With the wind blowing through her
hair, Laura glanced over at Harry. "Where are we going?"
she asked, watching as he shifted gears in the small convertible.
Flashing a brilliant smile, he answered. "It's a surprise."
"I LOVE surprises," Laura told him.
"Then stop asking so many questions or it won't BE a surprise,"
he suggested. "Just sit back and enjoy the scenery."
Laura sat back, but her mind wasn't on the green fields and sheep.
After they returned from their ride, she and Harry had eaten breakfast,
then he'd sent her upstairs to change clothes before their day
out, while he had gone to talk to Mr. Chalmers and her father.
"Was Mr. Chalmers upset that you went riding this morning?"
she asked.
"You just can't stop asking questions, can you?" Harry
teased. "He was concerned," Harry admitted, glossing
over Daniel's brief anger at his taking such a chance without
knowing for sure that his rib wasn't broken. "But I survived,
so he let it go. Beside which, if you'll remember, I told you
that I don't have to answer to Daniel for what I do."
"He seems very fond of you."
"And I'm fond of him. But that doesn't give either of us
the right to give orders."
Laura wasn't so certain that was the truth as far as Daniel Chalmers
was concerned, but she decided not to voice that opinion. Noticing
that they were coming into a more heavily populated area, she
looked around. "Where are we?"
"Almost there," Harry said, turning into a parking spot
before a building whose signs proudly proclaimed it as the Tivoli
Theatre. He looked at the lettering on the marquee. "Good
they haven't changed the playbill yet."
Laura's eyes widened. "A movie house? Why are we here?"
"What do you usually do at a theatre, Laura?" Harry
asked as they got out of the car. "Watch movies."
"Humphrey Bogart Festival?" Laura read from the marquee.
"Can't they find anything newer than Bogey?"
"Come on," Harry said, taking her hand and pulling her
along. "The first feature's about to start, I believe."
Laura sighed, but let him drag her to the ticket booth and then
inside the dark theatre, where he easily found them two seats
- just as the house lights were dimming and the movie began .
. .
**********
Around noon, Harry and Laura left the theatre to find something
to eat before returning. Outside, he looked down at her. "Well?"
Laura grinned up at him. "Not bad," she admitted as
they walked along the street. "I liked "The Maltese
Falcon". But I don't think that's the way private detective
work really is."
"Then you're not bored?"
Laura laughed, and Harry saw several people turn to look at her,
smiling themselves at the sound. "No. Did you think I would
be?"
"Well, most people consider spending an entire day at the
movies to be a waste of time."
They were passing a street vendor's display of hats, and Laura
paused, picking up a gray fedora. Putting it on, she looked up
at him. "What do you think?"
Harry lifted her chin to look at her. "Suits you."
"Doesn't make me look like a 'slightly shady shamus'?"
she asked.
"I think it makes you look adorable," Harry decided,
pulling out some money and handing it to the vendor.
Laura gasped. "Harry, I didn't mean-" she began, taking
the hat off and holding it toward him.
Harry put it back on her head at an angle. "It's yours,"
he told her, leading her farther down the street to a small cafe.
"If you're going to be a priviate detective, you have to
at least LOOK the part. Let's eat. We only have an hour before
the next movie starts," he reminded her.
Laura entered the small establishment and let Harry seat her,
then removed her hat. "You really shouldn't have- "
"Consider it an early birthday present," he suggested,
picking up the menu. "What are you going to have?"
Laura picked up the menu card, glanced at it, then put it down.
"Fish and chips."
Harry glanced at her over his menu. "Fish and chips?"
"What's wrong with fish and chips?" she asked defensively.
"I thought EVERYONE liked fish and chips."
"Not when you've lived on a steady diet of them," Harry
pointed out. He looked at her thoughtfully. "Do you trust
me, Laura?"
"Yes," she told him, but her expression was wary as
the waitress came to the table.
"We'll both have the veal," he told her.
"I didn't want veal," Laura objected as the woman moved
away after giving Harry a smile of invitation that Laura noticed
he didn't pick up on.
Harry reached across to cover her hand. "Trust me. You'll
like it. It's the house specialty."
Laura's heart rate increased as his hand remained over hers. Hoping
he didn't notice, she drew it out and grabbed her glass of soda.
"The waitress was flirting with you."
His brow lifted. "Was she? I didn't notice," he told
her. He had, of course. He glanced across to where the tall blonde
young woman was taking another order. If he'd been here alone,
he would have returned the flirtatious glances and banter she'd
tried to engage him in. But he wasn't here alone, and he found
that he didn't really mind very much.
"I thought you were going to introduce me to some of your
friends," Laura reminded him.
"I did."
Laura frowned. "I don't remember -" She stopped, her
eyes widening. "The movies? Is THAT what you meant?"
Harry nodded. "It was as good a place as any to escape the
various shortcomings of my own life," he explained. "One
of the first families I was with ran a place like the Tivoli,
and I used to spend hours watching those movies. Every time I
changed places, the first thing I would do was locate the nearest
movie houses in the area and find some way to get inside. Sweeping
the place out, whatever it took to get a pass into that world
where everything turned out right in the end."
"Happy endings," Laura mused.
"You'll have to get your father to take you to Cannes during
the movie festival," he told her. "Movies everywhere.
Of course, some better than others, and I still prefer the older
movies - "
"Like Bogey's?"
"Not just Bogart's. All of them. The entire film noire genre
is a wonderful experience for anyone. I think the Tivoli's bill
changes tomorrow. We'll have to come back then."
"What's going to be playing?" Laura asked, watching
the way his face lit up.
The waitress returned with their food, then left with a sniff
as she realized that Harry wasn't going to stop paying attention
to Laura. "I think you'll like it," Harry told her,
referring to the movie. "Now eat the veal."
Laura took a bite of the food and closed her eyes. "Hmm.
You were right. This IS good."
"See? I told you that I'd never steer you wrong, Laura. Now
eat up so we don't miss the next feature."
**********
Dusk was just starting to fall as they left the theatre that evening.
"What now?" Laura asked.
"Home. I promised your father that I'd have you back for
dinner," Harry told her, steering her toward the car.
As he bent to open the passenger door, a second car pulled to
a screeching halt behind the small sports car, blocking it in.
Harry recognized the driver as one of Flynn's thugs, and grabbed
Laura's hand. "Run!" he said.
He led her to an alleyway, thinking he could access an old hiding
place via the fire ladder - but the ladder had been lifted. "Damn!"
he cursed as he saw a car park at one end of the alley. He and
Laura stacked some old crates, hoping they could climb them to
the ladder- Harry climbed to the top, and was waiting for Laura
to join him when another car pulled into the alley and before
Laura could do anything, one of Flynn's men was holding a gun
to her head. "Let her go, Flynn!" Harry said. "She
doesn't have anything to do with this."
Flynn looked up at him. "Don't try to con a con man, Harry.
Now, unless you want to see this little girl hurt, you'll come
down." He friend pulled the hammer back on the gun at Laura's
head as a warning. "NOW, lad. And slowly. Eddie's got a nervous
tirgger finger."
Harry met Laura's eyes, and while he saw fear in them, he saw
defiance as well. She was angry. Harry climbed back down, to have
his hands tied behind his back, as were Laura's. "What's
going on, Flynn?"
"Your friend Chalmers owes me, Harry. You and Holt's daughter
are my insurance policy. Either I get my money - or the two of
you will be dead."
To Be Continued----