The Golden Gizmo

'Because they hope to trap the man who supplies our gold. He is to meet me here-or so I advised our informer-tomorrow night. The efficient T-men will not come near the place, nor do anything else to arouse my suspicions, until then.'

Toddy nodded absently, his mind still working on the riddle of Alvarado's 'bad eyesight.'… Let's see, he thought. Let's take it from the beginning. I gave him that frammis about a friend sending me to him, and then I gave him the card. He let me into the house. Then… well, I didn't have much to say for a minute or two, and he began to freeze up a little. Asked me my business. Said he couldn't read the card. He must have, but-

Toddy started slightly. Why, of course! Chinless had thought he'd been sent there to the house. When he discovered the truth, that their meeting was sheer accident, he had pretended that…

The chinless man looked down at the code book. He looked up quickly, and his gaze met and held Toddy's. A frown of regret spread over his dead white face.

'Well?' said Toddy.

'It is not well,' said Alvarado, and his hand dipped into his pocket and came out with the automatic. 'You have an expressive face. Like our informer, Dolores, it tells too much.'

21

Toddy forced an irritated laugh. 'What the hell's the matter with you anyway? What have I done now?'

'It is not so much what you have done. It is what you surely would do… now that you know. I am sorry. I, personally, am sorry you cannot do it. But I have my orders. The man must be protected.'

'I still don't know-'

'Please!' Alvarado gestured fretfully. 'You know and I know you know. In a little while, a few weeks, it would not have mattered. The man would have vanished. You, I believe, would have grown more philosophical about the matter. Now-'

'About murder?' Toddy dropped his mask of bewilderment. 'Why would I stand still for a murder that this guy committed?'

'He did not commit one. At least, he did not kill your wife.'

'But-All right,' said Toddy. 'He didn't. I did. Is that good enough?'

'Not nearly, Mr. Kent. You are certain that he did kill her. You would act accordingly. There would be much talk-many secrets would be aired. It would not do.'

'You're forgetting something,' said Toddy. 'I'm in no position to make trouble for anyone.'

'You mean,' Alvarado corrected, 'you are in no position to make trouble for yourself. And I am sure you would not. You and I both know that the position of this man is a precarious one. He is, as we noted in an earlier conversation, a sitting duck. You would pick him off, Mr. Kent, even though you did not believe he was the murderer of your wife.'

Toddy's eyes fell, and his shoulders drooped. He leaned forward a little, disconsolately, his wrists resting on his knees.

'Do not try it, Mr. Kent.'

'You won't shoot,' said Toddy. 'Someone might hear it.'

'Someone might,' Alvarado nodded, 'but I will shoot if necessary.'

'I want to ask a question.'

'Quickly, then. And lean back!'

'I know this man didn't kill Elaine. He was with me at the time. But he had her killed, didn't he?'

'He did not. It was the last thing he would have wanted.'

'Put it this way. He knew the watch was in our room. He sent someone to get it. Elaine put up a fight, and the guy killed her.'

Alvarado shook his head. 'This man, with more money than he can spend, would go to such lengths for a watch?… And that is two questions you have asked.'

'All right, then,' Toddy persisted, 'she'd found out something about him. She tried to work some blackmail and-'

'She did not,' interrupted Alvarado. 'Let me repeat, he did not want your wife dead. And now, stand up!'

'All right.' Toddy got carefully to his feet. 'What about giving the departing guest a drink?'

'Of course.' Alvarado did not hesitate for so much as an instant. 'The cellarette is there… and the carafe is heavy. It would be futile to attempt to throw it.'

'I don't intend to,' said Toddy, honestly.

'And instead of the large drink, which you doubtless desire, take two very small ones. Not enough, to be explicit, to have any effect if thrown.'

Toddy sidled along the lounge to the corner cellarette. His eyes watchful, apprehensive, he turned his back on the chinless man and picked up the carafe.

Toddy tipped the carafe and slopped a fraction of an ounce of brandy into a highball glass. He raised it, holding his breath; but Chinless apparently was also holding his. Either that or he hadn't moved: he was still standing by the desk.

Toddy lowered the glass, his thumb pressing with restrained firmness toward the lip. It gave against the pressure; a little more and it would break. But would it break as it had to-and when it had to? There wouldn't be time to turn. The blow would have to be on its way down. If it wasn't, Alvarado would shoot. He'd have to, and he would.

Toddy set the glass down again, rattling the carafe against it as he poured his second drink. He heard it, then: an almost imperceptible squeak of the floor, all but masked by the sound of the glassware.

He lifted the glass, pressing steadily, harder. Suddenly there was no resistance to his thumb, and he heard the swift uprush of air; and he thrust the broken glass up and back, dropping into a crouch in the same split second.

The glass exploded in his hand. His whole arm went numb. There was a wild curse of pain and the clatter of metal against wood. He whirled, awkward in his crouch, and threw himself at the gun. Alvarado kicked him solidly in the solar plexus. He sprawled, paralyzed, and Alvarado kicked him again. He lay fighting for breath, every nerve screaming with shock.

Alvarado picked up the gun. Cursing frightfully as it slipped in his grasp, he shifted it to his left hand. He advanced on Toddy, his right hand scarlet, dripping with blood.

'It is bad, eh, Mr. Kent? But do not worry about it. I will bind it up in a minute. A very few minutes… Actually I am grateful for what you did. What was a painful duty now becomes a pleasure.'

He grasped Toddy's ankle with the lacerated hand, grimaced painfully, and dragged him toward the hall door. 'Do not resist me, Mr. Kent. Make no overt move. If it should mean my instant death, I would not hesitate…'

Toddy didn't try anything. He couldn't. It was still a desperate struggle to get his breath.

'Now…' Alvarado opened the door, tugged him through it, panting, and kicked it shut again. 'Now-' Alvarado regrasped his ankle, backed and dragged him down the hallway. His eyes glinted insanely. He was incoherent with fury.

'Now, you will see, Mr. Kent… You will be one of the dogs. Pobre Perrito's twin, yes. The one the obliging gentleman from the crematory did not see… Dolores was to have served, but it will be all right. The added weight is excusable. It is the practice, the gentleman tells me, to enclose the pet's belongings… the bed… the eating and drinking receptacles… So many things and such big dogs…'