James Chase: Fast Buck

‘They’re waiting now,’ she said.

‘I wouldn’t have done it if I’d known,’ he muttered. ‘I don’t suppose you’l believe that.’

‘Does it matter now? It’s a little late for regrets, isn’t it? You did it, and he’s dead. I blame myself, not you.’

His despair was bitter as she went out of the room without looking at him. For the first time in his life he felt afraid, for he realised he was going to die as he had lived: uncared for and in loneliness.

Olin and two patrolmen, guns in hand, came into the room. Dallas followed them.

Baird lay flat on his back, his eyes closed. He was breathing with difficulty, and sweat ran off his face, soaking the pillow.

Olin snapped, ‘Get that intern up here, and tel him to hurry.’

Dallas shook Baird’s shoulder.

‘Hey, you! Wake up!’

Baird opened his eyes.

‘Did Hater tell you where the stuff is?’ Dal as demanded. ‘Come on, spil it! It’s not going to be of any use to you now.’

Baird shook his head.

‘I forgot to ask him,’ he said, in a voice that was scarcely audible. ‘Too bad, isn’t it, copper?’ His eyes moved from Dallas to Olin. ‘I holed up in this room after I knocked off those two in the drug store,’

he said, speaking with difficulty. ‘I told her if she didn’t hide me Rico would get her. She didn’t want to do it. Do you understand? I made her. You’re not going to hold it against her, are you?’

‘Get ing soft?’ Olin said with a sneer. ‘You know as well as I do she covered you, and that makes her an accessory to murder!’

‘She thought Rico would rub her out if she didn’t cover me.’ Baird made an effort to sit up, but he couldn’t make it.

‘Quit lying!’ Olin said. ‘Why should you want to shield her? She took your gun. If it hadn’t been for her we wouldn’t have found you. Now, come on; she hid you wil ingly, didn’t she?’

Baird looked at Dallas.

‘You fix it,’ he gasped. ‘She’s a good kid. I made her do what she did. Put it in writing. I’l sign it.’

‘Listen,’ Dal as said to Olin, ‘if she hadn’t got his gun, you’d have had a bat le on your hands. What do you want to pick on her for?’

Olin made an impatient gesture.

‘Oh, the hel with it! I don’t want her. She can go for al I care. Where’s that damned intern?’

Baird relaxed limply back on the pillow. His eyes closed.

Dallas said, ‘Can I tel your man to let her go?’

‘Sure,’ Olin said impatiently. ‘Do what you damn well like.’

As Dallas went into the passage, the intern came up the stairs.

Olin called to him, ‘Give this guy a shot of something. I want him to make a statement.’

Dallas ran down the stairs.

Anita and a patrolman were waiting in the lobby. Dallas stepped past them and shut himself in the pay booth at the end of the passage. He put a call through to Purvis. Rapidly he brought Purvis up to date on the night’s happenings.

‘Looks like we’re sunk,’ he concluded. ‘With Hater dead, our last chance of finding the stuff goes with him.’

‘How about the girl?’ Purvis said. ‘Maybe she knows.’

‘Do you want me to ask her?’

‘Certainly,’ Purvis said. ‘Tel her I’l give her ten grand if she can tell us where he hid the stuff.’

‘Get ing pret y generous all of a sudden, aren’t you?’

‘Go and tel her!’

‘Now wait a minute, if she knows where the stuff is hidden, and she tells us, what’s to stop Olin nabbing her as an accessory?’ Dal as pointed out.

‘What do I care?’ Purvis barked. ‘Let her worry about that. And listen, don’t go put ing ideas into her head. The chances are she won’t think of that angle. Ten grand’s a lot of money.’

‘Would you cover her if Olin asked questions?’ Dal as persisted.

‘I’m not that crazy,’ Purvis said. ‘Just don’t tel her. The chances are she won’t figure that angle.’

‘Hold on,’ Dal as said. ‘I’l ask her.’

He laid down the receiver, left the pay booth and walked over to where Anita and the patrolman were waiting.

‘The Lieutenant says this woman can go,’ Dal as said to the patrolman. ‘He wants you upstairs.’

‘Okay,’ the patrolman said. ‘That lets you out,’ he went on to Anita. ‘You’d better take a walk until they’ve got him out of here.’

As he went up the stairs, he gave Dallas a slow wink.

‘Just a minute, Miss Jackson,’ Dal as said as Anita began to move away. ‘I’m Ed Dal as of the International Detective Agency. We’ve been trying to find the Chittabad collection since it was stolen.

I’ve been authorised to pay you ten thousand dol ars if you can give me any information that’l lead to the recovery of the jewels.’

She looked up at him, her face expressionless.

‘It’s only fair to warn you,’ he went on, ‘that if you do know what’s happened to them and you tell me, you run the risk of being prosecuted as an accessory.’

‘But you shouldn’t tel me that, should you?’ she said.

‘Maybe not, but I don’t like the way my boss is handling this case. Al he thinks about is what he’s going to get out of it. It’s up to you. If you think ten grand is worth the risk, and you know something, now’s the time to spil it.’

She shook her head.

‘I have no information to give you.’

‘Sure?’

‘Yes, I’m sure.’

‘Is there anything I can do for you?’

She stiffened, and her eyes became hostile.

‘No, thank you.’

He took out his card and slipped it into her hand.

‘You might change your mind. If you do, give me a call. It’s not much fun being on your own after a thing like this. I might be able to help you.’

‘Thank you, but I’l manage.’

She walked past him, down the passage to the street door. Dallas watched her until he lost sight of her in the crowd that stood either side of the entrance. He wondered if he would see her again, and hoped he would.

He went back to the pay booth.

‘You there?’ he asked, as he picked up the receiver.

‘Of course I’m here,’ Purvis said. ‘What did she say?’

‘She doesn’t know. Hater never told her a thing. I’m not surprised. She was only five when he went inside.’

‘You’re sure she isn’t lying?’

‘Not a chance. I can always tell when a woman’s lying. If you ask me the col ection never wil be found.’

‘I’m not asking you!’ Purvis snapped. ‘Come back to the office. Maybe we can figure an angle.’

Dallas watched two white-coated attendants carrying the stretcher down the stairs. They had covered Baird’s face with the blanket.

‘You still there?’ Purvis asked suspiciously.

‘Yeah,’ Dal as said. ‘They’re just carrying Baird out. The crowd’s get ing a big bang out of it.’ He opened the booth door so he could watch the stretcher being carried into the street. ‘Funny how people like to gape at a corpse. I believe he was really fond of that girl.’

‘Wil you stop mutering to yourself,’ Purvis said angrily. ‘Come back here at once. I think I’ve got an angle already.’

‘How you love to kid yourself,’ Dal as said pityingly and hung up.