“They don’t know who she is. I could tell them, and once they know, you’re sunk,” the fat
man went on. “It doesn’t suit me for them to find out, but if it has to come out, I’ll handle it
as I handle most things.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. You’re not my cousin! I’ve never seen you before
in my life!”
His smile widened.
“Of course I’m not your cousin, but do you want me to tell Riskin that? Do you want three
murder raps pinned on you? Isn’t one enough?”
I got hold of myself. I had to, or I’d have blown my top.
“You’re mixing me up with someone else,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. “I’m
John Farrar. I’m not Ricca, and I’m not your cousin. Now will you please get out!”
“I know you’re Farrar. You’re the guy who killed Wertharn and Reisner. Sure, I know you,
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and you killed her, too. If it hadn’t been for the gun they might have thought it was an accident, but they found the gun. It had her prints on it.”
“You know I’m Farrar?” I said, leaning forward to stare at him. “Then all this talk about me
being Ricca is a lie?”
“He thinks you’re Ricca,” the fat man said, “and so long as he thinks so I can swing it.
Once he finds out you’re Farrar, you’re done for.”
I put my head in my hands. I felt I was going crazy.
“Suppose we skip the comedy,” the fat man went on, and his smile oozed off his face like a
fish sliding off a fishmonger’s slab. “You play with me and I’ll play with you. I’ll show you
how to out-fox Riskin. With me behind you, you can beat this rap.” He thrust his head
forward: he looked like a tortoise sitting there, his hands on his knees, his head forward, his
eyes hooded. “Where’ve you hidden the money?”
I didn’t say anything. I didn’t look at him. I went on holding my head in my hands. But I
was getting my second wind. I was getting the hang of this set-up.
“Now, look,” he said, “you’re in a corner, and there’s no way out for you unless you play
along with me, I can fix it. I’ll get Hame to handle it. He’ll talk to Riskin. Tell me where the
money is, and there’ll be no blowback. You can walk out of here as free as the air. What do
you say?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said, and was surprised how steady my voice
was now.
He studied me.
“Use your head, Farrar. You can’t expect to get away with all that money, I tell you what
I’ll do. I’ll stake you. I’ll give you five grand, and I’ll fix Riskin. That’s fair, isn’t it?”
“If you think Riskin can pin anything on me, go ahead and let him do it. You’re mixing me
up with someone else. I don’t know anything about any money.”
“Don’t get excited,” he said, his fat fingers knees drumming on my knees. “You don’t trust
me, do you? But ask yourself: why should I bother about you? You can walk out of here and
do what you damn well like. Why should I care? She was the one who cared. I don’t. Give
me the dough and I’ll see you right. Now come on. Where is it?”
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“I don’t know,” I said. “And if I did know I wouldn’t tell you. Now get out!”
His fat face turned into a mask of snarling fury. He looked like a demon.
“You fool!” he exclaimed, and his voice shook. “Do you think I’m taken in by this loss of
memory stunt of yours? Where have you hidden it? If you don’t tell me you’ll wish you’d
never been born. Where is it?”
“Get out!”
He got control of himself. The meaningless smile came back as he stood up.
