Passage by Night - Jack Higgins [15]
'I'm looking for Juan,' Manning said. 'Juan Garcia. I'm an old friend of his.'
There was the rattle of a chain and the door opened. 'You'd better come in,' she said and walked back along the corridor.
He closed the door and followed, wrinkling his nose at the stale smell compounded of cooking odours and urine. She opened the door, clicked on a light and led the way into a room. It was reasonably clean with a carpet on the floor and a double bed against the far wall.
She was a large, heavily built woman running dangerously to seed, the coffee-coloured skin and the thick lips an indication of her mixed blood. She was still handsome in a bold, coarse sort of way and a sudden smile of interest appeared on her face.
'I'm Juan's girl - Hannah. Anything I can do?'
There was an unmistakable invitation in her voice and Manning grinned. 'Not really.'
'Is it business?'
'You could call it that.'
'Well that's nice.' She sat on the edge of the bed and smiled. 'Give me a cigarette and tell me all about it.'
She patted the bed beside her and Manning obliged. The gaudy housecoat she was wearing fell open when she crossed her knees revealing black stockings, the flesh bulging over the tops.
'I thought I knew most of Juan's friends. How come you've never been here before?'
'I move around a lot,' Manning said. 'Never in one place for long. Where did you say Juan has gone?'
She blew a cloud of smoke up towards the ceiling and leaned back against the pillow. 'I didn't. As a matter of fact, he's been out of town for a couple of weeks. He only arrived back last night.'
'What time did he go out this morning?'
'Around ten.' She shrugged. 'I went down to the market for food. When I returned, he'd gone. Left a message to say he'd be back this evening.'
Manning shook his head. 'I don't think so.'
She frowned. 'What are you trying to say, mister?'
'He's run out on you,' Manning said.
She sat up, her eyes sparkling angrily. 'You don't know what you're talking about!'
'Where did he go?'
'He didn't say.'
'But you've got a good idea?'
She stretched with a sigh of pleasure, arms extended, her breasts pushing hard against the thin material of her housecoat, and got to her feet. 'Care for a drink?'
He nodded and she crossed to a cupboard, took out a bottle of gin and two glasses and filled them. She came back to the bed and gave him one.
'He's been acting funny for about a month now. Kept hinting he had some big deal lined up that would put us on easy street for the rest of our lives, but he wouldn't tell me what it was all about.'
'Did you ever find out?'
She drank some of her gin and shook her head. 'No, but I followed him a couple of times. He always went to the same place.'
'And where was that?'
'Why should I tell you?'
He took out his wallet and produced a five pound note. She grabbed it quickly and pushed it down into the deep valley between her breasts, her face creasing into a smile.
'A fortune teller called Mother Diamond. Lives in a house in Grant Street down near the harbour.'
'And you never found out why he went there?'
She shook her head. 'I couldn't very well tell him I'd been following him. He'd have slit my ears.'
Manning finished his gin and stood up. 'Thanks for the drink, but I've got to be moving.'
She leaned back against the pillows and gazed at him fixedly. 'What's your hurry? Juan won't be back for a couple of hours.'
'If I were you, I shouldn't bank on that,' he said and closed the door gently as her mouth went slack with astonishment.
Dusk was beginning to fall as he went across the square. He turned into the side street and Seth moved out of a doorway.
'Do any good, Harry?'
Manning nodded. 'I think so. Ever hear of a fortune teller called Mother Diamond?'
Seth glanced at him sharply. 'Sure, everybody knows her. She mixed up in this?'
'I'm not sure, but it looks like it. Know where her place is?'
'Not far from the waterfront.' Seth appeared to hesitate and went on, 'She's bad trouble, that woman, Harry. Don't pay to meddle with her. Lots of people