Brett Halliday - Marked for Murder

Brenner said, “No, thanks. They tell me you’re a friend of Timothy Rourke’s.”

Shayne lit a cigarette. “Rourke and I have been friends for a long time.”

“They also say you’re smart.” Brenner’s cold gaze remained steadily on his visitor. His tight lips scarcely moved when he spoke.

“And tough,” Shayne added indifferently.

Hake Brenner’s fist pounded the desk and the fine leather resounded with a dull thud. “I hate what happened to Rourke as much as you do. And those other killings-good God, man! Don’t you see what they’ve done to my business? I’ve been closed since that story of Rourke’s appeared Tuesday afternoon.”

“You had plenty of reason to shut him up.”

“Sure I did. But I had better sense. Hell, Rourke and I came to an understanding that afternoon.”

Shayne looked down at his cigarette to hide the flare of anger in his eyes. “What sort of understanding?”

“He had his price,” Brenner purred, “just like any other man. We made a deal.”

“Did you see him here?” Shayne asked casually.

“Right here in this office. I’m a business man. I can’t afford trouble. I’m always ready to make a deal-with anybody.” His tone was speculative and inviting.

“Who gunned Rourke?”

“I wish I knew, Shayne. I wish to God I knew.” Brenner ran his palm carefully over his sleek hair. He sounded sincere and perplexed. “Whoever did it put the heat on me plenty. That blood-crazy blonde is my guess. Find her-and I swear I’ll help you put her away, but good. After I get things fixed with Rourke-blooie! She stirs everything up again by feeding him lead.”

Shayne nodded. Brenner’s plaint sounded plausible. He asked, “Who is she?”

Brenner spread out his well-kept hands. “You got me, Shayne.”

Shayne said, “Nuts. You know who goes to your clubs and what goes on there. If Rourke could dig up all the dope he printed, you had better ways of getting more dope on her.”

“I swear I didn’t know what was going on. I can’t ride herd on every blonde that makes a midnight pickup in all three of my places.”

“Who is she?” Shayne repeated flatly.

“I told you I don’t know.” Brenner reached for a cigar.

“Do you know a blonde named Madge Rankin?”

Brenner was putting flame to his cigar with a desk lighter. He hesitated a moment before asking, “The dame they found dead last night?”

“That’s right. Dead since last Tuesday.”

“Only what I read about her in the paper,” Brenner said.

“Or a guy named Dilly Smith?” Shayne watched Brenner’s square face for a change of expression, but saw only a quizzical look of deep thought as though the gambler were honestly trying to place the name.

“No.” He met Shayne’s gaze squarely.

“Or a woman named Betty Green?”

“No.” The answer came swiftly.

“Or Mrs. Walter Bronson?”

Shayne saw a startled look in Hake Brenner’s eyes before he could turn them away. He shifted uneasily in his chair. “The editor’s wife?”

“A good-looking blonde,” Shayne reminded him.

“I never saw her that I know of.”

“But you do know Bronson,” Shayne persisted.

“I’ve met him.” Brenner was composed and aloof again.

“You’re not a hell of a lot of help.”

Brenner waved his glowing cigar and said affably, “I’m sorry. I wish I could be. I give you my word-” The telephone on his desk rang. He picked it up and said, “Brenner.”

His square jaw tightened. He glanced swiftly at Shayne and away. Shayne looked at his watch. It was exactly 11:03.

Brenner said into the instrument, “I see. Maybe I can take care of it for you a lot easier than that.” He listened a moment longer, then said, “Call me later,” and hung up.

His eyes were as hard as agates as they studied Shayne. “I’ve heard a lot about you here in Miami and on the Beach. Who’s paying you for this job?”

“Nobody-yet.”

“You never took a job in your life unless there was a payoff.”

“Things turn up,” Shayne said. “I’ve got a hunch the Courier may offer a good-sized reward.”

“Is it more than a hunch?”

“Could be.”

Brenner pushed a button on his desk and dim light shone on a small instrument on his left. He said, “Come in, Bing, you and Monk both,” without raising his voice. The light went out.

A tall bony man with sharp features came in through the side door, followed by Monk. He looked at Shayne without interest, then turned to Brenner and said, “Yeh, Boss.”

Shayne remained seated, but uncrossed his legs. Brenner said, “Frisk him.” Monk moved around behind Shayne and Bing advanced hesitantly. Shayne got up and pulled his Police Positive. 38 in one motion. He trained the muzzle on Brenner and said, “Back your monkeys off me,” moving slowly backward to bring Monk into his line of fire.

Brenner said, “Hold it, boys,” and sighed deeply.

Shayne said to Monk, “Get over there with your gang.”

Monk sidled around and stood beside Bing who had stopped in his tracks near the desk at Brenner’s command.

Shayne said, “I’ve listened to a lot of your lip without believing much of it, Brenner. You didn’t make a deal with Rourke Tuesday afternoon. He hated the guts of a rat like you. So you’re not clean on that shooting. Maybe you didn’t arrange it. I don’t know. But you did have your boys beat him up that afternoon when he refused to play with you. You’re going to pay for that. And if you did have him blasted you’ll burn.”

Backing toward the door through which he had entered, Shayne continued, his gun still trained on Brenner, “I’m going out now, but I’ll be seeing you some more.” He pulled the office door shut and went down the hall swiftly and outside into the hot sunlight.

He kept the borrowed. 38 convenient until he pulled out of the parking-lot. A block away he put it back in his waistband and mopped sweat from his face. Trade winds from the ocean cooled his damp body and cleared his mind as he drove.

He didn’t have much on Hake Brenner except the beating Rourke had received Tuesday afternoon. That was clear enough now. Brenner had propositioned Rourke and when he got no for an answer, he had Bing and Monk work him over. What further action he had taken was anybody’s guess. Brenner was a business man, and there wasn’t the slightest doubt he would prefer to avoid shooting trouble if possible. On the other hand, he wouldn’t hesitate to send his torpedoes after Rourke if he thought that was the only way to shut him up.

Shayne crossed the bridge over the waterway onto the peninsula and turned north toward Tempest Street. Five minutes later he pulled up in front of the stuccoed duplex.

A For Rent sign was already set up in front of the half occupied by Madge Rankin. It advised prospective tenants to contact John Wiseman, Realtor, at a Miami Beach address.

Shayne went up the walk and rang Helen Porter’s bell. She opened the door almost at once and smiled when she saw him. Her lustrous dark hair was combed back smoothly and she was freshly rouged and made up with a deep suntan powder. She looked much daintier than last night, and her light-brown eyes sparkled excitedly as she invited him in.

“I’ve been hoping you’d come, Mike. What’s been happening? What have they found out about Madge?”

“Not much-to both questions.”

She caught his arm and pressed close to him as they walked across to the couch. A faint and seductive perfume floated to his nostrils. Helen said, “I didn’t go to sleep for a long time last night,” in a scolding voice, then laughed softly.

Shayne grinned and said, “Neither did I. Have the cops been around again?”