Lady—Here's Your Wreath

big belt of giant trees. The surrounding country was wild and woody. Not far from the lodge a swift river about a hundred yards wide flowed strongly, twisting through the woods like a snake.

It was the sort of place I would have bought myself if I had the dough. The sort of place Mardi and me would be happy in. Even with a big story breaking I kept linking myself with that girl.

We piled out of the car and began to walk up the narrow, wooded path that led to the lodge. We hadn’t gone far before we heard voices.

Ackie grinned a little. “The boys’ve camped out here,” he said.

He was right. We turned the sharp bend in the path and suddenly came upon the lodge and the boys. There must have been eight or nine of them hanging round the lodge, watching the windows, smoking and talking.

When they saw us they came towards us hurriedly.

Barry Hughson greeted me with an ironic cheer. “Jeeze,” he said, “you here again!”

Ackie scowled at him. “The old man sent out an S O S. You watch your step… this guy’s a big shot.”

Hughson started to say something, but stopped. Maybe he thought it would be wise to quit ribbing me.

“We ain’t seen a sign of anyone,” he said. “We got the place surrounded, and we’ve tried getting in, but short of smashin’ a window we don’t stand a chance.”

“You nuts?” I demanded. “This is going to make the Colonel as sore as hell. What do you think you’re playin’ at?”

Hughson shrugged. “We got to get the dope,” he said. “The cops won’t spill it… there’s somethin’ goin’ on inside there, an’ our public want to know.”

We all had a laugh at that.

“Listen, Nick,” Ackie said quickly. “Suppose you have a shot at it. You get in there an’ find out what it’s all about… then, if you can, persuade the Colonel to let the boys in… tell him he’s news. We gotta see him!”

If I could get in I should certainly line up with Kennedy. I had no sympathy with headline hunters. I was always on the look-out for a good story, but this way of getting it didn’t appeal to me.

“Call your dogs off,” I said to Hughson. “I shan’t get in unless you boys are out of sight.”

They were so eager to get that story they’d’ve jumped into the river if I’d told them to.

When they had all got under cover, away from the lodge, I walked up to the front door. I took a slip of paper out of my notebook and scribbled on it: “Maybe I can help you out of this. Nick Mason.” I rang the bell and shoved the letter through the box.

I stood there waiting. I waited so long that I thought I wasn’t going to pull it off. Then I thought maybe Kennedy was thinking it was phoney, so I stood away from the lodge so he could see me.

That worked it. He came to the door himself. I expected to find him plenty mad. I knew he’d got a hell of a temper once he got going.

“Come in quick,” he said, holding the door ajar.

I stepped into the hall and he shut and bolted the door behind me.

“Am I glad to see you?” he said, wringing my hand. “Where the blazes have you been all this time?”

I grinned at him. “Suppose we skip that for a moment, Colonel,” I said. “Seems like you’ve got yourself in a bit of a jam.”

“Jam?” He certainly looked worried sick. “I’m sitting on dynamite. Listen, Mason, are you going to help me out again?”

“Sure,” I said. “That’s why I’ve come out here.”

“Come in and have a drink,” he said, leading the way into a long, low room, with a big, empty fireplace at one end. I looked round, admiringly.

“You’ve certainly’ve got a swell joint here,” I said.

He was busy fixing the Scotch. “How did you hear about this?” he asked.

“The Globe knew that we had been sort of friendly, and they thought maybe I could get in and find out what the trouble was about,” I said, taking the glass from his hand. “They figured that you would talk to me.”

Just for a second he stared at me, then he grinned. “So you came out to fool them?”

I nodded. “Sure, I came out to fool them.”

The Scotch went down very well indeed.

He sat down in a big armchair and ran his hand through his hair. He was a distinguished-looking guy, with a big, fleshy face and good eyes. I should think he was getting on for fifty, but he was tough and as hard as teak. He pointed to another chair. “Sit down, Mason, and tell me how you’re going to get me out of this.”

I sat on the table so I could look down on him. “I guess you gotta start talkin’ first,” I said. “I gotta find out just how things are. All I know is a shot was reported and the cops came up. After a little while they came out, told the boys there was nothing to it, and beat it. If the cops were satisfied, I guess there ain’t anythin’ to get worried about. You ain’t just bein’ cussed, are you, Colonel?”

Kennedy took a long pull at his glass. “It’s worse than anything like that,” he said. “It’s a woman.”

I hid a little grin. The Colonel was a good guy, but he’d got a way of making dames fall for him. He didn’t do much to encourage them. He just sat around and smiled, and along they’d come.

“Huh, huh,” I said. I wasn’t going to commit myself.

He finished up the Scotch, fidgeted with the glass, and scowled out of the window at the boys sitting on the grass about two hundred yards away. I didn’t hurry him.

“You know how it is,” he began, still looking out of the window.

“Sure,” I said to encourage him.

“I was crazy to have anything to do with this woman,” he said. “She’s got big connections. There’ll be a devil of a scandal if anything leaks out, and she can’t afford that, nor can I.”

I took his glass and mine and filled them up. The vices of the upper crust always interested me. I’d got enough inferior complexes for rich folk to think they always did their vices so much better than I did mine. I guess it was just a complex, because I’ve thought about it a great deal, and I never really could think how they did it better than I, but that was maybe because I hadn’t enough imagination.

“I’ve got to get her out of this place, and I don’t know how the blazes I’m going to do it.”

I nearly spilt the liquor. “You mean she’s still here?” I said.

He twisted his head and looked at me. “Of course she is,” he said, showing a little of his old temper. “Why do you think I’m sitting here, letting those fellows make a monkey out of me?”

“Okay, Colonel,” I said. “I didn’t get it. The jam is getting the lady away without the boys seein’ her; that it?”

Kennedy nodded. “Do you think you could do it?” he asked.

I thought about it, then I said: “Yeah, I guess it would work out all right. The boys want to see you. At the moment they don’t think there’s a dame in here. Right, what you gotta do is to see them, and while you’re holding them with talk I’ll get the dame out through the back door.”

Kennedy sat there thinking. I could see he didn’t quite like the idea. I could guess why. “You ain’t got to worry about me, Colonel,” I went on. “I don’t make capital out of friends of mine.”

He looked up hastily. “No—I wasn’t thinking of that. I… well, I guess, even you can’t know who she is… she wouldn’t stand for it.”

I said: “Between you an’ me I guess this dame’s a little difficult, eh?”

Kennedy nodded. “She’s crazy,” he said. “Damn it, she pulled a gun on me last night.”

I stared at him. “Then there was some shootin’ goin’ on?” I said.

He hesitated. “Yes,” he said at last. “There was a misunderstanding. She’s got a quick temper and the gun went off.”

I couldn’t help it. I laughed. It struck me as mighty funny. “Wouldn’t she fall for your stuff, Colonel?” I said.

For a moment I thought he was going to get mad, then he grinned ruefully. “For Pete’s sake keep this quiet,” he implored me. “But I guess that’s about it.”

I slid off the table. “Suppose you go an’ explain things to her. I reckon we gotta hurry, the boys out there are getting restless.”

He got to his feet, looking worried. “I hope she’ll listen to reason,” he said. He stood there like a schoolboy screwing up his courage to go inside for a belting. Then he walked out of the room.