A. Fair - Cats Prowl at Night

Bertha Cool heaved her hundred and sixty-five pounds up out of the swivel chair and, walking round her desk, jerked open the door of her private office.

The sound of Elsie Brands typewriter came clattering through the door. Bertha Cool stood in the doorway waiting for Elsie to look up from her work.

Elsie Brand finished the letter with a crescendo of speed, ripped the paper off the platen, laid it to one side, swooped down to the lower drawer of the desk for an envelope to address, then saw Bertha Cool in the doorway.

Was there something you wanted, Mrs. Cool?

What are you writing?

Those letters to the lawyers.

Quit it.

Do you mean no more letters?

Thats right. No more letters.

Why II thought

I know you did, Bertha Cool said, and so did I. Thats where we made a mistake. Those lawyers are counsel of record in personal injury cases. I thought we could write to solicit business that there might be a missing witness or something. Elsie Brand said, But why not? I think its a splendid idea. It gives you a chance to contact future clients who are in the big money, and

Thats just it, Bertha interrupted. Im tired of big money. Not the money, she added hastily, but the strain and excitement that goes with that high-pressure stuff.

I never used to get those big cases. I ran a quiet, cosy little detective agency specializing in the type of work other agencies wouldnt take. Mostly divorce stuff. Then Donald Lam walked into the office, got me to give him a job, and weaseled his way into a partnership... It wasnt thirty minutes after hed started working here before the whole business changed. My income went up and my blood-pressure went up with it. At the end of the year, the government is going to take away fifty per cent of the income, but nobodys going to take away half of the blood-pressure... The hell with it. Now Donalds in the Navy, Im going to run the business my own way.

Bertha glowered belligerently at Elsie Brand as though expecting an argument.

Elsie Brand silently opened a drawer in the desk, dropped the list of lawyers Bertha had culled from the court records into the drawer, scooped up a pile of letters some two inches thick, and said, How about the letters Ive already written? Do you want to send them?

Bertha said, Tear em up, throw em in the waste-basket... No, wait a minute. Damn it, its cost me money to have those letters written stationery, time, wear-and-tear on the typewriter... All right, Elsie, well use them. Bring em in and Ill sign em but we wont send out any more.

Bertha turned, stalked back into her private office, plumped her heavily muscled, competent frame down into the swivel chair, and cleared away a place in front of her on the blotter so she could sign the letters Elsie Brand brought in.

Elsie laid the letters down on the desk, stood beside Mrs. Cool, blotting each letter as Bertha Cool signed it. Bending methodically back and forth, watching the open door, she said suddenly, A man just came into the entrance-room.

Whats he like? Bertha asked. Damn it, Ive spoiled that one. I cant talk and write at the same time.

Elsie said, Shall I see what he wants?

Yes. Close the door.

Elsie closed the door behind her as she entered the reception-room. Bertha Cool resumed signing the letters, blotting the signatures carefully, glancing up at intervals toward the door which opened into the reception-room.

Bertha was down to the last few letters when Elsie Brand re-entered, carefully closing the door behind her.

Whats his name? Bertha asked.

Everett Belder.

Whats he want?

Donald Lam.

Tell him Donald was in the Navy?

Yes. I told him that you were Donalds partner. I think if I tell him youll be able to see him right away, hell talk with you. But hes disappointed about not finding Donald.

Whats he look like? Bertha asked.

Around thirty-five, tall, high cheek-bones, hair sort of reddish. He has nice eyes, only they look worried. Hes a sales engineer.

Money?

Id say some. He makes that sort of an impression.

Much?

Medium. Hes wearing a very fine overcoat.

All right, Bertha said. Get him in. Ill find out what he wants. If hes a friend of Donald Lam, hes probably a wild-eyed gambler. He may be a What are you standing there staring at me for?

I was waiting for you to finish.

The hell with that polite stuff. When a potential client who looks as if he had money is waiting in the office, dont let politeness interfere with efficiency. Get him in here.

Elsie quickly opened the door, said, Mrs. Cool, the senior partner, will be able to give you a few minutes right away if youll step in this way, please.

Bertha once more devoted herself to signing letters. Not until she had finished and blotted the last signature did she look up, then her glance was for Elsie.

Elsie, get this bunch of letters in the mail.

Yes, Mrs. Cool.

Be sure every one of those envelopes is marked personal and confidential.

Yes, Mrs. Cool.

See the envelopes are securely sealed.

Yes, Mrs. Cool.

Bertha swivelled her eyes around to the tall man. So your names Belder?

He widened an expressive mouth into a smile. Thats right, Mrs. Cool. He extended his hand across the desk. Everett G. Belder.

Bertha gave him an unenthusiastic hand, said, You wanted to see Donald. Hes in the Navy.

So your secretary told me. Thats indeed a shock.

Know Donald?

Only by reputation. A man for whom Lam once handled a case told me about him. Said he was the nerviest little guy hed ever seen; that he was fast-thinking, quick-moving, and courageous. In fact, he summarized his feelings by a colloquialism which, while perhaps coarse, nevertheless conveyed a perfect picture.

What did he say?

Its a bit on the coarse side, Mrs. Cool. I wasnt going to repeat it. I

Bertha Cool said irritably, Do you think you know any words I dont? What did he say?

He said Donald was a combination of brains and guts.

Humph! Bertha said, then after a moment added somewhat irritably, Well, he isnt here. Do you want to tell me what its all about?

Youre his partner?

Yes.

Everett Belder studied her as he would a new automobile he contemplated buying.

Bertha said, You dont have to marry me, you know. If you have something on your mind, spill it; if you havent, get the hell out of here and let me get caught up on some of this work.

I had hardly contemplated hiring a female investigator.

All right then, dont.

Bertha Cool reached for the telephone.

On the other hand, you impress me as being just the type to get results.

Make up your mind.

Mrs. Cool, do you ever take cases on a contingency basis?

No.

Belder moved uneasily in the chair.

Mrs. Cool, Im a sales engineer. Ive been under a lot of expense, and

Whats a sales engineer? Bertha interrupted.

He smiled then. In my case, just a good salesman with a lot of nerve, and enough dough to see him through until pay-day without asking for an advance.

I get you. Whats your trouble?

Belder became uneasy once more. Mrs. Cool, Im in the very devil of a predicament. I dont know what to do, where to turn. Every move I make seems blocked. Ive racked my brain over

Dont get steamed up about it, Bertha said reassuringly. Lots of people who come in here are like that. Go ahead, open up. Get it off your chest.

Mrs. Cool, do you ever do any collection work?

What sort of collections?

Bad bills judgments things like that?

No

May I ask why?

Theres no money in it.

Belder shifted his position in the chair once more. Suppose I were to show you where there was a judgment of more than twenty thousand dollars to be collected, guaranteed that youd be paid for the time you put in, and on top of that gave you a bonus if you did a satisfactory job.