‘Yes, Steve?’
‘Listen carefully, Creeden,’ I said. ‘I have information that your wife has been stealing from the Welcome store. My wife has been doing the same thing. I am being blackmailed. I suspect you are too. I went tonight to pay Gordy off. I found him murdered. I saw you in East Avenue where his house is and you saw me. There will be an investigation. I suggest we didn’t see each other tonight.’
A long pause, then he said, ‘That makes remarkable sense to me. You didn’t see me... I didn’t see you... right?’
‘Yes.’
‘That’s how it will be,’ he said and hung up.
I put down the receiver and drew in a long deep breath. It was hard to believe it could be this easy.
Now Linda.
This was something I couldn’t do over the telephone. I had to see her. I didn’t want to, but I had to. As I got to my feet, I saw the gun and the holster lying on the settee. I picked them up and put them in my desk drawer. Then turning off the light, I left the house, locked the front door and started down the drive. As I reached the gate, I heard a police siren. I watched two police cars sweep past, heading for East Avenue.
I started the long walk to Lucilla’s bungalow. Again I heard approaching police sirens and I stepped off the road as another police car, followed by an ambulance went by.
By now my heart was thumping. Fortunately there must have been a good TV show on and the sound had drowned the sirens, otherwise everyone would have been at their garden gates.
I finally reached Lucilla’s place, walked up the path and rang the bell.
There was an irritating delay, then Lucilla opened the door.
‘Ah, Steve,’ she drawled. ‘So you’ve come to give us good news... or have you?’
‘No good news.’
I followed her into the living room. Linda was still reclining on the settee. She looked at me, her one eye cold and hostile.
‘Well?’
Lucilla moved back.
‘I’ll leave you two dears to talk,’ she said.
‘I’d rather you stay. You could be involved in this,’ I said.
‘Really?’ She walked over to a chair, sat down and began to fit a cigarette into a foot long holder.
Briefly, I told them that I had gone to Gordy’s place, found him murdered and the police were already arriving.
‘If Gordy kept the film in the house and the negatives of the blow-ups and the police find them, we are in real trouble.’ I was talking to Linda. Her face slowly went to pieces and her complexion turned the colour of putty.
‘Well, at least you don’t have to pay the beastly man,’ Lucilla said.
Suddenly Linda exploded in hysterical rage.
‘I wish to God I had never married you!’ she screamed at me. She turned to Lucilla. ‘Lucy! Help me! What are we going to do?’
Watching her, seeing the way she looked at this middle-aged lesbian told me Lucilla meant much more to her than I ever did.
‘Do?’ Lucilla tapped ash off her cigarette. ‘You want a divorce, don’t you, my pet?’
‘Of course!’
‘Well, then, what could be simpler?’ Lucilla looked at me. ‘I imagine you will give Lindy a divorce?’
It came to me what a relief it would be to be rid of Linda. I had had little pleasure from her. For over three years I had put up with her grumbles and her greed.
‘Yes.’
‘Well, then there is no problem. We will leave immediately for Dallas. The story Steve has already put our that your mother has to have an operation is just a cover to stop gossip that you two are divorcing. Don’t bother about clothes, Lindy. Steve will send everything you need to Dallas. I’m sure he can give you some money, but if he can’t, I can. I’m sure your mother will understand.’
Linda began to cry.
‘Oh, darling Lucy, I don’t know what I would do without you,’ she mumbled.
Sickened, I took out my billfold and put the three thousand dollars I was going to give to Gordy on the table.
‘I’ll leave you two,’ I said and started for the door, paused, looking at Lucilla. ‘You really mean you can go tonight?’
She smiled at me.
‘I have no problems. You take care of your problems. Within an hour, we’ll be on our way.’
‘The police will check.’
‘Of course. Men always check, but there will be no problem. You and Linda have been quarrelling. She came to me. I took her to her mother. You wanted to give her money so you told the bank you needed an emergency fund.’
I stared at her, then nodded. Then not looking at Linda, I left the room and started the long walk back to my house.
Back home again, I called Jean.
She answered so quickly, I had the impression she had been sitting by the telephone.
‘Could we meet somewhere?’ I said. ‘There are complications.’
‘Come to me? 1190, Westside, top floor.’
‘In twenty minutes.’
As I started to the door, the telephone bell rang. I hesitated, then lifted the receiver.
‘Steve? This is Max,’ Berry said. ‘I’ve got the photocopy of the Hammond estimates. It’s taken me until now. Man! Will this cut this punk down to size! I’ve also got photocopies of the three estimates from the other contractors. They really kick the floor from under Hammond.’
‘Wonderful! Let’s go over them tomorrow. I have your gun and pistol permit.’
He laughed.
‘See you tomorrow, Steve. I thought I had to tell you. Linda okay?’
‘Sure... great work, Max,’ and I hung up.
Again as I started for the door, I paused. Why go without the gun? I had asked for a gun and I had got it. I would look a pea brain if I ran into trouble and had left the gun at home.
Taking the gun and the holster from my desk drawer, I put the gun on the desk while I strapped on the holster. As I was about to put the gun into the holster, I smelt gun powder. I have a very sensitive nose. I can smell things that few people seem able to smell. I lifted the gun barrel to my nose. It had been fired very recently. I stared at it for a long moment, then slid out the magazine. I had loaded the gun with six slugs. Examining the magazine, I found there were only five slugs.
I stood there, feeling a cold chill run through me. The gun had been fired. Was the ejected cartridge case lying on the floor of Gordy’s shabby living room?
Jean opened the door of her apartment a moment after I had pressed the bell.
She was wearing a claret-coloured pyjama suit and her feet in embroidered slippers. To me, she looked lovely.
I moved into the big, furnished room as she stood aside.
‘More trouble, Steve?’ she said as she closed the door.
‘I’ll say.’ I looked at her. ‘I shouldn’t have come here, but I just had to talk to someone and who better than you?’
‘Sit down and tell me.’
‘Jean... Linda wants a divorce. Our marriage is washed up.’
‘I’m sorry, but sit down.’ She moved away from me and sat in a chair a yard or so from the chair she waved me to.
‘Is that the jam or is there more?’
I sat down and told her the whole story of what had happened this evening and concluded with the gun.
‘I’m almost certain that someone took the gun, killed Gordy with it and put it back,’ I said. ‘So you see... I’m really in a hell of a jam.’
‘But you don’t know Gordy was shot. He could have been stabbed.’
‘The gun was fired. Gordy is dead. Why else was the gun fired?’
She nodded.
‘Yes. Let’s accept the fact that he was killed with your gun.’ Her calm, quiet voice had a soothing effect on my jumping nerves. ‘Let’s take a look at this from what we already know. From Wally’s report, we can suspect both Latimer and Creeden: both have motives for getting rid of Gordy. You found Latimer outside your house. You tell me the front door was unlocked. Suppose he entered, looking for you, saw the gun and took it? Suppose he went to Gordy’s place, killed him while you were talking to Linda, returned and replaced the gun. Creeden could have done exactly the same thing, couldn’t he?’