‘Yes?’
‘You paid Trudi Walker a lot of money.’
‘True, and now I suppose I have to pay you?’
‘Maybe, I haven’t decided. I might just show it on TV for fun. But I don’t care much who puts what in who, I was working for Trudi Walker and I think you had her killed. I’m much more concerned about that.’
The imperturbable mask slipped a bit, and there was an edge in his voice. ‘I certainly did not have her killed. Why would I? You know what she had over me, killing her would only introduce complications, such as yourself.’
‘I assume something went wrong. Look, I’m not green, extortionists get killed, it’s a risk they take. But she hired me to find someone and she paid me and I haven’t done it. I’d like to tie that up, then I can think about other steps.’
He was looking puzzled, probably at having to deal with someone who had something on his mind except money. ‘I don’t see how I can help. Find someone you say? Who?’
‘Gerry Hadley, the business partner. Now, I’m just guessing, but it looks to me as if you decided to wipe out the whole operation. Maybe you removed Hadley to frighten the Walker woman, I don’t know.’
The mask was back, nicely in place. He got up from the desk and walked across to a drinks cabinet. ‘It’s early as I say, but I’m going to have a drink. Join me?’
I shook my head; he poured himself a solid whisky, added water and came back behind the desk. He sipped the drink. ‘You’ll forgive me if I see a ray of hope in all this unpleasantness’, he said. ‘If I can convince you that I did not kill Trudi Walker or Hadley, is there a chance that you’d hand over the film?’
‘There’s a chance’, I said.
‘Hadley is alive, I can have him brought here inside an hour.’ He lifted a phone and spoke three crisp sentences. He worked a bit more on his drink and looked at me.
‘What do the police think about the Walker killing?’
‘They think Hadley did it.’
He smiled. ‘They’re right for once. Hadley killed her but he didn’t intend to. This is a very messy business, Mr Hardy, and I can’t afford messes just now.’
‘Too bad’, I said. ‘You should take up jogging and cold showers.’
‘Perhaps. I’m going to be frank with you. I’m a blackmailer myself in a way. I hold a lot of paper on Hadley, gambling debts.’
‘I’m glad I live a blameless life’, I said.
He ignored me. ‘I persuaded Hadley to approach Trudi with a view to getting hold of the film. He did, they quarrelled, he shot her. An accident.’
‘What did you do?’
‘I didn’t believe him; I thought he’d grabbed the film himself and was going to run the show. I had him roughed-up, shall we say? His car was taken and his money. I told him he had two days to produce the film. He was very frightened, now I know why.’
‘Hadley was missing for two days before the killing. You have anything to do with that?’
‘Yes, indeed. I told you that Hadley had to be persuaded.’
‘You’re a prime bastard. You’ve kept your eye on Hadley since?’
‘Round the clock, I thought he’d crack and get the film. He’s been scuttling about, I suppose he’s heard that the police are after him. His situation has been unenviable, he’ll be relieved by this development.’
I looked at him, wondering how much of this to believe. One thing I knew, if Hadley had killed Trudi his face would be marked.
We sat there uneasily; Barton answered the phone a few times, wrote things in files on his desk and signed things a secretary brought in. He finished the whisky and didn’t make another. I was thinking about taking him up on the drink offer when the door opened and two men walked in. One was big, with a blank, hard face. The other man, much smaller, was pudgy looking and pale; his soft brown hair was cut short and his expensive clothes looked slept in. His expression was timid; he wasn’t the laughing GI of yesteryear but he was Gerry Hadley just the same. There was heavy sticking plaster down one side of his face and along his jaw.
When he saw me he buckled at the knees and the guy with the cold eyes had to hold him up.
‘You can’t do this’, he babbled. ‘I haven’t got it, I…’
‘Shut up, Hadley’, Barton said. ‘Put him over there, Carl.’ The big man dropped Hadley into a chair, Barton waved at him and he went out. Hadley’s hands were shaking as he tried to light a cigarette. Barton got up and helped him. When the smoke was in the air he clapped Hadley on the back.
‘Your lucky day, Gerry, I think. Now I just want exactly as you told me.’
Hadley looked at him uncertainly. ‘You mean, like everything.’
Barton nodded. I got up and poured myself some whisky, Hadley nodded when I looked across at him and I poured him one too.
Thanks. Well, I went to see Trudi like Sir Peter wanted and I tried to find out where she kept the film.’ He drank and tapped the glass. ‘I had a bit of this before, Trudi could be a pretty scary dame you know.’
‘Go on’, I said.
‘Well, I took along a gun just for show. I told her what was up and she went wild, she wouldn’t even listen.’
‘What did she say?’
‘She looked as if she didn’t believe it. I’d always sweet-talked her, you know? I guess she was in love with me.’
I felt sick and drank some whisky. ‘I asked you what she said.’
‘Not much. She cried, then she laughed. She laughed at me and I got mad. Then she did this to me.’ He lifted his hand to his face. ‘I saw red and the gun went off.’ He finished the drink and looked down into his glass like a man staring into his own coffin.
‘Did you look for the film?’ I said.
‘No. I panicked, the phone started to ring and I ran.’ He looked across at Barton. ‘I guess you told him what happened after that.’
‘Yeah’, I said. ‘Tell me one thing-how did you feel about Trudi?’
It came to me then that Hadley wasn’t very bright. He looked desperately from me to Barton wondering how to play it, looking for a clue.
‘The truth’, I said.
‘Oh, I don’t know, I guess I was sick of her, you know? She was a hell of a lot older than me, and she clung so close; I mean she just stuck there all the time.’ He waved his hands helplessly. ‘She was so old you know?’
‘And she charged you rent?’
‘She sure did!’ Grievance made him jerk his head up and tighten his soft jaw. ‘She was the tightest bitch in the world. I had only ten per cent of the operation; most of what I had was leased, the car and all. She kept me tied up tight.’
I had to smile then because I could see how to handle it and because of the irony of it all. I stood up.
‘Come on, you two. We’re going to have a little look at something you’ll want to see.’
But Barton had had enough. His hand moved on the desk, and the guy who’d escorted Hadley in came back again. I guessed that he was Barton’s persuader. Barton jerked his head at me. ‘Carl, restrain him.’
Carl came across walking light and bouncy and reached for me. I swivelled away and hooked him near the ear. He fell back, looked surprised and came in again with his hands up and moving in and out as if he was almost clapping. One hand whipped out at me and I felt the wind of it as I went under. Carl bent too and dug me savagely in the ribs with a stiff hand. I wasn’t in the mood; I kicked him in the crotch and when he went down on one knee I brought my knee up under his chin. His head snapped back and clicked nastily and he stretched out on the deep pile carpet.
‘Too fancy’, I said. ‘Stop playing games. Barton, you’ll get your film. Come on.’
Barton got up, pulled Hadley to his feet and we all went out like the best of friends. Barton collected keys from the front desk and we drove to my office in a white Mercedes.
‘Where’s your Merc, Gerry?’ I asked him, but he didn’t reply.
We went up the three flights of stairs and into my office. I pushed Hadley down into a chair while Barton
