“I run a respectable place,” the tavern owner snapped, starting to rise.
“Sit down!” Cramer said. “Everyone is going to get his say before this is over.”
“The beating of an individual who happened to play cards in the back room of a tavern might not seem remarkable in and of itself,” Wolfe continued. “But when a second member of that bridge foursome, Chester Miller, was found dead of a gunshot wound in the waters of the Hudson off Hell’s Kitchen, that occurrence taxed the credulity of even the most naïve and trusting individual. And lest there be any suggestion of a coincidence, it should be noted that, like Theodore Horstmann, the late Mr. Miller also harbored suspicions as to the activities of some of the habitués of the bar, be they longshoremen or others.”
“My men are not the only dockworkers who go to McCready’s,” Halliwell said heatedly. “I don’t know why you should single them out. Hell, I don’t even know why I’m here at all!”
“Your invitation will become clear in the course of the evening,” Wolfe said. “If I were you, I would not be in a hurry to hear an explanation of your presence.”
“I have to agree with Doug Halliwell in wondering why I’ve been asked to come,” Liam McCready put in. “I’m afraid I did not get a very good explanation from the inspector.”
Cramer said, “I would suggest that both of you, and the others as well” — he gestured toward Bauer and Hartz — “be patient and let Mr. Wolfe proceed. I know from experience that he is not a man to be rushed.”
“So,” Wolfe continued, “we have two card players from the public house in Tenth Avenue who appeared to be singled out for violence. But why? It would appear, Mr. McCready, that being a customer in your establishment could be detrimental to one’s health.”
“Hold on there,” the tavern keeper said. “They weren’t what you would call ‘customers,’ I just let them use the space so they could enjoy their card games.”
“But did they not purchase drinks from your establishment?” Wolfe asked.
“Well yes... but...”
“By any definition I am familiar with, that act would make those gentlemen customers of yours, would it not?”
“Well, all right, sort of,” McCready said, his tone subdued. “I’m frightfully sorry for what happened to them.”
“I am sure you are. Can you offer any explanation as to why they were singled out and targeted?”
“My bar has always been a peaceful spot, where people can come to socialize and relax and play pool.”
“And play cards?”
“Yes, and play cards, as well.”
“But your bar isn’t always peaceful, is it, sir?” Wolfe went on. “What about the man you shot recently?”
McCready bristled. “I have told the police all about that.”
Wolfe turned to Cramer with a questioning expression. “We’re still continuing our investigation, but it appears that Mr. McCready acted in self-defense,” the inspector said.
“Was the man you shot, named Emil Krueger, a regular customer of yours?” Wolfe asked.
“I wouldn’t call him a regular, but he did come in on occasion for a beer or two.”
“I realize you already have related to the police the series of events that night, but if you will indulge me, I would like to hear your description of the incident.”
McCready looked at Cramer, hoping for support, but he was to be disappointed. The inspector curtly nodded for him to continue.
“I often stay in my small office in the back after the bar has closed. It seems there is always some paperwork to go over, and I also review the day’s receipts.”
“You do not take money to an overnight depository?”
“I prefer my financial dealings to be face-to-face,” McCready said. “You can call it old-fashioned, but that was always the way people I knew did business back in Ireland.”
“While in your office, you told the police you heard noises out in the public area of your establishment, and you went to investigate.”
“That is correct, as I have said Lord knows how many times now.”
“And you had a gun with you?”
“Yes, I keep a revolver in the office, just because... well, you never know.”
“Please continue.”
“It was dark there, of course, but just enough light was coming through the front window from the street that I could see a silhouetted figure, and he was holding a gun.”
“Did you recognize him?”
“No, not at all.”
“And what did he say?”
“He didn’t say anything, he just pointed a gun at me like he was going to use it, and I fired my own, just once.”
“But once was enough, wasn’t it?” Wolfe said.
“I was sure that he was going to shoot me!” McCready shouted.
“Did you have reason to fear Mr. Krueger?”
“I didn’t even know it was him when I shot. I didn’t know who it was in the dark.”
“Were you in Ireland when the war broke out?”
“No, I came here in the late 1930s. My uncle, who had run the bar before me, had died, and I was fortunate enough to assume the ownership.”
“Did you see service during the war?”
“No, I was not yet an American citizen.”
“But that should not have mattered,” Wolfe said. “The Second War Powers Act in 1942 exempted noncitizens who joined the armed forces from naturalization requirements. And you certainly were of an age to serve.”
“Well, I... felt that I needed to be here to run the family business that was entrusted to me,” McCready said.
“If you had still been in Ireland during the war, would you have served in the British forces?”
“Perhaps you do not understand, Mr. Wolfe, that Ireland — at least the Free State, not Ulster — remained neutral during the war. How could I have served?”
“Oh, but I do understand, sir. I also am aware that thousands of Irish citizens joined the British military. Those who deserted the Irish army to join with their neighbors were both shamed and shunned after the war.”
“And well they should have been!” McCready said heatedly. “They had no business fighting with the English.”
“I gather you do not like the English.”
“I do not, and why should I, the way they have treated Ireland over the centuries?”
“So, in dealing with what you might have seen as two evils, would you have preferred to see Germany victorious, rather than the Allies?”
“Are you trying to trick me?”
“Trick you?” Wolfe said, his face registering innocence. “Why would I do that, Mr. McCready? I am simply trying to determine where your loyalties lay in that war. As an American now, I would have thought you would prefer to see the Allies prevail.”
“You clearly are not familiar with the misery the Irish have endured at the hands of those cursed people in London.”
“I am familiar with it, although not in a personal way. And I do possess some familiarity with the behavior of the Axis during the war, as I have relatives in Eastern Europe who have experienced that behavior, to their detriment.”
Wolfe turned his attention to the Elmont super. “You, sir, appear to have had the opportunity to meet many recent arrivals from Europe. How have you found their physical condition and their state of mind?”
Erwin Bauer jerked upright as one awakened from a stupor. “What... do you mean?” he said, like a student who hadn’t been listening to his teacher and seemed startled by the question.
“I have been made aware that many of the residents of your building are recent immigrants from Europe, is that not so?” Wolfe posed.