Audrey giggled. “What on earth made you do it?” she asked me.
“I had to do it. Edna is Starkey’s daughter. That was the only way I could get Starkey to listen to reason. What the hell? Edna Wilson doesn’t scare me.”
“Famous last words,” Reg said bitterly. “I haven’t finished yet. She’s raised hell with Wolf and he’s raised hell with the cops. Brother, they’re after you for kidnapping. And let me tell you, they’re after me too.”
“After me?” I exclaimed. “What do you mean?”
“Wolf’s charging you with kidnapping,” Reg said patiently. “Macey’s only too glad to haul you in. They’re looking for you now.”
Just then the phone rang. I scooped it up. Latimer came on the line.
“What happened?” I said sharply.
“Starkey’s dead. Jeff shot him,” he told me. “The cops shot Jeff as he was trying to get away.”
I drew a deep breath. “That’s fine,” I said. “That’s the best news I’ve had for years.”
“Glad to hear it,” Latimer returned, “but you ain’t got much to be pleased about. What have you been up to? Macey’s sworn out a warrant for your arrest.”
“He has?” I suddenly got mad. “Well, we’ll see about that. If these punks think they can push me around...” I hung up and turned back to the other two, who were watching me with interest.
“Stick around, you two,” I said. “I’m going to see Wolf.”
“Wait a minute,” Reg said, quickly, “you can’t go out now. The cops are crawling all over looking for you.”
“I’m seeing Wolf,” I said angrily, “and no flatfoot in Cranville will stop me.”
I went out of the room, jerking the door shut behind me.
A police car was pulling away from Wolf’s house when I got there. I gave it a few minutes to get well away and then once more I walked across the lawn and stabbed the bell push.
Although it was just after one o’clock in the morning, the house was a blaze of light and the door opened almost immediately.
I shouldered the manservant aside and walked into the lobby. “Where’s Wolf?” I said.
The manservant stared at me with sleepy, bewildered eyes. From his expression I could see I was the last person he expected to call. “I wouldn’t advise you to see Mr. Wolf tonight,” he said, keeping his voice low. “He is very... er... irritable and—”
“Skip it,” I said shortly. “Where is he?”
A voice sounded from the head of the stairs — Wolf’s voice. “Who is it? Jackson, who are you talking to?”
I went to the foot of the stairs so he could see me. “Good evening,” I said, and began walking up the stairs towards him.
“You get out of my house,” he thundered. “Jackson, call the police. Do you hear? Call the police.”
I swung around, drawing my gun. I pointed it at the manservant, who went white and almost fell down.
“Come on,” I said, threatening him with the gun. “Upstairs, you.”
As soon as he passed me I covered Wolf, who stood gaping in surprised fear and rage.
“We’ll call on little Edna,” I said, coldly. “Go on, both of you.”
“You’ll pay for this,” Wolf snarled, but he went into Edna’s room, followed by the manservant and myself.
Edna was in bed. She sat up with a stifled scream when she saw me.
“Take it easy, toots,” I said, thinking the bruise on her chin put some character in her face. “Just relax and I won’t hurt you again.”
I jerked open the bathroom door and shoved the manservant into the bathroom. “Stay there until I call you out,” I said, and closed the door.
“If you think you can get away with this—” Wolf began, his face a dusty purple.
I pointed my gun at a chair. “Sit down,” I said. “We three are going to have a little talk.”
Edna suddenly threw off the bedclothes and jumped out of bed. She was wearing a pair of salmon-pink pyjamas which made her look like an overgrown kid who had raided a lingerie shop.
“I’m calling the police,” she said, in a voice shrill with fury. “This cheap dick can’t bluff me. If you had any guts you’d throw him out.”
Wolf’s face sagged a little, but he didn’t move. The gun pointing at his stomach seemed real enough to him.
I let her reach the telephone and then I took two quick steps, caught her wrist, ducked a savage blow she aimed at my face and tossed her across the bed. As she scrambled up I handed her a smack on her tail. It sounded like a paper bag bursting, and with a thin wail of pain, fury and fright, she wriggled hurriedly under the bedclothes again.
“Anything more from you,” I said quietly, “and I’ll skin you alive.”
She glared at me with wide, furious eyes, but she didn’t make any move.
I sat down so I could cover them both and lit a cigarette. “Now we’ll talk,” I said, looking over at Wolf. “It’s time you and I had a showdown.”
“You’re sacked,” he said, between his teeth. “You’re not working for me anymore. I’ll sue your boss and I’ll sue you. I’ll get you a stretch in jail!”
I laughed at him. “Okay,” I said, “I’m sacked. That suits me. But I’m telling you something before I go. Starkey’s dead. He was killed half an hour ago. How do you like that?”
His eyes showed interest, but he didn’t say anything. Edna gave a low cry and her face seemed to fall to pieces. She turned over in bed and began to cry, muffling her sobs in the pillow.
Wolf looked at her uneasily.
“She’s his daughter,” I told him. “He planted her on you so he could know all your moves.”
There was a long silence broken only by Edna’s crying. Wolf looked down at his feet, his face haggard. “You’re lying,” he said at last.
“Ask her,” I suggested. “You wouldn’t have stood a chance of becoming mayor with her watching every move. Between the two them they could have cooked up a tale that’d have discredited you and maybe run you out of the town. You’ve been playing with dynamite with this little bird.”
He pointed to the door. “Get out,” he said, his voice shaking with rage.
“I’m going,” I said, “but you’re phoning Macey and you’re telling him to lay off me. You’re telling him you’re withdrawing the kidnapping charge or I’ll spread the story of your love nest all over Cranville.”
“I want you out of this town,” he said. “I’ve had enough of you. I’ll withdraw the charge if you’ll get out and stay out.”
I grinned at him. “You’ll withdraw the charge without any conditions. I’m the guy who holds the whip hand. I’ve got the story set for the front page of the Gazette and you can’t stop it. I’ll stay here until the paper is on the streets. When Cranville hears that Edna is the daughter of a small-time gambler as well as your mistress, you’ll be in a sweet jam.”
He still hesitated; so I reached for the phone and put a call through to police headquarters. When Beyfield came on the line I gave the phone to Wolf. “Tell him it was all a mistake. Say the kid was hysterical and wanted to frame me. Go on.”
He had a long mumbling conversation with Beyfield and finally he went all over it again with Macey. He withdrew the charge and from the way he had to argue I guessed Macey was wild. Anyway, he made it stick in the end. He slammed down the receiver and glared at me.
I stood up. “Okay,” I said. “I’ll leave you to sort out the mess.” I glanced at Edna, who was still out of sight under the bedclothes. “Maybe you’d better send her away. From now on I’m working on my own. I came to Cranville to find three missing girls. Well, I’m finding them. Anyone who gets in my way is going to get hurt. You keep out of this and you may grab yourself the mayorship or you may not. I don’t give a damn who becomes mayor. With Starkey out of the way, the fight’s between you and Esslinger. That’s something you have to thank me for. I fixed Starkey and I’ll fix a lot of other guys in this town if they don’t play. That goes for you too.”