Эрл Гарднер: The Case of the Crimson Kiss

Preoccupation with her own happiness prevented Fay Allison from seeing the surge of bitter hatred in Anita’s eyes.

So Fay, wrapped in the warmth of romantic thoughts, went babbling on to her roommate, her tongue loosened by the double cocktail which Anita had prepared before dinner.

“I’d known I loved him for a long time,” she said, “but honestly, Anita, it never occurred to me that Dane was the marrying kind. He’d had that one unfortunate affair, and he’d always seemed so detached and objective about things. Of course, underneath all that reserve he’s romantic and tender. Anita, I’m getting a break I don’t deserve.”

Anita Bonsal, having pushed her dinner plate to one side, toyed with the stem of her empty cocktail glass. Her eyes were pinpricks of black hatred which she was afraid to let Fay Allison see. “You’ve fixed a date?” she asked, concentrating on the rotating base of the glass.

“Just as soon as Aunt Louise can get here. I want her to be with me. I... and, of course, I’ll want you, dear.”

“When will Aunt Louise get here?”

“Tomorrow or the next day, I think. I haven’t heard from her definitely.”

“You’ve written her?”

“Yes. She’ll take the night plane. I mailed her my extra key so she can come right on in whenever she gets here, even if we aren’t here.”

Anita Bonsal was silent, but Fay Allison wanted to talk. “You know how Dane is. He’s always been sort of impersonal. He took you out at first as much as he did me, and then he began to specialize on me. Of course, you’re so popular, you don’t mind. It’s different with me. Anita, I was afraid to acknowledge even to myself how deeply I felt, because I thought it might lead to heartache.”

“All of my congratulations, dear,” Anita said.

“Don’t you think it will work out, Anita? You don’t seem terribly enthusiastic.”

“Of course it will work out. I’m not gushing because I’m a selfish devil and it’s going to make a lot of difference in my personal life — the apartment and all that. Come on, let’s get the dishes done. I’m going out tonight and I presume you’ll be having company.”

“No, Dane’s not coming over. He’s going through a ceremony at his bachelors’ club — one of those silly things that men belong to. He has to pay a forfeit or something, and there’s a lot of horseplay. I’m so excited, I’m just walking on air.”

“Well,” Anita said, “I go away for a three-day weekend and a lot seems to happen around here. I’ll have to start looking for another roommate. This apartment is too big for me to carry by myself.”

“You won’t have any trouble. Just pick the person you want. How about one of the girls at the office?”

Anita shook her head, tight-lipped.

“Well, of course, I’ll pay until the fifteenth and then...”

“Don’t worry about that,” Anita said lightly. “I’m something of a lone wolf at heart. I don’t get along too well with most women, but I’ll find someone. It’ll take a little time for me to look around. Most of the girls in the office are pretty sappy.”

They did the dishes and straightened up the apartment, Fay Allison talking excitedly, laughing with lighthearted merriment, Anita Bonsal moving with the swift efficiency of one who is deft with her hands, saying little.

As soon as the dishes had been finished and put away, Anita slipped into a black evening dress, put on her fur coat, smiled at Fay Allison, and said, “You’d better take some of the sleeping pills tonight, dear. You’re all wound up.”

Fay said somewhat guiltily, “I’m afraid I talked you to death, Anita. I wanted someone to listen while I built air castles. I... I’ll read a book. I’ll be waiting up when you get back.”

“Don’t,” Anita said. “It’ll be late.”

Fay said wistfully, “You’re always so mysterious about things, Anita. I really know very little about your friends. Don’t you ever want to get married and have a home of your own?”

“Not me. I’m too fond of having my own way, and I like life as it is,” Anita said, and slipped out through the door, gently pulling it shut behind her.

She walked down the corridor to the elevator, pressed the button, and when the cage came up to the sixth floor, stepped in and pressed the button for the lobby. She waited until the elevator was halfway down, pressed the stop button, then the button for the seventh floor.

The elevator rattled slowly upward and came to a stop.

Anita calmly opened her purse, took out a key, walked down the long corridor, glanced swiftly back toward the elevator, then fitted the key to apartment 702 and opened the door.

Carver L. Clements looked up from his newspaper, removed the cigar from his mouth, regarded Anita Bonsal with eyes that showed swift approval, but kept his voice detached as he said, “It took you long enough to get here.”

“I had to throw a little wool in the eyes of my roommate and listen to her prattle of happiness. She’s marrying Dane Grover.”

Carver Clements put down the newspaper. “The hell she is!”

“It seems he went overboard in a burst of romance, and his attentions became serious and honorable,” Anita said bitterly. “Fay has written her aunt, Louise Marlow, and as soon as the aunt gets here they’ll be married.”

Carver Clements shifted his position slightly, as though by doing so he could look at the tall brunette from a slightly different angle. “I had it figured out that you were in love with Dane Grover yourself.”

“So that’s been the trouble with you lately!”

“Weren’t you?”

“Heavens, no!”

“You know, my love,” Clements went on, “I’d hate to lose you now.”

Anger blazed in her eyes. “Don’t think you can own me!” she said sharply. “You only rent me.”

“Let’s call it a lease,” he said.

“It’s a tenancy-at-will,” she flared. “And kindly get up when I come into the room. After all, you might as well show some manners.”

Clements arose from the chair. He was a spidery man with long arms and legs, a thick, short body, a head almost bald, but he spent a small fortune on clothes that were skillfully cut to conceal the chunkiness of his body. He smiled and said, “My little spitfire! But I like you for it. Remember, Anita, I’m playing for keeps. As soon as I can get my divorce straightened out—”

“You and your divorce!” she interrupted. “You’ve been pulling that line...”

“It isn’t a line. There are some very intricate property problems. I don’t dare to seem too eager, and the thing can’t be handled abruptly. You know that. You should know that.”

“I know that I’m tired of all this pretense. I’m tired of working. If you’re playing for keeps, take me off the dole and make me a property settlement.”

“And have my wife’s lawyers suddenly drag me into court for another examination of my assets and start tracing the checks...”

“Make it in cash.”

“And have the bank withdrawals checked? Don’t be silly.”

“I’m not going to be. I’m going to be practical. What if I should get dragged into your domestic mess anyway? Look at the chances I’m taking.”

His eyes were somber in their steady appraisal. “I like you, Anita. I can do a lot for you. I like that fire that you have. But I want it in your heart and not in your tongue. My car’s in the parking lot. You go on down, get in the car, and wait. I’ll be down in five minutes.”

She said, “Why don’t you take me out as though you weren’t ashamed of me? As though...”