tantaliz

by Isaac Asimov ed.

As the door closed behind the two women, Lester Leith strolled out into the kitchenette where Lamont was taking ice cubes from a refrigerator.

  "Well, Lamont," said Lester Leith casually, "you pulled that murder pretty cleverly, didn't you?"

  Lamont dropped the ice-cube tray with a clatter, and stared at Leith with bulging eyes. "What the devil are you talking about?"

  "Oh, you know well enough, Lamont," he said. "The police were a little bit slow in catching up with you, that's all, but the scheme wasn't really so clever. The guards shut all of the windows and locked the shutters on the inside when they went into Navin's room, but you were the last one in there. It would have been very easy for you to have moved against one of the windows and unlocked one of the shutters. Then you left the room, went directly to the safe, took out the gem, and went to your conference with the lawyer, which gave you your alibi. In the morning you walked in and locked the shutter again from the inside.

  "You'd probably been bribed by the Hindus to leave one of the steel shutters unlocked, and had specified that they must break in and do the job promptly at four o'clock, so that the police would be properly confused.

  "Where the police made their mistake was in thinking that whoever had committed the murder had also stolen the gem from the safe. It didn't occur to them that they could have been independent acts. And apparently, so far, it hasn't occurred to the Hindus. They thought simply that they failed to find the gem, and that Navin had placed it in some other hiding place.

  "But you can't get away with it long, Lamont. The police will be here inside of half an hour."

  "You're crazy!" said Lamont Lester Leith shook his head.

  "No, Lamont," he said, "you're the one who's crazy. You overlooked the fact that, if the Hindus should start to talk, they had you strapped to the electric chair. And that's exactly what happened. The police got a confession out of one of the Hindus about fifteen minutes ago. My paper telephoned me."

  Lamont's face was gray. "Who—who are you?" he asked.

  "I'm a free-lance reporter," said Lester Leith, "who works on feature stuff for some of the leading papers. Right now I'm assigned to cover the story of your arrest in the Navin case. The newspaper knew it was going to break sometime within the next twenty-four to forty-eight hours. Now if you would like to pick up a little money that would come in handy when it becomes necessary to retain an attorney to represent you, you can give us an exclusive interview. In fact, the only thing for you to do is to confess and try and get a life sentence. If you want to make your confession through my newspaper, we would bring all the political pressure to bear that we could to see that you got off with life."

  There was an imperative knock on the door of the apartment

  Lester Leith strolled to it casually.

  "Probably the police now, Lamont"

  He opened the door.

  Harry Vare burst into the room.

  "You're under arrest!" he snapped at Lester Leith.

  Lester Leith stepped back and eyed Vare with well simulated amazement

  "What the devil are you talking about?" he asked.

  "Your name's Lamont" said Vare, "and you're under arrest for the murder of George Navin. I'm representing the Indian priests who are trying to recover the gem, and I'm going to take you to police headquarters with me right now."

  Lester Leith said: "You're crazy. My name's Leith. I'm not Lamont. That's Lamont over there, the man you want. I'm working for a newspaper."

  Harry Vare laughed, scornfully.

  "I saw you come in here and had the doorman point out the one who lived here. He pointed to you."

  "You fool," Leith said, "he made a mistake, or rather you did. He pointed to this man here, and you thought he was pointing me out."

  Vare snapped a gun into view, and fished for handcuffs with his left hand.

  "Hold out your wrist," he said, "or I'll blow you apart."

  Lester Leith hesitated a moment, then held out his wrist, reluctantly. Vare snapped one of the handcuffs to Leith's wrist, locked the other one around his own wrist, and said, "Come on, you slicker, you're going to headquarters."

  Leith said: "Listen! You're making the biggest mistake of your life. You're letting the real murderer—"

  Bob Lamont laughed.

  He turned to Harry Vare and said: "You're quite right, officer, that's Bob Lamont that you've got under arrest, but this comes as quite a shock to me. I've known him for two or three years, and thought he was above reproach."

  "No, he wasn't," said Vare. "He was the man who murdered Navin."

  Lester Leith groaned.

  "Youngster," he said, "you're making a mistake that is going to make you the laughing-stock of the city inside of twenty-four hours."

  Vare muttered grimly: "Come along, Lamont."

  Lester Leith sighed and accompanied Vare through the doorway to the elevator, down the elevator, across the lobby of the apartment house, and to the street

  "Well," said Leith, "that was pretty well done, Vare. You can let me loose now."

  Vare took a key from his pocket and inserted it in the lock of the handcuff only after considerable difficulty. His forehead was beaded with nervous perspiration, and his hand was shaking. He made two attempts to fit the key to the lock. "I can't seem to get it," he said.

  Leith glanced at him sharply. "Vare," he said, "what the devil are you trying to do?"

  "Nothing."

  "Give me that key."

  Vare didn't pass over the key but instead looked expectantly back toward the shadows.

  The voice of Sergeant Ackley said: "I'll take charge now."

  There was motion from the deep shadows of the doorway of an adjoining building. Sergeant Ackley, accompanied by a plainclothes officer, stepped forward.

  Leith said to Sergeant Ackley: "What's the meaning of this?"

  Ackley said: "You should know more about it than I do, Leith. You've delivered yourself to me already handcuffed.''

  For a moment there was consternation on Leith's face, then he masked all expression from his face and eyes.

  "Didn't expect to see me here, did you?" Sergeant Ackley asked gloatingly.

  Leith said nothing.

  Sergeant Ackley said to Vare: "Give me the key to those handcuffs, young man. Ill slip one off your wrist, and put it on Leith's other wrist"

  Vare extended his hand. Sergeant Ackley took the key, clicked the handcuff from Vare's arm, and snapped it around Leith's other wrist

  The rapid click-clack click-clack of high heels as two women rounded the corner, walking rapidly, came to Leith's ears. He turned around so that the light fell full on his face.

  "Why, Mr. Leith!" Dixie Dormley exclaimed. "What's the matter?"

  Lester Leith said nothing.

  Sergeant Ackley grinned gloatingly. "Mr. Leith," he said, "is being arrested. You probably didn't know he was a crook."

  "A crook!" she exclaimed.

  From the doorway of the apartment house came a hurrying figure, attired in overcoat, hat, and gloves. He carried a light suitcase in one hand, and crossed the strip of sidewalk with three swift strides. It wasn't until he started to signal for a taxicab that he became aware of the little group.

  Sergeant Ackley said to the plainclothesman: "Get that guy."

  Lamont heard the order, turned to look over his shoulder, then dropped the suitcase, and started to run.

  "Help!" yelled Sergeant Ackley.

  Lamont sprinted down the street He turned to flash an apprehensive glance over his shoulder, and so did not see the figure of Sid Bentley as it slid out from the shadows.

  There was a thud, a tangled mass of arms and legs, and then Bentley, sitting up on the sidewalk, said: "I got him for you, officer."

  The plainclothesman ran up and grabbed Lamont by the collar. He jerked him to his feet, then said to Bentley: "That was fine work. I'm glad you stopped him."

  "No trouble at all," Bentley said.

  The officer said: "Come on back with me, and 111 give
you a courtesy card which may help you out some time."

  Bentley's eyes glistened. "Now, that'll be right nice of you, officer."

  The officer pushed the reluctant Lamont back toward the little group which had, by this time, become a small, curious crowd. "Here he is, Sergeant," he said.

  Sergeant Ackley said irritably: "All right, Lamont You'd better come clean."

  "I don't know what you're talking about," Lamont said.

  Sergeant Ackley laughed. "Come on, Lamont, the jig's up. You killed George Navin and got that ruby. Lester Leith hijacked it from you. Now, if you'll give us the facts, you won't be any worse off for it"

  Lamont said: "I don't know what you're talking about I—I took the custody of the ruby because—"

  "Careful, Lamont," Lester Leith said sharply. "Don't put your neck in a noose."

  Sergeant Ackley turned and slapped Leith across the mouth, "Keep your trap shut," he said, and to the plainclothes officer: "Go ahead and search him."

  "Oh, no," Lamont shouted. "You can't do it Navin gave it to me to keep for him. I was going to turn it over to the estate."

  "Gave you what?" Sergeant Ackley asked.

  "The ruby."

  Ackley said: "Go head, Lamont, tell the truth. You took the ruby, and then Lester Leith took it from you." Lamont shook his head.

  Sergeant Ackley ran his hands over Leith's coat. Abruptly he shot his hand into Leith's inside pocket and pulled out a chamois-skin bag. He reached inside of that bag, and the spectators gasped as the rays from the street light were reflected from a blood-red blob of brilliance.

  "There it is," Sergeant Ackley said gloatingly.

  Lamont stared, clapped his own hand to his breast pocket, became suddenly silent

  Sergeant Ackley said triumphantly to the crowd: "That's the way we work, folks. Give the crooks rope enough, and they hang themselves. You'll read about it in the paper tomorrow morning. Sergeant Arthur Ackley solves the Navin murder, and at the same time traps a crook who's trying to hijack the East Indian ruby. All right boys. We're going to the station."

  Leith said: "Sergeant, you're making a—"

  "Shut up," Ackley said savagely. "I've been laying for you for a long time, and now I've got you."

  Dixie Dormley said indignantly: "I think it's an outrage. You've struck this man when he was handcuffed. You won't let him explain."

  "Shut up," Ackley growled, "or I'll take you too."

  Dixie Dormley fastened glistening, defiant eyes on Sergeant Ackley. "Try to keep me from going," she said. "I'm going to be right there, and complain about your brutality."

  Sid Bentley sidled up to the plainclothes officer. "The name's Bentley, Sid Bentley. If you wouldn't mind giving me that card."

  The officer nodded, pulled a card from his pocket, and scribbled on it.

  "What are you doing?" Sergeant Ackley asked.

  "Giving this man a courtesy card. He caught Lamont—stopped him when he was running away."

  Sergeant Ackley was in a particularly expansive mood. "Here," he said, "I'll give him one, too."

  Sid Bentley took the cards. He stared for a long, dubious moment at Lester Leith, then said: "Gentlemen, I thank you very much. It was a pleasure to help you. Good night"

  A police car sirened its way to the curb. Sergeant Ackley loaded his prisoners into the car, and they made a quick run to headquarters with Dixie Dormley, white-faced and determined, following in a taxicab.

  Sergeant Ackley said to the desk sergeant: "Well, let's get the boys from the press in here. I've solved the Navin murder, recovered the ruby, and caught a hijacker red-handed."

  Dixie Dormley said: "And he's been guilty of unnecessary brutality."

  One of the reporters from the press room came sauntering in. "What you got, Sergeant?" he asked.

  Sergeant Ackley said: "I've solved the Navin murder."

  "Hot dog," the newspaperman said.

  The desk sergeant said dubiously: "Sergeant, did you take a good look at this ruby?"

  Sergeant Ackley said: "I don't have to. I had the thing all doped out. I knew where it was, and how to get it. That ruby is worth a fortune. There'll be a reward for that, and—"

  There won't be any reward for this," the desk sergeant said, "unless I'm making a big mistake. This is a nice piece of red glass. You see, I know something about gems, Sergeant I was on the jewellry detail for—"

  Sergeant Ackley's jaw sagged. "You mean that isn't a real ruby?"

  Lester Leith said to the desk sergeant: "If you'll permit me, I can explain. This was an imitation which I had made. It's rather a good imitation—it cost me fifty dollars. I gave it to a young man who wanted to be a detective to keep for me. His pocket was picked. Naturally, he was very much chagrined. I wanted to get the property returned, so I discreetly offered a reward. The property was returned earlier this evening. What I say can be established by absolute proof."

  Sergeant Ackley's eyes were riveted on the red stone. "You didn't get this from Lamont?" he asked.

  "Certainly not. Lamont will tell you that I didn't."

  Lamont said: "I've never seen that before in my life."

  Then where's the real ruby?" Sergeant Ackley asked.

  Lamont took a deep breath. "I haven't the least idea."

  "What were you running away for?"

  "Probably because of the manner in which you tried to make your arrest" Lester Leith interposed. "You didn't tell him you were an officer. You simply yelled, 'Get him,' and your man started for him with—"

  "No such thing!" Sergeant Ackley interrupted.

  That's exactly what happened," Dixie Dormley said indignantly.

  The desk sergeant said to Lester Leith: "Why didn't you tell him this was an imitation?"

  Dixie Dormley said: "He tried to, and Sergeant Ackley slapped him across the mouth."

  Sergeant Ackley blinked his eyes rapidly, then said: "I didn't do any such thing. I didn't touch the man."

  Dixie Dormley said: "I thought you'd try to He out of it. I have the names of a dozen witnesses who feel the same way I do about police brutality, and will join me in making a complaint."

  Ackley said savagely: "Give me the list of those witnesses."

  Dixie Dormley threw back her head and laughed in his face.

  The sergeant said: "You know how the chief feels about that, Sergeant"

  Lester Leith said quietly: "I'd like to call up my valet He can come down here and identify that imitation ruby. It's one which he had made."

  The desk sergeant reached for the telephone, but Sergeant Ackley stopped him. "I happen to know there was an imitation ruby made," he said, "if you're sure this is imitation."

  The desk sergeant said: "There's no doubt about it."

  Sergeant Ackley fitted a key to the handcuffs, unlocked them, said to Lester Leith: "You're getting off lucky this time. I don't know how you did it"

  Leith said, with dignity: "You simply went off half-cocked, Sergeant I wouldn't have held it against you if you'd given me a chance to explain, but you struck me when I tried to tell you that the gem you had was an imitation, that it was my property, that I have a bill of sale for it"

  The newspaper reporter scribbled gleefully. "Hot dog," he said, and scurried away toward the press room. A moment later he was back with a camera and a flash bulb. "Let me get a picture of this," he said. "Hold up that imitation gem."

  Sergeant Ackley shouted: "You can't publish this!"

  The flash of the bulb interrupted his protest

  Edward H. Beaver, the undercover man, was still up when Lester Leith latchkeyed the door of the apartment. "Hello, Scuttle," he said. "Up rather late, aren't you?"

  "I was waiting for a phone call."

  Leith raised his eyebrows. "Rather late for a phone call, isn't it, Scuttle?"

  "Yes, sir. Have you seen Sergeant Ackley tonight, sir?"

  "Have I seen him!" Leith said, with a smile. 'Til say I've seen him. You'll read all about it in the papers tomorrow, Scuttle. Do you know w
hat happened? The sergeant arrested me for recovering my own property."

  "Your own property, sir?"

  "Yes, Scuttle. That imitation ruby. I was rather attached to it, and Vare felt so chagrined about having lost it that I thought it would be worth a small reward to get it back."

  "And you recovered it?"

  "Oh, yes," Leith said. "I got it earlier in the evening. Sergeant Ackley found it in my pocket and jumped to the conclusion it was the real ruby."

  "What did he do?" the spy asked.

  Lester Leith grinned. "He covered himself with glory," he said. "He put on quite a show for a crowd of interested spectators, and then committed the crowning indiscretion of inviting them to read about it in the paper tomorrow morning. They'll read about it, all right. Poor Ackley!"

  A slow smile twisted the spy's features. "The sergeant didn't give you anything for me, did he, sir?"

  "For you, Scuttle?"

  "Yes, sir."

  "Why, no. Why the devil would you be getting things from Sergeant Ackley?"

  "You see, sir, I happened to run into the sergeant a day or so ago, and he borrowed my watch. He was going to return it. He—"

  The phone rang and the spy jumped toward it with alacrity. "I'll answer it, sir," he said.

  He picked up the receiver, said: "Hello . . . Yes . . . Oh, he did—" and then listened for almost a minute.

  A slow flush spread over the spy's face. He said: "That wasn't the way I understood it. That wasn't the bet—" There was another interval during which the receiver made raucous, metallic sounds, then a bang at the other end of the line announced that the party had hung up.

  The undercover man dropped the receiver back into place.

  Lester Leith sighed "Scuttle," he said, "I don't know what we're going to do about Sergeant Ackley. He's a frightful nuisance."

  "Yes, sir," the spy said. "And a very poor loser," Leith remarked.

  "Ill say he's a poor loser," the spy blurted. "Any man who will take advantage of his official position as a superior to wriggle out of paying a debt—"

  "Scuttle," Lester Leith interrupted, "what the devil are you talking about?"

  "Oh, another matter, sir. Something else which happened to be on my mind."

  Leith said: "Well, get it off your mind, Scuttle. Bring out that bottle of Scotch and a soda siphon. We'll have a quiet drink. Just the two of us."