1944 - Just the Way It Is (18 page)

‘Don’t you go off yet,’ Elmer said. ‘I’ll want a hand loading up the ammunition. I ain’t as young as I was.’

‘Get Rose to help you. I’ve got a date,’ and slapping Elmer on his thin back, Duke went back into the kitchen. ‘Give him a hand, Rose,’ he said, ‘I’ve got to beat it.’ He poured himself out a small shot from the black bottle and swallowed it. ‘That’s whisky,’ he said, nodding his head. ‘I’ll come along and kill the bottle some night soon.’

‘It’ll be waiting for you,’ Rose promised.

‘Don’t you stand there all night whispering to that good-for-nothing,’ Elmer bawled from the bottom of the passage. ‘Come on and help me shift these boxes.’

‘See you sometime,’ Duke said, and went out into the dark alleyway.

When he reached his car, he saw a shadowy figure standing in a nearby doorway and he slowed abruptly, his hand sliding inside his coat.

The street lamp reflected on silver buttons and he took his hand from his gun.

Hallahan stepped out of the doorway and wandered up to the car. ‘That you, Duke?’ he asked.

‘Mr. Duke to you, copper,’ Duke said, opening the car door and stepping in.

‘What are you doing here?’

‘Who, me?’ Duke peered up at the Police Chief. ‘I’ve been in to see the wild Rose.’

‘Huh?’

‘Don’t you know Mrs. Roberts? Nice girl. Married to an old guy . . . too old, by the look of it. I drop in from time to time. You never know, do you?’

Hallahan rubbed his jaw. ‘Where’s Cullen?’ he asked.

‘No idea, copper,’ Duke returned. ‘At home or out with a dame. These young fellas are difficult to keep pace with.’

‘I’ve been thinking about Timson. Not quite satisfied about that guy.’

‘Look, if I bothered my head about your troubles,’ Duke said, ‘I’d never get anywhere. Timson was a poor specimen. A guy who’ll cut his throat ain’t worth worrying about. I’d forget him.’

‘Bellman’s a pal of yours, ain’t he?’

Duke’s eyes narrowed. So Hallahan had got on to Bellman already. ‘Your mistake’ he said, politely, ‘I can’t use him.’

‘You weren’t in the Chez Paree tonight by any chance?’

‘I looked in. Had a word with Kells. Now, he ain’t such a bad guy.’

‘You didn’t see Bellman, then?’

‘Not tonight,’ Duke returned, wondering uneasily if he’d left any fingerprints in Bellman’s office.

‘You’re sure?’

‘What’s all this about? Why don’t you be a man and come out in the open?’ Duke snapped. ‘What’s the trouble with Bellman?’

‘He’s dead,’ Hallahan said.

‘Bellman? Someone shoot him?’

Hallahan spat in the gutter. ‘Suicide,’ he said. ‘That’s what the croaker said. Two guys in twelve hours. Must be infectious.’

This surprised Duke. ‘Well, well,’ he said. ‘Fancy a guy like Bellman knocking himself off. I wouldn’t have believed it.’

‘No?’ Hallahan dug his thumbs into his leather belt. ‘Well, nor do I, but it was suicide all the same.’ He stared at Duke for a long second and then turned away. Duke watched him go, then started his engine.

His one thought was to find Clare now. As the car pulled away, he began to puzzle out the most likely places to look for her. He thought maybe Kells might help him.

NINETEEN

L
orelli quietly opened the sitting room door and peered round.

Joe was standing by the empty fireplace bandaging his wrist with a roll of lint. He glanced sharply round, dropping the lint and fumbling in his hip pocket.

‘What’s the matter?’ Lorelli asked, keeping her voice down. ‘Got nerves or something?’

Joe pushed his gun back into his pocket and picked up the bandage. ‘Fix this,’ he said, shortly.

‘Is Paul back?’ Lorelli asked as she crossed the room.

‘No.’

‘What have you done?’ She made as if to take hold of his wrist, but he flinched away.

‘Be careful,’ he said, ‘I’ve only just stopped the bleeding.’

She took the bandage from him, noticing that his hand shook a little. She looked at him, seeing his paleness and the glisten of sweat on his face. ‘Sit down, Joe,’ she said. ‘What happened?’

Joe sank down on the divan. He chewed his underlip and went paler still.

She was suddenly scared that he was going to faint. ‘Hold on!’ she said. ‘I’ll get you a drink.’

He let his head hang while she ran over to the sideboard and poured him out a stiff brandy. She had to support his head while he drank.

After a few minutes, his colour returned and he wiped his face with a handkerchief. ‘It bled,’ he said, by way of an explanation.

She bandaged his wrist quickly and efficiently and sat back. ‘There,’ she said. ‘That’ll be all right. Take it easy, Joe. How do you feel now?’

‘I’m all right,’ he said, impatiently. ‘They’ve got guns up there.’

‘Pinder’s End?’

‘Yes. That guy Casy caught me as I was getting into the house. He didn’t ask questions. I was lucky to get out with my skin.’

Lorelli stared at him. ‘Do you think he knows?’

Joe mugged. ‘It looks like it.’ He nursed his aching wrist. ‘How did you get on? Did you see Bellman?’

‘He’s dead.’

Joe stared down at his small feet. ‘Did you get the plan?’ he asked at last.

‘Didn’t you hear?’ she said, sharply, ‘I said he was dead.’

‘It doesn’t matter, does it?’ He lifted his shoulders indifferently. Then a thought struck him and he faced her. ‘You mean they’ve got it?’

‘I guess so,’ she replied. ‘Otherwise why should he have been killed? There wasn’t much time. Harry Duke came in and caught me in there.’

‘I see,’ Joe stood up and moved away from her. ‘You’ve made rather a mess of it, haven’t you?’

‘Don’t be a heel, Joe,’ she said. ‘It wasn’t my fault any more than it was yours that Casy had a gun. We’re just not getting the breaks.’

‘Who killed him?’ Joe asked. ‘Spade?’

‘I don’t know. He was dead when I got into the room. He’d been knifed.’

Joe turned suddenly. ‘Well, what do we do now? We don’t get anywhere.’

Lorelli jumped to her feet. ‘Why don’t you get out and leave it alone if you don’t like the way it’s going?’

‘Shut up!’ Joe said.

There was a pause, then Lorelli said, ‘I’m going to work with Harry Duke. We talked it over tonight. He knows a lot and he’s going to get somewhere. I’d back Duke against Spade.’

Joe stared at her. ‘You’ve been talking to Duke?’ he said, in a thin voice.

‘He’s been talking to me,’ Lorelli said, hastily, not liking the look in Joe’s eyes. ‘I thought you and me might join up with

him.’

Joe hesitated. ‘If Paul ever heard. . .’ he stopped, looking at her.

‘You’re not going to tell him, are you?’

Joe shook his head. ‘No,’ he said. ‘Why should I?’ He moved about the room restlessly. ‘So Harry Duke’s in this now?’ he went on. It seemed to worry him.

Lorelli went back to the divan and sat watching him. She was almost sorry she had told him.

‘First Bellman,’ Joe said, half to himself. ‘Then Spade, then Schultz, then you and me and now Duke.’ He leaned against the wall and looked at her. ‘Timson, Kells and probably Casy. Everyone knows about it.’

‘But they don’t,’ Lorelli said. ‘You’re making a fuss about nothing. They’ve only got on to the fringe of it. What do we know, if it comes to that?’

‘The point is,’ Joe said, reasoning to himself, ‘is there anything there? That’s what I’m trying to get at. Or is the whole thing phoney? We only know what Schultz said to Spade. It doesn’t seem as if we’re getting any further than that.’

Lorelli said quietly, ‘If we could make Schultz talk.’

‘Ah,’ Joe nodded. ‘That might be something.’ His face became stony. ‘I think I could make him talk.’ He screwed up his eyes, thinking. ‘Where is he, anyway?’

Lorelli shook her head. ‘He hasn’t been back all day,’ she said, looking at the clock. It was after eleven. ‘He didn’t say he’d be late.’

Joe sat down. He felt tired and his head ached. ‘I couldn’t take him tonight,’ he said, feeling his wrist gently. ‘He won’t be easy.’ He yawned and ran his fingers through his close-cropped hair. ‘We’d have to kill him after, I suppose.’

Lorelli flinched. ‘No,’ she said. ‘We’ll keep clear of that.’ Then she remembered that Joe was a killer and she felt a little sick.

‘He’d have to go,’ Joe repeated. He rested back on his elbow. ‘Then there’s Spade.’ He glanced at Lorelli. ‘Spade’s really the important one. How do we get on to him?’

Lorelli shook her head. ‘I don’t know.’

Joe said, ‘Well, that’s another thing I’ll have to look after.’ He got to his feet. ‘I think I’ll go to bed,’ he went on, moving to the door. ‘This hurts,’ he touched his wrist.

‘What are you going to tell Schultz? He’ll notice it.’

‘He won’t see it ‘until tomorrow. Then it won’t matter.’ Joe looked at her, his eyes vacant. ‘About Harry Duke,’ he added as he reached the door. ‘We can do without him. Both of us. . .’

She nodded. ‘If that’s how you feel,’ she said. ‘I only thought. . .’

‘I know.’ He opened the door. ‘I wonder how much you told him?’ The look he gave her made her feel cold.

Without giving her a chance to answer, he went out of the room.

Lorelli sat for some time thinking. She was nervous of Joe. She was scared of Schultz too. If Schultz knew what she had said to Duke, he’d kill her. She was sure of that. She had a feeling that if anyone was going to get anything out of this business it was going to be Duke. There was something about him that inspired her confidence.

The thing to do, she decided, was to play along with Joe as long as he looked safe and then switch to Duke. She made up her mind that she wouldn’t stand for any killing. If Joe was going to get that way then the sooner she went over to Duke the better.

The clock on the mantelshelf struck eleven-thirty. It was no good staying up all night waiting for Schultz. He might come in any time. She got to her feet and as she crossed the room, she heard a car draw up and a minute later a key turned in the front door.

She whipped back to the divan and was lighting a cigarette when Schultz came in.

She stared at him in surprise. He came into the room with a firm, brisk tread and his big saucer-like eyes were unnaturally bright.

‘Waiting up for me, my pigeon?’ he said, going over to the sideboard and pouring out a stiff whisky.

‘I’ve been in bed half the day,’ she said, trying to be casual. ‘So I thought I’d sit up. You’re late, aren’t you?’

‘You haven’t been drinking brandy?’ he asked, looking at the brandy bottle which she had forgotten to put back with the other bottles. He picked up the empty glass and sniffed at it. ‘Or have you been entertaining?’ He turned and looked at her, his eyes hooded and suspicious.

‘I got bored so I tried to cheer myself up,’ she said, lolling back on the divan. ‘Don’t mind, do you?’

‘Nasty habit. . . brandy.’ He came over and sat down in the armchair. ‘What a day,’ he said as if he meant it. ‘And to think you’ve been in bed resting your nice little body.’ He raised the glass and poured half the whisky down his throat.

Lorelli sat staring at him, feeling a little sick. His right cuff was bloodstained and there was a smear of blood on his elbow.

She was too scared to say anything.

Schultz sat limply in the chair, his eyes darting around the room. First on her, then on the door, then to the window and then back to her again. He finished the whisky and again she saw the blood stain as he raised his wrist.

‘That’s better,’ he said, putting the glass at his feet. ‘I wanted that rather badly.’ He sat back and took out his cigarette case. ‘Where’s Joe?’ he asked, abruptly.

‘Joe?’ Lorelli might never have heard of him. ‘Why, he’s gone to bed.’

Schultz scowled. ‘I want him.’ He got to his feet and waddled to the door.

‘He’s got a headache,’ Lorelli said, quickly. ‘Can’t I do anything. . .?’

Schultz paused and half turned. ‘How amusing,’ he said. ‘My pigeon is being considerate.’ He opened the door and shouted, ‘Joe!’

There was a moment’s silence, then Joe called, ‘Yes?’

Schultz said, ‘Come downstairs, will you?’ He came back into the room, moved the armchair so that he could see both Lorelli and the door and sat down again. ‘So Joe’s got a headache.’ He smiled at Lorelli. ‘I’ve often wondered if I was doing right letting you two stay together in this house. It’s a big temptation. You’re both very young.’

‘Don’t talk like a dope,’ Lorelli said, angrily. ‘I’ve told you before, Joe’s just a kid.’

‘Yeah, so you did. I remember.’ Schultz took out a handkerchief and mopped his bald head. ‘It’d be amusing if you two thought you could double-cross me,’ he went on. ‘I’m quite capable of taking care of myself. Perhaps you didn’t think so?’

Lorelli flounced round on the divan, so that her back was to

him. ‘You make me tired,’ she said. ‘You’re jealous. That’s all the trouble is with you.’

‘Very probably,’ Schultz said, a spiteful look in his eyes. ‘After all I am a little old for you. Yet, my pigeon, I have been nice to you, haven’t I?’

‘I don’t know what you’re driving at,’ Lorelli said. ‘I think I’ll go to bed.’

‘No,’ Schultz said, ‘I’ve got something for you to do. You and Joe.’

She turned. ‘Tonight?’

He nodded. ‘Something very important.’

The door opened and Joe came in. He stood looking at Schultz without expression.

‘Come in, Joe,’ Schultz said. He had put his handkerchief on his lap with his hand under it.

Joe looked at the handkerchief, then at Schultz’s face. His mouth tightened. ‘Did you want me?’ he asked tonelessly.

‘What have you done to your wrist, Joe?’ Schultz asked. ‘Lorelli said you had a headache. She didn’t say anything about your wrist.’

‘Oh, I cut it,’ Joe said, leaning against the wall. ‘It’s nothing.’

‘I see.’ Schultz pulled at his lower lip. ‘Can you drive the car?’

‘Tonight?’ Joe’s voice betrayed his dismay.

‘I wish you two wouldn’t keep saying that. Of course, tonight. Immediately.’

‘I’ll drive,’ Lorelli said, quickly. ‘His wrist’s worse than he says. It was a bad cut.’

‘You seem to know everything, don’t you?’ Schultz said, looking at her coldly. ‘I suppose you put the bandage on?’