Eve by James Hadley Chase Page B

of coffee he handed to me. “Once that’s finished, we’ll be on top of the world . . . or we should be.”
    He didn’t look impressed. “I’m glad to hear that, sir,” he said. “Would it be another play?”
    “It’s this picture I was telling you about for Mr. Gold.”
    “Oh, I see, sir.” His fat face became gloomy.
    I still had Merle on my mind, so I called her office. Her secretary said she had gone away for the week-end. I asked for an appointment for Monday, but she said Merle was tied up all the week. I said I would call her later.
    At six o’clock, just as I was leaving to pick up Eve, Carol rang.
    “Oh, Clive, I was scared I was going to miss you,” she said, her voice was tense with excitement.
    “Two more minutes and you would have missed me,” I said, wondering what was coming.
    “You really must come over, Clive.”
    With my eye on the clock, I said it was impossible.
    “But I’ve been talking to Jerry Highams about “Rain Check”,” she went on, her words stumbling over themselves. “He says Bernstien’s looking for a story. They’re both coming over to see me tonight and if you were there you might interest Bernstien in your plot. Jerry thinks it’s right for him. I told him you’d be here.”
    I wondered if Carol had guessed what I was intending to do and had thought of this to prevent my seeing Eve. If Bernstien was really interested in Rain Check, it would be ridiculous to let such an opportunity slip. Bernstien was second only to Jerry Highams and he had a big reputation for slick, sophisticated pictures.
    “Look, Carol,” I said, trying to sound reasonable. “I’m really tied up tonight. Can’t Bernstien see me on Monday?”
    She said he had to make a decision over the week-end as Gold was getting impatient. He had two other stories he was considering, but if we all worked on him we might easily get him to do Rain Check
    “It’s just his type of picture,” Carol urged. “He’ll listen to Jerry and if you’re there and can give him an outline, I’m sure he’ll go for it. Now do be sensible, Clive, this is so important.”
    But so was Eve. If I put her off at the last moments I might never get the chance of taking her out again.
    “I can’t do it,” I said, not bothering to keep the impatience out of my voice. “Don’t I keep telling you? I have to go out of town.”
    There was a long pause and I heard Carol catch her breath in a little gasp. That told me she was losing her temper too. “What’s so important, Clive?” she asked sharply. “Don’t you want to get into pictures?”
    “I am in them, sweetheart, remember?” I said. “Aren’t I working for Gold?”
    Was I working for Gold? Only God and Gold knew that.
    “Oh, do be sensible, Clive.” There was an edge to her voice now. “What will they think if you don’t show up?”
    “That’s not my headache,” I snapped back. “I didn’t make the arrangement. You knew I was tied up, didn’t you?”
    “I knew all right, but I thought your work came first. All right, Clive, have a good time,” and she hung up on me.
    That made two women who were sour with me. I slammed down the receiver and then shot three inches of bourbon into a glass and swallowed it at a gulp. Then I snatched up my hat and went down to my car.
    By the time I turned into Laurel Canyon Drive, the bourbon was hitting me and I felt fine. I pulled up outside Eve’s house and I flicked the horn. Then I lit a cigarette and waited. I waited exactly one minute and fifteen seconds which brought the hands of the dashboard clock to six-thirty. Then Eve came out of the house.
    When I saw her, I was out of the car and opening the white gate for her in a split second.
    She was wearing a dark blue coat and skirt, a white silk shirt, no hat and under her arm, she carried a large handbag with her initials in platinum on the flap. That does not sound anything unusual, but if you could have seen the cut of that costume you would have stared as I