That got Gloria’s attention. “You’re Ernie Ballard?” she said.
“I was the last time I checked,” the man said.
“You’re the man Elliott and I are supposed to meet,” Gloria said.
“You?” Ernie said. “I only asked to meet with Elliott. Why did he bring you along on this meeting?”
“Because I’m…” Gloria stopped herself and finished with, “I’d better let Elliott explain that to you. Would you like to come back to our seat with me, Mr. Ballard?”
“Yes I would,” Ernie said.
Gloria took two steps and then stopped in the aisle, turning toward Ernie. “Let me ask you something,” Gloria said. “This yellow shirt and those tan slacks, have you been wearing them all along?”
Ernie looked down at his clothes, “Yes. Why?”
“Because Elliott has seen two other men with the same outfit on,” Gloria said. “Only they had different faces and different hair. Were those other men both you?”
“I’d better talk with Elliott about that,” Ernie said, giving Gloria a taste of her own evasive attitude.
As Gloria returned to our seats, I noticed a man following her. The yellow shirt and tan slacks were the giveaway and I immediately knew I’d been had. This face had no sunglasses, long hair or hat to disguise his features. He did have the goatee, but this could only be Ernie Ballard. I stood as they approached.
“I assume this is Ernie,” I said to Gloria. I turned to Ernie and extended my hand. “Ernie, I’m Elliott Cooper. What is all this about?”
Ernie shook my hand and then gestured toward the seat. “Please Elliott,” Ernie said. Sit down, relax. We’ve got plenty of time to talk. My goodness, look at you. Fit as a fiddle and ready for love.” He looked over at Gloria and smiled.
Gloria held up one hand. “Hold on,” she said. “This isn’t, I mean, we’re not…”
“Ernie Ballard,” I said. “This is Gloria Campbell, my new partner, but it looks like you two have already met.”
“I bumped into her outside the lavatory,” Ernie said, “But we weren’t formally introduced.” He turned to Gloria. “How do you do, Miss Campbell?”
Gloria rolled her eyes and looked at me before sitting across from me again. “Ernie wasn’t expecting you to bring anyone else along,” she said. “And I have a sneaking suspicion that the other two guys you saw in the same shirt and slacks were both Ernie.” She turned to Ernie. “Am I correct, Mr. Ballard?”
“Guilty as charged,” Ernie said, still standing face to face with me.
I stepped out into the aisle and gestured toward my seat. “Come on,” I said. “Join us and we can get up to speed with what this whole thing is about.”
Ernie slipped past me and sat facing Gloria. I slid in next to him. “Now what’s all this secrecy about, and why the disguises? What is it you want me to do for you?”
“Whoa,” Ernie said. “One question at a time. All this secrecy is about two guys following me and the disguises have helped me elude them so far. As for what I need you to do for me, well, what I need is someone I can rely on if it gets any stickier than it already is.”
“Okay,” I said. “I’ll bite. Why are two guys following you?”
Ernie shot a quick glance across to Gloria and then at me.
“It’s all right,” I said. “Whatever you have to tell me you can tell us. We’re a team.”
Gloria smiled and gave me a wink.
Ernie hesitated for a moment and then said, “I had a guy and his lawyer come into my office a while back looking for bail money. He shouldn’t have gotten bail at all, but his slick lawyer pulled a few strings and got the judge to set bail. I took on the client and two days later he skipped town.”
“How much was the bail?” Gloria said.
“A million and a half,” Ernie said. “The hundred fifty grand didn’t mean much to this guy, since it wasn’t his money, but I couldn’t afford to stand a loss like that, so I tracked him down and brought him in. He was convicted and got a sentence of twenty-five years, but at least I didn’t lose my bail money.”
“Gees,” I said. “What’d he do to get bail set that high and how bad must it have been to get twenty-five years out of it?”
“Murder,” Ernie said. “This guy thought he’d stand trial for manslaughter because he didn’t think there were any witnesses, but someone came forward and this guy got the book thrown at him.”
“How could he think he’d just get manslaughter?” Gloria said.
Ernie shifted in his seat and tugged at his collar. “This guy,” Ernie stopped. “I don’t know why I keep calling him ‘this guy’. His name was Mickey Galloway.”
“Galloway,” I said. “The name rings a bell.”
“It should,” Ernie said. “His partner, Leon Drummond was found decapitated out in the desert shortly after Galloway’s initial arrest. Speculation was that Drummond had also witnessed the murder and was about to spill what he knew to the district attorney.”
“Who did this Galloway character kill?” Gloria said.
“Some small-time hood named Jimmy Doyle,” Ernie said. “The two of them were on the roof of the Sanders Building and Doyle took a header down to the street from sixteen floors up. Galloway claimed they were fighting and Doyle tripped on an antenna wire and fell off. Truth was that Galloway and Drummond threw Doyle off that roof. Well, the D.A. put the squeeze on Drummond and flipped him. He was going to turn state’s evidence in exchange for immunity. Obviously, he never got to enjoy that immunity.
Galloway also didn’t know that someone else had seen what happened that night. That someone was a little old lady who lived three floors up and across the alleyway and saw Galloway and Drummond giving Doyle that flying lesson.”
“And who does that leave?” I said. “I mean Drummond is dead and Galloway is in prison, so who’s after you?”
Ernie looked up and down the aisle and then leaned in to me. I leaned in toward him and Gloria followed suit.
“Galloway’s out,” Ernie said. “He escaped five days ago. Before they hauled him off to prison he swore he’d get me for bringing him back to court. And you know what? I believe he meant it. That’s why I need you. I want to recapture Galloway.”
“And take him back to court?” I said.
Ernie shook his head. “No,” he said. “I couldn’t take the chance that he’d escape again and come after me. No, I don’t want to have to be looking over my shoulder for the next twenty-five years.”
Gloria almost whispered, “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”
Ernie threw up his hands. “I’m not saying anything,” he told us. “All I want you for is to help me capture him. After that your part is done. He’s my problem after that.”
“Let me guess,” I said. “Galloway never makes it back into custody.”
Ernie turned his head and stared out the window.
“I can’t speak for Elliott,” Gloria said, “But you can count me out. I don’t want any part of this whole thing.”
I laid my hand on Ernie’s knee. “I’m afraid you’ll have to count me out as well,” I told him. “There’s too much at stake here and I’m not going to risk either of our lives or my business. Why don’t you just let the feds go after him?”
“Because Galloway didn’t say he was coming after the feds,” Ernie said. “He’s coming after me.”
“Still,” I said. “What you’re asking of us is illegal.”
“No it’s not,” Ernie said. “All you’d be doing is helping me capture him. And that’s all perfectly legal, not to mention profitable for you.”
“But if you do to him what I think you’re planning, we’d be accessories after the fact,” I said.
The train was pulling into Barstow just as I glanced out the window. There were several people standing on the platform waiting to board. A quick glance at my schedule told me that we wouldn’t be here long enough to get off and walk around for a while. Barstow was one stop short of the mid-p
oint and I wondered if Gloria and I could get off and take the next train west. I checked my schedule again and learned that the next train west wouldn’t be through Barstow for several hours. It was after ten o’clock and I was tired. Gloria and I decided to stay on the train and just make the return trip from Winslow.
“So that’s it, I guess,” Ernie said, rising from the bench seat and squirming past me to the aisle. “I might as well get off here.”
“What’ll you do now?” Gloria said. “Where will you go from here?”
“Anywhere other than back to my office,” Ernie said. “That would be the first place they’d look for me. No, I’d better just keep moving and hopefully I’ll spot him before he spots me. Thanks anyway, Elliott.”
Ernie shook my hand and turned to Gloria. “It was nice meeting you, too,” he said.
“Good luck,” Gloria told him. “And watch your back.”
“Thanks,” Ernie said. “I’ll do that.”
Ernie walked up the aisle and disappeared out to the space between cars. He stepped down onto the platform and walked past our window, waving as he walked by. I looked up, toward the station and saw a man in a dark suit. He seemed to be waiting for someone. As Ernie walked by the man raised his hand and pointed. From somewhere behind Ernie a small boy came running and leapt into the man’s arms.
“Daddy,” the kid shouted as the man spun him around and set him down again.
Gloria and I breathed easier when the man in the dark suit walked away holding the little boy’s hand. The two of them met up with a woman and the three of them walked to a waiting car.
“I wouldn’t want to be in Ernie’s shoes,” I said. “Life is stressful enough without having to watch out for everyone else in this world.”
The train started to pull out again. I glanced out the window one more time and could see Ernie a few dozen feet down the platform. Without warning he started to run and in a second I could see why. There were two men in hot pursuit and closing fast. The three men disappeared from my view and I quickly stood, hoping to see where they went. The train was too far away from the station and I couldn’t see any further than the end of the car I was in.
“What is it, Elliott?” Gloria said.
“It’s Ernie,” I said. “There were two guy chasing him out there on the platform. I couldn’t see where they went.”
A moment later the door to our car opened and Ernie rushed in, looking behind him out the door. He let out a deep breath and sat in the seat closest to the door. I hurried over to where he sat.
“I saw you out the window.” I said. “Who were those guys?”
“That was close,” Ernie said. “I just managed to grab the handle on this car and pull myself up before they caught up to me.”
Gloria came over to where we were sitting. “Are you all right?” she said. “Are those the two guys you were talking about who were after you?”
Ernie nodded. “The big one, the one with the flattop haircut, that was Galloway,” he said. “I never saw the other guy before. I guess it one of Galloway’s minions. Doesn’t matter. They know where I am now. They can phone ahead to the next stop and have someone waiting for me.”
Gloria pulled her cell phone from her pocket and flipped it open. “We can just call the local police and have them waiting for him in Needles.”
“He’s too smart for that kind of trap,” Ernie said. “He won’t be there himself. And the people he sends, well, the police won’t know who they’re looking for. It could be anyone.”
Gloria closed her phone and slipped it back into her pocket. She looked up through the glass door that separated our car from the one behind us and her eyes got wide. Ernie caught her look and glanced back over his shoulder. Coming through the doors at the other end of the car behind us were two men, obviously in a hurry. Ernie jumped up from his seat and dashed toward the front of the car, out the door and into the next car. Gloria and I followed close behind.
All three of us entered the dining car and kept going out the other end, never slowing down to look behind us. The club car came next and we rushed through that one as well.
“Why is the train slowing down?” Gloria said.
“I’ll bet one of those guys pulled the emergency stop cord,” I said.
“I don’t know about you two, but that’s my cue to get off,” Ernie said. “And if you had any sense, you’d follow me.”
“Why?” Gloria said. “They’re not after us.”
“They weren’t,” Ernie said, “But you can bet they saw the three of us talking and they have to figure that I told you both everything. Right now your lives aren’t worth a penny more than mine.”
The train slowed to fifteen miles per hour and Ernie took that opportunity to open the club car door and leap from the platform onto the grassy shoulder beyond the rail bed. I looked at Gloria and then back over my shoulder. Through the windows of two cars, I could see the two men coming our way. I made a split decision and told Gloria that I was getting off and that she’d better do the same. It didn’t take Gloria long to weigh her options and leap off right after I did. We landed several yards away from Ernie. The three of us got to our feet and ran into the wooded area alongside the tracks. A moment later we couldn’t even see the train.
“That was a close one,” Ernie said. “We’d better get out of here before they realize that we’re not on the train.”
“We’re at least two miles from Barstow,” I said. “We’ll have to hoof it from here.”
“Then we’d better get moving,” Gloria said.
The three of us headed west, parallel to the tracks. Several hundred yards down the tracks, we turned and walked back to the railroad bed. It would be easier to walk on than it would trekking through the woods. I glanced down the track. The train had started again and by now was just a small dot on the horizon. I stepped onto every other tie, careful not to fall between them.
“Now do you believe me?” Ernie said after several minutes of walking the tracks.
“I never said I didn’t believe you, Ernie,” I said. “I just didn’t agree with your methods.”
“Well, what would you do if they were after you?” Ernie said.
“I’d call the local cops, the state cops, the feds and anyone else would could take them down,” Gloria offered. “Why try to do this on your own?”
“I guess I’ve lost faith in the system,” Ernie said. “Look what happened to the one good witness in Galloway’s case. I don’t want to join him.” Ernie stopped and added, “You’ll have to pardon me for a minute. Nature’s calling and I’d better answer.” He ran north and disappeared into the woods.
Gloria stepped up close to me and leaned in. “How well do you know this guy?” she said.
“Not that well,” I said. “Why?”
“How many times have you met him before today?” she added.
I thought for a moment. “Come to think of it, I never have met him before. Dad told me about him after his case was finished and Ernie came to L.A. to pick up the bail jumper Dad found for him.”
“And you’re sure this is that same guy?” Gloria said.
“I’d have no idea if it is the same guy,” I said. “What are you getting at?”
“If you remember,” Gloria said. “When I applied for this job with your company I told you that I was a master at disguises?”
“Yeah?” I said.
“Well, I can also spot disguises on other people,” Gloria said. “And this guy who claims to be Ernie Ballard has a mole on his face. Do you know if the Ernie your dad met had one?”
“This guy has a mole?” I said. “I didn’t see one.”
“You weren’t supposed to,” Gloria said. “It’s covered with makeup. If this is your dad’s pal Ernie, why would he have to cover up a mole?”
I thought about the implications for a moment. “You think I should test him? Maybe ask him something only the real Ernie would know?”
“What have you got to lose?” Gloria said. �
�If he is the real guy a couple of seconds of clever interrogation should tell you one way or the other. What do you know about Ernie that a patsy might not know?”
“I’m not sure,” I said. “If you recall, I said I didn’t even know him back then. If Dad was here he could tell.”
“But he’s not,” Gloria said. “Make something up if you have to. Just see if he slips up somewhere.” She turned toward the woods and saw Ernie coming back toward us. “Shhh, here he comes.”
Ernie joined us on the tracks and the three of us continued walking west toward Barstow. After a few steps I gave Ernie a tap on his shoulder and whispered, “Your zipper’s open.”
Ernie turned away from Gloria and zipped up his fly.
“Say Ernie,” I said. “You remember that bar where Dad said you could find your bail jumper? What was the name of that dive?”
“Why?” Ernie said.
“No reason,” I said. “I was just trying to remember the name of the bar. Dad told me when it happened, but I forgot it.”
“It wasn’t a bar,” Ernie said. “It was some flop house on Western. I think it was the Hotel Rectum.”
“Rector,” I said.
“Huh?” Ernie said.
“Rector,” I repeated. “It was The Hotel Rector. That’s right, I remember now.” I gave Gloria a sideways glance and she shrugged.
I did, however, recall that Dad had told me he’d collected four hundred dollars for his part in locating the bail-jumping client for Ernie. I turned to Ernie and said, “Dad always said that was the easiest grand he ever made. I remember the amount, because Dad used it as a down payment on his Oldsmobile.”
“It was worth it to me,” Ernie said. “I was risking a hundred fifty grand and the grand I paid your dad was well worth it to me.”
I slowed my pace enough to fall behind Ernie a step or two and then looked over at Gloria, shaking my head slightly. That was lie number one. I caught up in step and turned back to Ernie.
“When you picked that guy up at The Hotel Rector,” I said, “Didn’t he question the authenticity of your badge and uniform?”
“Not for a second,” Ernie said, shaking his head. “He gave up without a struggle.”
The Complete Cooper Collection (All 97 Stories) Page 155