Page 108 - Labelle Gramercy, Detective

Cat’s Paw

receiver. “That woman nearly cut my heart out to take it away from
me, but I’ve got it.”
“That’s great, O’Bleakley. Well done! Where was it?”
“In the computer, just as you suspected, sir. It took some finagling,
but I got it out on a diskette. But let me tell you, it’s not about home
security systems.”
“No? That’s curious. Tell you what: I’ve got to leave the office
now, but why don’t you come in and print out the first fifty pages for
me, so I can look at it in the morning. Maybe Mallard Books can use
it anyway. Your computer is hooked up to the new laser printer, isn’t
it?”
“Uh, well, it isn’t actually. I was working on the motherboard this
afternoon. But I can connect it all up in a couple of minutes and get
it done for you.”
“Excellent. I guess that’s about all. Good night, Lance.”
Lance! The boss had actually called me by my first name. Visions
of sugarplums danced in my head: promotions, raises, benefits,
perks—maybe even business cards! I squeezed the corner of the
diskette in my pocket, my ticket to greater things, and hit the road.
Traffic was a bit lighter, but not as light as my heart; it still took close
to half an hour to get back to the Krass Building. Parking afterhours
could be a problem around there, but the lot was open and I was able
to get my usual space. No time to get mugged, I thought, walking
down the darkened downtown streets toward my office. I had almost
reached the front door of the building when an arm shot out of the
shadows of a doorway and grabbed my sleeve.

<< 8 >>

Sure enough, I had been waylaid by a woman again. Third time
that day. Not Ruth or Hope this time, but Lola Costa. Her cheap
perfume shriveled my nostrils, offsetting any dilation they might have
been attempting out of fright.
“You!” I gurgled. She was tall, but didn’t look very muscular for a
female, not at all like those pictured on the covers of weightlifting
magazines, all pumped up and slathered in baby oil. Nevertheless, she
easily pulled me against my will into the sheltered alcove from which
she had leapt in ambush. Maybe she just caught me off-guard and

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