The Snake

move in, orders or not, they were going to give it the big try. If Pat had set the tail it would have been hard to spot, but the new D.A. was too ambitious to figure out there were civilian-type pros in the police business too.

For an hour I let him wait outside bars, fool around a department store while I picked up a few goodies, then went in one door of the Blue Ribbon Restaurant on Forty-fourth, around through the bar, and out that door while he was looking for me at the tables. I was back on Seventh Avenue before he knew I was gone, flagged down a cab, and had him cut over to Forty-ninth and Ninth.

Connie Lewis' place was called 'La Sabre' and turned out to be a downstairs supper place for the neighborhood trade. It specialized in steaks and chops and seemed to be built around a huge charcoal grill that smoked and sizzled into a copper canopy. Connie was a round little woman with a perpetual smile and wrinkles at the corners of her eyes and mouth that said it was for real. It had been years since I had seen her and she hadn't changed a bit.

But me she didn't recognize at first. When it did come she beamed all over, tried to get me to drink, then eat, and when I wouldn't do either, showed me the way to the staircase going upstairs and told me Velda was on the second floor rear with her company.

I used the same VY knock and she opened the door. There was no gun in her hand this time, but I knew it wasn't far out of reach. She pulled me in, closed the door, and locked it. I grinned at her, grabbed her by the shoulders, and touched her mouth with mine. Lightly. I couldn't afford any more. Her eyes laughed back at me and told me I could pick my own time and place. Any time, any place.

I said, 'Hello, beautiful. Where's the kid?'

'Here I am, Mike.'

She eased into the room impishly, hands clasped behind her back. She stood at the corner of the bedroom door watching, seemingly unafraid, but inside those huge brown eyes was a worm of fear that had been there too long to be plucked out easily.

I took Velda's arm, steered her to the table, and motioned the kid to come over too. Automatically, the kid slid closer to Velda, knowing she was protected there, never taking her eyes from my face.

'Let's have it,' I said.

Velda nodded. 'You can tell him.'

'I... don't know.'

For what it was worth I took out my new wallet and flipped it open. The blue and gold card with the embossed seal in the plastic window did the trick again. She studied it, frowned, then made up her mind.

'All right,' she finally told me. 'My name is Sue Devon.' When she said it there was a challenge in her voice I couldn't ignore.

'Am I supposed to know you?'

She flicked her eyes to her hands, to Velda, then to me. 'I have another name.'

'Oh?'

'Torrence. I never use it. He had me legally adopted a long time ago but I never use his name. I hate it.'

I shook my head. 'Sorry, kid. I don't make you at all.'

Velda reached out and touched my hand. 'Sim Torrence. He was the District Attorney once, now he's running in the primaries for governor of the state.'

'Win with Sim?'

'That's right.'

'I remember seeing posters around but I never tied him up with the D.A.'s office.' I let a grin ease out. 'It's been a rough seven years. I didn't keep up with politics. Now let's hear the rest of this.'

Sue nodded, her hair tumbling around her face. She bit at her lip with even white teeth, her hands clasped so tight the knuckles showed white. 'I ran away from him.'

'Why?'

The fear was a live thing in her eyes. 'I think... he killed my mother. Now he wants to kill me.'

When I glanced at Velda I knew she was thinking the same thing I was. I said, 'People running for governor don't usually kill people.'

'He killed my mother,' she repeated.

'You said you thought he did.' She didn't answer so I asked, 'When was this supposed to have happened?'

'A long time ago.'

'How long?'

'I... was a baby. Eighteen years ago.'

'How do you know he did this?'

She wouldn't look at me. 'I just know it, that's all.'

'Honey,' I said, 'you can't accuse a man of murder with a reason like that.'

She made a little shrug and worked her fingers together.

I said, 'You have something else in your mind. What is it?'

Velda slipped her arm around her shoulders and squeezed. Sue looked at her gratefully and turned back to me again. 'I remember Mama talking. Before she died. Whatever she said... is in my mind... but I can't pick out the words. I was terribly frightened. She was dying and she talked to me and told me something and I don't remember what it was!' She sucked her breath in and held it while the tears welled up in her eyes.

When she relaxed I said, 'And what makes you think he wants to kill you?'

'I know... the way he looks at me. He... touches me.'

'Better, baby. You'll have to do better than that.'

'Very well. There was a car. It almost hit me.'

'Did you recognize it?'

'No.'

'Go on.'

'There was a man one night. He followed me home from the theater. He tried to cut me off but I knew the roads and lost him not far from the house.'

'Did you recognize him or his car?'

'No.'

'Did you report the incidents?'

'No,' she said softly.

'Okay, Sue, my turn. Do you know you're an exceptionally pretty girl?' She looked up at me. 'Sure you do. Men are going to follow you, so get used to dodging. Nearly everybody has had a close call with a car, so don't put too much store in that. And so far as your stepfather is concerned, he'd look at you like any man would his daughter and touch you the same way. You haven't said anything concrete yet.'

'Then what about that man you killed and the other one?'

'Touche,' I said. But I couldn't let it lay there. She was waiting and she was scared. I looked at Velda. 'Did you tell her where you've been for seven years and what happened?'

'She knows.'

'And about me?'

'Everything.'

'Then maybe this is an answer... those men were part of an enemy organization who had to destroy Velda before she talked. They moved in to get her, not you. And now it's over. Nobody's going to kill her because now she's said her piece and it's too late. What do you think about that?'

'I'm not going back,' she said simply.

'Supposing I go see your stepfather. Suppose I can really find out the truth, even to what your mother told you. Would that help any?'

'Maybe.' Her voice was a whisper.

'Okay, kid, I'll play Big Daddy.'

Velda looked up with eyes so full of thanks I had to laugh at her. She scooted the kid off to the other end of the room, took my arm, and walked me to the door. 'You'll do all you can?'

'You know, you'd think I'd know better by now.'