The Body Lovers Read Free

around here. You know what happens when that kind of stuff hits the papers.”
    “Anything I can do?”
    “Yeah ... if you know Mitch well enough, tell him to lay off.”
    I grinned into the phone. “Well now, this can be a fun afternoon.”
    Pat grunted and said, “I suggested you speak to him, buddy.”
    “Sure, buddy. The point is loud and clear. When do you want my official statement?”
    “Right now if you can get the lead out.”
    When I hung up I gave Velda the rundown and reached for my hat. She gave me that funny quizzical look and said, “Mike ...”
    “Yeah?”
    “Did Pat notice the color relationship of those negligees?”
    “Like what?”
    “Black on a blonde and green on a redhead.”
    “He didn’t mention it.”
    “They aren’t exactly conservative. They’re show-off things to stimulate the male.”
    “Pat thinks the last one was a showgirL”
    “The other was a schoolteacher though.”
    “You’re thinking funny thoughts, girl,” I said.
    “Maybe you ought to think about it too,” she told me.

chapter 2
    My reception at headquarters wasn’t exactly cordial. I gave a detailed statement to a police stenographer in Pat’s office, but when he got done with the routine interrogation the new assistant D.A. took it from there, trying to sweat out some angle that connected me to the case. Luckily, Pat deliberately checked out my movements and corroborated them ahead of time, getting both of us off the hook, but not without getting the eager-beaver assistant D.A. red in the face. He gave up in disgust and stamped out of the office after telling me to stay in town.
    “He must have read that in a book somewhere,” I told Pat.
    “Don’t mind him. The front office gets spooked when sensational cases hit the papers in an election year.”
    “Don’t kid with me, Pat. It smells like they’re setting you up to be the patsy if something goes sour.”
    “You know how they’re shaking up the department. Too many of the good ones already retired out in disgust.”
    “Don’t let those political slobs ride you.”
    “I’m a paid employee, buddy.”
    I grinned at him. “Well, I’m not, and I got a big mouth. Outside a dozen reporters are waiting for me to show and I can do a little sounding off when I get rubbed wrong.”
    “Knock it off.”
    “Hell, no trouble.”
    “Forget it. You get to see Mitch Temple?”
    “Not yet.”
    “Do that much and you’ll do me a favor. That’s all I ask. The rest we can handle just fine right here.”
    “I told you before I’m not in this.”
    “Tell it to the boys waiting outside:” He got up and waved to the door. “Let’s go. Your public awaits.”
    Pat sweated out the interview with me, watched me stand for pictures and nodded with approval when I parried the questions. For a change I didn’t have to dodge and they knew it was because my story was a straight one. A couple wanted my opinion on the kill, but I shrugged it off. So far it was only Mitch Temple who had tried to tie in the earlier murder with the redhead, so there wasn’t anything from that direction. If there was a tieup, Pat would find it. Right now it was only guesswork.
    When they finished with me we went down to the coffee urn and drew a couple of cups. “You did pretty well back there.”
    “Nothing to tell them.”
    “Thanks for not guessing. Maybe I have something to tell you.”
    “Maybe I’d just as soon not know.”
    “Yeah,” Pat said sourly. “So far there’s no definite connection with those negligees. If the first one was a suicide, it’s common enough. More than half who do the dutch act go out naked or partially dressed, though damned if I know why.”
    “You said if , Pat.”
    “Our little M.E. friend pursued his hobby further than I thought. Before they carted the corpse off he took tissue samples for further study. He won’t commit himself positively, but he seems satisfied that his diagnosis was correct. As far as he’s concerned, that first dame was