He said, "Mike, what do you think about Marty Carroll's murder?"
"He's dead. Some stinker killed him and that's all there is to it."
"But why?"
"That's a matter for the police, not us, Ernie. Remember that Marty was no saint. Any fence makes enemies. Marty was okay to me, probably to you as well, but how do we know how he treated others? Some goon may have walked in with a doodad he wanted to sell and Marty may have tried to gyp him a little. There could be a hundred reasons."
Ernie wrinkled his nose. "You're not kidding me any. Besides, there's something you don't know. Marty called me up the day he was killed. I'd never heard him sound so sore. He asked me if there'd been any pressure put on me. I told him Kane's men had been around—mostly about you, Mike. Marty said he knew all about that, but had anybody been to see me since then. Well, nobody had and I told him so."
I pursed my lips and looked down my nose. "Marty called me too, Ernie. He said almost the same thing to me. I didn't get it then and I don't now."
Ernie sighed. "I hoped he might have been more explicit with you. Listen, do you think Kane had anything to do with it?"
"That's funny, Ernie, because Mona had the same idea. I don't think so. Kane is after me and he wouldn't stop at much to land me, but how would the murder of Marty help him? It just doesn't tie in."
Ernie stood up and adjusted his hat. He cut quite a figure. That guy could have fingered Queen Elizabeth's crown and gotten away with it.
"I give up," he said. "But just the same, I'm taking a vacation. I'm not very happy about all this. Anyway, pretty soon all the rocks will travel south and I'd be following them. Good luck, Mike. I don't blame you for slapping me around the other night. I'm forgetting it, and if I run into something big I'll give you a buzz."
"Do that," I said. "And stop worrying about what happened to Marty."
I walked with Ernie to the door. I was more worried than I wanted him or anyone else to know. The fact that Marty had phoned Ernie too, and wanted to know if Ernie had been approached meant something. And he was right to wonder what. I would have envied Ernie going away like that if it hadn't been for Sheila.
Mona and I went back to practicing with the gimmick. My freedom could depend on the use of it, and I wanted no slips.
The closer it got to the dinner hour, the more nervous I became. I was going to see Sheila, and something would happen. I doubted I could go through another evening without more definite physical contact with her. How she'd take that I didn't know—didn't much care. The one thing I felt sure of was the fact that she'd come to that little bar and grill.
And she not only came but beat me there by fifteen minutes. She held out both hands to me, and we didn't stay there very long—just for a couple of drinks. Then I suggested more dancing. Even if I hadn't found Sheila stimulating to be with, she would have excited me that night. It was like taking a beautiful kid out on her first big date. Her eyes were radiant as if everything she saw was new. The good food, the courteous waiter, the smooth band—
However, as I knew it was bound to come, she began asking questions about me. I was a vague character named Dick Owen, a private eye who never talked about his work or himself, and she wanted to know.
"I work out of my hotel room," I explained. "A private detective doesn't need an office unless he's searching for clients. Mine are all under contract to me. I specialize in jewelry cases. For insurance companies, mostly. I attend high-hat affairs and guard insured gems. If they're lifted, I try to track them down."
"It's odd you haven't run across my husband," she said. "He's in exactly the same line."
"Maybe I've seen him, possibly even talked to him without knowing who he was by name. I don't work with the police because sometimes my methods are, shall we say, a trifle unorthodox. You see, I want stolen gems back and I don't care much how I get them." Then I invented a few episodes to make it all sound authentic.
She was drinking frozen daiquiris all the while and she finished her third one before she spoke again. There was a wistful look in her eyes.
"I wish I could do something like that, Dick. Something exciting. I go crazy all by myself all day and most of the night."
There was the opening—the situation I'd planned to create deliberately was cropping up all by itself.
"Sheila, would you like to help me out some night?"
"How, Dick?"
"There's a society ball in a few days. The Fairweathers are giving it. A lot of insured gems will be worn, and I'm ordered to be on the job. Up to now I've always worked solo, but this job is too big. I could use an assistant."
She smiled and shook her head. "I wouldn't know a jewel thief if I ran head on into one, Dick."
"But you can spot a woman wearing a fortune in jewels. You could watch them to notice if any rocks you spotted seemed to be suddenly missing."
"Yes," she admitted doubtfully, "I could do that." Then she shook her head vigorously. "Jack will know about that affair and probably go there, too. If he found me there—I honestly don't know what would happen."
I still pressed my point, not being able to afford losing her now. "All right. There's another angle. At a party like this, there are always a lot of outside servants hired for the occasion. They have to be watched, too. You could stay in the kitchen and keep an eye on them. That's very important."
"Yes." She rested her chin in the palm of her hand. "I'd be doing something. It would take the edge off for a little while, at least. If Jack showed up, you could warn me."
"Of course."
"Then I'll do it. If you want me to, I'll be there, but I wish I knew more about what I was supposed to do."
I saw another chance. This was my lucky night. "Sheila, I can show you pictures of known jewel thieves. If you'd come to my hotel . . ."
She smiled a little. "Do you think that's very wise, Dick?"
I was trying not to show how I felt. "Of course I can bring them with me next time we meet . . ."
She laughed. "Dick, don't be silly. I'll go to your hotel with you. After all, I'm sort of an employee now."
I fed her two more drinks before I paid the check. We took a cab to my hotel. It was risky because, although I'd thrown off Kane's boys, some of them were bound to be watching my own hotel just around the corner. However we got in without being observed. In this hotel, nobody cared much who went up or down in the elevators. Maybe the operator was interested, but that was all. I unlocked the door and Sheila preceded me into the room.
I closed the door. "It's not much of a place," I said apologetically.
"Why, I think it's nice, Dick."
"You know, of course, that there is no rogue's gallery of jewel thieves here."
She looked straight at me. "Yes, darling, I know."
I grabbed her hungrily, and, as I kissed her, she clung to me. There was no pretense about Sheila. In her was a long stored-up hunger for love and affection, things her damned fool husband had given up for his work and for chasing around with dames who couldn't compare to Sheila even remotely. I wouldn't have felt that I was doing Jack Kane a dirty trick, even if I had liked him. Besides, after tonight Sheila would be bound to me more firmly than ever.
I held her at arm's length for a moment. "You can still walk out, baby."
"Do you want me to, Dick?"
"God, no!" I exclaimed.
"Most men wouldn't have waited this long. Dick, I'm not a wanton woman. I don't give myself to anyone who comes along. For me, this is the first time. But I know that Jack cheats on me. He thinks I'm fooled completely, but I know. A wife usually does. And I've been so damned lonesome for so long."
"If you stay . . ." I said.
"I'm not a child, darling. I grew up long ago."
She stepped back suddenly and took off the little bolero jacket she was wearing. She threw it onto a chair, zipped the dress open, lifted it by the hem and pulled it over her head
I drew a sharp breath and took her in a rough embrace. Something deep inside
of me said I was going too far. This was a time to stop, to turn and run. A man in my position couldn't afford complications, and Sheila was a giant-sized complication. My thoughts weren't. I shoved them to one side.
"I think I'm in love with you, Dick," she whispered.
I knew she felt the shudder which went through me. I was playing a hell of a game with her. Every time she uttered that phony name she knew me by, it was like telling a lie.
There were too many lights in the room, but they showed up the whiteness of her, the wonder of her. She was here now for me to have and to know. She waited for my move, anticipated it and clung to me fiercely. My mind was suddenly clear, containing only the desire for her. All else vanished, left me feeling at ease for the first time in days. The softness of her body and the hardness of her muscles were against me, straining, asking, imploring. We did no more talking.
* * *
We stood there, near the open window, feeling the cool, late summer breeze filtering through. "I can't let you go after this," I said.
"I know, darling. I know just how you feel because it's the way I feel. Dick, I don't know what we're going to do about this, and right now I don't care. I don't even want to talk about it. Do you?"
Then we turned back and soon a gale could have stormed in through the window and we'd not have noticed it. I was lost in the wonder of the simple and genuine love she had for me. She whispered it over and over when she regained her breath. Then we both became quiet . . .
I turned a bit and blinked. Somebody had switched on the damn lights. I remembered Sheila and sat upright. Sunlight was streaming in through the window. I said, "Sheila!" somewhat sharply. There was no answer. I got up quickly and then laughed to myself. Where could anyone hide in one room? I could still smell her perfume and vividly recall how she'd felt in my arms. It was nine o'clock in the morning and I grinned somewhat foolishly at myself in the mirror. Of course she'd slipped out while I was asleep. She was quite a girl.
I stepped under the shower and started singing in full voice, trying to remember the last time I'd done that. I was still singing—if that's what you'd call it—while I dried off shaved and then dressed. It didn't hit me until I put on my tie, standing real close to the mirror. Then I nearly garroted myself with my own necktie. I was in love!
I backed up to the chair, sat down heavily and stuck a cigarette between my lips. I forgot to light it. Sheila was married to a man who was more dangerous to me than anyone else on earth. Kane would never let her go, least of all to a guy like me. If a man he'd tagged as a crook got her, I would drive him nuts. And yet it would have to happen. I knew I couldn't do without her.
Then a second problem hit me. How could I use her in this lousy racket when I thought of her as I did? A man doesn't risk the liberty and happiness of a girl he's in love with, and all of a sudden I realized I was no different than anyone else. Instead of hurting Sheila, I wanted to protect her.
But I wanted the Brindley pearls, too. I knew exactly where I could get rid of them at a good price and in a hurry. Being caught between two desires like that was a novel experience to me. I hated the sensation because I'd always prided myself on the fact that when I made up my mind to pull a job, there'd be nothing to stop me.
I walked the floor, swearing softly, until I realized there was nothing to prevent me from having both the pearls and Sheila. I'd talk Mona into the job. That would be better all around because Mona had expert experience behind her. If she was a bit nervous now, she'd lose all that by the time the job was to be pulled. I'd make her.
This decided upon, I walked out of the hotel and suddenly remembered Kane's boys. I decided to let them work out their own problems and went directly to the office. Mona wasn't in yet, and I spent about an hour going over my assets. I wondered if Sheila would consider simply leaving Kane and going away with me. If I added the Brindley profits to what I already had, we could live well for years. I had to put that job over.
Mona breezed in about eleven. We kept beautiful office hours. Not that it mattered any more. My business was in a slump that went all the way down to zero. The only good feature about it was the fact that I could convert what stock I had in a matter of hours.
Mona shed her jacket and hat, came over and kissed me on the back of the neck, then started running her fingers through my hair. "I sort of expected you last night, Mike," she said. "The way you acted the night before I was pretty sure . . ."
"I was out with Sheila," I said.
She straightened up and gave me a significant look. Then she went around to the other side of the desk, put her hands flat on it and leaned over to stick her face close to mine.
"You're a good-looking guy, Mike. You've got baby blue eyes that drive women crazy, your hair curls a little and it's a nice shade of brown. Your personality is plus and you make love like no one I ever met."
"What's all the build-up for?"
"Is that Sheila Kane falling for you?"
"I don't know, kid."
Her eyes flashed signals I should have recognized. "Maybe you're falling for her, Mike."
I leaned back in my chair. "Look, Mona, she's a nice kid. Too damned nice to get mixed up in this racket. Besides, I don't feel that I can trust her."
"You thought she was indispensable the last time we talked about it."
"I know, but things have changed."
"Then the Brindley job is off?"
"I didn't say that. I want you to help me."
She bit her lip, straightened up and studied me for a moment. "You're in love with her, aren't you, Mike? Own up. You can tell me."
"I like her too much to make a sucker out of her," I said curtly. "Let it go at that."
"The hell we will," Mona flared. "So she's out and I'm in. If I get tossed in the can—that's okay. You don't give a damn about that. But I do."
"Oh, come on, Mona," I said uncomfortably.
"You're asking me to step aside and let Sheila take you over," she went right on to say. "That's bad enough, but now I'm to help you pull a job I considered too dangerous to begin with. Talk about suckers!"
"There'll be twenty-five grand in it for you, baby," I said.
"I've got all the money I need. Mike—tell me the truth. Have you fallen for this little bitch?"
I was in no mood to argue. I got to my feet
"Okay, baby, you've got it right, and Sheila doesn't fit in with your four-letter word vocabulary."
She came around the corner of the desk and flew at me. The attack was so unexpected I didn't have a chance to get set. Her nails made two raw tracks down my cheeks, and she was set to claw me again. I gave her a shove that sent her reeling back. But whether Mona's blood was Spanish or Gypsy, it was hot as Old Faithful. She picked up an ash tray and hurled it. I got a face full of ashes, though the heavy glass missed my head by a couple of inches.
She picked up the base of a pen set and got ready to throw it, but I rushed her and twisted the thing out of her hand. She kicked my shins and my legs, did her best to use a knee on me, and all the while her free hand came at my face with those talons ready and eager. There was only one thing I could do.
I gave her another shove, letting go of her wrist at the same time. When she flew back, I wound one up and hammered it smack to her jaw. She had her mouth open to yell and the teeth came together with a snap. She landed against a chair, made a few wild grabs at it and slid to the floor in a heap.
I cursed her and went to the bathroom for a glass of water. I fed this to her until she opened her eyes. My arm was supporting her and as soon as she had the strength, she brushed it away and managed to get on her feet without my help. The fight was out of her—the active kind, at least—but she was hating me with her eyes.
"We're finished, Mike. You know that," she said.
"I'm sorry, baby. I apologize for punching you, but there was nothing else I could do."
"Forget the punch. I can—but not the double-cross you just handed me. I'm getting out, Mike."
I said, "I wish you wouldn't," but knew while I spoke that this was the best way all around. "You have more money coming, baby. I'll give it to you now if you still intend to walk out."
"I don't want your money and you're goddamn right. I’m walking out. That doesn't mean I've finished with you. I’ll fight you every chance I get. I'll be as low as you've been and that's getting down pretty far. You'll be sorry about this, Mike. You'll wish Sheila had never been born."
I went around to the back of my desk and sat down. “So long, Mona," I said quietly. "Good luck."
She snatched up her hat and threw her jacket over her shoulders. "I'm not wishing you any luck except the kind that's all bad. You didn't know I could hate this way, did you, Mike? You haven't seen the half of it. And as for that Brindley necklace, you won't get it. That's going to mine—if I have to kill you to stop you."
She stormed out, slamming the door hard. I heaved a great sigh and wished all this hadn't happened. Mona had been close to me. But sooner or later she had to go.
I was half tempted to bundle up everything I owned, Sheila and make her leave everything behind and go off with me at once. That was the wise and peaceful way. But Mona was going after the Brindley necklace too; that put it down as a definite challenge. My appetite for those pearls was now voracious.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Life during the next week was lousy. Without Mona around the office it was too quiet, so I spent little time there. Nights I sat in that bar and grill waiting for Sheila. She didn't come for three nights, and when, on the fourth, did show up, she could only stay for a moment or two.
"I knew you'd be worried, darling," she said. "But this week—of all weeks—Jack decided to take some time off. He doesn't stay home much, but he comes and goes. He only just left, but there's no telling when he'll be back, so I can’t stay."
"We've got to do something about him, Sheila."
"I know. I've been trying to find the solution and I can’t. Mike?I did something perhaps I shouldn't have . . .
I grabbed both her hands across the table. "You just called me Mike."
The Deadly Game Page 6
