Brett Halliday: The blonde cried murder

Lucy picked up the phone and said, "Yes?"

She listened a moment, then nodded to Shayne who was waiting intently. "Yes, she is here and she's been trying to call you. If you could hold on a minute? Well-she's in the bathroom right now. Hold on and I'll get her. I know she's awfully anxious to talk to you."

She put down the telephone, looking at Shayne anxiously.

As he nodded his approval, a scrabbling sound behind him made him swing on his heel.

Nellie Paulson had come back to consciousness enough to have gotten up on her hands and knees. She shrank back and opened her mouth to scream as Shayne turned toward her.

He leaped forward and drove the heel of his palm against her mouth before the sound came out.

Lucy watched transfixed, her own mouth wide open. Shayne whirled and saw her, gestured frantically to the telephone on the table.

She understood the gesture and picked it up, asked sweetly, "OhAre you still there? Nellie will be out in just a sec."

She continued to hold the receiver to her ear, and after another thirty seconds her eyes widened at sound of loud voices and a struggle at the other end of the wire.

Then a different voice came to her, "You there. Miss Hamilton? Good work. We got him all right. And tell Mike Shayne that Chief Gentry's on his way up and for him to stay put until the chief gets there."

Lucy replaced the phone and reported the conversation to Shayne. Nellie was sunk back on the floor and lay twisted there, moaning softly with her hands over her face.

Shayne grinned wryly at Gentry's order, and sank back into his chair. "Come over and sit in my lap, angel. I swear I'm never going to leave you alone again."

Lucy went to him slowly, and he caught her wrist and pulled her down onto his thighs. She flung her arms about his neck and pressed her face against his chest.

He held her quivering body tightly and said into the mass of brown curls beneath his chin:

"I mean it, Lucy. Right now I really mean it. Hurry up and kiss me before Will walks in and spoils everything."