A. Merritt's Fantasy Magazine, April 1950 — page 52: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

52 A. MERRITT’S FANTASY all the worthwhile inquiries on your desk, Mr. Green, and disposed of the rest as usual. There is one—” “You can fetch ’em all back and inform the inquirers that I am too occupied to undertake any more investigations,” he interrupted. “One,” she persisted coldly, “which I felt sure would interest you, in which you are asked to try what the police have given up.” It ought to have been a matter of eager interest to him, she knew, but he shook his head and frowned—at her persistence, she felt. “Turn it down with the rest, Miss Brandon,”’ he said curtly, and, taking out the cigarette case, selected one for him- self but failed—for the first time in their acquaintance—to offer the case to her. “Then I will come and fetch them now,’ she said coldly. When she had taken the letters away, leaving him alone at his desk, he leaned back in his chair and reflected. “Oh, Kefra! Kefra!” he whispered. _ Again he might have been out of time, for it seemed that no time at all had passed when Miss Brandon, entering, put a cup of tea down on the desk before him, and stood to say: “If you wish for a second | cup, Mr. Green, you have only to ring,” with an icy aloofness. He stared at her, with a flashing thought of how, usually, he ambled into her room and sat on the desk for tea. He wanted to ask what on earth was wrong, but instead said: “Thank you, Miss Bran- don, this will be enough,” with just as frigid politeness as she had handed him. A half hour later, with the tea un- touched and cold on the desk, he got up, grim and angry, and went to Miss Bran- don’s room. “T want—that inquiry you spoke about, Miss Brandon. If you'll let me have it Pll see if it’s worth investigation.” Just as well look at it, though he had no in- tention of doing anything about it. “T have already declined it for you, Mr. Green.” “Already?” he snapped. could you?” “By telephone, as the inquiry requested. The—Fothergill, the name is. He states —here is the inquiry—he was most anx- \ “But how ious to lose no time, and would you tele- phone as quickly as possible.” “But—yes—well, telephone where? [I can telephone again if I like the look of it. Whereabouts—what’s his number ?” “He was at Brown’s Hotel, which is all the address there was on the notepaper. You see, Mr. Green, this inquiry came in yesterday morning, and Mr, Fothergill expected some reply by this morning at the latest—so he told me. I caught him just before he left the hotel for Padding- ton, he said, so we have no address. You could trace him through Brown’s, I ex- pect, if you feel like taking up the case. This is the inquiry.” He shook his head, and did not take the letter she offered. “No,” he said. “T felt a bit curious, that’s all, thank you.” He went back to his own room, reflect- ing that you could not get just such a note as was in her voice for that reply by rubbing one slab of ice against another. And even the interest he might have got out of perusing that inquiry, over a case the police had given up, was denied him! Ah, well! Only four days to wait. CHAPTER 10 The Cat Purrs , NHE CLASP of her arms warm about him, the sweetness of her lips on his, the wonderful, unearthly fragrance that was one with her asa breath about him, and-the caressing ten- derness of her voice— “T come to kiss you in the night—” Wakening, he knew it was a dream and no more, yet, it seemed to him that the fragrance lingered. Then at a sound some- where in the flat he sat up: a steady, per- sistent, softish sound—in this room, was it? It went on and on, softly, ominously— Ah! Not in the room at all, of course; he must have left the water running in the bathroom. | He got out of bed and, without trou- — bling to switch on the light in his room went to the bathroom and switched on there, to see that all four taps were closed, not even dripping, let alone running. Into his sitting room—nothing there, and still, faintly, the noise went on, a pulsing, steady - sound, though fainter now than when he Sr nas ze zx