A. Fair: All Grass Isn't Green

“So I pass the tip on to Cole Hale and do everything I can to make the story jell.”

“And what will you get out of it?”

“It depends upon what Cole gets out of it. He’ll cut me in for a percentage.”

“And you’ll take it?”

She looked at me in surprise. “Sure, I’ll take it,” she said. “What do you think I’m doing this for?”

“I thought perhaps it was from a sense of devotion.”

“Don’t be silly,” she said. “I like Cole, but I have a living to make just as he has a living to make.”

“So you’re in this thing together?”

She nodded.

“And in deep,” I said.

Again she nodded.

After a while she said, “You’re the one I don’t get... don’t get the sketch.”

I said, “I’m a private detective. I have loyalty to person who employs me. I don’t have all of the immunities that an attorney would have. As a result I have to protect myself and my client.

“For instance, I can’t hold out evidence on the police if the police demand that evidence, and I can’t conceal evidence and I can’t conceal evidence that would tend solve a case on which the police are working. If I did, I’d be in trouble.”

“But you’re concealing me.”

“No, I’m not,” I told her. “I’m just taking you where you’re not going to be disturbed by a lot of newspaper reporters.”

“Newspaper reporters?”

“That’s right. Have you seen the evening papers?”

“No, I guess I haven’t.”

“Well,” I said, “the evening papers are making a feature of the Los Angeles millionaire who was arrested for murder.”

“But he hasn’t said anything about me, has he?”

“He hasn’t said anything about you, but don’t underestimate the skill of the reporters.”

“But how could the reporters find anything that would lead to me from the fact that Milt Calhoun has arrested?”

“They’ll talk with Calhoun’s attorney,” I said. “His attorney will be very mysterious. He won’t mention names, but the name of Colburn Hale will be brought into the case. Then the reporters will start talking with Hale.”

“Do you think he will talk?” she asked.

“Do you think he’ll keep quiet?” I countered.

She thought that one over and said, “Then why don’t you spirit him away?”

“Because,” I told her, “Hale is a witness. He enters into the case. The police wouldn’t like it if a private detective spirited Hale away. And don’t get the idea that I’m spiriting you away. I’m just taking you to a place where you won’t be disturbed and where you can get a good rest.”

“All right, we’ll let it go at that,” she said, laughing.

We let it go at that.

By the time we got to El Golfo I felt that I knew Nanncie very well indeed and she was one nice kid. I could see her viewpoint. I didn’t know how long she’d have it. I knew that sooner or later some guy would sweep her off her feet and I knew that it might well be Milton Carling Calhoun once he learned the proper approach, but I didn’t think it was my duty as his private detective to give him the proper approach. It was up to him to find that out for himself.

We got into El Golfo in time to get two rooms in the motel I told Nanncie, “There’s a bus service out of here that you can take if you have to, but you won’t be hearing from me, you won’t be hearing from anybody, unless someone comes to get you.”

“And suppose someone comes to get me?”

“Then,” I told her, “you’ll have a nice long ride.”

“Will we have breakfast together in the—”

“I’ll be long gone by breakfast,” I told her. “I have work to do.”

I filled up the agency heap and took Nanncie over to the little restaurant café. It was late, but they still had some fried prawns and I saw the surprise on her face at the quality of food.

“Just watch that you don’t get fat,” I warned.

“What am I going to do for money?” she asked.

“How much do you have?”

“Damn little.”

I laughed and said, “You have no objection taking money from me which came from Milton Calhoun as expense money?”

“Get this straight, Donald. I have no hesitancy whatever in accepting money from you for anything.”

I handed her a hundred dollars.

She looked at the money with wide-eyed surprise.

“This,” I said, “is going to have to last you for a while. Don’t try to account for it. Just put it in as a hundred dollars expense money, and if you have any left you get home, just forget about it.”

“But this is your money.”

“There’s more where that came from.”

She hesitated, then folded the money and put it in purse. I had an idea it was more money than she had one time in quite a spell.

We finished our dinner. I got her a couple of bottles of Tehuacán mineral water and a bottle opener to keep in the room, told her it was better to drink Tehuacán, the mineral water of Mexico, then it was to take a chance on drinking tap water.

When I started to say good night, she reached up kissed me.

“Donald,” she said, “I don’t know whether anyone ever told you, but you’re a very wonderful person.”

“Are you telling me now?” I asked.

She said, “I’m telling you now,” and kissed me again.

I was up before daylight and on the long, lonely road north, leaving the tide-flats behind me, climbing up the higher desert, then driving for mile after mile.

The east lightened into a glorious orange, then into blue, and the sun burst over the mountains to throw long shadows from the grease wood and the desert plants.

Finally I came to the turnoff.

By this time it was broad daylight.

It was a job getting to El Centro in time for the preliminary hearing, but I made it.

The deputy district attorney was a man named Rob, Clinton Roberts, and he took himself rather seriously.

He started out by making a speech to Judge Polk who was holding the preliminary hearing.

“The purpose of this hearing, if the Court please, is not to prove the defendant guilty of a crime, but simply to show that a crime has been committed and that there is reasonable ground to believe the defendant is connected with the commission of that crime.”

Judge Polk frowned slightly as though he objected to being educated by a much younger man.

“This Court understands fully the scope of a preliminary hearing, Mr. Prosecutor,” he said. “You don’t need to explain it.”

“I am not explaining it, if the Court please,” Roberts said. “I am trying to set forth the position of this office. Because of the prominence and social standing of the defendant we are going to go further than would ordinarily be the case. We are going to introduce enough evidence to show fully what the prosecution will rely on at the time of trial. And if the defendant can explain that evidence we will be only too glad to have such explanation made so that the case can be dismissed at this time.”

Anton Newberry, twisting his thin lips into a grin, said, “In other words, you are inviting the defense to show its hand at this preliminary hearing?”

“Not at all,” Roberts said angrily. “We are simply trying to show that the prosecution will conduct its case according to the highest standard of professional ethics and that if the defense can explain the evidence we will be only too glad to join with the defense in asking the Court for a dismissal.”

“And if the defense makes no explanation?” Newberry asked.

“Under those circumstances,” Roberts snapped, “We will ask that the defendant be bound for trial in the Superior Court on a charge of first-degree murder.”

“Go ahead with your evidence,” Judge Polk said to Roberts.