'You said Gleb was killed. What happened to Weiner?'
Seigel shrugged.
'I don't know. He disappeared.'
Gollowitz felt the blood drain out of his face.
'You don't know?' he repeated, starting out of his chair.
Seigel stared at him.
'He'll turn up. I'll kick hell out of the punk when I do catch up with him!'
'You goddamn fool!' Gollowitz shouted, his face twitching. 'That girl will give a description of him. A blind man could find the punk with that stain on his face. The police will pick him up quick enough, and if he talks we are really sunk. Don't you see that? All the girl needs to hang the lot of us is corroboration, and to save his skin Weiner will corroborate till he is black in the face. He got his orders from you, didn't he? Well, they'll slap an attempted murder charge on you if Weiner talks! And he will talk, make no mistake about that!' He waved his fat fists in the Mr. 'Get after him! Find and silence him! Leave the girl to me! I'll handle her, but get after Weiner. Put every man you've got after him. Go yourself!'
Seigel stood rooted, gaping at the screaming, gesticulating figure, then he realized Gollowitz was talking sense.
'I'll get him!' he said, and snatched open a drawer in his desk. He took out a .45 automatic and shoved it in his hip pocket. 'I'll get him – I'll get him myself,' and he went out of the room at a run.
IV
Conrad had never seen the D.A. look so excited as he listened to Conrad's story of the killing of Moe and the finding of Frances Coleman.
'Where's the girl now?' Forest asked when Conrad had completed his tale.
'On the tenth floor, sir. Miss Fielding and a nurse are with her. Jackson and Norris are guarding the door. There are three police officers taking care of the elevator and the stairs. She's safe enough for the time being.'
'Was she hurt?'
'More scared than hurt. She had a nasty cut on her arm from flying glass, but otherwise, apart from shock she's all right.'
Forest rubbed his hands.
'When can you talk to her?'
'I'm waiting for the okay from Doc. Holmes. He said as soon as she has had a rest I can see her.'
'Fine. Now how about Weiner?'
'I don't know how he slipped through the cordon. There was so much excitement cornering Gleb he was unfortunately overlooked. No one seems to have noticed him. Every man on the force is hunting for him now.'
'We've got to find him before Maurer's mob does,' Forest said grimly. 'If he talks, Paul, we've got that bunch just where we want them, and they know it. His life's not worth a dime right now.'
Conrad nodded.
'We can't do more than we're doing now. It's a question of time. He can't get far with that birth-mark. The local radio station is broadcasting a description of him. They are interrupting programmes to ask for all information concerning him to be telephoned to us immediately.'
A buzzer sounded on Forest's desk. He picked up the interoffice phone, listened, raised his eyebrows, grunted and hung up.
'Seems we have started something,' he said with evident satisfaction. 'Maurer's skipped. His yacht left two hours ago. He's supposed to be on a fishing trip, destination unknown.'
'Putting himself out of our reach for the time being,' Conrad said. 'Well, if we get the evidence we want, we'll pick him up fast enough. Looks as if we're on the right track at last, doesn't it, sir?'
'If only this girl saw him!'
'We'll know before long.' Conrad was controlling his own impatience with an effort. 'Do you want to talk to her yourself?'
'Forest shook his head.
'You handle it, Paul. You have a lighter touch than I have. I don't know why it is, but I seem to scare the pants off people when I talk to them.'
'Only if they happen to have a guilty conscience.' Conrad got to his feet. 'I'll have a written report for you by this afternoon. I may as well go upstairs and see what's happening.'
'Let me know as soon as they pick up Weiner.'
'I will, sir.'
Conrad took the elevator to the tenth floor. Jackson and Norris sat on straightbacked chairs either side of a door at the far end of the passage. Both of them nursed Thompson guns. Conrad was leaving nothing to chance. He realized Frances could be a vitally important witness, and Maurer's mob would stop at nothing to silence her.
'Any news yet?' he asked Jackson.
'Doc's just gone, sir. All quiet here.'
