He did... with me following. We went down the stairs, sounding like a herd of horses, and just when we got to the foot of them the lights snapped on and a guy said: “Hold it!”
It was one of the plug-uglies I’d met at the Three C Club. He was dressed in undershirt and shorts and a .45 Colts Automatic and the last impressed me because it pointed at me, where I stood above Wendel. The Wendel woman’s screams above stopped short, and then Crandall’s voice came from the head of the stairs saying: “Hold them, Barney!”
Barney grinned and said: “Yeah!”
The other guard came out of the door behind Barney and this one was dressed in just shorts. He had a mat of hair on his chest and looked absolutely indecent and he held a gun against his hip bone but so it pointed toward us. He asked Barney: “Everything under control?”
Barney jerked his head and said: “Yeah!” again.
Crandall called down: “Tell ’em to turn around so I can see who it is. I can guess now.”
Wendel turned and I could see blood pouring from his nose. I turned also, and Crandall said: “Hagh! I was right. Hold them, Barney, and I’ll call the police.”
Barney said: “Yeah!”
Crandall was wearing about the loudest suit of pajamas I ever hope to see in this world. Purple and red. He looked like a big fat toad in them. He said to me: “You should have stayed out of town, Connell. You’ll do time for this.”
I said: “Call the cops and shut your God-damned mouth.”
Barney said: “Turn around!” and then: “Now come down here and face the wall.”
He waved the gun toward the wall opposite him, and Wendel and I did what we were told to do. Barney’s gun waving didn’t take the muzzle a hell of a way out of line and there was the partner, behind him, to back him up.
It was no time for heroics.
He took my gun and sap and fanned Wendel, who was clean. He hefted my gun, which weighs forty-four ounces when empty, then slammed it against the side of my head. I rolled with the blow, taking away quite a bit of the punch, but it put me down to my knees. Wendel said:
“Here! Here! That’s not necessary.”
He sounded calm and cool then. The shock of getting nabbed had straightened him instead of doing the other. Barney said: “You want some of it too, eh?”
“That isn’t necessary.”
Barney made a half-hearted cut at him with my gun, missing him a foot, intentionally. I stayed on my knees, shaking my head to clear it, and Wendel asked: “Are you hurt?”
I managed to stand up and said: “No. But when I get that bastard with no percentage he’s going to be.”
Barney laughed and said: “Yeah!”
Crandall called down: “I’ve called the station and they’re sending over. Just hold them, men.”
I turned my head and could see Wendel’s wife standing by Crandall. Wendel was already looking up at her; not saying anything. She saw us and ducked back out of sight and Wendel said to me under his breath:
“I’m getting over it, Connell.”
I said: “Well, it’s time.”
And then we waited for the wagon.
There were four men in it and Barney, the guard, started out with calling the one in charge: “Ziggy!” He said: “Ziggy, these two birds busted in and we got ’em dead to rights. The old man will charge ’em with everything in the book.”
“Where is he?” this Ziggy asked. He was a big burly red-faced man and he’d have won in a beauty contest. The consolation prize.
“Up dressing. You got here quick.”
“I’m on the desk.”
He swung on me and said: “So you’re Connell, eh?”
I nodded.
“You’re the guy that’s been raising so much hell? Start something now, why don’t you?”
I said: “You loud-mouthed son-of-a-bitch! Take off that badge and gun and I will. I’m willing to bet your pals would like to see you take it, too.”
Two of the cops grinned and the other said: “That’s resisting an officer, Ziggy. That’s another charge.”
I said to him: “Another—, hunh?”
The first two cops kept their grins. I was getting a break; two against two. Even-Stephen. The cop got red and mumbled something and I said: “Spit it out, baby. Take off the jewelry and I’ll take you on after Mister bastard here.”
Crandall said, from the stairs: “Quite a guy, eh, Connell? You know an officer can’t brawl like that. I wouldn’t blame either of these men if they subdued you by force after that. I think it would be justifiable.”
Ziggy came out with a sap. So did his pal. One of the other cops said: “Hey, Ziggy. Now there’s no need of...” Ziggy cut at me with the sap then and I dodged it. The dodge took me in the other one’s range and I didn’t do as good there. The sap caught me across the ear and made me wobbly. Wobbly enough to let Ziggy catch me fair and square with his next try.
I came back to life in the wagon and the wagon was stopped in front of the jail. The wagon was only a five passenger sedan but they’re all the same, whether they’ve got wire over the back of a truck or are just an ordinary car. They all take you to jail. I could hear Ziggy’s voice say:
“Get ’em out,” and then I heard Kirby’s voice drawclass="underline" “And what is this, Hunter?”
“Two guys charged with house-breaking, assault, and a bunch of other stuff. Connell is going to face a gun charge. The other guy is going up against aggravated assault. Crandall is coming down to charge them.”
Kirby said: “Just a minute. Aren’t you supposed to be on the desk?”
“Wilson’s taking my place.”
“Did I put you on the desk or Wilson?”
“Well, you put me.”
“Why aren’t you there?”
“Well... I...”
Kirby laughed but it didn’t sound funny. He said: “Somebody else is running the force, is that it? You get inside where you belong and you do it God-damned fast.”
I could hear his feet clumping away and then Wendel climbed out. I followed him and had a hard time making it; Ziggy’s sap hadn’t helped me much. Kirby said to the cops:
“We’ll take charge of these men. I want to talk with them.”
He led the way, with Macintosh following Wendel and me. We went in the office and Kirby sat us down and said to me: “What crack-brained stunt is this, Connell?”
The wallop hadn’t helped me think, either. I said: “Well, Wendel wanted to see his wife. So we went to see her.”
Macintosh grinned and said to Kirby: “There’s no charges filed against them, that I can see. Of course there’s that old charge against Connell but that’s County and I haven’t any memory tonight. I don’t see how you can hold them.”
The brain worked better then. I said: “Suppose you hold Mr. Wendel tonight and let me out. That’s splitting the difference.”
Wendel said: “I don’t understand, Connell.”
“You’re safe in jail. I’m not. Not with this Ziggy loose.”
Kirby got red and said: “That wasn’t my fault. I thought I had him out of the way.”
“His Master’s voice,” I said. “Crandall’s.”
Macintosh stared at me and said: “Then you want out and Wendel wants in. That it?”
I nodded.
Wendell said: “Connell, this is ridiculous. I demand that I be allowed to see a lawyer and have a hearing and bail set. I don’t want to spend any time in jail.”
He looked away from me and at Kirby and I shook my head at Macintosh. Macintosh stood and said: “After all Connell knows what he’s doing, Mr. Wendel. Or he’s supposed to know. Suppose you let him play it his way.”
Wendel said indignantly: “Now Connell, I won’t stand for this. I won’t put up with it.”
Macintosh nodded at me and then toward the door and I got up and said to Wendeclass="underline" “Now look! I don’t want to be tied down and have it known where I’m tied. It doesn’t matter about you; they won’t shoot at you in jail. I don’t think Crandall will put charges against you and I know damn’ well he will against me.”