Bromwich grunted. ‘Nothing in here.’
I heard them come out and cross the passage into the room on the right. I was suspended in a cold, terrified vacuum. If they found me here, they would think I had killed her and they’d send me to the gas chamber.
‘I guess we’re wasting our time,’ Bromwich said from the other room. ‘I still think they’ve skipped. Ditching the car could be his idea of throwing us off his trail. While we’re working on this kidnapping idea, he’s probably on a ship for Europe.’
‘The Chief doesn’t think so,’ Lewis said.
‘He looks for trouble,’ Bromwich said sourly, ‘but he doesn’t have to run himself ragged like I do. I’d think it was a snatch myself if all I had to do was to sit behind a desk and hand out cockeyed orders.’
‘We may as well check this last room,’ Lewis said.
I held my breath as I heard the door push open. The beam of a powerful flashlight swung into the room. I closed my eyes, squeezing myself against the wall of the crate.
‘For sweet Pete’s sake!’ Bromwich exclaimed.
I heard him move forward.
‘It’s the Dester woman!’ Lewis said. His voice sounded excited. ‘The description fits her. Is she cold?’
‘Been dead thirty hours at least,’ Bromwich said. ‘My stars! This is going to start something.’
‘So they were snatched,’ Lewis said. ‘Think Dester’s body is anywhere around?’
‘How the hell should I know?’ Bromwich snapped. ‘I’ve got to get the boys up here. Let’s see if the telephone in the other room’s still connected. You stay here.’
I heard him run down the passage while Lewis lit a cigarette and began to prowl around the room. He paused beside the wooden crates and gave one of them a tentative kick. I remained motionless, sweating, my breath held, my heart hammering.
I could hear Bromwich bawling on the telephone. I couldn’t hear what he was saying. In about an hour, probably less, the whole forestry station would be crawling with police. If I were going to get away I had to do it before they arrived.
Lewis must have tried the light switch for the room suddenly sprang alight.
‘Well, at least the light’s not disconnected, Lieutenant,’ he called.
About five minutes later, Bromwich came back into the room.
‘They’re on their way. Tell Jackson to take a look at the other two huts. Dester may be in one of them.’
Lewis went away. I could hear Bromwich moving about the room. He hummed under his breath. I couldn’t see what he was doing, but every time he passed close to the crates, I held my breath.
‘He’s taking a look,’ Lewis said, coming back into the room. I heard him move over to where Helen lay. ‘She’s certainly been knocked about. Think she was suffocated by that gag?’
‘I dunno. The M.O. will tell us.’ Bromwich sat on the crate in which I was hiding. ‘It beats me why she was left tied up like that. She must have been alive. They wouldn’t tie up a dead woman, would they? But why did they leave her here? This isn’t like a snatch job to leave her here. There’s something wrong in this setup, Lewis.’
‘Yeah,’ Lewis said. ‘It looks to me it’s the work of an amateur. You know that guy Nash bothers me. There’s something too smooth about him. Think he’s hooked up in this?’
‘I don’t know, but I’ll find out. You’re right; there is something about him. One time he worked for Jack Solly. We had Solly in a couple of times and we couldn’t pin anything on him: remember? Birds of a feather—’
‘That’s what I was thinking. He was too glib about how sick Dester was. It’s my bet Dester never was sick.’
I was listening to all this and I was pretty scared.
‘She may have had something to do with it too,’ Bromwich went on. ‘That cord around her wrists and ankles doesn’t fit. It looks like a plant to me.’
‘All the same, you don’t fake that bruise she’s got there.’
‘That’s right.’
Footsteps sounded in the passage, then a new voice said, ‘I’ve checked the other two huts. No one’s in there and no one’s been in there for some time, Lieutenant.’
‘Okay, Jackson. Stick around outside and let me know when the others come.’
There was a long silence, then Bromwich said, ‘I’ve got another idea: one I like a lot. Suppose Dester killed her and tied her this way to make it look like a kidnapping? He could have skipped, hoping we would think he’s in the hands of kidnappers. How do you like that?’
‘Why should he kill her?’ Lewis asked doubtfully.
‘They didn’t hit it off. From what I hear she treated him like a dog. They may have quarrelled on the way to the sanatorium. It was her idea he should go there. Maybe he felt she was railroading him into the joint and he wouldn’t be able to get out once he was in. Maybe he got her to stop the car and then slugged her, brought her out here, found he had killed her and rigged it to look like she had been kidnapped. That could be it, Lewis.’
‘Then he drove back to Hollywood, ditched the car and took a train or a bus somewhere,’ Lewis said. ‘I think you’ve got something there, Lieutenant.’
‘I’m damned sure I have.’ Bromwich slid off the crate. ‘I’ll have a word with the Chief now. You might take a look at those other two huts in case Jackson has missed anything. He’s not as bright as he could be.’
I heard the two men walk down the passage. A moment later I heard the telephone bell tinkle as Bromwich started to dial.
It was now or never. I crawled out of the crate, stepped silently to the half-open door and peered into the passage.
The office door from which Bromwich was telephoning stood half open. I should have to pass it to get to the front entrance. Was the policeman outside or had he gone with Lewis? I heard Bromwich say, ‘We’ve found Mrs. Dester, Chief. Yeah: she’s out at Newmark’s forestry station. She’s dead. Yeah, it looks like murder.’
I crept down the passage, my heart pounding. If Lewis came back now he would walk right into me. I paused outside the office door, holding my breath.
Bromwich was saying, ‘The boys are on their way here. I’ll know more after the M.O.‘s seen her. Yeah, she’s been dead at least thirty hours.’
I inched forward and peered into the office. Bromwich was leaning across the desk, his hat back half turned to me. I didn’t hesitate. Two quick steps took me past the door to the front entrance. Again I paused while I looked out into the dark night. I could see the police car; its headlights cutting a path in the darkness, but I couldn’t see Jackson or Lewis. I heard the telephone bell tinkle as Bromwich hung up. I hadn’t a moment. Drawing in a deep breath, I slid out into the darkness. Pressing my back against the wall of the hut I began to move cautiously away from the police car.
I heard a sound, and looking to my right, I saw Bromwich come to the door and stare across the open space in front of the hut, down towards the highway.
I kept moving until I reached the end of the wall. Looking around it, I could see nothing except darkness. I felt the cool breeze on my face. I could hear Lewis talking somewhere away from me.
I left the shelter of the hut and, crouching low, I began to move in a wide circle towards the barbed-wire gate. I couldn’t see where I was going and I had to test each step as I made it to be sure I shouldn’t blunder into a tree or step on a dry stick or make some sound that would give me away. But as I got further away from the hut, I took more chances and moved faster. Even at that it took me ten minutes to reach the gate.
I paused to look back.
There was no sign of either Bromwich or Lewis, but I caught sight of Jackson as he lolled against the doorway leading into the hut.
I turned and started down the dirt road, moving cautiously at first, then as I got further away, I broke into a run. I was reaching the end of the road when I heard the approaching sirens. Without hesitation I plunged into a clump of bushes and spread out flat on my face.