"You'll have to say you can't get it," said Richard, ig- noring the problem of Jody. De- nise sat so demurely. Without makeup, she might have been a well-scrubbed teenager, her lack of bosom confirming that im- pression. "I wonder who'll con- tact you next?"

"Why?" Denise sat up, her peignoir shifting to show her pink, silk panties. "What have you done with Helene Gaudet?"

"I didn't do anything," said Simons carefully. "Helene had her recall papers on her desk be- fore she contacted you. It was just a routine end to a routine period of duty. She may even have known it was coming. Per- haps that's why they used her."

Denise was pensive. "She said she'd see me again," she said doubtfully.

*

*

* **

Jody was reluctant but, un- der Denise's insistent pressure, she finally agreed to accompany the French girl on her shopping trip to find new dresses for the weekend party. Nothing was said about the words of the previous day. After the first stop at a black market 'store', where De- nise tried on two or three se- quinned, flashy, 'grande-dame' dresses, Jody began to soften up and get into the spirit of the shopping.

When Denise came tripping out from behind the changing screen in a high-necked, sequin- ned gown, Jody had to laugh. "Where's your ostrich feathers?" she giggled.

"And a boa," Denise was smiling too. She gently brushed off the 'salesman' as he tried to get her to try on other dresses. When she was dressed in her or- ange dress with the divided skirt, she slipped her arm through Jody's, waved a cheerful good- bye to the glum profiteer, and sauntered out, arm-in-arm with Jody.

"Where to next?" asked Jody, slipping into the driver's seat of Richard's black sedan. Denise took out a list from her purse. "I've got advice on where to go from just about everyone in the building," she

said, her narrow, painted eye- brows knitting together.

Jody laughed again. “Every- one thinks they're getting such a good deal," she said. Then she was sober for a moment. "But think how and where these goods were obtained in the first place."

Denise had thoughts of Eva and her beautiful wardrobe - of long afternoons when Eva dress- ed her up in one costume after another, experimenting with ex- otic makeup and perfume on her willing servant. Denise found that her hands were trembling. She fumbled for a cigarette but tears came, blinding, to her eyes. Jody's hand closed on De- nise's. There was astonishment in the American girl's eyes, but also more than a touch of compassion

"You had it tougher than most of us," Jody said huskily, almost in tears herself.

•

"I -I thought of someone.. Denise realized she could say lit- tle else without blowing her

'cover' as a woman." "Look, lets go on here." She pointed to a name on her list. "You have to get a dress, too, you know. We have to look our best for General Joe Martin!"

They spent the whole of the afternoon in their search, laugh- ing over dresses "just right for you", that would have fitted them both together. Jody was the first to find what she wanted

a long, straight-skirted green dress. "Not too fancy. Just right for me," she said when Denise advised her to keep on looking.

In the seventh black mar- keteer's 'shop', Denise finally found a dress that seemed to suit her. "I'll need extra padding," she said, twirling in front of a long mirror, frowning at her re- flection.

“Oh, not you," Jody smiled "Your figure's marvellous!" The dark-blue gown hugged Denise's slim waist and hips and then flared out in a wide skirt.

"I can still tell it's you, George,

by your wrinkled panty hose!"

15