Quick, Amanda by Affair

Author:Affair [Affair]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2010-07-24T02:17:40.802000+00:00

Frowning, Baxter started to close the watch. Movement on the

stairs at the rear of the large room made him hesitate. He raised the

lens again and took a quick look.

Several young men, including Hamilton and Norris, were on

their way to one of the upper floors. Baxter wondered if there were

private dining parlors above or if the new owner of the premises had elected to continue offering the

services of a brothel in a more

discreet fashion.

Then he recalled something Hamilton had said about the man agement providing a special meeting place for the members of his exclusive club.

Baxter shut the watch case and dropped it into his pocket. I-le did not need the single eyeglass to make

his way across the roorn.

But when he got closer to the bottom of the staircase, he saw a

large, somewhat blurred figure lQunging against the banister.

While the crowd milled around him, Baxter took out his wat(h

191

Page 153

Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html

and ri sked another survey. One glance at the thick features of the heavYsl@l man on the stairs was all

that was necessary. He was look guard. The man had obviously been posted to protect the elite ClUb members privileged to partake of

the pleasures that were offered on the upper floors. (:Lirjoslty and a strong sense of foreboding

descended on him in equal proportions. The ground-floor gaming room of The Green Tablc was bad

enough. It was the sort of place in which a careless yout, man could lose a great deal in a night's deep

play. Whatever Jay overhead was probably a good deal more unpleasant.

What sort of devilish nonsense had Hamilton gotten himself involved in? Baxter wondered. He could

almost hear his father's voice telling him to keep an eye on his younger half brother.

Stifling a resigned groan, Baxter eased his way back through the crowd to the front door. He waited

until a group of patrons chose to leave and quietly attached himself to their number.

Outside on the pavement he made his way to the corner of the street. He paused to fish his eyeglasses

out of his pocket and put them on. Then he turned and went down an alley that looked as though it would

take him to the rear of The Green Table.

Most of the nearby buildings were dark at this hour but there was enough light from the windows and the

kitchens of The Green Table to guide Baxter. The establishment was three stories high. From the alley he

could see that the windows on the top floor were dark. But on the floor below, a tiny sliver of light

escaped from one window.

Years ago, The Cloister had been notorious, Baxter reminded himself as he prowled through the

shadows of the garden. In its heyday, it had been the sort of place that had traded in a variety of illicit

activities and exotic tastes. It was an establishment that had needed -landestine entrances and exits, not

to mention peepholes and hidden staircases.

It was the sort of place that had attracted his father. A privy stood in the unkempt garden. As Baxter

watched, a

192

Amanda Quick

III

drunken man staggered out of the necessary and made his way ba into the club through a rear door.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.