James Chase - Shock Treatment

He pointed out that Delaney had been in an all-steel chair and had used an all-steel screwdriver. Under these circumstances, he went on, if the screwdriver came into contact with a live terminal or wire, the shock would be great enough to kill the healthiest man.

Joe chewed his pen, looked wise and made a few notes. He thanked Doc and then called me.

His first words to me told me I was three-quarters home.

“Would you tell us, Mr Regan, how the accident could have happened?”

Already he was talking of an accident. It now depended on what I said to tip the scales.

I went over to Stringer’s desk and drew him a plan of the set, explaining to him how the sound control lead had come adrift, and how it was possible to get a shock by poking an uninsulated screwdriver into the set, touching one terminal, and then another. I also explained how anxious Delaney had been to see the Dempsey fight film.

“It’s happening all the time, Mr Coroner,” I concluded. “People just don’t realize the danger when they fool around with a TV set when the current’s going through it. The fact that he was in an all-metal chair, and using a screwdriver that wasn’t insulated, didn’t give him a chance.”

The blueprint I had drawn clinched it. It was something Stringer could look at and understand. I could see he was convinced as he thanked me for making it so clear, and when I got back to my seat, he looked over at George Macklin and asked him if he wanted to say anything. Macklin said he didn’t, and that fixed it.

Stringer said he found Delaney had died through an unfortunate accident and he had no hesitation in recording a verdict of accidental death.

After he had gone through a long harangue about the dangers of ignorant people meddling with TV and radio sets, he left his table and came over to Gilda and offered her his condolences.

Sheriff Jefferson, Doc Mallard, Macklin and I followed Gilda out of the hall and we all paused outside in the hot sunshine.

“If there’s anything I can do, Mrs Delaney,” Jefferson said, “just let me know. I’ll be happy to do it.”

Gilda thanked him. She said Macklin would take care of everything.

Macklin told her he would be out at Blue Jay cabin the following afternoon, and he would let her know how the financial situation was by then. He shook hands with her and with me, and then he, Jefferson and Doc Mallard went off together.

That left Gilda and me alone.

I was feeling fine now. Fear had left me. It had come out just the way I had planned it to come out.

“We’re nearly through,” I said. “It went off better than I thought it would. Is there anything I can do? Anything I can take care of for you?”

“There’s the TV set, Terry. He — he never paid for it, did he? I wish you would take it away.”

“That’s okay,” I said. “I’ll come out and take it away the day after tomorrow. Nothing else?”

She shook her head.

“Mr Macklin will take care of everything.”

Neither of us looked at each other as we talked. I was aware that we were in the main street and I was nervous people might be curious about us.

“What do you plan to do now, Gilda?”

“I don’t know. It’s what you plan to do. You tell me.”

“We’ll have to keep away from each other for a month. I think you had better go to a hotel in Los Angeles. At the end of a month, I’ll have cleared up my business here, then I’ll join you. We’ll go somewhere — New York or somewhere, and make a fresh start. I’ll open this shop. When you are fixed up in Los Angeles, write to me. Don’t telephone.”

“Then I’ll see you the day after tomorrow.”

“Yes. We’ll talk more then.”

I watched her walk over to where she had parked the Buick, then I started across the street to where I had left my truck. I hated her going back to the cabin on her own, but I knew I couldn’t afford to take any risks of starting gossip.

It was hot, and I took my handkerchief out to wipe my face and I felt some papers in my pocket. I pulled out the two letters Hank Fletcher had given me for Delaney and I stared blankly at them. I had forgotten about them.

Gilda was getting into the Buick. I ran over to her.

“I forgot to give you these letters,” I said. “They were delivered yesterday.”

She glanced at them, then pushed them into her bag.

“Thank you.”

We looked at each other. Those forget-me-not blue eyes were clouded and expressionless. They worried me a little.

I watched her drive away.

After all, a month wasn’t all that long to wait, and then a new and exciting life was ahead of us.

I went out to Blue Jay cabin, as I had promised, to collect the TV set.

As I got off the truck, Gilda came out onto the verandah. She was wearing her cowboy shirt and jeans. She looked pale, and there were smudges under her eyes as if she hadn’t slept much during the night.

“Gilda!”

I ran up the steps and took her in my arms. Her hands pressed against my chest, keeping me away from her.

“Not here, Terry!”

From the way she looked at me, I knew something was wrong. I let go of her.

“What is it, Gilda?”

She moved away from me and sat down.

“I want to talk to you.”

I sat down. I was suddenly frightened.

“Terry... I have some bad news.”

“Well, all right.” My voice sounded husky. What is it?”

“There’s no money.”

I stared at her. That was the last thing I expected to hear.

“No money?”

“Mr Macklin was here yesterday. He thought I knew. Jack had been spending his money recklessly ever since he was crippled. Mr Macklin kept warning him, but he wouldn’t listen. The rent of this place was ridiculous. It seems he never had very much, although he told me he had. I can’t think why. The money he left won’t even cover his debts. I’m sorry, Terry, but there it is.”

It was a pretty hard jolt. I had been counting on Delaney’s money to make a fresh start.

“I want you to understand, Terry,” she went on quietly, “that I don’t expect you to marry me now. I have nothing to offer you. I realize you wouldn’t want to be hampered by a wife unless you had capital to make a fresh start. I think it would be better to forget about me.”

“Oh, no,” I said. “Now look, Gilda, I love you. We can fix something. I want to marry you, and I’m going to marry you. It means we’ll have to wait a little longer, that’s all. We can’t get married here. There would be too much talk and gossip. It’ll mean I’ll have to work for a firm again. I don’t mind that, but we may have a tough time to start with. If you can stand it, I can.”

She hunched her shoulders, frowning.

“You don’t have to do this, Terry. I can look after myself.”

I got up and knelt at her side, taking her hands in mine.

“I want you, darling. Maybe it’s better this way. It bothered me, thinking I would use his money. If you’ll take a chance with me, I’ll make good.”

She began to cry, turning her head away from me.

It was a let-down all right, but at least I had her, and she had been the real reason why I had killed Delaney.

When she had got over her crying jag and had calmed down, she said: “I keep wondering if he killed himself. I keep wondering if it was an accident. Do you think he deliberately did this thing to provide for his debts?”

I was only half listening to what she was saying, but her last words registered and I looked sharply at her.

“Provide for his debts — what do you mean?”

“There’s this insurance policy he took out.”

I stiffened. My heart began to thump.

“Insurance policy? What policy?”

“I haven’t had time to tell you. He was insured. Mr Macklin told me yesterday. I didn’t know myself. One of the letters you gave me was the policy from the Insurance people. He had insured the TV set. Mr Macklin says there’s a clause in the policy that covers the owner of the set against an accident. He says he is sure he can collect on the policy. It’ll be worth five thousand dollars. It’ll clear Jack’s debts and give me a little something in hand until I find a job.”