The Great Slay

by P C Hatter

  Quigley nodded and left the office.

  “Why are you so interested in those two?”

  “They’re Sal Greenly’s thugs. I visited the salamander last night and convinced him to give me their names. He wasn’t too happy about it. The two were looking for Lachlan when I first met them. Had I put them down properly, Lachlan might still be alive.” Before Duke could start barking at me, I said, “If you were wondering, I know a rabbit who gets around.”

  “That’s not what I was wondering. You keep stepping on my toes through this whole damn case. Sal Greenly is about one step away from a long stretch up river. We’ve been investigating him for the past month.”

  “So, now I’m in on this investigation?”

  “Don’t get cute, Kaiser, and don’t you dare mess up my investigation.”

  “Maybe I can help solve it. Give me the file on Sal Greenly.”

  “I can’t even if I wanted to. The D.A. has it classified top secret.”

  “Can’t you look at it?”

  Duke glared at me. “That would mean having to explain to him why you’re on the case.”

  “That’s not going to work.”

  “Nope. The peacock has his own guys doing the legwork, so there’s no information I can give you.” Duke rubbed his snout. “Do you think Sal Greely is the last link in the chain?”

  “Yeah. A moose by the name of Anthony Albane has the apartment above Leslie Haze. It’s possible he got into hock with Greenly and refused to pay. Albane is too big to push around, but Greenly wants to save face. The salamander gets Griggs to do the job by getting Lachlan to push him into a corner with a loan shark. Everything would have been fine if Griggs hadn’t screwed up and the dominos fell.”

  Duke picked up the handset from his desk phone. “Can you patch me through to an Anthony Albane?” He rattled off the address, and we waited. Eventually Duke talked to whoever was at the residence and hung up. “Albane is in South America at the moment and doesn’t know when he’ll return. If you’re right, he’s running scared.”

  “Nuts.”

  “Got any other theories?”

  “Not at the moment. Though…”

  “What, Kaiser, spill it.”

  “Maybe Sal Greenly was driving? For that kind of haul, he wouldn’t leave it to just anyone.”

  “Kaiser—”

  “Don’t bring Greenly in yet. Give me three days, and I’ll give you the whole lot of them.”

  “How?”

  “How did I know you were going to pull in Greely today? You just told me.”

  Duke growled, and I smiled. “I’ll try not to get myself killed in the process.”

  CHAPTER 7

  On the way out of the building, I stopped by the stenos to ask after Elenore Blacksaddle and was told she’d gone to lunch at the Feedbag. When I saw her, I had to do a doubletake, and so did everyone else. Elenore was dressed in black, and for a dark horse it had a person wondering if she was wearing anything. Her glossy mane cascaded in dark waves over her shoulders.

  “Hello, tiger.”

  I sat down across from her. “I’m surprised you’re eating alone.”

  “Originally, I wasn’t, but everyone else had to get back. With all the overtime I’ve been working and the city budget not allowing for unauthorized overtime, I now have the day off.”

  The waitress stopped by, and I ordered a beer and sandwich.

  “So, Mr. Wrench, what had you in mind for the day?” Like every other male at the restaurant, I couldn’t help where my eyes traveled. “Aside from that.”

  “Your boss has a certain file on Sal Greenly I’d like to read.”

  Elenore covered her eyes with her hands. “I should have known. I spend all my time making myself pretty hoping you’ll stop by, and when you do, it’s to ask me for the impossible.”

  “Well?”

  “Are you serious?”

  “Yes, I need that file. It isn’t exactly secret information with me. Duke said the D.A. was going to pick the guy up soon.”

  “Did he tell you those files are locked up and under guard?”

  I shrugged. “That bird’s always had trust issues.”

  “I could lose my job or end up in jail.” She pulled a cigarette out of the pack I had sitting on the table and toyed with it before accepting the light I held out.

  “I don’t want to steal anything, I just want to take a peek.” The look Elenore gave me, I deserved for asking. “Okay, maybe I am asking too much. You know the situation. The D.A. is so secretive, he’s no idea what information he does have. If he’d loosen up, the bird would get somewhere. The public would be helping instead of laughing at his antics. They ought to take a look at a corpse shot full of holes or widows and young, crying at funerals.”

  The cigarette in Elenore’s fingers burned and the ashes on the end drooped. She stared at me with languid eyes. “Fine, I’ll help.” A slow wicked smile covered her face. “For a price that is.”

  I’ve been dealing with crooks too long because I didn’t get what she was driving at. “How much?”

  “Well, at least one night with you. Maybe two. I haven’t decided yet.” She reached across the table and touched my hand. “I’m doing it because of the widows and orphans, but I’m not above getting a little of what I want, and I suspect this is the only way I’ll get you.”

  “You’ll never have to buy me, Elenore.”

  Once the check was paid, we left the restaurant.

  “Let’s stop at a payphone, so I can call Lacy.” At my curious look, she added, “Lacy is one of my roommates, remember? If I go back into the office people will get curious. Lacy’s still there and should be able to get the file without anyone noticing.”

  “Will she do it?”

  “She owes me a few favors.”

  “Then what.”

  “We’re going to the races. I have relatives in town and would like to support them.”

  I waited in a bar across from the station and had a beer while Elenore made her phone call. A kid came in selling newspapers, and I bought one. Reading it was next to impossible because the television at the bar was turned to a game in Brooklyn. Two old foxes, one on either side of me, were arguing about batting averages and tried pulling me into the conversation. Finally, the one on my right tapped his ear and pulled out a hearing aid out of his shirt pocket and indicated it wasn’t working. The pair looked at me, so I left the paper on the bar folded to the sports section and stepped back. If Elenore hadn’t walked into the room, I would have been witness to a barroom brawl. The subject of sports was forgotten at the site of her curves. I put my arm around her and walked her out so they could see her going away and really have something to talk about.

  When we got to the car, she climbed in looking cool, lovely, and pleased with herself.

  “How’d it go?”

  “Lacy is glad to help, but a little nervous. She’ll wait until everyone leaves then put it in her briefcase. She’s taking work home tonight, so no one should notice. The file will be at the apartment later tonight.”

  “Nice.”

  “Don’t I deserve a kiss for the effort?”

  Her kiss wasn’t cool, it was warm, soft, and heady like spiced wine. Had the car behind us not blared their horn, Elenore might have called in her marker right then and there.

  At the race track, Elenore schmoozed with her relatives for a bit before making any bets. “Don’t bet on Blaze, he’s fallen off the wagon. Titan’s been suspected of using drugs and at his age he’s more likely to die on the race track than finish.”

  “And the others?”

  Elenore looked over my shoulder at the program and ran her finger down the list. “Sunny Day and Lucifer’s Pocket are your best bet.”

  “What is it with racehorses and crazy names? Yours is normal.”

  She laughed. “My birth name is Painted Plains, I changed it when I left home.”

  “Elenore suits you much better.”

  I stuck a few dollars on
Lucifer’s Pocket, and we watched the numbered runners race around the track. Lucifer’s Pocket wore what looked like striped pajamas, but the male had a long stride and bolted across the finish line ahead of the others with arms raised. The crowd went wild.

  We collected our winnings, and I asked, “So not all your family has disowned you.”

  “Only my father and the rest of the upper circle. Powerhouse and a few others understand my position. Some even wish they had the courage to do likewise.”

  “He’s a bright chap, not like a few of the others. What’s his story?”

  “Powerhouse’s mother had an affair which produced him. Luckily, his sire was a stallion of impeccable breeding, or he would never have been considered for training. Which would have been a shame because he loves to run, and as you saw today, he’s good at it.”

  “So, he’s the product of a scandal. That must have put a bit of strain on the marriage.”

  “Not at all. Now, had his mother got caught in bed with the workhorse who owned the local pub, that would have caused a real scandal. No breeding you see.”

  After the races we had plenty of time to wait, so we stopped by a club for dinner and a little dancing. A little after eight, we headed back to her place hoping to beat the downpour the rainclouds were threatening us with. We almost made it. The doorman held an umbrella up for Elenore, escorting her into the building and came back for me. My shoes still got wet, but Elenore got rain down the back of her dress and it molded to her curves.

  When we entered her apartment, I asked, “Where’s your roommates?”

  “Out with their dates. Do you mind pouring me a drink while I change into something dry?”

  “Sure.” Soon after I made the drinks, Elenore came out wearing a terrycloth bathrobe and drying her mane with a towel. She took her drink and motioned to the coffee table. “If you want to sit down, I’ll get the file.”

  “Am I that obvious?”

  “Only a person used to seeing contained excitement would notice.” Elenore set her drink on the table and moved a console in order to reach a hidden safe. She pulled out a manila folder and set it on the coffee table. “There’s your file.”

  My fingers shook as I picked it up, and I managed to bust the rubber band which encircled the thing. The urge to rip apart the envelope to get at the contents was great. When I had the pages out is when the confusion and disappointment set in. “Nothing. The damn file is useless.”

  Elenore picked up the pages I’d tossed to the floor as I read. “What do you mean? The D.A. has been working on this for months.”

  “So, he’s proved Greenly is a bookie. Everyone on the street has that information. Greenly will go down for it and someone else will take his place.” I grabbed a few pages and held them out. “Only two official reports give any background, and they were made when Fallon was D.A. What’s been happening in all that time? Why is there nothing until about a month ago?”

  Elenore took the reports and touched the rubber-stamped number on the top of the page. “This report is part of a series.”

  “And the rest?”

  “Archived or destroyed. I’ve been working in the department long enough to see more than one new office holder do a right thorough clean of a department. Sometimes that includes the file room.”

  “Hours of work, tossed into the incinerator?” The thought floored me. How much of my tax dollars were wasted because someone had to go back and redo something someone else had already done?

  “Basically. I’ll check the file room in the morning. Hopefully we’ll still have the rest of the information.”

  “Nuts on tomorrow. I need that information tonight.”

  Elenore shrugged. “Short of calling Fallon, I don’t know what else to do.”

  “Do you know where he lives?”

  “No, but I can find out.” She gave me a sideways glance and asked, “Does it have to be tonight?”

  “Tonight.” I caught her before she reached the phone and pulled her in to my arms. “I’m sorry.”

  “It’s all right I understand.”

  After three or four calls, she finally located Fallon’s current address in Flushing. I made the toll call and waited as the phone rang. When I was about to hang up, a female answered. “Yes?”

  “Hello, Mrs. Fallon? Can I speak to Mr. Fallon?”

  “I’m sorry, he’s not home right now. Can I take a message?”

  “I don’t suppose you can tell me when he’ll be back? It’s important.”

  “Oh, dear, my husband won’t be back until tomorrow afternoon.”

  I wanted to swear, but I resisted and said, “Thanks, I’ll call him tomorrow. Bye,” and put the phone down.

  “Looks like you’re stuck, Kaiser.” Eleanor put her arms around my neck and drew me into a kiss of sweet heady wine.

  “Don’t make this hard on me, filly.”

  “Can’t even buy you can I?”

  “You know better than that. If it wasn’t for this case, and me running out of time. Hell, when the department picks up Greenly, I’ll lose my only lead.”

  She gave me another one of her kisses before letting me go.

  Out in the car with the rain pounding down, I tried to put the pieces together. After driving around, I stopped at a bar for a beer and a sandwich. The more I tried to convince myself that Sal Greenly had engineered everything, the more something in the back of my mind called me a fool. For some reason I could see the individual trees but not the forest.

  When I got to my apartment, it was to find Duke waiting for me, and he looked fit to be tied. “Let’s have your gun.”

  Without question, I handed him my .45. Duke sniffed the barrel and checked the magazine.

  “Are you going to tell me what this is about?”

  “Like you don’t know already.”

  “No, I don’t, so would you please tell me what’s going on.”

  “Sal Greenly is dead, shot with a .45, and you’re tagged.”

  CHAPTER 8

  “Let’s go, Kaiser.”

  There are days when you get so mad you can’t talk. We got as far as the front door to the building before I asked, “Are you sure, Duke? Granted, I was hoping I’d get a chance to shoot him, but I didn’t.”

  Duke’s ears twitched and some of his own anger seeped away. “The M.E. set time of death around four o’clock last night.”

  “I was busy.” Busy sleeping, but I had to stay free if I wanted to solve this case.

  “Can you prove it?”

  I was starting to wonder if I’d lost my ability to lie and pointed to the phone in the lobby. “Mind if I make a call?”

  “Go ahead.”

  Duke ushered me over to the phone and I shoved a dime in the slot. The German shepherd stayed ready to grab the phone as soon as the person came on the line.

  “Hello?”

  “Hello, Leslie, this is Kaiser Wrench. A policeman wants to ask you something. Do you mind?”

  That was as far as I could get before Duke took the handset. “This is Captain Barrow speaking. I’m told you can account for Mr. Wrenches whereabouts last night. Is that correct?”

  The ear that listened to the cougar’s voice stayed stationary, but the other moved all over the place. In the end Duke said, “Thank you,” and hung up the phone. “What is it with you and females? Good god, you so much as walk through a room, and they’re pulling you into the nearest bed.”

  I stuck my hands in my pockets and shrugged. Duke handed me back my .45, and I offered him a cigarette. He took it and lit up. After a long drag he said, “Kaiser if you’re lying, there’s going to be hell to pay.”

  “What happened?”

  “Someone walked in and shot him.”

  “What?”

  “Yup. Walked right through the door and shot him in the head while he was sleeping. A telegram messenger came by and found the door open and the place trashed. He called the cops, and we found him.”

  “That’s cold. Do you have the bullet
?”

  Duke nodded and looked away.

  “Do not tell me that you didn’t check it before coming here? Is that peacock rubbing off on you?”

  He gave me a growl that slowly turned into a half whine. “I swore it was you. Plus, you could have switched barrels.”

  “If it’d been me, I wouldn’t have shot him in his sleep. Greenly would have been awake and known why he was about to die. Does anybody know what the killer was looking for?”

  “No. Come on and take a look before the D.A. finds out about it and lays an egg.”

  What was left of Greenly looked like it melted and oozed into the bed. Powder burns ringed the opening in his head. Whoever pulled the trigger held the gun right up close.

  Police filled the rooms going over every inch of the place. I followed Duke. Seat cushions were sliced open, drawers pulled out, and containers open with contents spilled.

  “Whatever they were looking for must not be very big,” I said.

  In the basement, we found a bunch of studio stills and enlargements of stage shows. Every one of them were autographed to Nelson Saldonia with love and kisses from the biggest stars in Hollywood. An appointment book contained a list of private numbers that would make a columnist lose his nuts. Every so often there was a notation of, introduce to S.

  There was Saldonia’s name again, and the reason why it kept popping up was driving me crazy. I left Duke to the crime scene and walked out telling the press who were beginning to gather at the door, “No comment.” The squirrel must have been relatively new, because he took me for a cop and let me pass. My luck held, and I got out of the house in time to see the D.A. pull up. The expression on the bird’s face said it all. His boat still had a leak and would be sinking soon.

  I managed to get down the block and find a cab without being seen. Once back in my building, it was déjà vu. Only this time there were two of them. Two bulls that were big and bigger. The smaller one closed in with a badge in his palm while the bigger one stood by ready to take me if I didn’t cooperate. Both kept a hand in their pocket, no doubt holding a gun.

  The smaller bull said, “Police, come with us.”