have found a better man for the job than Little Bigger. Didn't I tell you he'd be worth any trouble we went to in locating him?'
Fruit Jar grunted.
'Would you mind telling me how you did it?' I said. 'How you found me?'
'Not at all. But I didn't suppose it would be anything that would mystify you.'
'Well, it doesn't exactly,' I said. 'I mean, I think I have it figured out. I was red hot here in the East, and I'd had a little lung trouble-'
'And your teeth and eyes were very bad.'
'You figured I'd just about have to go West. I'd have to take some kind of unskilled outdoors job. I'd get my teeth and my eyes taken care of-not in the place I was living but some place nearby-and I'd be damned careful to build up a good reputation. And-and-'
'About all, isn't it?' He chuckled, beaming at me. 'The teeth and the contact lenses, of course, were decisive.'
'But the police knew as much about me as you did. Even more, maybe. If you could find me, why couldn't they?'
'Ah, the police,' he said. 'Poor fellows. So many distractions and diversions and restrictions. So many things to do and so little to do it with.'
'There's the reward money. It totaled around forty-seven thousand dollars the last I heard.'
'But, my dear Charlie! We can't expend public funds on the off-chance that the police may collect rewards. Of course if they wished to carry on their search on their own time and at their own expense-'
'Yeah,' I said, 'but-'
'Some ambitious private investigator? No, Charlie. I can understand the slight trepidation which you may feel, but it is absolutely groundless. What would it profit anyone-some reward-hungry or public-spirited citizen- if he did find you? He would have to prove your identity, would he not? And who would believe that you, this soft- spoken slip of a youth, was a murderer? You've never been arrested, never mugged or fingerprinted.'
I nodded. He spread his hands, smiling.
'You see, Charlie? I didn't need to prove who you were. With me it was merely necessary to know. I could then place my proposition before you and ask for your co-operation-I dislike the word demand don't you?- and you were kind enough to give it. The police, the courts'-he shrugged wryly-'Paah!'
'I'd like to get just one more thing straight,' I said. 'I wanted this job, but I don't want any others. I don't want to pick up again where I left off the last time.'
'Naturally, you don't. What… Murph, didn't you tell him?'
'Not more than a dozen times,' said Fruit Jar.
The Man gave him a long, slow look. He turned back to me. 'You have my word on it, Charlie. It wouldn't be practical to use you again, even if I wanted to.'
'Fine,' I said, 'that's all I wanted to know.'
'I'm delighted to reassure you. Now, to get down to the business at hand-'
I gave him a report on how things stacked up in Peardale- about my run-in withJake and lining up a job at the bakery and how I'd made out with the sheriff. He seemed pleased. He kept nodding and smiling, and saying 'Excellent' and 'Splendid' and so on.
Then he asked me one question, and for a moment! was kind of stunned, I felt my face turning red.
'Well?' He asked it again. 'You said the sheriff got his report on you yesterday afternoon. Did Jake stay at the house last night?'
'I'-I swallowed-'I don't believe he did.'
'You don't
I should have known, of course. It was the one thing I should have known, I was pretty sure that he hadn't stayed at the house but I'd been worn out and I'd got to grab-assing around with Fay Winroy and…
'That's rather important,' The Man said. And waited. 'If he wasn't there last night, how can you be sure that he plans on staying there at all?'
'Well,' I said, 'I-I don't think-'
'You can say that again!' FruitJar snickered. 'Boy, oh, boy!' That snapped me out of it.
'Look,' I said. 'Look, sir. I talked to the sheriff yesterday for the second time in two days. I spent more than an hour with this man Kendall. He doesn't know anything but he's a pretty sharp old bird-'
'Kendall? Oh, yes, the baker. I see no cause to worry about him.'
'I'm not worried about him or the sheriff either. But with Jake feeling the way he does, I don't have to move very far out of line to be in trouble. I can't show any interest in him. I can't do anything that might be interpreted as showing interest in him. I deliberately went to bed early last night, and I stayed there until late this morning. I-'
'Yes, yes,' The Man interrupted impatiently. 'I commend you for your discretion. But there should have been some way to-'
'He'll stay at the house,' I said. 'Mrs. Winroy will see that he does.'
'Oh?'
'Yes.'
He shook his head, leaning forward in his chair. 'Not just yes, Charlie. Are you telling me that after only forty-eight hours, you've made a proposition to Mrs. Winroy.'
'I've been leading up to one, and she'll grab it. She hates Jake's guts. She'll jump at the chance to get rid of him and make herself a stake at the same time.'
'I'm relieved that you think so. Personally, I believe I'd have taken a little more time in arriving at such a decision.'
'I couldn't take any more time. She was opening up to me before I'd talked to her five minutes. If! hadn't played up to her right at the start, I might not have got another chance,'
'So? And you felt you had to have her assistance?'
'I think it will come in pretty handy, yes. She can still make J ake jump through hoops. She knows her way around. She could get tough if she thought she was losing her meal ticket with nothing to take the place of it.'
'Well,' The Man sighed. 'I can only hope your appraisal is correct, I believe she's a former actress, isn't she?'
'A singer.'
'Singer, actress. The two arts overlap.'
'I've got her taped,' I said. 'I've only known her a couple of days, but I've known women like her all my life.'
'Mmm. May I assume that there's a connection between her and your arrival in town a day early?'
'She's meeting me here tomorrow. She's supposed to be visiting her sister, but-'
'I understand. Well, I'm rather sorry you didn't consult me, but inasmuch as you didn't-'
'I thought that was why you wanted me,' I said. 'Because I'd know what to do without being told.'
'Oh, I did, Charlie. I do.' He smiled quickly. 'I don't at all doubt your ability and judgment. It's just that your procedure seemed rather daring-unorthodox-for such an extremely important matter.'
'It seems that way here. Other things may seem that way to you. Here. What! have to go on is how
