Джеймс Чейз - You Never Know With Women

As she came at me I yelled to her, but she didn’t stop. She seemed to know I wouldn’t shoot and she flung herself on me, snatching at the gun. I had to hit, her, I didn’t want to. Maybe you don’t believe it, but I didn’t.

“Stop it!” I yelled. I was scared by her ferocity. “Stop it, will you?”

Panting, she came at me again. I threw the gun away so I could grapple with her with both hands. Twice she nearly got my eyes with her finger-nails. Blood was running down my face. As I got to my feet, she threw herself at the gun. I reached her as her hand closed around it, and I got hold of her dress. She kicked out at me, got up and jumped away. The dress ripped off her. She looked wild now with blood running down the side of her face from a cut over her eye. She was bringing up the gun as I grabbed her wrist. We fell on the bed. My hand was slippery with sweat and I couldn’t hold her. She twisted away, fired at me. The slug chipped a bit out of my arm and as she fired again, I hit her wrist. The barrel swung towards her as the gun went off.

For a moment we lay staring at each other, then the gun dropped from her hand, and I got unsteadily to my feet.

“Veda!”

I scarcely heard the squeal of car tyres on the gravel outside.

“Veda!”

“Satisfied?” There was a jeering note in her voice. She looked down at the hole in her side. Blood began to run down the blackened flesh where the gun flash had caught her. “Well, this is it, Floyd.” Her voice was in a choked whisper. “I hope it makes you happy.”

“You fool! Why did you fight? I could have got you away if only you had cleared me.”

The door jerked open and Redfern came in. Behind him was Summers.

“Why didn’t you come before?” I blurted out. “Why the hell didn’t you come before?”

“It’s Jackson!”

Summers threw a gun on me.

“Hold it!” he snarled. “One move and you get it.”

“She’s hurt. Do something! Get a doctor!”

Redfern went over to Veda. I heard him say, “Did he shoot you?”

She said: “Yes, and he shot Brett. He killed Max Otis, too. Make him show you where he buried Otis. Don’t let him get away with it.”

“Veda!” I went to her, pushing Redfern aside. “Don’t bluff. I have all the evidence I want. Tell them the truth.”

She laughed at me.

“Poor cheap little crook. It’s not coming right for you this time.”

She was white and her eyes seemed to have sunk deep into their sockets.

“Veda—”

“All right, Jackson, leave her alone,” Redfern said curtly. “Take him out of here,” he went on to Summers. “Watch him.”

“I’m not leaving her—” I began.

Summers hit me on the side of my jaw. His cameo ring and his fist knocked me silly. I went down on my hands and knees. She was laughing as he dragged me out.

It took me a minute or so to recover from that punch; by that time a couple of uniformed cops were in charge of me. I sat in the lounge and tried to stop the bleeding where the ring had ripped my cheek while Summers watched me and the two cops stood behind me.

“I want to see her—” I began, but Summers raised his fist.

“Shut up, you! If you want another poke in the puss open your trap and you’ll get it.”

I waited. After a while an ambulance arrived. Minutes ticked past, then Redfern came in.

“I want to see her before she goes,” I said.

He came over and stared down at me.

“She’s dead, Jackson. Seeing her won’t do you any good.”

I felt a sudden emptiness inside me, but it was no good grieving. It was the best way out for her.

Now, look, Redfern, I didn’t kill her. I told Casy to call you up and let you know where I was and what I was doing. You were late, and she caught me. We fought. In the struggle the gun went off. It was an accident.”

“All right,” Redfern said, “it was an accident. Casy says you’ve cracked the case. You’d better start talking.” He looked at the two cops. “Okay, boys, beat it. Stick around outside.”

When they had gone, he sat down opposite me.

“So you know who killed Brett?”

“I know. I want to make a statement.”

Summers pulled up a chair, took out a notebook and sat down at a table.

“Go ahead,” he said.

“It starts back two years ago. Remember the Baillies? Verne was killed, but Alma got away. She went into hiding. A year later she was recognized and the hunt started all over again. She made for Hollywood. On the road she ran into a girl named Veda Rux, who was also going to Hollywood. Veda wanted a lift and Alma reckoned it would be safer for her to travel with another girl as the Feds were looking for only one girl. They travelled together, and Veda told Alma her life story and background. Alma hit on the idea of changing identities. She killed Veda, changed clothes with her, wrecked the car and set fire to it. The Federal Agent who found the car and the burned body wanted the reward. He knew there had been two girls in the car, so did the Sheriff of Gallup, but they kept quiet about that, swore it was Alma’s body and shared the reward. Veda was buried as Alma, and Alma was free to begin a new life.”

Redfern lit a cigarette.

“You’re getting all this?” he asked Summers.

“I’m getting it,” Summers said and sneered.

“Go on,” Redfern said.

“If you know anything about the Ballies, you’ll know Alma was crazy about her husband. He had given her a gold powder compact and she couldn’t part with it. You might get it. It’s in the suitcase on the bed.”

Summers went out of the room and came back with the suitcase. I took the compact from him. I was aware both of them eyed the wad of money with more interest than the compact.

“Have a look at it,” I said, and lifted the lid. “You’ll see a photograph of Verne and Alma inside and across the photo the words “For Alma from Verne: a man’s best friend is his wife”, and if you’ll study the photograph you’ll recognize the girl who called herself Veda Rux.”

Redfern took the compact and examined it, then with a little grunt slipped it into his pocket.

“Go on.”

“Veda couldn’t part with the compact although she knew it was dangerous, and that started the trouble.” I went on to tell him how she had walked in her sleep; had taken the Cellini dagger and left the compact in its place; how Boyd had bribed Gorman and her to let him have the dagger, and how Gorman had come to me to get the compact from Brett’s safe.

“Neither Gorman nor Boyd knew how important the compact was to Veda. They thought it would connect her with the stealing of the dagger. She knew it would mean much more than that. It would reveal her true identity, and don’t forget she was wanted for murder.”

I went on to tell how I had played it and had hidden the compact, hoping to make money out of it, and how Veda, desperate to get it, had pretended to join forces with me. I showed Redfern Brett’s card. “While we were in hiding, I showed the card to Veda. That told her Brett had seen inside the compact. I don’t know how that happened, unless Brett had found the compact where I had hidden it and the inscription had puzzled him. He must have jotted the words down, meaning to make inquiries. Veda knew she had to kill him before he gave her away. I provided an alibi for her by keeping her locked up in Casy’s penthouse under guard. But she persuaded the guard, a guy named Joe, to let her out, and she followed me to Brett’s place. It was easy for her to walk in and get the gun. Brett knew her, and he may have thought she had changed her mind and was going to be nice to him. Anyway, she shot him. It’s my guess the compact and the money were on the desk. All she had to do was to pick them up, get out of the way while I walked into trouble. Well, you know the rest of it. I’ve checked most of the facts, but the compact speaks for itself. You can see how it is.”