by Jerry eBooks
“Watch her anyway.” The doctor grinned. “See you later on.”
Bill had a number of routine duties, and went about them. Susie slept well. It was after visiting hours now and the great hospital had become quiet. At ten o’clock a patient in Room 709 died. Bill and a nurse were assigned to take the corpse to the hospital morgue. Shortage of help required the personnel to perform all sorts of duties.
The nurse was young and attractive. Her name was Janet Crane. They rode to the cellar, wheeled the stretcher to the morgue, and Bill opened the door. He snapped on a light. There were two bodies waiting for the undertakers. Bill hardly gave them a glance. After six months of this work he had grown accustomed to death, and accepted it stoically.
ON THE way back, Nurse Janet Crane was frowning.
“Odd,” she said. “Half an hour ago there was only one cadaver down there. The second one looked familiar to me.”
Bill stopped in his tracks. “Wait a minute!” he exclaimed. “He looked familiar to me, too. I’m going back.”
Nurse Crane waited for him. When Bill emerged, his face was grim. He took Janet’s elbow and piloted her to the elevators.
“He was familiar all right. That second cadaver was Cooper, one of the regular orderlies here. I saw him alive and hearty not an hour ago. He was bringing a tray of medicines to my floor. First time he ever did a favor for anyone.”
“It is Cooper!” Janet gasped. “No wonder he looked familiar. Bill, what on earth happened?”
“Killed him, you mean?” Bill asked. “A knife. One of those big hunting knives the boys use on Japs as a rule. It is still in his back. Somebody stabbed him and put his body in the morgue, hoping it wouldn’t be discovered for a while. Janet—he was murdered and murder needs a reason. I wonder . . . Come on!”
The elevator never seemed to ascend so slowly. Bill was no gentleman when he pushed ahead of Janet and bolted out of the lift. He raced down the corridor, followed by Janet. Bill opened the door of Susie’s room and snapped on the light. The child was asleep—or seemed to be. Bill put a hand gently against her forehead. Then he felt of her pulse and he seemed to wilt with relief.
“She’s all right, Janet,” he whispered.
“But what on earth made you think she wasn’t?” Janet asked.
“I thought,” Bill said slowly and, with an abashed grin, “that Cooper was murdered by the people whom Susie saw and who frightened her into a shock. Thank heavens, I’m wrong.”
They left the room quietly. “Bill,” Janet said, “we’ve got to report about Cooper.”
“I’ll handle that—and keep you out of it as much as possible. This doesn’t look as though it will be any too pleasant. You drop in on MacKenzie, will you?”
Bill made his way to the hospital superintendent’s office and told him about Cooper, lying stabbed to death in the morgue. The police were notified and the superintendent went into action himself. Bill returned to the seventh floor.
He found Janet standing outside MacKenzie’s room and her face was drawn and white.
“Bill!” she exclaimed. “It’s MacKenzie. He’s dead!”
Bill choked and hurried into the room. It was true enough. MacKenzie appeared to have died in his sleep. Bill went to the telephone and called the pharmacy.
“There were two hypodermic needles used on the seventh floor earlier tonight,” he said. “They were labeled One and Two. If they haven’t been cleaned yet, don’t clean them. The police will be properly grateful if you do as I say.”
CHAPTER II
Scene of the Crime
TWENTY minutes later a burly, shaggy man named Roberts took charge. He was a Captain of Detectives and he knew Bill.
The two men stepped aside and Bill offered his suspicions.
“This little girl, Susie Lee,” he said, “saw something, and someone tried to kill her to keep her quiet. Instead of dying she suffered a temporary loss of memory, due to shock. Now I believe the people who tried to silence her are still trying. It’s my contention that Cooper, the murdered orderly, was paid to help. He brought the tray of medicines to me, something he never did before. He could have switched a hypo for one loaded with poison and then got mixed up in telling me which hypo was which. He was that dumb. The poison was meant for Susie, but MacKenzie got it instead.”
Captain Roberts pursed his lips. “Sounds logical. As I understand it, Cooper was a dope.
The hospital authorities claim they’d never have hired him if it hadn’t been for the acute shortage of orderlies . . . Then you believe the murderer killed Cooper to keep him quiet?”
“That’s right,” Bill said. “They’re doing a post mortem on MacKenzie, so we’ll soon know the truth.”
An hour later, the surgeon in charge of the autopsy reported that MacKenzie had died of a slow acting poison injected directly into his blood stream. An examination of Susie showed that she was heavily drugged. The stiff shot meant for MacKenzie had been administered to her.
“It won’t do the child any good either,” a doctor said, and frowned. “All that morphine will keep her under for hours, and when she does wake up, she’ll be undergoing a definite set-back.”
“Too bad,” Bill commented, with a sad shake of his head. “Susie might have cleared the whole thing up. Now all we can do is wait. Captain Roberts, I suggest a guard be posted in Susie’s room and the door kept closed and locked from inside. There may be another attempt on her life.”
Roberts agreed, vehemently, and went to make the arrangements. The nurse, Janet, temporarily relieved of her duties, stood beside Bill.
“You’ve personality plus, Bill,” she said to him in a low voice. “The Captain acted as if he’d been taking orders from you all his life.”
Bill grinned. “I’ve known him slightly for some time. Oh, oh! Here come MacKenzie’s nephew and his business partner. This isn’t going to be pleasant.”
Bill seemed to take charge automatically, and the hospital superintendent and the doctors had no inclination to interfere. They seemed vastly relieved. Bill stopped the two men.
“I’m terribly sorry,” he sympathized. “Your uncle received a hypo of poison which was meant for Susie.”
Tom Girard’s eyes blazed in fury. “It’s plain incompetence!” he flared up. “I’m going to sue this hospital.”
“Now just a moment,” Bill protested. “Someone was bound to die from that poisoned hypo. If not your uncle, then Susie.”
“What do I care about that—that girl?” Girard stormed. “She means nothing to me except that I was sorry for her. My uncle is dead, and I loved him!”
Larry Larkin took Girard’s arm. “Easy, Tom,” he warned in a low voice. “It’s nobody’s fault except the murderer’s. Comfort yourself with the thought that your uncle was an old man and ill. He couldn’t have lived many years more, while Susie has a whole lifetime ahead of her. I’ll swear that if your uncle had his choice, he would have chosen to die in her place. And remember, he was my partner for a long time. I liked him too, and I shall miss him as much as you will.”
Girard rubbed moist eyes. “I’m being a little abrupt about this, I suppose. There is some comfort in knowing that Susie is alive. But the shock of it all . . . I’m unnerved. Larry, let’s go somewhere and get a drink.”
“I wish I could join you,” Bill said. “Thanks for being considerate. The hospital wasn’t really at fault. What happened was not due to carelessness on anyone’s part. It was deliberate murder.”
“You’re right, of course.” Tom Girard nodded and Larkin assented vigorously. “And look—take care of that child. If my uncle died that she might live, I don’t want anything to happen to her.”
“Don’t worry,” Bill assured him. “A police guard has been arranged. Unfortunately, she received a heavy dose of narcotic and her recovery will be delayed. We probably won’t really know what happened to her for days, although I intend to try and do something about it.”
“We’re with you all the way.” Larkin offered
his hand. “Call on us—for anything.”
BILL walked over to where Janet stood, listening to the whole conversation. She shook her head from side to side solemnly.
“Bill, you’re a wonder. No diplomat could have handled that situation more delicately. The hospital owes you a vote of thanks.”
Bill smiled down at her. “Somebody had to do it. I’ve been friendly with both those men, so why not me? Janet, I meant what I said when I told them I intended to do something about Susie. This attempt to kill her failed, by a miracle. The next one—and there will be a next one—may not. So before the murderer can go into action again, I’d like to clear the thing up. Want to help?”
“Of course,” Janet said eagerly.
“Good,” Bill told her. “Go to the dormitory and change to street clothes. I’ll meet you in the reception room. We’re going to the place where they found Susie. And bring along a flashlight if you have one.”
“Sounds interesting,” Janet said. “I wonder if they’ll let me off duty.”
“Leave that to me.” Bill winked at her significantly. “I know some ropes. Fifteen minutes then—in the reception room.”
Janet had never seen Bill in civilian clothes and she was somewhat amazed at his distinguished appearance. She knew that his topcoat was worth over a hundred dollars, and his suit was of a similar type. Bill gave her no time to comment on this. He hurried her to a taxi which was waiting for them in front of the hospital.
They left the cab near the pier on which Susie had been discovered, bloody and unconscious. Bill waited until the taxi disappeared. Then he piloted Janet out onto the pier. He walked to the edge and looked over into the black water. It was a dark night and he gratefully accepted the flashlight which Janet had brought.
At the very edge of the pier, Bill went down on one knee, used the flash and studied every inch of the wooden surface. He called softly to Janet and she hurried to his side. He pointed out several small stains.
“That’s blood,” he explained. “Perhaps Susie was attacked here and the murderer’s intention was to throw her into the river. We can’t be sure. This could be someone else’s blood, of course. After all, Susie witnessed a crime and I imagine it was murder.”
“Then if that isn’t Susie’s blood, perhaps we’ll find traces to show where she really was, Bill.”
He arose and they faced one another. Bill’s smile died and he put both hands on her shoulders.
“To look at you a man would never guess you were practical enough to be a nurse. And now you come up with a bright idea like that. You’ve a lot of brain matter under that blond hair of yours, and you happen to be a very pretty girl. Did you know I’ve watched you so often that I’ve actually felt embarrassed sometimes?”
“I’m glad you have, Bill,” Janet said gently. “I—find you rather amazing, too. A little above the general run of orderlies. Did I say a little? I meant that you’re more of the type our greatest doctors are.”
“Thank you.” Bill drew her a bit closer. “Now we’d better forget our own personalities and see what we can do for Susie. Look for more bloodstains. That’s your good suggestion and we’ll do it now.”
They prowled the pier carefully. Bill rounded some sort of a tool shed erected on the side of the pier. Behind it was a narrow ledge forming the edge of the pier. Janet heard him gasp and when he appeared, he was holding a battered, cheap little doll.
“I found this against the side of the shed,” he explained. “I’m willing to bet odds it’s Susie’s. But there were no bloodstains and there should be. I saw her when she was brought in. She was drenched with blood . . . Janet, there is a boat of some sort right below the spot where I discovered the doll. I’m going to jump down into it if you’re game to stay here and keep guard.”
“I’m not afraid,” Janet smiled. “Not so long as you’re close at hand. Go ahead.”
HE DISAPPEARED around the edge of the shed. She heard a thump as he landed in the boat. Bill snapped on the flash, after he had regained his feet. A wry expression crossed his face. There was a narrow ladder affixed to the pier and leading right down to the boat. He had missed it in the darkness, and had risked a broken leg making that jump.
Using the flash again, he studied the boat. It was in drydock of some sort, for it didn’t sway under his weight. A rather old craft, probably used for fishing trips. There were seats along the rail. He went over these carefully, concentrating upon those directly beneath the spot where he had picked up the doll. He saw the dark brown stains and even a few strands of short, light brown hair. The same shade as Susie’s. Bill glanced up at the pier and frowned. A new idea was beginning to dawn on him.
“Bill!” Janet’s voice froze him. “Bill! someone is—”
Her words ended in a scream. There was a rush of feet on the pier, then Janet came hurtling over the edge. Bill didn’t hesitate. Without pausing to remove coat or shoes, he leaped into the water and began swimming.
CHAPTER III
Guns Covering
BILL couldn’t see Janet in the darkness, but she was crying out and he soon reached her side. He got an arm around her and started swimming back. There was a sharp crack above him and at the same instant the water, a couple of inches from his head, rose in a tiny geyser.
“Someone’s shooting at us!” Bill cried. “Take a quick breath.”
He dived and pulled Janet with him. He realized that she wasn’t a good swimmer and kept a tight grip on her. It was difficult, swimming beneath the water and holding her too, but he managed somehow. When his lungs threatened to burst, he knew Janet’s must be giving her agony also. He bobbed above the surface, taking her along. Both of them dragged in fresh air.
Another crack of a gun indicated the killer was still waiting. Bill and Janet went under once more. When he decided he was beneath the pier itself, he came up again. Nothing had ever looked as good as the protecting ceiling of the pier. He wound an arm about a pillar and gasped for air. Janet lay weakly against his arm and shoulder, but she was all right.
Someone ran along the pier, toward the street. Faintly, Bill heard a car engine roar and tires ground against the pavement. He looked about, saw a ladder and swam over to it. Janet was able to climb the ladder under her own power and was even waiting at the top to give him a hand.
“I—I didn’t see him,” she said, her teeth chattering with cold, “until he was right behind me. I never saw what he looked like. Bill, what in the world was he trying to do?”
“It’s rather obvious, Janet,” Bill said grimly. “He pushed you into the water, knowing darn well I’d go after you and he’d have a chance to kill us both. It was only luck that he happened to be a poor shot. Even so, he came pretty close. We’d better get out of here. Just one more minute while I get that doll . . .”
Bill dropped Janet at the nurses’ dormitory. He parked his car, entered the hospital and went to the locker room. There he was glad to change to his white uniform. He hung up his clothes to dry, then hurried to the seventh floor. The door of Susie’s room was locked, but a patrolman, gun in hand, let him in. Susie was still sleeping that drugged, heavy slumber, but she was all right.
“Be mighty careful,” Bill told the cop. “That girl holds the secret to a murder, I’m sure. They’ll try to silence her again.”
“First,” the cop said, “they got to take me. Believe that. Sweet little kid, isn’t she? A little while ago she was talking in her sleep. What do you think she said?”
“Anything important?” Bill asked quickly. “Plenty important to her. She was saying her prayers. You know—‘Now I lay me down to sleep’ . . .”
Bill shuddered. “Poor kid. The way things are going she might have said, ‘Now I lay me down to die.’ Watch her, Officer.”
Bill went to the public telephone booth in the corridor and dialed Police Headquarters. He soon had Captain Roberts on the wire.
“Captain,” he said, “I want you to send divers to the end of Pier Sixty, East River. That’s where Jan
et was attacked. Have them scour the bottom of the river for a body. I’d be willing to bet you’ll find one. And Captain, I want to be there, too. Meet you at the pier.”
He hung up, turned, and saw Janet standing there. She seemed to be amazed.
“Bill, you actually ordered the Captain to do that,” she said. “I thought detective captains rarely took orders.”
He grinned at her. “It’s my personality, Janet.”
She stepped up to him, after a quick glance around. “It really is a personality, Bill. You’ve got me falling in love with you. Did you realize that?”
He nodded and the smile died on his face. “I’ve been hoping for that. Janet, there’s no time now for me to tell you how I feel. But I will later. If you will listen to an orderly who should really be hopping to your beck and call.”
“You’re the most amazing man I’ve ever met,” Janet said. “Bill why did you want the river bottom searched?”
“Because Susie saw a murder committed. I’m sure of it, and I’m fairly sure the body is in the river, probably weighted down. We’ll know in the morning. Susie was hiding behind the shed.”
Janet’s eyes went bleak. “And the killer threw her into that boat and thought he’d killed her, too. Bill, get that man!”
“I intend to,” he said. “Now run along and take care of your patients. I’ve another phone call to make and this one is highly secret. Tell you about it later.”
HE STEPPED into the booth and when he got his connection, he talked for fully fifteen minutes. When he emerged, he was smiling tightly. Certain wheels had been put into motion, and they were going to grind a killer down to size.
Half an hour later, Bill appeared at the pier and found it no longer deserted. A police launch anchored alongside, a diver was preparing to slip off the pier, and his attendants were busy with the air lines and the compressor.
Captain Roberts greeted Bill warmly.
“I don’t know what this is all about, Bill,” he said, “but if you say so, there probably is a body under the water. At any rate, we’ll soon know, unless it wasn’t weighted down and has floated away.”
