Lepski gave him his wolfish smile.
‘How would you like to be taken in as a pusher, Lu?’ He took from his pocket a small packet. ‘I can always say I found this in your gear. Like the idea?’
Boone stared at the packet, then shrugged.
‘Okay. Forget it. I’m losing my touch. Fuzz can’t lose.’
‘You can say that again. Now, let’s hear about you, what you do, where you’re from, when you’re leaving here.’
Boone again shrugged and began to talk.
Dusty wrote busily in his notebook.
Ken Brandon arrived back at his home at 21.30. During the drive, his mind had been active. What a godawful mess he had got himself into! Before long, the body would be found, then the police would move in. If it hadn’t been for this gruesome murder, he would have driven to Fort Lauderdale and spent the rest of the night, celebrating Mary and Jack’s goddamn anniversary. But the sight of the ripped body had completely unnerved him. Even now as he turned into the long road, leading to his bungalow, his stomach heaved.
This was Sunday night. Most of his neighbours would be out. He turned off his headlights and using only parking lights, drove slowly down the road. So he could establish an alibi for Betty and the police, he knew it was important to get home without being seen.
He drove to his garage door, flicked the gimmick to open the door and drove in. For a long moment, he sat in his car, thinking. Then leaving the car, he opened the door that led to the lobby and walked into the darkness of the living room. He crossed to the window and peered into the street. The three villas opposite were in darkness. He drew the heavy curtains, then groped his way across the room and turned on the lights.
So far, so good! he thought. He felt confident that he had arrived without being seen.
He made himself a Scotch and soda, then sat down. His thoughts darted like frightened mice. First, he had to convince Betty. He forced his mind to concentrate. After a while, he decided he must be truthful to a point. Betty was no fool. He planned his story, then satisfied, he thought of Karen.
God! That had been a mad, reckless mistake! He flinched at the thought that tomorrow he would see her again in the office. Sexually drained, Karen, to him, right at this moment, was a menace to his marriage and to his career.
Then he thought of the bearded man they had encountered. If the police got onto him, and if he told them he had seen Karen and himself, then...!
He wiped the sweat off his face.
He was still sitting in the lounging chair when he heard Betty’s car. He drew in a deep breath and stood up.
A few moments later Betty came in.
‘What happened, Ken?’
He seldom saw Betty angry, but he saw the signs now.
‘I told Jack. I had a breakdown,’ he said quietly. ‘Was the party a success?’
‘Ken! Why didn’t you come? Everyone was asking. Mary was terribly upset!’
‘There was something wrong with the ignition. I’m sorry, honey. I was delayed more than an hour.’
‘But you could have come!’
‘Oh, sure. I could have come, but after the flop at the schoolhouse, after fiddling with the car, I just wasn’t in the mood. I’m sorry, but that’s how it was.’
‘A flop?’ Betty looked concerned.
‘You can say that again. After all the trouble I took, setting up five hundred chairs, I only got thirty-four people! Then when I got in the car, it wouldn’t start. There I was stuck! Hell! I was ready to flip my lid. I took out all the plugs and got in a mess. I just wasn’t in a party mood after all that.’
‘Didn’t you do any business?’
‘I got some of them to sign up, but what a flop! I came right back here to lick my wounds.’
Betty went to him and put her arms around him. He ruffled her hair, feeling sure he had crossed the first hurdle.
‘Darling, I am so sorry. I thought it was going to be so good for you,’ she said.
‘You understand? I’m sorry too. I know I should have come, but I got so goddam depressed, I couldn’t face a party.’
She moved away from him and gave him that lovely smile he so cherished.
‘Let’s go to bed. I’ll talk to Mary tomorrow.’
While they were undressing, Betty asked, ‘What happened to Miss Sternwood?’
Ken felt a tightening in his stomach.
‘She had a date. She went off before I tried to start the car,’ he said.
Betty went into the bathroom for a shower. Ken got into bed and lay on his back, staring up at the dimly lighted ceiling.
It’s going to work out, he told himself. His groin still ached from the beating he had had from Karen. He was now relaxing. Then Betty slid into bed and turned off the light. Her arms went around him and she moved close to him.
‘I’m turned on, darling,’ she said softly.
For the first time since they had been married, Ken failed her.
The following morning, Ken left Betty still sleeping, made himself a hasty cup of coffee, then drove to the office. Meeting Karen again was something he dreaded.
He unlocked the office door and went into his office, turning on both the air conditioners. He was working on the contracts he had made with the parents from the school meeting when Karen arrived.
‘Hi!’ she said, pausing in his office doorway and she smiled. ‘No problems?’
‘No.’
He looked at her. There she was in her skintight jeans, her sweatshirt that emphasized her provocative breasts, her eyes alight, but he got no buzz from her.
‘You look pale, Ken,’ she said. ‘We had a ball, didn’t we?’
He pushed thirteen contracts across his desk towards her.
‘Would you record these, please? I’ll have the others ready in a while.’
She laughed.
‘Sure.’ She came over and picked up the contracts. ‘Strictly business this morning, huh?’
He didn’t look up, but frowned down at the contract lying before him.
‘Oh-ho!’ Again she laughed. ‘Mister guilty conscience. You’ll recover,’ and she walked back to her office, swinging her hips.
Ken sat back. He must get rid of her, he told himself. This situation just couldn’t continue. But how? He sat staring into space, listening to the busy clack of Karen’s typewriter. How to find some acceptable excuse to persuade Sternwood to move his daughter to head office.
Then the prediction of Henry Byrnes, the school’s principal, became a fact.
A sudden murmur of voices in the outer office brought Ken to his feet. He found more than a dozen black people standing before the counter. They all wanted to know what the Paradise Assurance Corporation could do for their children.
From then on, Ken and Karen were busy. The morning passed swiftly. Both of them had sandwich lunches sent in from the Snack bar across the street. It wasn’t until 16.00 that they had time to relax.
‘Phew! This has been quite a day,’ Karen said. ‘Pop will be pleased.’
‘So it wasn’t such a flop. I’ll call Hyams. This is something to boast about.’
Ken went to his office and checked the number of policies he had issued, then, as he was reaching for the telephone, he heard the outer door open. Yet another client, he thought, and getting to his feet, he looked into the outer office.
A tall, thin man with hard blue eyes was standing at the counter. Ken felt a rush of cold blood down his spine. Police! He immediately recognized Detective Tom Lepski from police headquarters. Although Ken had never spoken to this man, he had often seen him either driving or walking around the city. One of Ken’s golfing friends had said, ‘You see that guy? He’ll be Chief of Police when Terrell retires: real smart.’
Ken moved back out of sight. He took out his handkerchief to mop off the rush of cold sweat. His mind flashed to the bearded hippy. He must have given the police a description of both Karen and himself!