Эд Макбейн - The April Robin Murders

“Make it Rex,” Strober answered, “since we are practically partners on this new venture. My advice is this. Sign your Janesse Budlong to a long-term contract immediately.”

“That’s good advice,” Bingo said. “I’ll call my attorney.”

“And who might that be?”

“Arthur Schlee,” Bingo said with some pomposity, but not much, because he somehow felt he didn’t need the distinction of the lawyer’s name any more.

“A good man,” Strober said, nodding. “Shall I have the contracts and check sent to his office?”

“Yes, he’ll want to look them over,” Bingo said.

“Gentlemen,” Strober said, “it’s been a pleasure doing business with you. I hope you’re happy with the deal.”

“We are.”

“You couldn’t get a better deal off a pushcart on Mott Street,” Strober said, “and I am an expert on those. Good night to you both. I’m very content.” He rose. “If you should have any questions later” — and here he grinned for the first time — “I live right next door.” He shook hands all around once more and then went out. Handsome and Bingo were silent for several moments. Quite curiously, Bingo almost felt like crying.

“You did it, Bingo,” Handsome said at last, very gently.

“We did it,” Bingo corrected.

The partners fell silent again.

“I wish I could be happier, Bingo,” Handsome said, “but I keep thinking of other things.”

“Like what, Handsome?”

“Like how did Charlie Browne get Julien Lattimer’s signature on those house papers? Nobody else could find Julien. And also, why would Julien let Charlie sell this house for peanuts?”

Bingo stared at Handsome thoughtfully. There was a look of rapt concentration on his partner’s even-featured face. For an instant Bingo had the distinct impression he could hear gears clicking and wheels turning.

“Maybe, Bingo, he had something on Julien and was blackmailing him just like he blackmailed April Robin. Or maybe—” Handsome stopped, and then he snapped his fingers and said, “Sure, Bingo! Charlie blackmailed April Robin once, so why wouldn’t he do it again? Only now she’s Lois Lattimer and she’s married to a rich guy. So Charlie blackmailed both of them!”

“That’s it, Handsome!” Bingo said, and then his face fell. “But how did he find her again? How did he know she was Mrs. Julien Lattimer?”

“That wouldn’t be too hard,” Handsome said. “After Lois married Julien, she moved back into this house. Maybe for sentimental reasons. Can we say that, Bingo?”

“We can certainly say that, Handsome.”

“Okay. The house was well known, and there probably were some newspaper stories about Mr. and Mrs. Julien Lattimer buying it. Stories with pictures. And maybe somebody saw those pictures and right away recognized that Lois Lattimer was April Robin.”

“Somebody like Charlie Browne, who knew she was alive,” Bingo said, nodding. “And maybe he came back and asked her for more money. A lot more money.”

“Probably all her money,” Handsome said. “We got to remember, Bingo, that this Browne wanted everything on the highway in 1928. And also that he cheated Mrs. DeLee out of the two hundred dollars he promised her on the sale of this house. I think he is a man who would take all he can possibly get.”

“And all he can get,” Bingo said, “is everything.”

“Only maybe Lois doesn’t have anything. Maybe it’s all in her husband’s name.”

“But Browne doesn’t care,” Bingo said. He was beginning to get excited now. He could feel excitement starting way down in his toes and working its way up his legs to settle in the pit of his stomach. “He wants the money, period. So she and Julien had to figure a way to get loose of Charlie. This Julien is a guy who loves money — Adelle told us that, remember?”

“I remember,” Handsome said, taking no offense. “But if Browne had them over a barrel, wouldn’t they have maybe killed him? I mean, Bingo, instead of running away and all?”

“Well, murder is carrying things pretty far, Handsome.”

“That’s true.”

Bingo shrugged. “They ran away instead. What else could they do? If they refused to pay him, he’d go to the police, and Lois would go to jail.”

“So would Charlie,” Handsome said. “He was a party to manslaughter.”

“That might not have stopped him. He might have been angry enough to go to the police and take his chances that they couldn’t prove he’d helped conceal the highway death.”

“Okay,” Handsome said, “if they couldn’t refuse to pay him, why didn’t they simply pay him?”

“What he was demanding?” Bingo said. “Everything Julien had worked for all his life? I don’t think Julien would have liked that very much.”

“No, I don’t think so either.”

“They had to get away from Browne and keep that money at the same time,” Bingo said thoughtfully.

“That’s it!” Handsome said.

“What’s it?”

“If Julien disappeared for seven years, he’d be declared legally dead at the end of that time, and then Lois would inherit the largest part of his estate.”

“Of course,” Bingo said. “With Adelle Lattimer getting only a quarter of it.”

“Which is a lot cheaper than handing Browne all of it.”

“And that’s why Julien disappeared first. It couldn’t seem to Browne or the police or anyone that there was any collusion.” Bingo paused. “They probably planned for Lois to join Julien later, and then they’d wait out the seven years together.”

“Bingo,” Handsome said, and there was the glow of excitement in his eyes also now. “Bingo, I know why Lois took off in such a rush.”

“Why?”

“Because the cops accused her of murdering her own husband. They hadn’t figured on something like that happening. So maybe she wired him and asked him what to do, and he said Clear out fast, honey. That was when she began cashing in everything she could cash, and forging his name to checks besides.”

“Sure,” Bingo said. “They were going to need every cent they could gather. It would have to carry them for seven years. At the end of that time, Julien would be legally dead, and there’d be no proof that he was ever murdered, so Lois could safely claim the inheritance. She could do that through a lawyer so Charlie Browne would never find her again.”

“Then why did they come back now, Bingo?”

“Because they ran out of money, I’ll bet. And I’ll bet Charlie Browne found out they were in town and went to see them again.”

“Bingo, you are pacing the floor.”

“I know I am.”

“All right, Bingo.”

“And by now, Browne was willing to be reasonable. He’d settle for only a part of their money, once they inherited it. In fact, he was willing to help them wait out the seven years by trying for a quick sale on their house while they remained in hiding.”

“But if Browne was willing to co-operate now,” Handsome said, “why wait out the seven years? Why not simply reappear right away and claim what’s rightfully theirs?”

“Because they didn’t want new police curiosity. They didn’t want the cops maybe digging all the way back to 1928.”

“You’re very smart, Bingo,” Handsome said.

“Thank you.”

“Do you think the Lattimers killed poor Chester Baxter?”

“Well, it kind of figures. The Owl’s Roost was probably where they met with Browne. It was Charlie’s hangout, you know. And Chester must have seen them there and followed them when they left. They couldn’t take a chance on anyone else knowing Julien was still alive and hiding out in Hollywood. They’d waited too long to get at the estate. They couldn’t afford to start all over again, not when they were so close.”