ALM06 Who Killed the Husband? (25 page)

"Now that we're all reunited," said Fanny, "do you mind if I telephone Tom Cottar? I've been mean to him lately. I'd like to tell him everything is all right."

"Go ahead," said Lee.

Redheaded Tom turned up in the outer office in record time. The stout fellow looked as if he had been put through the mill, and when he came, Lee called Judy as if he wished to dictate a letter and had her close the door between the two rooms. After giving the pair five minutes to effect an armistice, Lee opened the door and called them in. Tom looked made over; his homely face was beaming. As they settled themselves, Fanny said to Tom:

"Everything that is said in here is off the record."

"Ah, have I ever let you down yet?" said Tom, all ready to have his feelings hurt again.

"Skip it," said Lee equably. "We all trust each other."

As they discussed the case from different angles, Lee and Tom learned several things they had not known before; how little Charlotte had come to Fanny in the first place to implore her to use her influence in bringing Lee over to Al Yohe's side; how, later, all four of them, Al, Charlotte, Fanny and Judy, had plotted together to make it possible for Al himself to approach Lee.

"Very reprehensible conduct!" remarked Lee, taking a pinch of snuff.

Fanny flung an arm around his shoulders and gave him a squeeze.

In summarizing the situation Lee said: "We have two separate crimes to deal with; the first devilishly clever and well planned; the second, a clumsy murder carried out on impulse and immediately exposed. It is obvious they were not both conceived by the same brain. We can clear Al of the Philadelphia charge, but remember, he will be tried on the other first, and there is still work to be done on that."

Fanny was assigned to cover the route that Al had taken on the previous Tuesday to make sure of sufficient evidence to support his alibi. Tom was advised to dog Harry Brummel's steps and to interview him, if possible. It was not likely that the crafty lawyer could be trapped into any dangerous admission; still, he did not know how much Lee and his friends knew, and he might let something fall that could be used to advantage.

"Kids, if we are able to show up that crooked attorney, we'd be public benefactors," said Lee.

Judy, to her disgust, was required to keep the office for the time being. Later, her job was to win the confidence of Jocker Stacey's girl friend, Riqueta Seppi. Judy could play the part of an East Side girl to perfection.

"Before Jocker discovered what a gold mine there was in this case," said Lee, "he may have told the girl part of the truth. It is possible that Agnes Gartrey herself saw Jocker and, if so, the girl may be jealous. It would not be the first time that a great lady had stooped to a handsome young gangster. In any case, try playing on the girl's jealousy."

As to his own part, Lee said: "It is obvious that the final solution of the problem lies in the Gartrey apartment, and I'm going up there again."

They departed on their several errands. Lee did not telephone his coming in advance to Agnes Gartrey, for he had a wish to see what kind of reaction, if any, his unexpected arrival might have on her household.

Denman admitted him to the apartment. This young man's smooth, handsome face gave nothing away. In answer to Lee's inquiry, he asked:

"Are you expected, sir?"

"No," said Lee.

"Mrs. Gartrey has not been about yet, sir. I will have to ask if she can see you."

He conducted Lee into the salon. He left the doors open when he retired, and Lee made sure that he entered the corridor leading to the bedrooms.

In a minute or two, Denman returned saying: "Mrs. Gartrey will be happy to see you, sir, if you don't mind waiting a few minutes."

"Certainly," said Lee. To himself he added: I am still in favor!

Denman softly crossed the foyer on his rubber-shod feet and passed through the service door. The handsome young animal is well housebroken, thought Lee. After waiting a moment he noiselessly followed the servant. The door into the service passage swung both ways and he went through it without making any sound. At the end of the passage there was a door into the pantry which usually stood open, and it was open now. Just within the opening, Lee flattened himself against the wall.

As he had expected, Denman was at the telephone switchboard. But Lee was not quick enough; the servant was almost finished dialing; Lee heard only the last two numbers, 8 and 9. Then Denman said softly: "Hello? Is this you?...Mappin is here."

Cheek! thought Lee. He heard half of a conversation:

"No, he wasn't expected, but Madam is going to see him. He's waiting in the salon...I've tried that before and it's no good. Mappin is too suspicious. He always lowers his voice when he has anything important to say...All right, I'll do that...Good-by."

Lee slipped back through the swing door and regained his seat in the salon. This was decidedly interesting. He didn't know who Denman had called up, but he hoped that if he stuck around long enough the results of the conversation might appear.

While he waited, Lee looked around the magnificent room with its antique French furniture, Chinese porcelains and masterly paintings. There was a Persian rug covering the whole floor which must have cost a king's ransom. The paintings, he saw, were only copies of the great masters, though good ones. Evidently an expensive decorator had been given carte blanche in the apartment before the Gartreys moved in. The whole effect was opulent rather than tasteful. But quantities of fresh flowers lent grace to the room.

Through open doors to the right, Lee looked into the music room upholstered in blue brocade. He could see a corner of the gold-encrusted grand piano standing between the windows. He wondered at the folly of a woman who could stake all this--against the death house.

Agnes Gartrey presently came floating toward him through the music room, clad in a seductive negligee. This was a dove-gray affair trimmed with bands of marabou. He had never seen her wear the same garment twice. Her face was smooth and smiling.

"Such a pleasure to see you, Mr. Mappin!"

"Should I apologize for coming at this hour?"

"You need never apologize to me! Let us go into the boudoir. I have a fire in there."

In the pink room they seated themselves and lighted cigarettes. Lee declined a drink.

"Too early, dear lady."

"What's the news?" she demanded with a strained eagerness she could not hide. "I hope you've come to tell me Al Yohe has been caught."

He shook his head.

"But surely the police have some clue to his whereabouts. His pictures are published every day in the newspapers. Everybody in the world knows what he looks like..."

Lee spread out his hands.

Agnes arose with a jerk and started pacing. "This is disgraceful! Disgraceful! 'What's the matter with our police? Heaven knows they cost enough! One man against thousands. And what has happened to your great skill, Mr. Mappin?"

"Running down a fugitive is a little out of my line," said Lee deprecatingly.

"I cannot stand this suspense!" she cried, pressing knuckles to her temples. "I will never know peace of mind again until I have seen that wretch punished. The thought that he and the woman might eventually escape drives me mad!"

Lee wondered if the sleek Denman had his ear pressed against one of the doors. "Better lower your voice," he warned.

"You are right," she said, instantly obeying.

"Al and Charlotte cannot escape in the long run," said Lee.

"That's not good enough," Agnes sullenly retorted. "I'm tired of waiting for justice to overtake them. Obviously, somebody else is hiding them now. Why don't the police offer a reward for their capture? A reward big enough to tempt his fond friends?"

"The police have no fund for that purpose. A reward is usually offered by a private person."

Agnes came to a stop, staring. "I've a mind to offer a reward myself," she murmured.

Since Lee had already decided to bring Al Yohe in, this suggestion struck him as humorous. Why not encourage it? However, he kept a discreet silence.

"It must be a big reward," Agnes continued. "Five thousand--no, ten thousand."

Lee thought: How she tosses money around! He said dryly: "Surely ten thousand would be sufficient."

"All right," said Agnes, "I'll do it. It will square me with the public. They half believe that I know where Al Yohe is. More than once the newspapers have hinted that I am hiding him."

"But if you come forward as the donor of the reward," Lee objected, "Al Yohe will be warned that you have turned against him, and it will make him warier."

"That's right...What do you advise?"

"Let the reward be advertised as from an anonymous donor. After Al Yohe is caught and lodged in jail, you can then come forward and identify yourself as the donor."

"Good!" she cried. "How thankful I am that I have you to advise me! Will you take care of the details? I'll write you a check now. To whom should I make it payable?"

"To me," said Lee dryly. "I'll deposit it and give my check to the Commissioner of Police."

Agnes instantly sat down at her desk. Handing the check to Lee, she said urgently: "Lose no time! Lose no time!"

"It will be advertised in the evening papers," said Lee.

"What brought you here this morning?" Agnes asked.

Lee parried the question. "My dear lady, you are shaking like a leaf! I recommend a spot of Scotch." Agnes shrugged. "And you?" she said.

"I don't mind if I do."

She rang for a servant, and by this little maneuver Lee gained five minutes perhaps. Not until Denman had left the room for the second time did she repeat her question:

"What did you want to see me about?"

Lee was ready with the answer. "After I left you the other day, it occurred to me that there was a discrepancy in your story..."

She broke in sharply: "You surely can't have any doubt as to Al Yohe's guilt?"

"Certainly not. But I don't want any holes to appear in the evidence against him. You told me that you saw him standing over poor Mr. Gartrey's body with the smoking gun in his hand..."

"Well?"

"There were no fingerprints found on the gun."

Agnes changed color. "I'm glad you brought that up," she said quickly. "I forgot to mention that Al had a glove on his right hand when I saw him. Only the one glove."

"What color glove?"

"Oh, a brownish color. Looked soiled."

"Had you seen that glove before?"

"Of course not. He had it hidden."

"Hawkins said that Mr. Yohe's gloves were in the pocket of his topcoat when he hung it up."

"Surely. The other was a glove that Al had brought for that special purpose."

Lee had now been in the apartment for more than half an hour; nobody had come and Agnes had not been called to the telephone; he still had no clue to Denman's telephone conversation. To gain a little more time, he took Agnes over the whole story of the shooting again. She became impatient and suspicious, and in the end he had to take his leave unsatisfied.

Chapter 21

Downstairs, he left by the front door of the apartment house, turned the corner, and entered again by the service entrance on the side street. In the basement there was a corridor leading to a sort of waiting room. Here Lee was faced by the service elevator. Behind it rose the service stairs in a fireproof shaft. There were two youths on duty; one sat doing nothing; the other in the elevator car was reading the latest story of the Al Yohe case. Lee Mappin was known to both, and they stood to attention. He addressed the elevator boy.

"Were you on duty at the time Mr. Gartrey was shot?"

"Yes, Mr. Mappin."

"I'd like to ask you a question or two." Lee always prefaced such interviews with a generous tip. He slipped a bill to each boy and they pocketed it with grins. It transpired that the elevator boy was called Fred, and his mate was Bill. Lee continued: "The butler Hawkins testified that Al Yohe escaped down the service stairs. Did either of you boys see him?"

Fred answered: "No, sir. We didn't see him. According to the women, Al left Gartreys' by the front door, and went down to Mr. Deane's apartment on the second."

"Do you believe that story?"

Both young men grinned. "No, sir."

"Suppose, for the sake of argument, that Al did escape by the service stairs, would it have been possible for him to get out of the building without your seeing him?"

"It would be possible, sir," said Fred. "He could always place the elevator by the sound of the doors. I can't see the stairs from inside the car. As for Bill, here, he often has to answer the house telephone, and that's around the corner of the wall."

"The stairs are not much used, I take it."

"You might say that they was never used, sir. The stairs are only if the elevator service breaks down or in case of a fire."

Having started the boys' minds running in this direction, Lee casually put the real question that had brought him down to the basement. "I suppose both you fellows are acquainted with Denman."