man, Joe. We thought you'd give the gal some kind of explanation before you started shooting.”
“I-I-” I said. “The sheriff gave me that gun. I-I thought she was going to kill me, and-”
“Oh, come now, Joe.” He shook his head. “Who do you think was playing that game of tag with you-trying to get you to open up? Why do you think Waters gave you a gun loaded with blanks? What do you think happened to your buddy, Chance?”
I swallowed. Hard. “You got-Hap?”
'Uh-huh. Caught him right in the act of slugging Jimmie Nedry. He was quite cooperative, but his information wasn't very helpful. He put the finger on you, but it didn't mean anything to us. Not any more than what Andy Taylor had to tell.'
'Cut it out!' I laughed in his face. I was caught, but that didn't mean I was a sucker. 'If Andy had told you anything-'
'Of course, he did, Joe. Think a minute. What could you possibly offer a man in Taylor's position that would reimburse him for the risk of a long prison sentence? Don't put yourself in his place. It doesn't work. Taylor told us when you offered to cancel the lease on the Bower. Nedry told us about the stunt with the photoelectric cells; Nedry and Blair. But that still didn't give us enough. You could have had a change of heart with Taylor. Nedry and Blair were sore at you.'
He paused, one eyebrow raised, and I nodded.
'Go on. Give it all to me.'
'You already know it, Joe. Most of it, anyway. I was sure that you'd loved your wife. I knew that if the fire had been set you couldn't have done it since you were out of town. That gave us one, or, rather, two possibilities to work on. If a crime had been committed Carol was involved in it. And if you were really covering up for her-and we couldn't be sure that you were-then you were in on it, too, and-'
His voice trailed off, and he paused again. And it seemed as if he was trying not to look at me.
'Maybe you'd better sit down, Joe.'
'What the hell for?' I said. 'I can take it. I can hand it out and I can t-take it. You figured that we must have-must have brought in another woman. You made up that story about looking for one to see how I'd take it. That's it, ain't-isn't it? There wasn't any other woman, was there?'
'No, Joe, there wasn't. When I first gave you the yarn I thought it had struck home. But later on, that night in my hotel room, I wasn't sure. In fact, I'd have been willing to bet that you were on the level. If you hadn't made that one-sided swap with Andy Taylor-'
'Jesus!' I laughed. 'Jesus Christ! I gave you the cards myself. If I'd just sat tight you'd never have known about-that it wasn't Elizabeth.'
He shook his head. 'You don't understand, Joe. Waters and Clay were your friends. They didn't want to tell you something that might hurt your feelings. That was in the beginning. Later on, when this Nedry and Taylor business developed, they agreed to keep quiet. They were safe enough regardless of how the thing turned out. You couldn't blame them for not mentioning a routine measure, particularly since I'd instigated it.'
'You're talking a lot,' I said. 'You're talking a lot and you're not s-saying-you're not saying-'
'Better accept it, Joe. Face it and get it over with.'
'I-I don't know what-'
'You must know. Otherwise we'd have arrested you right in the beginning. I don't know why she did it. I don't know why she came back here and walked into the trap she'd helped to set. That's something for you to figure out if you haven't already got it figured. All I can tell you is this, Joe. We identified the body days ago, and'-his voice dropped-'Carol came back from the city alone.'
His hand shot out as I staggered. I threw it off.
'Carol- Where is she?'
'Look on the bed, Joe.'
He stood aside.
I looked.
The haft of the scissors stood out from her breast like an unclasped pin. That was all I could see of her. The scissors, and her breast arched up to meet it.
'She left a note, Joe. A confession. She was going to take all the blame on herself. I put the screws on her, and she told me she'd talk to the county attorney. I let her come up here to get ready, and-'
He broke off, watching me.
'If she'd told me,' I said. 'If she'd told me-'
'Yes, Joe? If she'd told you she'd killed the woman you loved?'
I looked from the bed to him. I looked back at the bed. I took a step forward.
'Would it, Joe? Would it have been all right?'
I didn't answer him. I couldn't. I didn't know the answer until I reached the bed. And then I knew, but there weren't any words left in me.
It wasn't the way she looked, but the way I did. Because all I'd ever seen in her was myself, the little of myself that was pitying and compassionate and unselfish or whatever you want to call it. And, now, in the ending, even that little was gone. And all that was left was what I could see here, in her eyes. Dead eyes, turning in slightly.
I shivered and tried to look away.
I thought,
GLOSSARY OF EXHIBITOR TERMS
B.O. box office (receipts)
DARK not in operation; a dark house
GRIND-HOUSE a show which operates 24 hours daily
INDIE an independent exhibitor or exchange
ONE-SHEET (THREE-SHEET etc.) posters. Largest dimension is the 24-billboard size
PAPER advertising matter
PRODUCT pictures
SOUND HEADS the part of the projector which picks up the sound from the film. See below.
SOUND TABLE a now-obsolete device, similar to a phonograph, used in transcribing sound. Dialogue and musical accompaniment of early 'talkies' were recorded on discs which were synchronized (perhaps!) with the film by the projectionist. An imperfect and expensive arrangement, it was supplanted by the recording of sound on the film proper and the use of sound heads.
