Nothing More Than Murder

I unreeled fifteen or twenty feet of the cartoon, and Elizabeth knitted it back and forth through the other film. We shoved the pile underneath the rewind table.

I pulled the good cord loose from its connections, and hooked the motor up with the old one. I threw a few loops around it with the cartoon and pulled the rest of the reel under the table.

I stood back and looked things over.

The film was touching the bare copper of the cord in a couple of places. I shifted it back and forth until it was just right. Carol wouldn't need more than a minute. But she'd sure as hell need that.

Elizabeth was sitting on the stool. She looked even paler than usual.

'You didn't need to help with this,' I said. 'I could have done it.'

She got up. 'You're all through now? You're not going to leave that other cord on the floor are you?'

'Why not? It's the best way of getting rid of it.'

'Yes,' she said. And I wasn't just imagining that she was paler then.

She went out the door ahead of me. I put the padlock on it, and gave her the key.

That's the way it was. We'd done it so often in our minds that I guess it would have seemed stranger not doing it than doing it.

I went up to my room, threw a few things into my grip, and came back downstairs. Elizabeth got up from a chair in the living-room and took a step toward me. I took one toward her.

'Well, Joe?' she said.

'Well,' I said. 'I guess this is it. I guess we won't be seeing each other any more. That is, if Carol gets the-her party.'

'She'll get her, all right,' said Elizabeth. 'I've never had any doubt about that.'

'Well, good-by,' I said. 'I'll always remember you, Elizabeth.'

'You'd better, Joe.'

'I'll-What do you mean?'

'Twenty-five thousand dollars.'

'That's what we agreed on,' I said. 'Where's the argument?'

I hoped she wouldn't say anything more. It's hell to want to sock your wife the last time you're seeing her.

'I want to make myself clear, Joe. If your memory should fail you there will be exceedingly unpleasant consequences.'

'Hell,' I said, 'what do you think I am, anyway?'

'Exactly what I always did.'

I walked out.

Ordinarily, if I'd wanted to go into the city I wouldn't have bothered to make excuses to anyone. I'd have just gone. But now it was different. I had to have a good reason for going, and there was only one I could think of.

I beat Jimmie Nedry to the show by about thirty minutes, and went up to the projection booth. By the time he got there I'd taken the parts cabinet off the wall and had everything in it spread out on the rewind table.

He didn't say anything at first, just gave me that sullen, hopeless look he'd been pulling lately, and stripped out of his coat, shirt, and undershirt. Those carbon arcs really heat up the booth. I went on pawing, though, and finally he asked me what I was looking for.

'I'm looking for the spare photoelectric cells for our sound heads,' I said. 'It doesn't look like we have any.'

'We've got 'em,' he grunted.

'Well, I don't believe we have, Jimmie,' I said. 'I thought I'd make a check on our parts last night when you were on your relief, and I couldn't find them then. And I've taken everything out this morning, and-'

'They got to be there,' he said. 'Let me look.' He began sorting through the stuff impatiently, half sore. He wound up by picking up each part separately and putting it back in the cabinet. His face had fallen about a foot.

'I-I just can't believe it, Mr. Wilmpt. We had some spares up there, well, I know it couldn't have been more than two or three days ago.'

'You haven't used any since?'

'Of course I ain't! If I had I'd have told you so you could reorder.'

'Hmmm,' I said. 'Did you actually see the cells or just the little carton they come in?'

''Well-''

'That's it,' I said. 'At one time or another we've replaced the cells in the machines and put the empty cartons back in the cabinet. I'm not saying you did it. I may have myself.'

'But what became of the cartons?'

'They must have dropped down and got swept out. No one would pay any attention to them as long as they were empty.'

'Yeah, but-'

'I'm not blaming you, Jimmie. The thing is to get some more. We don't want to be playing silent over Sunday.'

'No,' he nodded, 'that would be bad. You'll bring some cells back when you go into the city?'

'I wasn't planning on going into the city,' I said, 'but I'll have to now. It's too late for the express to reach us, and the stores will be closed tomorrow.'

'Yeah-I see.' He rubbed his chin, giving me a puzzled, funny look. 'When'll you be back?'

'Just as soon as I get the cells. Probably early tomorrow morning.'

'You-you won't have to stay over for anything else?'

'Why should I?'

'Nothin',' he mumbled, turning around to the projectors. 'I was just wondering.'

A hundred miles up the road I stopped at a restaurant for a bite to eat, and called Carol from a booth phone. She must have been waiting right by the phone because she answered right away.

'I'm coming in,' I said. 'Will I get to see you?' She said, 'No. I'm leaving right away.' That was right. It was what she was supposed to say.

'Get your baggage taken care of?'

'Not all of it,' she said. 'I'll send for the rest later.'

That was right, too.

'Did you get in touch with that party you spoke about?'

'Yes. And she's going to be very helpful.'

'Well, have a good trip,' I said. 'And be careful.'

'I will be. You be careful,' she said.

We said good-by and hung up.

13

The car was running pretty hot by the time I got to the city, and I had good reason to take it to a garage. I told them I wanted the radiator back-flushed, a grease job, and an oil change. They were rushed, since it was Saturday, and they wouldn't promise to get the work done before nine that night. I groused a little about it, but I left the car.

Of course, if I'd started back home right away I couldn't have got there ahead of Carol. But I didn't want to be on the road when things popped. I wanted to be able to prove where I was.

I bought two photoelectric cells at the theatrical equipment house, and dropped them into the first trash can I passed. It was just like throwing twelve bucks away, but it couldn't be helped. I'd left the two I'd lifted from the show in the car, and there was no way I could explain the extras. And, anyway, what was twelve bucks?

I could prove that I'd had to come into the city, and that I'd actually bought the cells. Twelve dollars was pretty cheap for that.

I ate dinner at a restaurant on film row, and walked around awhile, restless, not knowing what to do with myself. All the exchanges except Hap Chance's had been closed since noon, and I wasn't sure that I wanted to kill any time with him. On the other hand, a sharpie like that might be just the kind to use for an alibi.

I stopped across the street from his place, trying to decide whether to drop in on him, and he looked out and