“Got it straight?” I concluded. “Ellen Post and Miss Bauer should both be arriving at your house sometime before four o’clock. I’ll be there promptly at four on the head. And that’s that.”
“Roberts, I don’t know how to thank you for all this. You’ve saved my life. You know, I was seriously thinking of...doing away with myself.”
“You’ll live to be eighty, I guarantee it! By the way, is your wife at home?”
“Marge took a run down to Venice to stay with her aunt for a few days. Nobody here but the maid.”
“Maybe you’d better give her the afternoon off.”
“Right. See you at four, then?”
“Four sharp.”
And that wound it up. Except that I wasn’t feeling high any more, because I remembered Jake. Faithful old Jake.
I glanced at my watch. 12:30. I had about three hours in which to shake him. And I didn’t know how. No brilliant ideas came to me as I locked the door, descended the stairs and emerged to find Jake sitting on the steps.
“You sure must of hung on a beaut, the way you slept,” Jake greeted me.
“You been here long?”
“Over three hours. This sun’s murder.”
“You needn’t have bothered.”
“Boss’s orders. He wants to see you.”
“The Professor? I thought he was out of town.”
“Me too. But he called this morning, big as life. He’s going to be waiting for us at your office.”
I went to my car and he went to his. We started our parade downtown.
So the Professor was waiting for me, too. That was going to make things harder. My half-formed plans of ditching Jake in traffic went out the window and bounced off the curb of Wilshire and LaBrea. Anyhow, one thing was certain: if the Professor was at my office, then Miss Bauer would have a free hand out at his house.
But the next move? I’d just have to wait and see.
He was in my office, all right, sitting at the desk when I opened the door.
“Come right in,” he said.
Yes, come into my parlor, said the spider to the fly—the black spider with the white skull, the black spider who knew by the tiniest tremor just what had wandered into the web he spun.
Or did he know? The stolid face told me nothing.
“Thought you were out of town,” I said.
“I had to change my plans. I shall be leaving today, instead. Sit down.”
I sat down on the edge of the desk and swung my leg. It felt good, even though it looked too much like a pendulum, ticking off the minutes, ticking off the seconds before he came out with it—
“Jake tells me you did a good job last night.”
“If you had my hangover, you’d know what kind of a job I did.”
“That’s fine. I want you to keep it up. Tonight and tomorrow night. I’ll return Friday and take over.”
“Take over?”
“Yes. I know how you feel about the girl, and I’ve arranged to spare you completely. She will never know of your connection in the matter. Friday you will take her out for the last time.”
“I will?”
“You will pass out. A friend of hers will be present to take her home. That’s all.”
“Only she isn’t going home. I get it.”
“No need for you to worry. I promise she will not be harmed in any way. And she’ll not blame you for what happens after that. But her uncle will prove to be extremely cooperative from then on, I can assure you.”
He stood up. “In a few weeks it will all be over. Completely forgotten. No harm done. Take her out every night between now and Friday. I’ll get in touch with you then and give you your final orders.” He smiled. “Jake will keep an eye on you meanwhile.”
I smiled right back at him. “You certainly think of everything,” I said.
“That’s correct.”
“Well, think of this for a moment. I’m not taking Ellen Post out tonight, tomorrow, or Friday. And Jake isn’t going to play Boy Detective with me any more, either. Because I am quitting this business, as of today.”
“So?”
“Just so. And get this, while we’re on the subject—if you try any funny stuff on Ellen Post or her uncle, I’ll rip your head off and stuff it down your throat.”
“Dear Doctor Roberts!” He grinned, slowly. “Is this all you have learned of tact, the diplomatic approach, the psychology of personal relationships? You need a refresher course in Y-O-U.”
“I’m not fooling. I mean what I said.”
“That is quite apparent. But may I remind you that you are acting under my orders? And for a very good reason?”
I watched him now. I wanted to see his face.
“Mike Drayton’s murder? But I didn’t kill Mike Drayton. You did.”
I wanted to see his face and I did. It wasn’t worth it. He had no reaction at all.
Then, and only then, did I realize the value of his advice. I should have been tactful, diplomatic, tried to find another way of wriggling out. But no, it was too good to miss, telling him off. And in telling him off, I had told all.
He’d guess, instantly, where I got my information. There was only one possible source. And now...
There was a paperweight on the desk. I slid off the edge of the desk slowly, meeting his blank stare with a smile. Then all in one motion I grabbed, grasped, swung.
He toppled forward in the chair very slowly, like a big, bald-headed doll. The doll was bleeding from a cut behind the ear. Out cold, and for a long time.
I stepped over to the door and peeked out. May was behind the glass, at her receptionist’s desk. Beyond the glass I saw Jake, lounging on a sofa and reading a magazine.
“Jake!” I called. “Come in here a minute. The Professor would like to see you.”
He came over, waddled through the door, waddled right into the paperweight. He didn’t fall like a doll—he fell like a ton of bricks.
I left them decorating the inner office, and locked the door on my way out.
“They’re in conference in there,” I told May. “Don’t want to be disturbed. I’m going out—back later.”
“See you,” said May.
I hoped not. Glancing at my watch, I found it was almost 3:30. Just enough time to make it out to Caldwell’s by four o’clock. I climbed in the car and headed up Wilshire for Beverly Hills.
I swung into the driveway at five minutes to four, got out and ran up the steps.
Caldwell opened the door immediately.
“You’re here,” he acknowledged. “Good!” We went down the hall to the library. Ellen Post stood up and came over and confirmed the look in her eyes with her lips.
“Nobody’s following you?” Caldwell asked.
“Not likely,” I said. I told them what had happened at the office.
Ellen nodded. “But Eddie, you took an awful risk. Suppose they come to, and go out after Miss Bauer?”
“Couldn’t make it in time. She must have left there about the same time I left the office. All it means is we’ll have to hurry. I’m going to have her sign a statement when she arrives—just in case something happens later on. Then we’ll take the photos and negatives, and that ought to prevent anything from happening, ever.
“After that, we’ll be leaving. I think we’ve got this whole thing licked at last.”
“Certainly hope so.” Caldwell paced the room, glanced up at the mantel clock. “Shouldn’t Miss Bauer be here by now, though? It’s almost ten after.”
Tick-tock. Tick-tock. Tick-tock.
We listened to the clock, and nobody said anything. The clock was suddenly quite loud.
“Where’s the phone?” I asked.
Caldwell gestured towards the next room. I went over, picked up the phone and dialed Information. I got the
