A. Fair - Shills Can't Cash Chips

“Now you take women. Just look at the psychology of the thing. When they’ve got on stockings and a skirt, if you see their legs above the top of the stocking, they act like you’re a Peeping Tom — and as far as panties are concerned, my God, that’s sacred ground.

“But you let that skirt be labeled a play skirt and the panties made of the same material as the skirt and what happens? They act like it’s perfectly all right to whip the skirt off and parade around in panties, just because the panties are made of the same cloth as the skirt. I don’t get it. It’s a kind of feminine psychology that— But what the hell, I use it, Donald. I use everything. I use all kinds of psychology in sales. Well, here we are...”

He broke off as the door opened and Lorraine Robbins came back in and handed me two sheets of paper and gave a copy to Holgate.

The typing was letter-perfect; neat, even, regular typing with the new modern electric typewriter. It looked as though it had been done on a printing press. There wasn’t an erasure, there wasn’t a strike-over, there wasn’t the faintest irregularity.

And the thing was a verbatim transcription of what I had said.

“Any objection to signing it?” Holgate asked.

“None whatever,” I told him.

He handed me a fountain pen.

I signed on the dotted line.

“Any objection to swearing?” he asked. “Just to make it official.”

“None whatever.”

He glanced at Lorraine Robbins. Lorraine said, “Hold up your right hand, Mr. Lam.”

I held up my right hand.

“You solemnly swear that the statements contained in this affidavit which you have just signed are true, so help you God?”

“I do.”

She had been carrying a notarial seal concealed in her left hand, one of these little pocket nickel-plated doodads that a notary public can slip into a purse when she’s going out.

She pulled the document over to her and on the place where it was written: “Subscribed and sworn to before me this 5th day of October,” she signed her name as notary public, impressed the seal and handed it to Holgate.

Holgate looked at it, nodded, got up and gave me his hand, signifying that the interview was over.

“Thank you, thank you very much, Lam. It’s wonderful to have citizens come forward and volunteer information in regard to accidents they’ve seen.

“Now Lorraine will take you back to your hotel — unless you want to look over some of our lots. If you do, she’ll be glad to show you around and—”

“Some other time,” I said. “I’m — well, I’m not in a position where I care to make any investments at the moment. I don’t have any surplus capital to tie up.”

His tongue made clucking sounds of sympathy. “Too bad, too bad,” he said. “That’s the way it is, though. So many times when you have an opportunity for an absolute sure-fire profit you can’t put your hands on the necessary money. We’ll take a small down payment, Lam, and...”

I shook my head firmly.

“Okay, okay. I’m not going to press you. I just feel sufficiently grateful to put some profit your way — you know, something I could do legitimately. Lorraine, take him up to the hotel... Now, wait a minute, Donald. I don’t think your address is in the affidavit.”

“It’s on the hotel register,” I said.

“Well, you’d better let me have it so I can make a note right on this affidavit. Where can I reach you?”

I gave him the San Francisco address.

He came around the desk, put a big hand on my left shoulder, grabbed my right hand and shook it. “Thank you, Donald. Thanks a lot. Any time you want anything in the line of real estate, you just let me know. I’ll tell you what I’m going to do. I’m not going to tell you what lot it is because that wouldn’t be fair, but I’m going to take one of our best lots and sort of hold it back so that in case you want to get in on the ground floor any time within... well, within the next thirty days, just let me know.”

“Now, let’s not have any misunderstanding, Mr. Holgate,” I said. “That accident was your fault.”

“I know it was. I’m responsible,” he said. “I’m to blame. I only hope that poor girl isn’t injured seriously.”

“So do I,” I said. “She’s a good-looking girl.”

“You notice those things, don’t you, Donald?”

I looked at Lorraine and said, “I notice those things.”

He laughed and said, “Take him to the hotel, Lorraine.”

She smiled at me and said, “Ready, Mr. Lam?”

“Ready,” I told her.

We went out to the car. I started to walk around to the left side to help her in but she jerked the door open on the right side, jumped in and slid across the seat.

I got in beside her, shut the door and she touched a shapely toe to the throttle and we swept around to the driveway.

“How did you like Mr. Holgate?” she asked.

“Fine.”

“He’s a wonderful man. A fine man to work for.”

“How about Mr. Maxton?” I asked.

The half-second of silence could have been due to the fact that she was concentrating on approaching the intersection. It could have been due to something else.

“ He’s fine,” she said.

“You must have a nice job.”

“I do have.”

“You like it?”

“I love it.”

“You like lots of action yourself?”

“Action,” she said, “is life. Inactivity is death. Routine is deadly. I want variety. I want new circumstances arising every minute of every day where I have to use my individuality, my initiative, and what brains I have.”

“I think you do all right,” I said.

“Thank you, Donald. Has anybody ever told you you’re awfully nice?”

“Holgate did,” I said, “but I think he wanted to sell me a lot.”

She burst out laughing and said, “Donald, you do say the damnedest things! How long are you going to be in town?”

“I don’t know.”

“Know anyone here?”

“Just a few people.”

“Men or women?”

“Both.”

“Well,” she said, “don’t get lonely.”

“I won’t,” I said.

“I’m satisfied you wouldn’t,” she said, glancing at me, “but in case you do — well, you could always get in touch with me. My name’s in the phone directory.”

“Would you try to sell me a lot?” I asked.

She laughed again and said, “Probably.”

She was silent for two or three minutes, then as she drove up in front of the hotel she smiled at me and said, “And, on the other hand, Donald, I might give you a lot.”

She gave me her hand with a quick, impulsive gesture, flashed me a quick smile, then turned her attention to the front of the car, waiting for me to close the door.

I closed the door, she gave a quick look into the side mirror and shot out into traffic.

The hotel clerk told me there were no messages for me. I told him I’d look the town over a bit and walked a couple of blocks to a taxi stand.

The taxi took me to the supermarket. I got in the car I had left parked there, drove back to the hotel and hung around until dark.

No one seemed to be taking the slightest interest in me. The rangy individual didn’t put in an appearance. Nobody seemed to care whether I came or went. There were no messages.

Shortly before dark I called the apartment of Doris Ashley.

There was no answer.

I went to a phone booth and called Elsie Brand at her apartment.

“Hello, Elsie,” I said. “How’re you coming?”

“Donald.”

“What’s the trouble, kid?”

“Some man has been telephoning and he sounds — well, dangerous.”

“It’s easy to sound dangerous,” I said. “What does he want?”