“Why nobody. At least nobody said so in as many words, but reading between the lines I assumed there was a connection between the two deaths.”
He watched to see if I was blurring, decided I wasn’t.
“Well, there could be I imagine. But it doesn’t matter one way or the other. There’s no romance, like I said. Characters like that get knocked off every other day. This is kind of a rough old town we have here. Next week, who knows? Maybe just a head in the stock yards. Just a head, all by itself. Then the body starts turning up all over the city. An ear in the mayor’s mail, a leg left on the steps of City Hall. Now, that would be something. A man could get his teeth into a story like that.”
I shuddered in mock horror.
“You ought to be writing screenplays for B horror movies,” I told him. “Pity about the girl, though. Nice looker.”
“Aren’t they all? Nobody knocks off the frumps. If they do we don’t bother to print. Did you see her?”
“Just once, somewhere. Nice.”
“Yeah. I thought there might be something there. You know, this Hugo Somerset is kinda wierd. But if he was paying the tab, there’s nothing to show it. She had private money.”
“One of those,” I sneered.
“How’s that?”
“It seems to be that half the unattached dames in this town have an allowance from dear old daddy. He usually owns a complex of factories back east, or he’s a big plantation owner in the south. None of them ever seems to come from ordinary homes where people have to work for a living.”
Brannigan grinned and stubbed his cigaret. It was only half-smoked, but he could afford it seeing it was mine in the first place.
“My my, we’re a touch bitter today. You don’t have to tell me about those dames. Finding out something close to the truth about them is part of my stock in trade. I’ve seen ‘em all. Old Southern colonels, big tycoons, Wall Street brokers. They always turn out to be running a drug store in Squaresville Minnesota in the end. No, this one was the genuine article. Big New York family. There’ll be a lot of questions asked when the big lawyers get here.”
“Big lawyers?”
And I didn’t have to pretend to look interested. The reporter chuckled.
“You’re pointing like a bird dog. Maybe you catch the scent of a fine fat fee in the distance? Forget it Preston. Those guys won’t go for any one-man outfit. They’ll most likely bring in some big firm from L.A.”
“I don’t know,” I dissented. “It’s my town, I know people. Can’t beat the local man, you know.”
“No, I don’t know. So you know a few people. Those guys’ll bring money, fat folding money. That kind of money knows every people.” Which was true. By tomorrow, or the next day at latest, I was going to find myself tripping over private operatives by the dozen. As if that wasn’t bad enough by itself, it was just possible they could tie me far enough into the caper for Randall to be able to slap some kind of rap on me. Time, it seemed, was fading fast away.
“You got any more good news like that?”
He finished the last of his beer and got up.
“Nope. And if I had, I wouldn’t tell you. Way I hear it, you don’t even read the Record.”
“No point,” I shrugged. “I get all your stuff in my own paper the day before.”
He flipped a cheerful hand and was gone. It was cool in the bar, but all the action was out on the sun-baked streets, and if I was going to earn a living it was time I got on with it. I made for Charlie Martello’s apartment. He was there, shirt-sleeved, and showing thick black hair all over his arms and from his unbuttoned collar.
“Kinda soon for a return visit. You got something?”
“In this business I never know,” I admitted.
“Take the weight off and get it said.”
There was nobody else on view. I looked questioningly at the other closed doors.
“Where’s the squad?” I asked.
“Out,” he ejaculated. “Places. Talking to people.”
“Uh huh,”
I mopped at my face with what started out as a white handkerchief, then stuffed the soggy rag in my pocket.
“It’s a hot one,” I observed sociably.
“For weather reports, I got television and radio,” he said tartly. “Just come up with whatever you got.”
“I have to make a condition.”
“Conditions?” he queried darkly. “That don’t sound to me like a guy on the up and up. Try holding out on me Preston, and you’d be sorry.”
“Hear me out. First of all, you heard what Jake said, he trusts me.”
“I heard him. I also seen him down at the hospital with some iron in his chest.”
If I was going to get through to this big brawler, I’d have to try another tack. I took a roll of bills from my pocket.
“Either I’m in or I’m out. Here’s Jake’s money. I had to spend a little, not much. Tell him I’ll give him a note of what I did with it. My time he can have for nothing.”
I put the roll on the table.
“Wait a minute.”
He sat glowering at me, thick beads of perspiration rolling down the blue cheeks.
“You’re quitting? Why?”
“I’m working for Jake. He knows me, he trusts me. We have one special thing in common. Our word is good in this town. If you’re standing in for him, you’d better get somebody you can trust.”
I got up to leave. He continued to stare at me.
“People don’t walk out on Charlie Martello,” he said softly.
“Don’t talk tough to me, Charlie. Not without your goons. You’re getting too old for that kind of talk. That belly is all lard, and if you need a demonstration, come and get it.”
He began to rise from the chair, measuring me carefully. Then suddenly he laughed, and sat
