“The burg’s all right,” I said. “It’s the people in it you want to worry about.”
“Me?” the driver said, engaging his gears and shooting away from the kerb. “They don’t worry me. I mind my own business.”
I looked at Audrey and grinned, “I think the guy’s got something there,” I said. “If you’d minded your own business, maybe we wouldn’t be in such a mess.”
“That’s right,” she said, trying to disguise the shake in her voice, “blame me.”
The bedroom was large and pleasantly furnished. Between the twin beds was a small table on which stood a telephone. Two large armchairs, a dressing table, two wall cupboards and a pile carpet completed the furnishing.
Audrey lay on one of the beds, a cigarette between her lips and her fingers laced behind her head. I sat in one of the armchairs, a bottle of Scotch on the floor within reach of my hand and a glass half-full of Scotch and Whiterock balanced on the arm of my chair.
“Don’t you realize you are compromising me?” Audrey said lazily.
I grunted. “Do you reckon that’d be worse than death?”
She considered this. “Oh no,” she said, giving me an amused, slightly curious glance; “but are you so sure that it would be death if I had a room to myself?”
I drank a little Scotch, sighed, and put the glass on the arm of the chair. “It’d be taking a chance. Until I’m sure Starkey’s dead I’m keeping you under my wing.”
“I still don’t understand what happened,” she said. “Why did you tell that dreadful man Starkey was framing him. Was he?”
I shook my head. “This case is getting too complicated. There’re too many guys gumming up the works. So I thought a few out of the way would simplify things.” I smiled at her, thinking she looked very beautiful. “So I told Jeff that Starkey was making him the fall-guy. I know that moronic type. You hurt me and I’ll hurt you. It’s the only language they know. So what does he do? He hops down the fire escape, goes around to the front of the building and waits for Starkey to show. That’s why I kept clear when Starkey went to look for a cab. Jeff was waiting out there to give it to him. I didn’t want to run into any stray lead. What I want to find out now is whether Starkey is dead or whether he’s just winged. I hope lie’s dead.”
Audrey sat up and rested on her elbow. “You mean you sent him to his death? You knew Jeff was waiting for him?”
I lifted my shoulders. “I didn’t know he was, but I was hoping he was.”
“How could you?”
“You see, sweetheart,” I said patiently, “this isn’t a job for a girl. This isn’t a sentimental, gloves-on kind of a set-up. It’s devil take the hindmost and me first and last. Starkey wouldn’t have let you and me get away with the stunt we were pulling. He’d’ve caught up with us when we weren’t thinking and he’d’ve shot us very dead. No, Starkey had to go, and I only hope Jeff made a good job of it.” I finished the whisky and made myself another drink. “Latimer should be ‘phoning soon and then we’ll know for certain.”
She sank hack on the bed, worried. “I don’t like it,” she said. “It was a horrible idea.”
“You’d have found it a lot more horrible if Jeff had started some of his persuasive methods. They’re a tough bunch, kid, and we’ve got to treat ’em the way they’d treat us.”
She shook her head, but didn’t say anything more.
“As soon as I hear from Latimer,” I said, a little coldly, “that Starkey’s out of the way, I’ll leave you. Then you can go to bed and catch up with some sleep.”
“You’re thinking I’m ungrateful,” she said suddenly. “I’m not. I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t burst in like that. It was awfully brave of you and I am grateful, only—”
“Forget it,” I said. “This isn’t a woman’s game. What did you do with Dixon’s photograph?”
She looked at me and then looked quickly away. “I tried to get it out of the camera, but it jammed. I... I broke the plate.”
I stared at her. “You broke the plate?” I repeated faintly.
“Yes — that’s why I was so scared. I... I couldn’t give it to Starkey no matter what he did to me and I knew he wouldn’t believe me if I told him I’d broken it.”
I eased my tie away from my throat and tapped on the floor with my foot. “I think you and I had better start praying that Starkey is dead: If he isn’t, we’re in a hell of a spot. You know, babe, there are times when I feel like dusting your tail with a hairbrush. If you ever pull another fast one on me, you’ll get it. I’ll take an oath on that.”
“You needn’t,” she said ruefully. “I’ll never interfere with your business again.”
“Swell,” I said. “I’m not saying you pulled a dumb trick, but you certainly haven’t been all that smart.”
She turned on her side so she could look at me. “And you, Mr. Spewack, haven’t done a great deal in spite of all your big talk. You might remember that when next you feel a superman.”
I nodded in agreement. “But you’re going to see some action before long,” I said grimly. “As soon as I hear from Latimer, I’m going to start. You’ll be surprised just how much I’ll turn up in a few hours.”
“Don’t boast,” she said. “And I don’t think I’d mind something to eat now. Do you think we’ll have much longer to wait?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know, but I’ll order you something. In fact, how you mention it, I could do with something myself. How about some chicken sandwiches and pumpkin pie?”
“Don’t talk about it — order it,” she said, sitting up eagerly. “I’m absolutely starving.”
I reached for the telephone and gave the restaurant the order. As I put the telephone down a knock sounded on the door.
“Who is it?” I said cautiously.
“Me,” Reg shouted through the door. “Lemme in.”
I went over to the door and opened it. He looked wild and there was an alarmed, excited gleam in his eye.
“What’s cooking?” I asked, eyeing him curiously.
He gave a low, sarcastic laugh. “Cooking?” he repeated. “Brother, you don’t know nothing yet. That was a hell of a smart trick you hung on to me.”
“What trick?” I asked, frowning. “Here, have a drink. You look like you could use one.”
He grabbed my glass and swallowed the whisky in a gulp. “Didn’t I tell you it was a dumb act to kidnap that Edna dame?” he demanded, as soon as he got his breath back. “Well, you’ll believe me now. All hell’s apopping.”
“You set her loose like I said, didn’t you?” I said, staring at him. “What’s wrong now?”
He ran his fingers through his mop of untidy hair. “Wrong? That’s rich, coming from you. Listen, that dame’s so mad she even scares herself. She’s running around like someone has put a hornet in her pants. I’ve never seen anything Like it. Why, a tiger with an abscess in its ear is something I’d rather walk around with than that dame.”
I looked over at Audrey blankly and shrugged. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said, and meant it. “What makes her mad?”
He turned appealingly to Audrey. “Hear that guy?” he said. “Listen, maybe you don’t know what he did. I’ll tell you. He busts into the house of Cranville’s biggest political boss. He smacks the boss’s girlfriend in the slats, takes her half-naked out of the house and farms her on me. What do I do? I’ll tell you. I’m sucker number one. I fall for the stuff this rat gives me and I take the dame to a hotel, tuck her up in bed and sit on her face to stop her yelling the place down. Then this guy says ‘Okay, let her go.’ I try to explain, but the dame just makes a noise like a swarm of bees. I reckon she’ll tear me to pieces if I untie her, so I tell the hotel manager to get of her after I’ve gone. Then this lug asks what’s wrong.”