The Halfway to Hell Club

by MARK J. McCRACKEN

  And I missed Jack Benny, popcorn, and Kaitlin’s company for this? I would have puked, but I had to get to work helping Vinnie.

  CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

  Now that all the glad-handing was over it was time to get to work. Vinnie opened the office doors and we got our first look inside.

  Righty and Lefty were sitting in the two client chairs. Their eyes were red. The instant I had a look, I knew Chin and Loc were not involved. I had grown to respect these two men. They weren’t simple muscle. They protected the Wang’s, and they were taking this murder hard and personally.

  Vinnie and I looked at the body. Wang had taken two in the pump at close range. The shooter had been in front of the desk, point blank; there were powder burns on the white shirt. I pulled his chair back a little and found that Wang had been shot in the groin once or twice. It was a mess. There were two .32 automatic shell casings in front of the desk and two under Wang’s chair.

  I looked at Righty and Lefty. I knew I would get straight answers. “Where were you guys when this happened?”

  Chin spoke up. “We took Mrs. Wang to luncheon at the University Club, it was some charity thing.”

  Loc added: “Mr. Wang told us to take her and stay with her. He had a phone call he was expecting and a meeting in his office at five.”

  “Where is Mrs. Wang and Jimmy?”

  “She’s all broke up, boss,” Chin said. “Jimmy took her upstairs to the bar to get her away from all this. He asked us to stay here until you guys arrived, then bring you upstairs to see her.”

  Loc was struggling to hold it together. “She’s the toughest woman I have ever met. But she’s broken, boss. I’ve never seen her like this.”

  “Where did you go after the luncheon?”

  “We took her home and waited for Mr. Wang to call. We listened to the ball game on the radio. After it was over, Mrs. Wang asked us to head back to the office and wait for Mr. Wang. We were getting ready to leave when Jimmy called. He found Mr. Wang. We brought her right here, boss.”

  “I trust you guys, but I have to check your story. Run down the top of the ninth of the game.”

  Loc started. “The Professor laid down a bunt and made it to first. Harley Boss fanned looking for the first out. Orville Jerkins popped up for the second out.”

  Chin picked up from there. “Casper Carlson, that bum, had four foul tips. Then he stood there like a statue for a called strike three. Moron.”

  “Yeah I know, guys. Kaitlin and I were at the game.”

  The crime-lab guys showed up and started gathering evidence. Vinnie, Ashwythe, Dunderbeck and I took the elevator to the top floor.

  Dunderbeck asked: “You know those two guys, Sean. Are they on the level?”

  “Those two are capable of just about anything. But betraying the Wang’s is not one of them. They would die before they would do that.”

  “Whoever pulled the trigger shot Wang in the privates,” Vinnie said. “That seems like the kind of thing a wife would do to a cheating husband.”

  “The Wang’s are like a couple of vicious sharks. They kill out of necessity, not pleasure. There is always a plan, always a motive. If Mr. Wang was cheating on Mrs. Wang, I guarantee, we’d never find his body. She is too cunning and too smart to do this one. But it sure was set up to make it look like she did.”

  Mrs. Wang was sitting in the corner looking out the window. She was perfectly calm. Jimmy Chan was sitting on a barstool drinking a beer, looking pretty shook up.

  “Hey, Jimmy. Where were you when this happened?”

  “Mr. Wang sent me to the telephone exchange to receive a call.”

  “Who from?”

  “That’s the strange part. He wouldn’t tell me who it was that would be calling, only which phone bank to wait by. The call never came.”

  “Chin and Loc told me Wang had a meeting. Who with?”

  “Sean, I have been working for Wang for years. I know everything about him, his family, his schedule, everything. I had no clue he had a meeting today. He told me he was waiting for that phone call, that’s it.”

  “How’s Mrs. Wang?”

  “She’s brokenhearted, Sean. But stand by. I know her. In a couple of hours her rage is going to take over. Whoever did this will regret the day that they were born.”

  I patted Jimmy on the shoulder and we all went over to Mrs. Wang. She was calm-looking, but numb.

  “I’m so sorry, Mrs. Wang.” She nodded but remained quiet.

  “I hope you know that I have your best interests at heart, but I am going to be brutally honest with you. I am not trying to hurt or offend you. But I have to be hard and fast.”

  She nodded.

  “Mr. Wang was shot in the groin. This is usually the act of an angry wife of a cheating husband. Did Mr. Wang ever cheat on you?”

  Jimmy cringed like an explosion was about to come. It didn’t.

  “No, never. He has been faithful every day of our marriage.”

  “Mrs. Wang someone has gone to great deal of trouble to make it look like you did it. I need you to allow the police to search your home and this building right now.”

  She considered the idea. “I have nothing to hide; you have my permission to search wherever you feel is necessary. It is with the proviso that it be information-gathering for this crime, this may not be a fishing expedition for the FBI to gather evidence against my late husband’s business interests.”

  The FBI guys nodded. I told Jimmy to stay with Mrs. Wang. We went down in the elevator.

  Dunderbeck asked: “Do you expect to find anything at the house, Sean?”

  “This whole thing stinks on ice. My guess is we will find the murder weapon, and in a pretty incriminating location.”

  The Wang’s lived on the same street as Connie Morehouse: Pacific Avenue in the Pacific Heights. We pulled into the circular driveway and rang the bell. The housekeeper answered the door and stood aside.

  At the bottom of the stairs, Vinnie made a good point. “Mrs. Wang is cooperating. I’m with Sean; this thing seems too easy. Let’s start in the bedroom and be gentle. We may need more of her cooperation and assistance. We are not rolling a whorehouse or some two-bit dope dealer.”

  We marched up the stairs and found the master bedroom. My house could fit in this room. Bill went to the bathroom; Vinnie the nightstands. Dave took the closets, and I got stuck with the lingerie chest. I felt strange rummaging through a woman’s undie drawer. But there it was, in the second drawer from the top.

  I called out. “Bingo, boys.”

  Vinnie came over and moved the silk items to the side with a pen. He lifted it out by the trigger guard. It was a nickel-plated Walther PP automatic. The perfect ladies’ weapon: small compact, white grips, goes with any outfit.

  Vinnie gave it a sniff. “Guess what? It’s been fired recently.” He put the pistol on the dresser and the pen in the muzzle. He picked up a hairbrush and used the handle to press the eject button. The magazine slipped out. It was missing four rounds. Once again, very convenient.

  Bill was the first to say something. “I don’t know, boys. If Mrs. Wang pumped two in Mr. Wang’s pump and then shot off big Jim and the twins, I don’t think she’d park the roscoe in her unmentionables drawer.”

  Vinnie agreed. “If she had anything to do with this, she would have had a mouthpiece at her side and she never would have talked to us, or let us search the house.”

  Dave added: “I have been chasing the Wang’s for two years. There are a lot of smart people in on this investigation in Chinatown. I have to be honest: We don’t have shit. The Wang’s have outmaneuvered us every step of the way. I don’t get it. In my personal opinion, I think Mrs. Wang is smarter than Mr. Wang was. She just isn’t this stupid.”

  I asked Dave and Bill: “Is there an enemy in Chinatown that would benefit from both of the Wang’s going down
?”

  Bill gave it some thought and scratched his head. “There are probably forty or fifty players that are already planning their moves to take over Chinatown. But to be honest, all the major players were killed off by Wang. It’s all small fry, Sean.”

  We all stood around and mulled it over. I had a thought, but I didn’t like it.

  “Let me make a phone call,” I said. “I need to do some digging around in the morning. Let’s call it a night. We are going to let the principals stew in their own juices till morning. I think we need to smoke out a rat.” I didn’t like those words coming out of my mouth.

  Vinnie looked confused. “You got a hunch, Sean?”

  “I am sorry to say, yes.”

  CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR

  Vinnie dropped me off at Kaitlin’s at two a.m. I quietly got into the Model A and drove home. It was raining cats and dogs. It was the one bad thing about this car: it leaked when it rained. Plus, it was a warm rain, and the windows fogged up and made it hard to see. I was all bundled up in my trench coat just trying to stay dry.

  I pulled in the driveway; the Ford was in the garage. I was trying to decide if I wanted to change places to get the Model A back in the garage. The easy answer was: Go in the house and worry about it in the morning when the rain stopped. But then I saw standing water on the floorboards. Decision made.

  I backed up the Model A all the way to the end of the driveway, opened the garage door, and pulled the Ford out. Next move was to pull the Model A into the street.

  I had just gotten out of the Model A when it came out of nowhere. I bent over to get in the car, and whatever hit my shoulder was deflected by the roof of the car. I fell to the ground. Whoever it was, was dressed in all black, complete with a black ski mask. I was on the ground, about to be clobbered, and I was wondering where a gee gets a ski mask in San Francisco. It’s funny what runs through your mind when you are in danger.

  He pulled the stick over his head but he accidentally hit the trim on the garage. I rolled over and the stick hit the driveway. It was a baseball bat. I had on the double shoulder holster, but my coat was closed and I couldn’t get to either one. He brought the bat to his right to wind up, but he missed and hit the mirror on the Ford. I sat up and leaned against the car door, and he swung again and hit the door hard. I rolled and reached into my sock and pulled out a knife. As the guy pulled the bat over his head, I drove the knife into his thigh and pulled down. The scream was bloodcurdling. With the bat still in his hands his limped down the driveway with the knife in his leg.

  It took me a minute to stand up. I was a little shaky. Uncle Gino and Cousin Petey came running up the street. My shoulder was killing me, but I don’t think he broke anything.

  Uncle Gino was beside himself.

  “Sean, are you okay? What happened?”

  “Another unsatisfied customer, I suppose.”

  Petey helped me re-park the cars. My poor Ford, my baby, was all dented up. It broke my heart, but that car helped save me.

  We went in and got the bottle out. I asked Uncle Gino not to tell Aunt Celia; she would be worried to death. I polished off an extra whiskey and called Vinnie at home.

  “Vinnie, its Sean. Somebody just tried to take me out at home.” I described what happened.

  “You are a popular guy, Sean. Any ideas?”

  “Hot news flash, buddy. I know who did it. I know who killed Wang, and why. I’m going to call Mrs. Wang. I want you and me to meet her at the club in the morning. We are going to close the book on this whole business once and for all.”

  “Your call, pal,” he said.

  I asked Vinnie to pick me up, since I didn’t know how strong my shoulder would be in the morning. I called Mrs. Wang, who was awake. I asked her to have Righty, Lefty, and Jimmy in her office at eight. She agreed. I asked to speak to Loc or Chin.

  Chin came on the line. “What’s up, boss.”

  I explained what had happened and what I wanted done. There was no hesitation.

  “Just as you say, boss.” The phone clicked off.

  Uncle Gino and Cousin Petey left and I got ready for bed. I put a .45 under the covers with me. But I knew the attacker was not coming back tonight.

  At seven thirty, Vinnie knocked on the door.

  “Holy shit, look at your flivver,” Vinnie cried.

  “It’s enough to make a grown man cry.”

  We drove to Chinatown in silence till we were almost there. “You’re okay? The shoulder’s going to be fine?” he said.

  “Nothing more whiskey won’t take care of.”

  We walked in. Jimmy was in the lobby. “Mrs. Wang can’t go in the office,” he said. “She asked if we could meet upstairs.”

  We went up. Mrs. Wang was seated in the corner again. Loc was directly behind her shoulder. Jimmy sat next to her and Vinnie sat on Mrs. Wang’s left. I sat next to Jimmy.

  “Mrs. Wang, I think we have figured out who killed your husband,” I said. “I think we have a pretty good guess.”

  Mrs. Wang usually had a good poker face, but not this time. “That is completely unacceptable. I hope you have more than a guess, Mr. O’Farrell.”

  As she said this, Chin walked in the door with a baseball bat in his hands. He threw it to me; I caught it with one hand.

  Jimmy was sitting on a bar stool and doing his best to look disinterested.

  “Wow, Chin. I haven’t seen one of these since college.” I turned to Mrs. Wang. You don’t see these much anymore, Mrs. Wang. This is a Louisville Slugger baseball bat. It’s made out of kiln-dried northern ash.”

  I pointed to the label in the middle. “Do you see those letters right there?”

  She looked and nodded.

  “Those three letters, COL, indicate that this is a college model. Hey, Chin, what do these numbers of the end of the bat mean?”

  I looked at Chin, who smiled and played along. “The 30 that is engraved on the knob tells you it is a thirty-inch bat, boss.”

  “Then what are these numbers that are painted on the knob?” asked Mrs. Wang. “It looks faded.”

  “It is the number twenty-two. We used to paint our uniform number on our bat so when it was in the rack, you could tell your bat from everyone else’s.”

  I continued with Mrs. Wang.

  “You see this number. 125? A lot of people think that is a model number. It really means that this is the best-quality lumber that they have. This is without a question, their best bat.”

  Mrs. Wang looked confused, but didn’t say anything.

  I looked the bat over.

  “Hey, Chin, what are these marks on the barrel?”

  “Looks like maroon paint to me, boss.”

  “Actually, Chin, it’s midnight burgundy, the same paint that is on my 1938 Ford Coupe.”

  Mrs. Wang was paying close attention.

  Jimmy was starting to look around the room nervously.

  “Where did you get this baseball bat, Chin?”

  “I got it from Jimmy Chan’s apartment, along with this stuff.”

  He threw me a bag. In it was bloody gauze and my pocket knife. I threw it on the table.

  “How did the bathroom look, Chin?”

  “Just like you guessed, boss. A slaughterhouse. Blood was everywhere.”

  I looked at the knob of the bat.

  “Number twenty-two.” I shook my head. “That was your number in college, Jimmy. You never could swing a bat for shit, buddy.”

  I took the knob of the bat and drove it into Jimmy’s thigh. I got to hear that bloodcurdling scream again.

  Chin grabbed my pocket knife. Loc grabbed Jimmy and lifted him out of the chair. Chin used the knife to tear away Jimmy’s pant leg. He was bandaged like a mummy, but the wound was starting to bleed again. Jimmy was crying in pain.

  Mrs. Wang was on her feet, her eyes as la
rge as saucers.

  “Why Jimmy, why?” she demanded.

  He didn’t say a word. I answered for him.

  “Because Jimmy wanted to be part of management. Your husband counted on Jimmy, but he wasn’t family. He was never going to take over the family business. Jimmy asked and was told no. So he murdered your husband and set you up for the fall.

  “If you managed to get out of the fix, Jimmy would be there to help you manage the operation. Good old reliable, helpful Jimmy. It was perfect. Jimmy knew right when to hit. He made sure you, Mrs. Wang, were busy, and that Chin and Loc would not be around. He probably told your husband that someone was coming for a meeting, and when everything was quiet Jimmy killed him and made it look like you did it, Mrs. Wang. Old Jimmy even made a special trip to your house to plant the murder weapon in your lingerie drawer. When you didn’t get hauled in by the police last night, Jimmy panicked. He thought I would figure it out, so he came after me to close the loop. Strike three, Jimmy, you’re out.”

  Mrs. Wang was stunned. She sat back down; Loc brought her a glass of water.

  The phone rang at the bar, and the bartender called to Vinnie. “Inspector Castellano, there are four men from the police department downstairs here to arrest your suspect.”

  As soon as the doors closed behind Vinnie, the fun began. Loc clubbed Jimmy on the head and he fell to the floor. I started to get up, but Chin put me in a bear hug and Loc held my shoulders down. I wasn’t going anywhere, but I put up a fight.

  “You can’t murder him in cold blood, Mrs. Wang. Don’t lower yourself to Jimmy’s level. You are better than that.”

  Six little Chinese guys in those silk pajamas, round red Chinese caps, white socks, and black slippers emerged and moved with unbelievable speed. They tied Jimmy up and hauled him out through the kitchen in all of ten seconds.