HELLFLOWER GEORGE O. SMITH PYRAMID BOOKS NEW YORK [Transcriber's Note: Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.] HELLFLOWER A PYRAMID BOOK Published by arrangement with Abelard-Schuman, Inc. Abelard-Schuman edition published 1953 Pyramid edition published November, 1957 Second printing February, 1969 Copyright 1953, by George O. Smith All Rights Reserved Printed in the United States of America PYRAMID BOOKS are published by Pyramid Publications, Inc., 444 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10022, U.S.A. For Doña IT LOOKED AS INNOCENT AS A GARDENIA ... But the Hellflower's perfume turned any woman into any man's woman. The haunting, pungent scent aroused desires too fierce to be slaked by ordinary passions--and left its victims burnt-out husks! Charles Farradyne knew that no woman could resist the Hellflower. Yet Carolyn, the girl he wanted above all to possess, smiled when he gave her the deadly bloom--smiled and inhaled the perfumed poison.... HELLFLOWER is the fantastic story of a lovely woman who was not quite human--and of a man who went through heaven and hell to win her. 1 The book had been thrown at Charles Farradyne. Then they had added the composing room, the printing press and the final grand black smear of printer's ink. So when Howard Clevis located Farradyne working in the fungus fields of Venus four years later, he found a beaten man who no longer burned with resentment because he was all burned out. Farradyne looked up dully when Clevis came into the squalid rooming house. "I am Howard Clevis," said the visitor. "Fine," mumbled Farradyne. "So?" He looked at one of the few white shirts in a thousand miles and grunted disapprovingly. "I've a job for you, Farradyne." "Who do you want killed?" "Take it easy. You're the Charles Farradyne who--" "Who dumped the Semiramide into The Bog, and you're Santa Claus, here to undo it?" "This is on the level, Farradyne." Farradyne laughed shortly, but the sound was all scorn and no humor. While his raw bark was still echoing in the room, Farradyne added, "Drop it, Clevis. With a thousand licensed spacemen handy everywhere, willing to latch onto an honest buck, any man that comes half way across Venus to offer Farradyne a job can't be on the level." Clevis eyed Farradyne calculatingly. "I should think you might enjoy the chance." "I'm a bum, but I'm no murderer." "I told you--" "You've said a lot of nothing. So you came here to offer me a legit?" "Yes." "It doesn't look good."