Hamilton, Donald - Novel 01 by Date, Darkness (v1.1) Page A

provincial orchestra of which you have never heard."
          "But only because of the prejudice
against women,*
          Madame Faubel spread her long hands. "That is as good an excuse as any. The truth of the
matter is , I was not very good."
          "Here we are," Paul Laflin said, returning with three glasses clustered in his
hands.
          Mr. Hahn said, "Paul, you had better
take yours ..." He jerked his head towards the door that led into the
lobby.
          "Nuts to you," said the younger
man and sat down.
          Mr. Hahn said, after a pause, "His
command of these Americanisms is quite striking, isn't it, Lieutenant?" He
laughed heartily.
          "That goes for all of you,"
Branch said. "If I didn't know about you I'd never notice your
accents."
          Paul Laflin said
heavily, "Would you expect that they would send persons who would need
interpreters?" He tasted his drink and asked, "When is she
coming?"
          "I wish to God I lknew ,"
Branch said. Then he laughed, "You people would look mighty silly-if she
didn't show up, wouldn't you?"
          Paul Laflin's broad, small-featured face had momentarily a very unpleasant look, that passed
quickly; and Madame Faubel was speaking:
          "Has she any money?"
          "Six or eight dollars," Branch
said.
          "Plus a fur coat and a watch,"
Mr. Hahn pointed out. "A very good fur coat and a very
good watch."
          Branch said, "Why don't you just tell
me what it's all about. Who she is and what she's doing...."
          Paul Laflin leaned forward. "And have you tell her how much
we know?"
          "How can I tell her when she isn't
here?"
          "The truth of the matter,
Lieutenant," said Mr. Hahn, "is that our position is really, with
respect to the American law, no better than hers. While we feel ourselves
morally justified ..."
          Madame Faubel stirred beside Branch. "You talk too much, Georges."
          "The Lieutenant is sympathetic,"
Mr. Hahn defended himself . "Aren't you, Mr.
Branch?"
          "I'm neutral," Branch said.
"All I want now is to get out of it, I guess. I've had enough of sitting
around here. But if I get on a bus-" He grinned at them, "I can't
have you people following me the rest of my life. And I wouldn't want you to
think I had deliberately led you off the trail. You might get mad."
          "I believe him," Mr. Hahn
announced to the others. "You see? He has come to an impasse, also. If he
stays he is wasting time, and if he leaves we will have to follow him."
          Madame Faubel finished her Coca Cola. "We do not need you to interpret for us,
Georges." She turned to Branch. "What is in the suitcase?"
          "Clothes. Nothing but clothes. Do you want to come up and take a
look?"
          "Yes," she said. "If you don't mind."
          Branch swallowed the remainder of his
highball, glad of the excuse to leave. "Well," he said to the two
men, "thanks for the drinks," and, picking up his cap, he rose and
followed the woman through the crowded room, only now realizing how crowded it
was, and how dense the air was with smoke. He had not realized that he had been
under a heavy tension. It was always hard to be polite to people you did not
like.
          Upstairs, he closed the door to his room
behind him and threw his cap and coat to the bed.
          "I'll get it for you," he said
to the woman.
          "Do you mind if I look around?"
she asked.
          He glanced at her. "Hell, no,"
he said. "Help yourself. Bathroom, wardrobe, bureau. There's no fire escape."
          He watched her go into the bathroom and
had the sudden absurd fear that Jeannette Duval could have come in while they
were talking, but the woman came out again immediately and tried the closet,
emerging with the small black traveling case, which she put on the bed and
opened, laying the contents carefully aside, one by one, on the bedspread. Then
she as carefully