, and we were all well known to Fanny, a lively coloured girl, good at her job and always helpful.
“Hi, Bart! Don’t tell me you’re still working?” she said with a wide smile of welcome.
“Hi, Fan!” I came to rest at her desk. “I’m going on vacation tomorrow. I have one little job to clear
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