I said, somewhat uncomfortably, that he seemed to be making too much of a much over the matter. “After all, it’s Friday afternoon, Jeff. Everyone relaxes and lets down a bit on Friday afternoon.”
“Everyone doesn’t have a nut after him,” snapped Claggett. “A screwed-up broad who’s been snatching his scalp by bits and pieces, and just may decide she wants his life along with it!”
“Now, Jeff,” I said. “I’m practically convinced that Manny—”
“Shut up,” Claggett said, and turned coldly to Kay. “I don’t believe you were wearing a gun when I arrived today. What do regulations say about that?”
“I’m sorry, sir. I—”
“You’re a disgrace!” said Claggett, cutting me off again before I was able to say anything effective. “I found the door unlocked, and standing wide open! And you naked and unarmed with the man you were supposedly protecting!”
“Y-yes, sir. I’m thoroughly ashamed, sir, and I swear it won’t happen again!”
“No, it won’t. You’re suspended from duty, as of this moment, and you’ll be up before the disciplinary board just as soon as I can arrange it!”
Kay wasn’t blushing anymore. She was apparently fresh out of blushes, and she was very pale as she got to her feet. “Whatever you say, Sergeant. I’ll start getting my things together.”
Claggett brought her back to her chair with a roar. “You, Officer Nolton, will remain in this room until you are told to do otherwise. As for you, Britt” — he gave me a look of weary distaste — “I’ve been trying to help you, and I’ve gone to considerable lengths to do it. Much further than I should have, in fact. Do you think this was the right way to repay me?”
“Of course I don’t, since you obviously consider it wrong, and it’s caused problems for Miss Nolton. I myself don’t feel that it was wrong per se but there’s a variable factor involved. I mean, something is good only so long as it doesn’t make others unhappy.”
“Hmmm,” he said, his blue eyes brooding. “Well! I do feel that you’ve let me down, but that doesn’t excuse Officer Nolton. If—”
“It should. Let’s face it, Jeff,” I said. “I’m quite a bit older than Miss Nolton — also a lot more experienced. And I’m afraid I was persistent with her to a shameful degree. Please don’t blame her, Jeff. It really was all my fault.”
Claggett’s brows went up.
He grimaced, lips pursed, then turned an enigmatic gaze on Kay. “How about it, Nolton? Is that the way it was?”
“Well, I am much younger than—” She broke off, sat very erect and dignified. “I wouldn’t care to say, sir!”
Claggett ran a hand over his mouth. He looked at Kay a moment or two longer, apparently seeing something in her of great interest, then faced back around to me. “You started to say something about Miss Aloe. Anything important?”
“I think so. She was out here to the house today, and she apologized for what she’d done. Implied that she hadn’t been rational or responsible for her actions.”
“And?”
“She promised not to make any more trouble — got pretty emotional about it. I’m convinced that she meant it, Jeff.”
“Well, I’m not,” said Kay; and here came that pretty blush again. “I’m sorry, Sergeant. I didn’t mean to butt in, but I’ve observed Miss Aloe very carefully and I thought you’d want my opinion as a police officer.”
“I do,” said Claggett. “In detail, please.”
“She’s just a snippy, snotty little dip, that’s what!”
Claggett’s interest in her seemed to increase tremendously. He would shift his fascinated gaze away from her; then, as though against his will, it would slowly move back and fasten on her again. Meanwhile, he was saying that he had undergone a complete change of mind, and that she should by all means remain on her present duty.
“Oh, thank you, Sergeant!” She smiled on him brilliantly. “I know you were kind of disappointed about… but it won’t happen again, sir!”
“Ah, well,” said Claggett easily. “A pretty young girl and a handsome, sophisticated older man — how could I blame you for succumbing? And what’s to blame, anyway? Just don’t forget you’ve got business here, too.”
“Yes, sir! I won’t get caught with my — I’ll remember, sir!”
“Good.” Claggett beamed. “I’m sure you mean that, and it wouldn’t be practical to pull you off the job, anyway. Not with so short a time to go.”
“Uh, sir?”
“I mean, we should know how things stand with Miss Aloe very soon. If she’s going to pull anything, she’ll do it within the next week or so, don’t you think?”
“Well…” Kay hesitated doubtfully. “Why do you say that, sir?”
“Because she’s a very pretty girl, too,” Claggett said, “and pretty girls have a way of being jealous of other girls. If she still cares enough for Mr. Rainstar to be mad at him, she’ll try to stop him having fun with you. And she won’t waste time about it.”
Kay said, “Well, yes, sir. Maybe.” But rather doubtfully. Not exactly sure that she had been complimented.
Claggett said he was glad she agreed with him. And he was glad to be glad, he said, because he was really pretty sad when he thought of her imminent resignation from the police department.
“Just as soon as you’ve finished this assignment. Of course,” he went on, “I realize it’s the smart thing for you to do, a girl who’s shown an aptitude for so many things in such a short span of time. Let’s see. You’ve been a nurse, a secretary, an airline stewardess, a — Yes, Officer Nolton?”
“I said, you can have my resignation right now if you want it! And you know what you can do with it, too!”
“Well, sure, sure,” Claggett said heartily. “For that matter, I could have you kicked out on your ass. For stated reasons that would make it hard for you to get a job washing towels in a whorehouse. Well?” He paused. “Do you want me to do that?”
Kay muttered something under her breath.
Claggett leaned forward. “I didn’t hear you! Speak up!”
“I…” Kay wet her lips. “No, sir. I don’t want you to.”
“Don’t want me to do what?”
“Don’t!” I said. “For God’s sake, drop it, Jeff.”
He gestured curtly, ordering me to butt out. To mind my own business and let him mind his. I said I couldn’t do that.
“You’ve made your point, Jeff. So let it go at that. You don’t need to watch her bleed.” I crossed over to Kay, spoke to her gently. “Want to go up to your room? It’ll be all right with the sergeant, won’t it, Jeff?”
“Yeah, hell, dammit!” he said sourly.
“Kay.” I touched her on the shoulder. “Want me to help you?”
She shook off my hand.
She buried her face in her hands, and began to shake with silent weeping.
Claggett and I exchanged a glance. He stood up, jerked his head toward the door, and went out. I took another glance at Kay, saw that her trembling had stopped and followed him.
We shook hands at the front door, and he apologized for coming down hard on Kay. But he seemed considerably less than overwhelmed with regret. The little lady had been under official scrutiny for a long time, he said, and her conduct today had simply triggered an already loaded gun.
“I’m not referring to catching her in the raw with you. I had to bawl her out for it, but that’s as far as it would have gone — if there’d been nothing more than that. It was her attitude about it, her attitude in general, the things she said. If you know what I mean.” He sighed, shook his head. “And if you don’t know, to hell with you.”
“I know,” I said. “But she was pretty upset, Jeff. If you’ll look at things from her viewpoint—”
“I won’t,” said Jeff. “You can be fair without seeing the other fellow’s side of things, Britt. Keep doing that, and you stop having a side of your own. You get so damned broad-minded that you don’t know right from wrong.”