James Chase - Figure It Out for Yourself

Paula said she would be ready. She didn’t waste time asking questions.

I hung up and lit a cigarette. I was sweating with excitement. Somewhere in the silent room a clock ticked busily. I swung my legs up on the settee and tried to keep calm. With any luck, this would be the end of the case. By tomorrow, if it worked out the way I hoped it would, Perelli would be free.

I closed my eyes. It seemed a long time since I had any sleep. A lot had happened since Maxie had given me the pass-key to Barratt’s apartment. It seemed almost too good to be true that within an hour the thing would be finished.

Then suddenly from somewhere upstairs there came a single choked bang of a gun.

I was off the settee across the room and bad the door open before the echo of the shot had ceased to roll through the silent house.

I stood in the hail, staring Into the darkness, listening. A door opened. A light flashed up. Someone ran along the gallery above me, past the head of the stairs. I caught a fleeting glimpse of a woman in a blue silk wrap. Another door opened; then a wild, horrified scream rang out. I sprang forward, mounted the stairs three at the time, reached the gallery as another scream sounded from a lighted doorway at the end of the gallery.

I ran down the gallery, paused outside the door and looked into the room: Dedrick’s room.

Serena was bending over the bed, frantically shaking his shoulder as he lay still and silent on the bed. ‘Lee!’ she was screaming. What have you done? Lee! My darling! Speak to me!’ I went quickly into the room. One brief look at the man on the bed told me he was dead. The side of his head was smashed in, and blood ran down his face on to his white shirt.

I caught hold of Serena’s arm.

‘All right,’ I said sharply. ‘You can’t do anything.’

She spun round, her face white and her eyes glazed with, horror, to stare at me. She started to scream, raised her hands as if to push me away, then her eyes rolled back and she fell into my arms in a faint.

I lowered her gently to the floor, bent over the dead man. A .38 Colt automatic lay on the bed by his right hand. Smoke still drifted from the barrel. There was a fixed, grinning look of terror on his face, and I could see the powder burns on his skin.

‘What’s happened?’

I turned.

Wadlock, in a faded red dressing-gown, his hair standing on ends, stood in the doorway.

‘He’s shot himself,’ I said curtly. ‘Let’s get Mrs. Dedrick out of here.’

I bent over her, lifted her and carried her out of the room.

Wadlock stood aside, his old grey face twitching.

I carried Serena down the stairs and into the lounge and laid her on the settee.

‘Open the casement doors and let’s get some air in here,’ I said as Wadlock switched on the lights.

While he was opening the doors leading on to the terrace I poured a stiff whisky into a glass and returned to Serena.

As I knelt beside her, she opened her eyes.

‘Take it easy,’ I said. ‘Here, have some of this.’

She pushed my hand away and half sat up.

‘Lee.’

‘Now, look, you can’t help him. No one can help him. Just take it easy.’

She dropped back on the pillow and hid her face in her hands.

‘Lee, why did you do it?’ she moaned, half to herself. ‘My darling, why did you do it?’

Wadlock came over and looked at her helplessly.

‘Get the police,’ I said. Tell them what’s happened, and keep out of this.’

‘I don’t understand,’ he said, bewildered. What are you doing here?’

‘Never mind. Get the police.’

He started to say something, changed his m ind and went slowly from the room. I heard him mounting the stairs.

‘Drink this,’ I said, turning back to Serena. ‘You’ll need it. Come on. The cops are going to get tough when they find out you’ve been hiding him.’

She took the whisky, gulped some of it, shuddered and put the glass down.

‘Why should they? He made me promise not to tell them. He came back two days ago. He escaped from his kidnappers. He said they would kill him if they found out where he was. He wouldn’t let me tell even Wadlock.’

‘Did he tell you who kidnapped him?’

‘Barratt and Perelli,’ she said breathlessly. ‘He said Barratt hired Perelli because Lee wanted to give up his past life.’

That was exactly what I didn’t want to hear.

‘Are you sure he said Perelli?’

I spotted a slight movement out on the terrace, and guessed Muffin had arrived.

She turned away from me.

‘Why should I make it up?’

I moved over to the casement doors. Muffin, Paula and Mary Jerome were out there. I beckoned to Muffin, motioning to Paula and Mary to remain where they were.

Mifflin came into the lounge like a cat on a hot stove.

Serena turned swiftly and stared at him.

‘Dedrick’s upstairs,’ I told Mifflin. ‘He’s dead. Suicide.’

Muffin grunted, walked quickly across the room to the door. I watched him mount the stairs.

‘How—how did he get here?’ Serena asked, bar band going to her throat.

‘I guessed Dedrick would be here. I spotted him through the window and called Muffin.’

‘You — you used this phone?’

I nodded.

‘Then Lee must have heard you and listened in. That’s why he — he shot himself.’

I stared at her.

Why should be shoot himself?’

She looked away.

‘The police want him on a—a murder charge, don’t they?’

‘Yeah; so they do. I don’t think it could have happened that way. I looked for a telephone extension in his room. There isn’t one.’

She didn’t say anything.

Then I had another idea: I was full of them tonight.

‘You know he was married before he married you?’ I said quietly.

She spun round; her face hardening.

‘I don’t wish to discuss that.’

‘I thought you’d like to meet her. She’s just outside.’

She started to her feet.

‘I won’t have her here! She’s not to come in!’

‘But she’ll have to identify Dedrick. I’m afraid she’ll have to come in.’

‘No! I forbid her to come into my house!’

Her face had turned ashen, and her big, glittering eyes seemed to sink into her head.

‘I loved him!’ she went on wildly. ‘I won’t have that woman go near him!’

I went to the casement door.

‘Come in,’ I said to Mary Jerome. ‘I want you to go upstairs and look at Dedrick. Don’t pay any attention to her. I’ll see she doesn’t…’

I stopped short.

Serena had moved swiftly to a drawer in the writing desk at the other end of the room, pulled it open and swung around. She had a small automatic in her hand.

‘She stays where she is!’

Mary stood quietly in the doorway, looking at Serene. Her eyes were cold and contemptuous.

‘What are you afraid of?’ I asked, moving slowly towards.

‘Stay where you are!’

I saw her knuckle tighten on the trigger and I stopped.

‘Be careful,’ I warned.

‘Get that woman out of my sight! She’s not going near him!’

‘What’s going on?’

Mifflin came in.

Outside, there came a squeal of brakes, and a pounding of feet on the terrace. Sergeant MacGraw and two uniformed cops burst into the room.

Serena took a quick step back. I was watching her. I saw her lift the gun, turning it on herself. There was a look of sick terror in her eyes as she pressed the barrel into her side. I was waiting for that move. I threw myself forward, knocking her to the floor as the gun went off.

Mifflin dashed forward, dropped on his knees and wrenched the gun out of bar hand.

I rolled away from her.

She lay on her side, her head cradled on her arm, sobbing.