The Rubber Band

"Now, really. I say." His voice was different from what it had been downstairs, sort of sweet and concentrated. Silly as hell. "After all, you know, it was fairly alarming… with you gone and all that… couldn't \find a trace of you… and you look frightful, very bad in the eyes…"

"Thank you very much." All of a sudden she began to laugh. I hadn't heard her laugh before. It showed her teeth and put color in her cheeks. She laughed at him undl if I had been him I'd have thought up some kind of a remark. Then she stuck out her hand. "All right, shake. Mr. Goodwin says you were going to rescue me. I warned you to let American girls alone- you see the sort of thing it leads to!"

With his big paw he was hanging onto her hand as if he had a lease on it. He was staring at her. "You know, they do, though. I mean the eyes. You're \really quite all right? You couldn't expect me-"

I butted in because I had to. I had left the door open and the sound of the front doorbell came up plain. I glanced at Francis Horrocks and decided that if he really was a come-on I would at least have the pleasure of seeing how long he looked lying down, before he got out of that house, and I got brusque to Clara Fox. "Hold it. The door bell. I'm going to shut this door and go down to answer it, and it would be a good idea to make no sounds until I get back." The bell started ringing again. "Okay?"

Clara Fox nodded.

"Okay, Mr. Horrocks?"

"Certainly. Whatever Miss Fox says."

I beat it, dosing the door behind me. Some smart guy was leaning on the button, for the bell kept on ringing as I went down the two flights. Fritz was standing in the hall, looking belligerent; he hated people that got impatient with the bell. I went to the door and pulled the curtain and looked out, and felt mercury running up my backbone. It was a quartet. Only four, and I recognized Lieutenant Rowcliff in front. It was him on the button. I hadn't had such a treat for a long while. I turned the lock and let the door come as Far as the chain.

Rowcliff called through, "Well1 We're not ants. Come on, open up."

I said, 'Take it easy. I'm just the messenger boy."

"Yeah? Here's the message." He unfolded a paper he had in his hand. Having seen a search warrant before, I didn't need a magnifying glass- I looked through the crack at it. Rowcliff said, "What are you waiting for? Do you want me to count ten?"