The Light of Day Read Online Free

only told him about Annette, and about her being killed by a bomb.
    He drank the brandy down quickly and told me to get the bill.
    'You don't like it here, sir?'
    "What more is there to see? Do they start stripping later?'
    I smiled. It is the only possible response to that sort of boorishness. In any case, I had no objection to speeding up my programme for the evening.
    There is another place,' I said.
    ‘Like this?'
    The entertainment, sir, is a little more individual and private.' I picked the words carefully.
    'You mean a cat-house?'
    'I wouldn't put it quite like that, sir.'
    He smirked. ’ I’ll bet you wouldn't. How about "maison de rendezvous"! Does that cover it?'
    'Madame Irma's is very discreet and everything is in the best of taste, sir.'
     
    He shook with amusement. 'Know something, Arthur?' he said. 'If you shaved a bit closer and had yourself a good haircut, you could hire out as a butler any time.'
    From his expression I could not teu whether he was being deliberately insulting or making a clumsy joke. It seemed advisable to assume the latter.
    'Is that what Americans call "ribbing", sir?' I asked politely.
    This seemed to amuse him even more. He chuckled fatuously. 'Okay, Arthur,' he said at last, 'okay. We'll play it your way. Let's go to see your Madame Irma.'
    I didn't like the 'your Madame Irma' way of putting it, but I pretended not to notice.
    Irma has a very nice house standing in its own grounds just off the road out to Kifissia. She never has more than six girls at any one time and changes them every few months. Her prices are high, of course, but everything is very well arranged. Clients enter and leave by different doors to avoid embarrassing encounters. The only persons the client sees are Irma herself, Kira, the manageress who takes care of the financial side, and, naturally, the lady of his choice.
    Harper seemed to be impressed. I say 'seemed' because he was very polite to Irma when I introduced them, and complimented her on the decorations. Irma is not unattractive herself and likes presentable-looking clients. As I had expected, there was no nonsense about my joining him at that table. As soon as Irma offered him a drink, he glanced at me and made a gesture of dismissal
    'See you later,' he said.
    I was sure then that everything was all right. I went in to Kira's room to collect my commission and tell her how much money he had on him. It was after midnight then. I said that I had had no dinner and would go and get some. She told me that they were not particularly busy that night and that there need be no hurry.
    I drove immediately to the Grande Bretagne, parked the car at the side, walked round to the bar, and went in and ordered a drink. If anyone happened to notice me and remember later, I had a simple explanation for being there.
    I finished the drink, gave the waiter a good tip and walked through across the foyer to the lifts. They are fully automatic; you work them yourself with push-buttons. I went up to the third floor.
    Harper'« suite was on the inner court, away from aie noise of Syntagmaios Square, and the doors to it were out of sight of the landing. The floor servants had gone off duty for the night. It was all quite easy. As usual, I had my pass-key hidden inside an old change purse; but, as usual, I did not need it. Quite a number of the sitting-room doors to suites in the older part of the hotel can be opened from outside without a key, unless they have been specially locked, that is; it makes it easier for room-service waiters carrying trays. Quite often the maid who turns down the beds last thing can't be bothered to lock up after her. Why should she? The Greeks are a particularly honest people and they trust one another.
    His luggage was all in the bedroom. I had already handled it once that day, stowing it in the car at the airport, so I did not have to worry about leaving fingerprints.
    I went to his briefcase first. There were a lot of business papers in