I then pulled something that I shouldn’t have done. I walked briskly to the door, hearing him hurry along to open it for me. I stood so close to it that he had to reach around me to get the knob. When he did, I turned and smiled up into his face. The brown eyes were glazed again and he was breathing shallowly. I was surprised that he was so tall. I’m five nine, a big, big girl. He seemed about six two, with that nice, flat rangy build that I like.
Kim Hale, taut and nervous arrived at the apartment at one minute of six. I opened the door and his smile was an expression of utter relief.
“I was worried,” he said in a low voice. “I never should have let you go off alone like that and—”
“Shhh!” I said.
I hadn’t yet put on my lipstick and, as we walked down the four steps into the living room, Betty appeared in the arch that leads to the kitchen, bedrooms and bath.
“Betty,” I said. “This is Kim Hale. You’ve heard me speak of him. Kim, this is Betty Lafferty.”
I saw the questioning look in his eye as he looked at Betty and greeted her, then complete relaxation. Betty is the size of a pint of cream. Rusty red hair, a pert little face and smiling blue eyes. She’s just a wee shade too plump and she laughs a lot.
I hurried into my bedroom, gave a last look of inspection, touched up the lipstick, scooped up purse, hat and gloves and went back into the living room. I didn’t want to give them too much time together until I had briefed Kim on where and how we had met.
I told Kim and Kim told the cabbie to take us to Lamont’s on Sixty-third. Kim looked wonderfully nice. I decided that I never would tell him that he was the fourth lawyer I had gone to, and that I hadn’t liked the looks of the first three enough to tell them the story.
Ramond recognized me and, smiling, led us to a quiet corner in the cocktail lounge and said that he would call us when the proper table was ready. I told him we wanted to eat at quarter to eight. He glanced at his watch, smiled again, and walked off.
“What do you think of Betty?” I asked.
“Cute as a button! Very nice.”
“Potential murderess?”
“Could be,” he said slowly. “Anyone could be. That’s the trouble with the world. Smiling faces can hide some very savage souls.”
The way he said it, gave me the shivers. And I had had my share of goosebumps during the previous two weeks.
“By the way,” I said. “I met you at a party in Los Angeles in early nineteen forty-four. I was singing out there at a place called Jerry’s, on Wilshire. You were a friend of Stan Haskell.”
“Who’s he?”
It’s a struggle to keep from self pity whenever I remember Stan. He was
“He’s dead. Killed in the war. And so nobody can check. Were you ever in Los Angeles?”
He smiled. “I was in Los Angeles in nineteen forty-four. I was at Camp Anza waiting to go overseas. And I heard you sing at Jerry’s.”
There was a rough and yet tender note in his voice that made me wonder if maybe I should reappraise the shy young lawyer.
“Who do you want me to meet tonight particularly?” he asked.
“Sonny Rice, of course, the band-leader. And Johnny France, who also sings with the band. We do duets once in a while. Sam Lescott, who owns the joint. Carl Hopper, my agent, if he happens to drop in. Donald Frees, my shadow.”
“Your what?”
“The little man who follows me around. Hopeless love, he says. His folks hold some sort of plastics patents. He’s working up to be a playboy.”
I looked across the room and saw Wallace Wint, the gossip columnist, come in alone and take a table diagonally across from us in the lounge. It gave me an idea. I leaned toward Kim.
“Don’t look now,” I said, “but the disher of dirt is across the way. Wallace Wint. We can get this off to a wonderful start if you want to cooperate. Maybe you’ll be able to read all about us in tomorrow morning’s paper.”
He looked puzzled. “What do I have to do?”
“Don’t be so dull! For one thing, hold my hand across the table and look as if you were in love. I’ll give you the old melting eye. He’ll wonder who you are, after he sees that, and keep an eye on us. Then kiss me.”
He swallowed hard, took my hand and, as I looked softly at him, he said, “Darling, you’re the most beautiful, glamorous lovely thing that ever came along.”
“Hey!” I said.
“Shut up! I’m getting in the mood.”
I risked a glance at Wallace and saw his beady little eyes on us. After a time I moistened my lips and leaned toward Kim, parting them just a little. He leaned across the small table. He was very adequate. He was even deft. It took me a good four seconds after it was over to remember why it had happened. I loosened up on the fingernails that were about to punch holes in his hand.
“Now what?” he asked.
“Excuse yourself and go to the little boy’s room. I’m sure Wallace will join you.”
He left. I sat sipping my drink. Kim came back in a few minutes. He was grinning to himself.
