Gently French by Alan Hunter Page B

waiter. Who sleeps in a room next to yours. Who blushes when your name is mentioned.’
    She gave a little chuckle. ‘His name is Adam.’
    ‘I am well aware his name is Adam.’
    ‘He is a dear. A furry animal. I am quite fond of my Adam.’
    ‘So he is your Adam?’
    ‘Am I not saying so? He is feeding out of this hand. It is not a bad idea to enchant the waiter. It ensures the service is dependable.’
    ‘And precisely how far does the enchantment go?’
    She did her smiling pull-back on the chair. ‘Do not bother to be jealous, my friend. I do not admit Chi-Chi between the sheets. One would need to be butch, huh? All that hair falling over one’s face. Oh no. He is for those little thin girls with their drain-pipe bodies and sparrow’s legs.’
    ‘But still, the enchantment is pretty strong.’
    She gestured. ‘Each one has his talent.’
    ‘He would run little errands and keep his mouth shut.’
    ‘How else could he be of service to a lady?’
    I drew closer to her. ‘And on Thursday evening. Didn’t he run a little errand then?’
    ‘An errand for me?’
    ‘An errand to you. From someone requesting a private interview.’
    She pretended to think. ‘It is not easy to remember. All sorts of funny things go on. One half of the gentlemen staying here keep hinting that they would like a private interview. What would I be doing on Thursday evening?’
    ‘At first you were in the bar with Freddy and the Silvermans.’
    ‘Ah yes, the Silvermans. Tiresome people. Freddy liked them because they were in racing.’
    ‘But then Bavents entered and attracted your attention.’
    Her eyebrows lifted. ‘You are telling me this?’
    ‘Yes, I’m telling you. And we have a witness. Bavents brought you a message. You went out.’
    She swished her hair. ‘That is very likely. Yes, I think it may have happened.’ She hesitated. ‘On Thursday, was it? I wonder what it could have been about?’
    ‘I am sure you know very well what it was about.’
    ‘But no. You had better jog my memory.’
    ‘When you were gone from the bar for over half-an-hour?’
    ‘As long as that?’ She made a mouth. ‘Where was I, then?’
    ‘You went out in the yard. The man who sent the message was waiting there. You took him aside, perhaps behind those garages, so that you could talk without being seen.’
    ‘Does Adam say this?’
    ‘You had got rid of Adam. Nobody was to hear that conversation. The man had just arrived, he had booked at the Three Tuns. You had to fix him up with a less obvious address.’
    ‘Oh yes, that’s certain! I put him under my bed.’
    ‘In point of fact you probably gave him a key.’
    ‘A bedroom key?’
    ‘The key of a front door. With instructions where the door was to be found.’
    She shook her head. ‘A strange story, my friend. It would surely need proof to make it stand up?’
    ‘Proof – like a statement from the man involved?’
    Her eyes flashed quickly, were calm again. ‘That would be his word against mine, huh? And how could the word of this man be trusted?’
    ‘You think it couldn’t be?’
    ‘Me, I know nothing. These are all your ideas, Monsieur. And I think I hear Freddy say to me, Ignore him, my dear, this is just a try-on.’
    ‘Do you wish to gamble on that?’
    Her eyes were hard: then they smiled. ‘Yes. I call you.’
    ‘Freddy owned some property just down the river. That was where the door-key fitted.’
    Our eyes locked. For a short second I was gazing into the eyes of a furious animal. It passed; she gave her breathless chuckle, dredging it up from deep down.
    ‘I still call you, huh? What do I know of Freddy’s properties? And now, if our interesting conversation is to continue, you must be a gentleman and order drinks.’

CHAPTER TEN
    I ORDERED DRINKS . Frayling brought them himself; he was doubtless abreast of affairs in the office. He received his reward, if that is what it was, in a melting smile from Madame Deslauriers. He seemed embarrassed. He slopped