The Girl's Number Doesn't Answer by Talmage Powell

Author:Talmage Powell [Powell, Talmage]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Fiction, Mystery & Detective, General
ISBN: 9781440536939
Google: XPp_nggQPZQC
Publisher: Prologue Books
Published: 2011-12-15T05:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 11

I PHONED Helen Martin that evening. She answered the pay phone outside her apartment door quickly. Her hello was taut, too anxious. The years of mountainous misfortune hadn’t broken her. But this waiting alone near a telephone was severing her endurance a thread at a time.

“Don’t get your hopes up,” I said, “but I’m seeing Steve Ivey tomorrow morning.”

“You have something, Ed?”

“I know the identity of the person who went to the Yamashita cottage the day of the killings. A blonde call girl known as Luisa Shaw. She operated for a silky madam named Tillie Rollo. Either name mean anything to you?”

“No. Ed, does it mean that she, this Luisa Shaw …”

“There is nothing to indicate that she was anything other than innocent—of murder, at least. But I’m going to use it all I can as a lever on Ivey.”

“Ed, it must work. I don’t think I could stand another disappointment.” “Cut out that kind of talk, Helen. I know it’s tough. Get out of the apartment for a little while.”

“No. I couldn’t stand crowds of free people, open space. Always before the loneliness had a grain of hope in it, that Nick would get out of the hospital again soon and feel better. It’s never been like this.”

“Want me to come over and yak at you awhile?”

“I’d rather be alone, Ed. Bright chatter would only be a pretense.”

“Get yourself a good dinner and a night’s sleep. I’m counting on you, Helen. So is Nick.”

“I will,” she said. “I have some sleeping pills. Maybe I’ll feel better tomorrow.”

“Sure you will.”

“I’ll be right by the telephone, and I’m keeping a radio on the newscasts.”

“Just give me some time,” I said. “We haven’t had a setback yet.”

“Sure, Ed. Do you know how to get hold of this Luisa Shaw?”

“No,” I said. “She moved. Left no trace. Even the madam couldn’t find her, and the madam is pretty thorough in that sort of thing. This is favorable to us, this appearance her flight has created. Do you see?”

“Yes, Ed.”

“Ivey may have something on her. Tomorrow may tell a different story.”

Tomorrow …

I saw Sime Younkers coming out of headquarters when I approached the building. He saw me at the same moment, turned his head, and ducked quickly into the sidewalk crowd.

Wondering what the disbarred private eye had wanted here, I entered the building and went to Ivey’s office.

The lieutenant wasn’t in. I cooled my heels for ten minutes or so, and then he arrived.

He arrived with his heel kicking the door closed, with a steel-trap look about his mouth and a dark cloud swathing his face.

“Somebody steal your promotion, Ivey?”

“Oh, hello, Ed. No, a green man let Sime Younkers go up to talk to Nick Martin. I don’t like that crumb Younkers in the same county with me. I don’t like him fooling around my prisoners, trying to sell them any bills of goods. What’s on your mind, anyway?”

“I’ve got a piece of news for you.”

“Yeah?”

“I know who went out to the Yamashita summerhouse the day they were killed.

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