Chapter twenty-nine
Brennan and Fenner were bending over a large-scale map spread out on a desk in the Operations Room at Headquarters when a police officer came over.
“Mr. Blandish is asking for you, sir.”
Brennan made an impatient movement.
“I’ll handle him,” Fenner said, and leaving the room, he followed the officer to one of the waiting rooms.
John Blandish was standing by the window, looking out across the lights of the city. He turned as Fenner came in.
“I got your message,” he said curtly. His face was grey and drawn. “What’s happening?”
“We’re pretty sure your daughter is alive,” Fenner said, joining him at the window. “She has been kept at the Paradise Club these past three months. We broke in there not an hour ago. There’s evidence she was kept a prisoner there.”
Blandish’s face hardened.
“What evidence?”
“A suite of rooms; a locked door; women’s clothes.”
“Where is she then?”
“Grisson got her out of the club just before the raid. She was dressed in a man’s suit. Later we had a report that Grisson raided a farmhouse and took a woman’s dress. Since then we’ve lost them for a moment, but we know more or less which way he is heading. He can’t get away. Every road is sealed off. As soon as it is light enough we’ll have aircraft searching. It’s just a matter of time.”
Blandish turned away and stared out of the window.
“Alive... after all this time,” he murmured. “I had hoped for her sake she was dead.”
Fenner didn’t say anything. There was a long pause, then Blandish asked without turning, “Have you anything else to tell me?”
Fenner hesitated. Blandish turned: his eyes were bleak.
“Don’t keep anything from me,” he said harshly. “Have you anything else to tell me?”
“They have been drugging her,” Fenner said, “and Grisson has been living with her. He is a pathological case. She’ll need special care when we find her, Mr. Blandish. I’ve been talking to the M.O. He doesn’t want her exposed to any past contacts until he has had a chance to look at her. I’m putting this badly. Perhaps you’d better talk to him. He thinks you shouldn’t be there when we do get her. He thinks it would be better for you to wait at home and for us to bring her to you. She’ll need some hours to get over the shock of being free and it would be better for this to happen among strangers. Another thing: Grisson won’t surrender. We’ll have to kill him. It’s going to be a tricky business with her with him. You realize...”
“All right, all right,” Blandish said impatiently. “You’ve made your point. I’ll wait for her at home.” He started for the door, paused and went on, “I understand it was you who found the clue that started the hunt for this man. I’m not forgetting our bargain. When she is returned, you’ll get your money. I’ll be waiting at my house. Arrange to keep me informed how the hunt is going and when she is found.”
“I’ll fix that,” Fenner said.
Blandish nodded and went out.
Fenner shook his head, then waiting a few seconds to allow Blandish time to get clear, he returned to the Operations room.
He told Brennan what he had said to Blandish and the Chief nodded.
“You’re right,” he said. “We’ve just had another lead on this punk.” He put his finger on the map. “Ten minutes ago he was here with the girl. He badly wounded a State trooper who spotted the girl and even spoke to her. They got away but we know which way they are heading. We’ve tightened the cordon. We’ve called on the Army to help. It can’t be long now. I’ve got the local radio and television network to interrupt their programs warning everyone in the district to look out for the car.”
Fenner sat on the edge of the desk. He was surprised that the prospects of making thirty thousand dollars wasn’t giving him the bang it should. He kept thinking of the Blandish girl and what she had suffered at the hands of Grisson.
“You’ve got a sweet job on your hands when you do finally corner this rat,” he said. “As she’ll be with him, you won’t be able to blast him out.”
“I’ll worry my head about that when we have cornered him,” Brennan said. He accepted a cup of coffee from a police officer.
“Are you still holding Anna Borg?” Fenner asked, taking a cup of coffee from the tray.
“Only until I’ve got Grisson, then I’m turning her loose. We’ve got nothing on her,” Brennan said. “We sure have made a clean sweep of the Grisson gang. Phew! That old woman! I’ll remember her as long as I live. I thought we’d never cut her down. Even with five slugs in her, she kept on shooting until the goddamn gun was empty. I’m glad Slim isn’t like her. It’s my bet once the pressure’s on, he’ll crack. I’m relying on that.”
Fenner sat down and put his feet up on the desk. “That girl haunts me,” he said, frowning. “She’s had a hell of a break. Imagine being locked up with that degenerate for four months.”
“Yeah.” Brennan finished his coffee. “But the drug they were giving her would turn her into a zombie. I’m more sorry for her right now. The effects of the drug must be wearing off. After an experience like this, I doubt if she’ll ever be a hundred percent normal.”
“Her old man thinks the same,” Fenner said. “I could tell by the way he spoke. She’d be better off dead.”
The two men continued to talk idly against the background of activity. Time passed. At twenty minutes past twelve, one of the police officers who had been listening to a continuous stream of information coming in over the short wave radio, suddenly scribbled on a pad and passed the message to Brennan.
“They’ve found Grisson’s car: he’s ditched it,” Brennan said. “They found it at Pine Hill. Looks like he’s taken to the woods.” He bent over the map and Fenner, snapping upright, joined him. They studied the map. “Yeah: woods all around here and a couple of farms.” He turned to one of his men. “See if you can find out if these two farms are on the telephone. If they are, call them and warn them Grisson might be heading their way.”
The police officer grabbed a telephone and dialed information.
After some delay, he reported, “Waite’s farm isn’t on the telephone: that’s the distant one. Hammond’s farm is.”
“Call Hammond and warn him.”
“Can’t we go out there now?” Fenner asked. “This sitting around is giving me the ants.”
“I have close to two hundred men out there,” Brennan said. “What good would we do? As soon as I know where he is holed up — then we’ll go.”
But it wasn’t until five o’clock in the morning as the sun was coming up that the call they were waiting for came through.
The police officer said, “Grisson has been located at Waite’s farm, sir,” he said, speaking rapidly. “Waite spotted Grisson leaving one of the barns for water ten minutes ago. There’s no doubt it’s Grisson.”
“How about the girl?” Brennan asked, coming over. “Here — give me the phone.” He took the receiver. “Chief Brennan here. Let’s have it.”
“Sergeant Donaghue this end,” a voice returned. “No sign of the girl yet, sir. We have the farm completely surrounded. He can’t break out. Do we move in and get him?”
“You wait for me,” Brennan said. “Kill him if he tries to break out, but otherwise, keep out of sight and wait for me. I’ll be with you in under an hour.” He slammed down the receiver, saying to the police officer, “Alert that helicopter. I’m on my way.” He glanced at Fenner. “Do you want to come with me?”