The Domino Lady by Lars Anderson

Author:Lars Anderson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Mysteries & Thrillers
Publisher: Dreamscape Media, LLC
Published: 2016-05-19T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 4: A Clever Ruse

ELLEN sat up in the steamer chair. Sheer hatred blazed from her great brown eyes through the holes in the domino, and contorted her smooth, lovely cheeks. Her brain spun in a hopeless quest for a way out of the dilemma. She sparred for time. Something just had to happen! “But would I be likely,” she queried, slowly, “to keep the emeralds on my person?”

Deshon shrugged, hesitated, slitted eyes studying her closely.

“Stallin’ won’t get you a thing but grief, baby!” he rasped, his voice cold as the ripple of a stream beneath Winter’s ice, “so don’t try it on me! I get what I want, and I want the rocks! Where’s they stashed?”

Ellen rejoiced, inwardly. The question told her that she had won a brief respite. She leaned toward the crouching gunman. “In my stateroom!” she whispered, teasingly, “If you want them, you’ll have to go there with me. They’re hidden safely enough to foil any search.”

The gunman smirked, stepped back a pace. “Okay, baby!” he gritted, “You go first and I’ll tail you. But I’m warnin’ you! One funny move out of you, and you get it in the back! And Fingers Deshon never misses!”

The gun returned to his pocket, but it remained trained upon Ellen’s figure as they made their way swiftly to her stateroom. Once inside, the lights flashed into brilliance, and she swung around to face the intruder.

The jewel thief wasn’t bad looking when he smiled and showed perfect, white teeth, she decided. Of the George Raft type, he had something of a reputation with women, if Ellen remembered correctly. And in that remembrance, the little adventuress thought she recognized her sole chance of redemption. She smiled brilliantly at Deshon who was leaning against the wall just inside the door. His eyes were frankly admiring as they scampered about her attractive figure; but his principal interest was in the theft of the emeralds.

“Not bad, baby!” he commented, boldly, “and not good! At least not good enough to tempt me from my duty! Get going! Let’s have a look-see at the rocks, and make it snappy!”

Ellen retained the smile for his benefit, but her lips felt unnaturally drawn. “I lied outside,” she told him, softly, “because I couldn’t very well undress in such a public spot! The emeralds are really concealed upon my person.” She eyed Deshon, narrowly, brain racing. Every nerve, every muscle in her youthful body was strained to the tautness of a violin string. Would the gangster fall for her subterfuge?

He laughed, evilly. “Well, now, ain’t that just too bad? It takes more time, this way, baby, but I’ve got plenty of that when there’s a swell show bein’ put on for my benefit! Peel, and let’s have a look!” A measure of self-confidence returned to Ellen as she began to disrobe, since she knew this was just the opportunity for which she had been angling. With slender fingers that were slightly tremulous, she grasped the hem of the black

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