Killer In The Rain Part 3

Then he broke. His big rough head came down on the desk and sobs shook his whole body. I stood up and went around the desk and patted his shoulder, kept on patting it, not saying anything. After a while he lifted his face smeared with tears and grabbed for my hand.

'Jeeze, you're a good guy,' he sobbed.

'You don't know the half of it.'

I pulled my hand away from him and got a drink into his paw, helped him lift it and down it. Then I took the empty gla.s.s out of his hand and put it back on the desk. I sat down again.

'You've got to brace up,' I told him grimly. 'The law doesn't know about Steiner yet. I brought Carmen home and kept my mouth shut. I wanted to give you and Carmen a break. That puts me in a jam. You've got to do your part.'

He nodded slowly, heavily. 'Yeah, I do what you say anything you say.'

'Get the money,' I said. 'Have it ready for the call. I've got ideas and you may not have to use it. But it's no time to get foxy ... Get the money and sit tight and keep your mouth shut. Leave the rest to me. Can you do that?'

'Yeah,' he said. 'Jeeze, you're a good guy.'

'Don't talk to Carmen,' I said. 'The less she remembers out of her drunk, the better. This picture' I touched the back of the photo on the desk 'shows somebody was working with Steiner. We've got to get him and get him quick even if it costs ten grand to do it.'

He stood up slowly. 'That's nothin'. That's just dough. I go get it now. Then I go home. You do it like you want to. I do just like you say.'

He grabbed for my hand again, shook it, and went slowly out of the office. I heard his heavy steps drag down the hall.

I drank a couple of drinks fast and mopped my face.

8.

I drove my Chrysler slowly up La Verne Terrace towards Steiner's house.

In the daylight, I could see the steep drop of the hill and the flight of wooden steps down which the killer had made his escape. The street below was almost as narrow as an alley. Two small houses fronted on it, not very near Steiner's place. With the noise the rain had been making, it was doubtful if anyone in them had paid much attention to the shots.

Steiner's looked peaceful under the afternoon sun. The unpainted s.h.i.+ngles of the roof were still damp from the rain. The trees on the other side of the street had new leaves on them. There were no cars on the street.

Something moved behind the square growth of box hedge that screened Steiner's front door.

Carmen Dravec, in a green-and-white checkered coat and no hat, came out through the opening, stopped suddenly, looked at me wild-eyed, as if she hadn't heard the car. She went back quickly behind the hedge. I drove on and parked in front of the empty house.

I got out and walked back. In the sunlight it felt like an exposed and dangerous thing to do.

I went in through the hedge and the girl stood there very straight and silent against the half-open house door. One hand went slowly to her mouth, and her teeth bit at a funny-looking thumb that was like an extra finger. There were deep purple-black smudges under her frightened eyes.

I pushed her back into the house without saying anything, shut the door. We stood looking at each other inside. She dropped her hand slowly and tried to smile. Then all expression went out of her white face and it looked as intelligent as the bottom of a shoe box.

I got gentleness into my voice and said: 'Take it easy. I'm pals. Sit down in that chair by the desk. I'm a friend of your father's. Don't get panicky.'

She went and sat down on the yellow cus.h.i.+on in the black chair at Steiner's desk.

The place looked decadent and off-colour by daylight. It still stank of the ether.

Carmen licked the corners of her mouth with the tip of a whitish tongue. Her dark eyes were stupid and stunned rather than scared now. I rolled a cigarette around in my fingers and pushed some books out of the way to sit on the edge of the desk. I lit my cigarette, puffed it slowly for a moment, then asked: 'What are you doing here?'

She picked at the material of her coat, didn't answer. I tried again.

'How much do you remember about last night?'

She answered that. 'Remember what? I was sick last night at home.' Her voice was a cautious, throaty sound that only just reached my ears.

'Before that,' I said. 'Before I brought you home. Here.'

A slow flush crept up her throat and her eyes widened. 'You you were the one?' she breathed, and began to chew on her funny thumb again.

'Yeah, I was the one. How much of it all stays with you?'

She said: 'Are you the police?'

'No. I told you I was a friend of your father's.'

'You're not the police?'

'No.'

It finally registered. She let out a long sigh. 'What what do you want?'

'Who killed him?'

Her shoulders jerked in the checkered coat, but nothing changed much in her face. Her eyes slowly got furtive.

'Who who else knows?'

'About Steiner? I don't know. Not the police, or someone would be here. Maybe Marty.'

It was just a stab in the dark, but it got a sudden, sharp cry out of her.

'Marty!'

We were both silent for a minute. I puffed on my cigarette and she chewed on her thumb.

'Don't get clever,' I said. 'Did Marty kill him?'

Her chin came down an inch. 'Yes.'

'Why did he do it?'

'I I don't know,' very dully.

'Seen much of him lately?'

Her hands clenched. 'Just once or twice.'

'Know where he lives?'

'Yes!' She spat it at me.

'What's the matter? I thought you liked Marty.'

'I hate him!' she almost yelled.

'Then you'd like him for the spot,' I said.

She was blank to that. I had to explain it. 'I mean, are you willing to tell the police it was Marty?'

Sudden panic flamed in her eyes.

'If I kill the nude photo angle,' I said soothingly.

She giggled.

That gave me a nasty feeling. If she had screeched, or turned white, or even keeled over, that would have been fairly natural. But she just giggled.

I began to hate the sight of her. Just looking at her made me feel dopey.

Her giggles went on, ran around the room like rats. They gradually got hysterical. I got off the desk, took a step towards her, and slapped her face.

'Just like last night,' I said.

The giggling stopped at once and the thumb-chewing started again. She still didn't mind my slaps apparently. I sat on the end of the desk once more.

'You came here to look for the camera plate for the birthday suit photo,' I told her.

Her chin went up and down again.

'Too late. I looked for it last night. It was gone then. Probably Marty has it. You're not kidding me about Marty?'

She shook her head vigorously. She got out of the chair slowly. Her eyes were narrow and sloe-black and as shallow as an oyster sh.e.l.l.

'I'm going now,' she said, as if we had been having a cup of tea.

She went over to the door and was reaching out to open it when a car came up the hill and stopped outside the house. Somebody got out of the car.

She turned and stared at me, horrified.

The door opened casually and a man looked in at us.

9.

He was a hatchet-faced man in a brown suit and a black felt hat. The cuff of his left sleeve was folded under and pinned to the side of his coat with a big safety-pin.

He took his hat off, closed the door by pus.h.i.+ng it with his shoulder, looked at Carmen with a nice smile. He had close-cropped black hair and a bony skull. He fitted his clothes well. He didn't look tough.

'I'm Guy Slade,' he said. 'Excuse the casual entrance. The bell didn't work. Is Steiner around?'

He hadn't tried the bell. Carmen looked at him blankly, then at me, then back at Slade. She licked her lips but didn't say anything.

I said: 'Steiner isn't here, Mister Slade. We don't know just where he is.'

He nodded and touched his long chin with the brim of his hat.

'You friends of his?'

'We just dropped by for a book,' I said, and gave him back his smile. 'The door was half open. We knocked, then stepped inside. Just like you.'

'I see,' Slade said thoughtfully. 'Very simple.'

I didn't say anything. Carmen didn't say anything. She was staring fixedly at his empty sleeve.

'A book, eh?' Slade went on. The way he said it told me things. He knew about Steiner's racket, maybe.

I moved over towards the door. 'Only you you didn't knock,' I said. didn't knock,' I said.

He smiled with faint embarra.s.sment. 'That's right. I ought to have knocked. Sorry.'

'We'll trot along now,' I said carelessly. I took hold of Carmen's arm.

'Any message if Steiner comes back?' Slade asked softly.

'We won't bother you.'

'That's too bad,' he said, with too much meaning.

I let go of Carmen's arm and took a slow step away from her. Slade still had his hat in his hand. He didn't move. His deep-set eyes twinkled pleasantly.

I opened the door again.

Slade said: 'The girl can go. But I'd like to talk to you a little.'

I stared at him, trying to look very blank.

'Kidder, eh?' Slade said nicely.