Calamity Fair by Wade Miller

Author:Wade Miller [Miller, Wade]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-4405-4053-0
Publisher: Prologue Books
Published: 1977-07-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 19

THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 9:45 P.M.

The sterling ring of his alibi seemed to give Colonel Fathom courage. He drew erect and smiled smoothly, fingering his crisp mustache. “So you see, Thursday, you’ve accomplished a very small thing by tracing me through this — ” he indicated Vespasian “ — grimy Judas. Certainly I knew he was following me today. But such was my confidence — ”

Thursday shrugged. “Play it any way you like.”

“Furthermore, I’m not aware of any official standing on your part.”

“Get your pants on, Colonel, and I’ll introduce you to a man who has that.”

Fathom chuckled but his eyes shifted. “Really, is there any need to bring the police into this — for no reason? I am absolutely innocent of even complicity in l’affaire Papago. I’ll admit the circumstances look bad for me. But they look equally bad for you, I would say.”

Vespasian looked at Thursday with wily interest. He murmured, “A point I tried to make before, Maxie. Now suppose you let me — ”

“Save your friendship for later,” Thursday said.

“Circumstances being thus and so,” Fathom continued, “I thought you might perhaps care to overlook finding me. In return, I might — well, supply you with the true facts of the case.”

“If you’re trying to cop a plea — ” Thursday idly spun the bamboo cane “ — you have the floor.”

Fathom cleared his throat, all oratorical confidence. “As you probably know, I was the private representative of a woman named Irene Whitney. She engaged me last week to purchase one-thousand-dollars’ worth of gambling chits from this George Papago fellow. They were debts incurred by her before the city seized The Natchez. I paid off those notes with no trouble at all.”

“Uh-huh.”

“I delivered the chits to Miss Whitney at her penthouse on the John C. Frémont Hotel. She paid me for my labors and I considered the matter closed. Then on Monday evening this strange situation arose. Papago accosted me and accused me of lying to him, cheating him. He demanded to see Miss Whitney. He was a bit muddled with drink but he was so wildly threatening that I eventually gave in and took him to her penthouse.”

“Uh-huh.”

“It’s quite true. That is exactly where I left him, alive and well, if angry. If you’re wondering why I haven’t been to the authorities with this story, Thursday, put yourself in my boots. I have a slight police record elsewhere and I should have undergone endless inconvenience.”

“Uh-huh. Endless. What does this Irene Whitney look like?”

“Oh, a striking woman, thirtyish, black hair like yours, Thursday. Her inclination to flesh doesn’t detract from her appeal in the least and she has splendid features, rather oriental.” Fathom smiled, man to man. “I dislike compromising a lady with such a revelation as mine, but in the final extremity …”

Thursday laughed at him, thinly, and Fathom looked indignantly puzzled. Thursday said, “Well, this is it, the final one. Here’s what really happened. The woman you describe is Quincy Day, as if you didn’t know.

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