He said, “You happened to stumble into the Cactus Patch at a queer time tonight. Maybe it was just luck — and then—”
I said, “Don’t talk so loud. The woman in the next, apartment is curious.”
“I’ll say she is,” Miss Framley said.
The man in the plaid coat sat down. He said, “ We’re not going to say anything for about five minutes. During those five minutes, you’re going to do a lot of talking.”
“There’ll be just about four minutes of silence then,” I said. “My name’s Donald Lam. I’m working for the B. Cool Detective Agency. I’m trying to locate Corla Burke. I have reason to believe Miss Framley knows where she is.”
His face twitched. “What you want to locate her for?”
“A client.”
“Ain’t you smart?”
“I’m not trying to be, but I’m not dumb enough to go around telling the names of our clients to anyone who happens to ask.”
He said, “Well, Miss Framley doesn’t have any idea where Corla Burke is ‘cause she don’t know any Corla Burke.”