Brett Halliday - One Night with Nora

“Even to murder?” asked Shayne dubiously.

Margrave shrugged his massive naked shoulders. “Let us not be naive, Shayne. What is one man’s life to a corporation? One man who stands between them and millions of dollars in profits? You’re not a child. I imagine you’ve investigated many murders committed for a few hundred dollars.”

“But will Carrol’s death stop the manufacture of the plastic?” Shayne asked. “Certainly, you’re not going to tell me that the secret process died with him — that you can’t go on with it.”

“No. I’m not going to tell you that, Shayne. We are already in limited production and can go ahead. No, the plot is much more subtle and ingenious than that. You see, as soon as Vulcan learned about Ralph’s discovery, they immediately brought suit to gain control by having the courts declare it actually belonged to them. That suit is now pending before the courts of Delaware.”

“On what grounds?”

“They base their suit on the allegation that Ralph actually made the discovery in their laboratories and while in their employ. He was working under a contractual agreement, you understand, which stipulates that any discovery made by him while in their employ becomes the property of the corporation. It is their contention that Ralph realized the tremendous value of the discovery as soon as he came upon it, and that he suppressed the truth. That instead of reporting it to his superiors, he faked a set of notes on his work which indicated the experiments were a failure, and then resigned, taking his secret with him for his own private enrichment.”

Shayne nodded slowly. “If they can prove that, I suppose they would win the suit.”

“Absolutely. If they can prove it. Which they can’t, of course. There’s not a word of truth in it. Ralph Carrol was an honorable man. When he left Vulcan he took nothing with him but his own genius. The process was developed completely in our own laboratory. This we can prove beyond the shadow of a doubt, despite the false affidavits they have secured from former co-workers, who have been liberally bribed to state the opposite.”

Shayne picked up his drink which was now well diluted with melted ice. “Tell me in exactly what way Carrol’s death will benefit Vulcan.”

“With Ralph out of the way and unable to testify in his own behalf, they have a much better than fifty-fifty chance of winning a judgment against us,” said Margrave bitterly. “The false testimony they bring into court will stand uncontested. Ralph Carrol himself was the only person on earth who knew exactly what went on during those months they claim he was working on the process — the only person who could tear the false testimony to shreds and prove otherwise. And now that threat has been neatly removed by the simple expedient of murder. Who else had a motive? Who else was ruthless and powerful enough to hire assassins to do the job?”

Shayne drank a third of the watery liquor and set the glass back on the table. “You haven’t anything else to go on?” he demanded. “No actual proof at all?”

“Naturally not. That’s up to you, I should think. Find the man or men who drove the knife into Ralph’s heart. You’ll find the Vulcan Corporation behind it. Once you have the actual killer, I think it won’t be too difficult to prove whose money hired him.”

Shayne said, “I see. Now, just for the record, what about Carrol’s private life? Any motive for murder there?”

“None. Positively not,” Margrave asserted vigorously. “He was a fine young man. Not an enemy in the world.”

“Do you know his wife?” Shayne asked casually.

“Very well, indeed. Nora’s a wonderful woman. Loyal to the core.”

Shayne turned his head at a curious sound from the divan across the room. He saw Ann Margrave set her glass down hastily and clamp a handkerchief to her mouth, coughing and sputtering as though a drink had gone down the wrong way. She stood up suddenly, and drew the robe tightly about her slim body, and started for one of the bedrooms. “You’ll have to excuse me,” she said in a muffled tone.

Margrave scarcely glanced at his daughter as she went out, but continued, “I realize you will want to check every possibility, and I expect you to do so. But I’m certain you’ll find nothing in Ralph’s private life that could possibly have led to murder. There’s only one answer and by god! I hope you are the man to come up with it, since the police refuse to listen to me.”

Shayne gently tugged at his left ear lobe. “I suppose you know that Nora Carrol was in Miami last night?”

“Indeed?” Margrave looked surprised, but not unduly so. “Poor child. I imagine she came down to plead with Ralph again not to go through with his contemplated divorce. He was making a grave mistake, as I told him more than once.”

“I have it on good authority that Carrol had unquestionable grounds for his divorce.”

Margrave’s heavy face clouded, and he made a gesture with a big hand, as though brushing aside an annoying insect. “Legally, yes,” he admitted with a sigh. “I believe Nora did — ah — commit an indiscretion. While under the influence, you understand. But who are we to sit in judgment on a fellow being? ‘Let him who is without sin cast the first stone.’ I said that to Ralph. I talked to him like a father about Nora. ‘How sinless are you?’ I asked him. ‘Did you come to marriage with clean hands? Have you never given way to temptation?’” He sighed again and shook his tousled head. “But Ralph was young and passionately jealous. He seemed determined to humiliate Nora publicly.”

“Who was the man in the case?” Shayne asked.

“Eh? Oh, I see. The entire subject is distasteful to me,” said Margrave reluctantly, “but it is a matter of public record. Young Ted Granger was named corespondent by Ralph. His own cousin, by the way. A harmless but foolish young man. It’s my impression that he was wholly to blame for the entire affair, and that he was hopelessly in love with Nora, and I think worked hard to break up her marriage with Ralph.”

Shayne took another long swallow of his drink and made a grimace of distaste. “Who recommended me to you, Mr. Margrave?” he demanded abruptly.

“What’s that? No one directly recommended you. I’ve heard of your reputation, naturally, and some months ago, in connection with another affair entirely, I happen to know that my attorney had you discreetly investigated with a view to retaining your services. It was later decided to drop the matter, but your name stuck in my mind. So, when I realized the local police could not be trusted to follow the only actual lead in Ralph’s murder, I thought of you at once.”

“What’s the name of your attorney?”

“Mr. Bates in Wilmington.”

“Was he also Carrol’s lawyer?”

“Bates handles all the legal affairs of our firm.”

“What was the nature of the other affair when I was considered and investigated?” Shayne persisted.

“It was a personal matter,” Margrave told him curtly. “It can have no possible bearing on Ralph’s death.”

“I’ll have to be the judge of that.”

“Very well,” the big man agreed reluctantly. “Ralph received some nasty anonymous letters. He was furious and wanted a detective brought in, but I was able to persuade him to drop the matter.”

Ann Margrave re-entered the room as her father spoke. She was stunning in a clinging white sport frock, the wide belt, pert little hat, and two-toned shoes matched the scarlet rouge on her full mouth. She carried a small white purse in one white-gloved hand. She said in a flat voice, “I’m going out. ’By, Pops. Good-by, Mike.”

Shayne came to his feet holding his almost empty glass up in a salute. “Good-by, and thanks for the breakfast.”