kind of inside dope am I supposed to get for you, Michael?”
“What sort of home-life. How much money they spent… on what. How often her neighbors ever see Celia Ambrose sober.” Shayne waved a big hand vaguely. “The good doctor was being blackmailed and I’d like to get some idea what for. The police have already questioned them, of course, but you know how people clam up for the police.” He grinned at her reassuringly. “The one thing they’ll be eager to talk about this morning is the Ambroses .”
“Michael. We can’t just close up shop. Mrs. Montgomery, for instance. I promised her you’d call.”
“All right, call her,” he said impatiently. “Tell her I’ve got a fractured skull and it’s going to stay fractured until I catch a murderer.” He drank some more cognac and washed it down with plain water.
“What are you going to be doing while I’m snooping into the private life of the Ambroses ?”
“I’m going to visit his office and try to persuade his nurse to patch up my head and maybe put a fresh bandage on my broken ribs. Then I’ve got a date with Painter, and… Tell you what, Angel. You get cracking, and we’ll meet for lunch? At the Doubloon, huh? That’s where they make those…”
“I know perfectly well where the Doubloon is,” Lucy interrupted him icily. “What did you say about your ribs?”
“My ribs? Oh, I got kicked last night. Look, Angel.” His voice softened. “That’s why I’ve got to work on Ambrose. I don’t want my other side kicked in. Twelve-thirty at the Doubloon?”
Lucy Hamilton sighed and smoothed back the brown curls from her forehead with trembling fingertips. “Michael Shayne! You’re the most…” She paused and sighed again. “The Doubloon at twelve-thirty. But I will call Mrs. Montgomery first so she can get another detective, if she wants.”
Shayne said, “Fine. If she wants to tell me what the trouble is, I’ll recommend someone.”
He settled back to finish his drink while Lucy went out to her desk, and through the open door he could hear her dialling a number.
But he didn’t hear her talking on the telephone, and after a short time she reappeared in the connecting doorway and reported, “Mrs. Montgomery’s telephone doesn’t answer this time. As a matter of fact, I’ll confess to you now that I don’t believe it would be exactly up your alley, Michael. She was pretty vague about Cecil’s trouble when I tried to pin her down, but I rather gathered that he got caught in some sort of compromising situation with another man last night, and the dear old thing wants it hushed up.”
Shayne scarcely heard her. He said, “Then that’s allright . See you at twelve-thirty, Angel.” He finished his drink and swung his feet off the desk and prepared to follow his secretary out, leaving the office locked up behind him.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
This morning, Shayne parked directly in front of the doctor’s office. He went briskly down the flagged walk and found the door closed. He turned the knob and discovered it was locked. There was an electric button beside the door, and he put his thumb on it. He could hear a buzzer sounding inside the office, but nothing happened.
While he stood there in the morning sunlight, a young and pretty girl in a nurse’s uniform looked out at him from the open door of the adjoining office. “They’re not open today. Didn’t you read in the paper about Dr. Ambrose?”
Shayne said, “Yes. But I thought his nurse would be here.” He turned away from the locked door toward her. “Do you know Belle? Miss Jackson?”
“Oh, yes. Quite well. Isn’t it terrible about the doctor? He was such a nice, gentle man. I don’t see why anyone would do a thing like that.”
“Do you happen to have Miss Jackson’s address?”
“No. But I know it’s here on the Beach. She always came to work by bus. It might be listed in the telephone book,” she offered helpfully.
Shayne asked, “Do you mind if I
“What sort of home-life. How much money they spent… on what. How often her neighbors ever see Celia Ambrose sober.” Shayne waved a big hand vaguely. “The good doctor was being blackmailed and I’d like to get some idea what for. The police have already questioned them, of course, but you know how people clam up for the police.” He grinned at her reassuringly. “The one thing they’ll be eager to talk about this morning is the Ambroses .”
“Michael. We can’t just close up shop. Mrs. Montgomery, for instance. I promised her you’d call.”
“All right, call her,” he said impatiently. “Tell her I’ve got a fractured skull and it’s going to stay fractured until I catch a murderer.” He drank some more cognac and washed it down with plain water.
“What are you going to be doing while I’m snooping into the private life of the Ambroses ?”
“I’m going to visit his office and try to persuade his nurse to patch up my head and maybe put a fresh bandage on my broken ribs. Then I’ve got a date with Painter, and… Tell you what, Angel. You get cracking, and we’ll meet for lunch? At the Doubloon, huh? That’s where they make those…”
“I know perfectly well where the Doubloon is,” Lucy interrupted him icily. “What did you say about your ribs?”
“My ribs? Oh, I got kicked last night. Look, Angel.” His voice softened. “That’s why I’ve got to work on Ambrose. I don’t want my other side kicked in. Twelve-thirty at the Doubloon?”
Lucy Hamilton sighed and smoothed back the brown curls from her forehead with trembling fingertips. “Michael Shayne! You’re the most…” She paused and sighed again. “The Doubloon at twelve-thirty. But I will call Mrs. Montgomery first so she can get another detective, if she wants.”
Shayne said, “Fine. If she wants to tell me what the trouble is, I’ll recommend someone.”
He settled back to finish his drink while Lucy went out to her desk, and through the open door he could hear her dialling a number.
But he didn’t hear her talking on the telephone, and after a short time she reappeared in the connecting doorway and reported, “Mrs. Montgomery’s telephone doesn’t answer this time. As a matter of fact, I’ll confess to you now that I don’t believe it would be exactly up your alley, Michael. She was pretty vague about Cecil’s trouble when I tried to pin her down, but I rather gathered that he got caught in some sort of compromising situation with another man last night, and the dear old thing wants it hushed up.”
Shayne scarcely heard her. He said, “Then that’s allright . See you at twelve-thirty, Angel.” He finished his drink and swung his feet off the desk and prepared to follow his secretary out, leaving the office locked up behind him.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
This morning, Shayne parked directly in front of the doctor’s office. He went briskly down the flagged walk and found the door closed. He turned the knob and discovered it was locked. There was an electric button beside the door, and he put his thumb on it. He could hear a buzzer sounding inside the office, but nothing happened.
While he stood there in the morning sunlight, a young and pretty girl in a nurse’s uniform looked out at him from the open door of the adjoining office. “They’re not open today. Didn’t you read in the paper about Dr. Ambrose?”
Shayne said, “Yes. But I thought his nurse would be here.” He turned away from the locked door toward her. “Do you know Belle? Miss Jackson?”
“Oh, yes. Quite well. Isn’t it terrible about the doctor? He was such a nice, gentle man. I don’t see why anyone would do a thing like that.”
“Do you happen to have Miss Jackson’s address?”
“No. But I know it’s here on the Beach. She always came to work by bus. It might be listed in the telephone book,” she offered helpfully.
Shayne asked, “Do you mind if I
Similar Books
