Modesty Blaise - Pieces Of Modesty by Peter O'Donnell

Author:Peter O'Donnell [Peter O'Donnell]
Language: dan
Format: epub
Tags: Action & Adventure, Mystery & Detective, Blaise; Modesty (Fictitious character), Fiction, Espionage, Women Sleuths, Women detectives, Short Stories (single author), Fantasy, Detective and mystery stories; English, Short Stories
ISBN: 9780285638341
Publisher: Souvenir Press
Published: 2010-07-08T22:00:00+00:00

A Perfect Night to Break Your Neck

'We won't argue about this,' Stephen Collier said firmly, whisking the bill away before Willie Garvin could pick it up. 'If I have any trouble I shall invite you and that female bruiser to step outside with me and put your fists up.' He stared menacingly at Modesty Blaise.

His Canadian wife, Dinah, small and shapely with honey-coloured hair, said, 'That'll fix 'em, Tiger. How do they look?' Dinah had been blind since childhood.

'White-faced,' said Collier, counting notes on to a plate. 'Modesty's cringing and Willie's moistening dry lips.'

It was four days since the Colliers had come out from England to spend a few weeks with Modesty Blaise and Willie Garvin at the villa Modesty had rented on Cap d'Antibes. Tonight they had spent dining and dancing at the Boule d'Or, which lay a mile or two inland on the road to Biot. It was well past midnight now, and most of the guests had gone.

Modesty put down her glass and said, 'Don't be silly, Steve. You're on that idiotic travel allowance. This will make an awful hole in it.'

'But this isn't our travel allowance, darling,' Collier said as the waiter picked up the plate. 'When we left London my unscrupulous wife carried a little wad of currency secreted on her person in a manner she refused to disclose even to me, her master. Possibly it was in the soles of those Army surplus boots she favours for casual wear.'

'He said if they caught me he was going to swear he'd never seen me before in his life,' said Dinah. 'He's a cowardly bum, that's what.'

94

'Prudent, my pet, a prudent bum,' Collier amended. His eye caught two men as they moved across the restaurant to a door which led to the lounge bar. 'Hallo, there's the mad playboy.'

Caspar came bounding towards them. He was dark and wiry, with short cropped hair, a young but wrinkled face and darting brown eyes. He had appeared on the Mediterranean playgrounds of the rich quite recently, and had quickly become an accepted character. Caspar was at home in several languages, but since he spoke them all with a foreign accent nobody knew what his native tongue was. His conversation was confusing, being peppered with irrelevant exclamations and with foreign phrases often literally translated.

His companion, McReedy, made a strange contrast. A compact man, he looked no older than forty but was completely bald. His eyes were pale grey, set in a square humourless face. His whole manner made him the most unlikely companion for a playboy. He hung back a little now, halting and giving a stiff nod of greeting as Caspar rushed up to the table. Collier watched, intrigued. He had been introduced to the two men between boat and quayside, but that was all.

'Modesty, my old!' Caspar snatched up her hand and kissed it. 'I am possessed by a brilliant idea. Let us get married tout de suite, old bean. Heute! Oggi! As captain of the Delphine, I will perform the ceremony.

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