Guilt by Association

by Gilbert, Morris

  “Sounds as if it’s not going to pay too well,” Ellen said, but she was smiling. “It’ll be something new. What do you get when you cross a seminary student with a private eye? Dani Ross!”

  “Dad, it’s what I want to do, what I believe God wants me to do. But it’s your business, and if I operate it on this plane, I could kill it dead.”

  Her father gave her a sudden smile, reached out, and hugged her. “Daughter, blessed are the dead which die in the Lord!’”

  They were all suddenly very excited, and for a few minutes spoke of the possibilities that lay ahead. Then Daniel asked, “Dani, what about Ben? Will he be working for you?”

  The question took her off guard, and she bit her lip somewhat nervously. “I don’t know.”

  “Didn’t he say anything about what he was going to do?” Daniel questioned. “Except for that one time, he’s kept himself mighty scarce.” Savage had made a single visit to their house, the day after the escape. He had come in with Dani but stayed only briefly.

  Ellen said, “I think he fled our gratitude. We practically smothered the poor man!”

  “Maybe so,” Daniel said thoughtfully. “But that’s no reason for staying gone forever. Do you know where he is?”

  “Not really,” Dani admitted uncertainly. She drew her lips together into a determined line, and her jaw took on a stubborn aspect. “I guess if I’m any kind of detective at all I can turn up one man!”

  Two days later, however, Dani was beginning to think she had boasted prematurely. After returning to the agency, she had spent every spare moment trying to turn up some trace of Ben, all absolutely fruitless. Al Overmile had observed this with a jaundiced eye. “The guy has skipped,” he had stated with a shake of his heavy head. “You don’t need him anyway, Dani. We can handle this agency.”

  Angie had observed Dani’s intense expression and had little difficulty determining the cause. She put in some time of her own and finally ferreted out Ben.

  “I’ve found him,” she announced triumphantly the first thing on Tuesday morning. Dani had come in looking tired, but she brightened at Angie’s words.

  “Where?” she demanded.

  Angie tapped her chin slowly with one forefinger. “I’ve been thinking, Miss Ross, about a raise. I mean, if I’m going to have to do all the investigations and the typing, I’ll have to have more money!”

  “Angie—you beast!” Dani cried and came around to shake the smaller woman by the shoulders, but her smile was evidence of her mood. “Where is that sorry imitation of a detective?”

  “He’s in Shreveport.”

  “Shreveport? What’s he doing there? And how’d you ever turn him up?”

  Angie answered the last question first. “I called the FBI. It came to me that they’d want to know where he is, since he’ll be one of the star witnesses against Stone.”

  “But What’s he doing in Shreveport, of all places?”

  “He was flying his plane back from Arkansas and had engine trouble. He had to land there, and I’d guess he’s too broke to get it fixed. At least that’s what the man who runs the airport thought. He said Ben was trying to fix the engine with bailing wire!”

  Dani took a deep breath. “I’m going to Shreveport, Angie. Get me some kind of flight.”

  “May have to be a private plane.” Angie shook her head. “I don’t know if any of the major airlines go there.”

  “Whatever.” Dani nodded absently. She picked up her purse and walked out of the room, leaving Angie to stare after her. A smile came to Angie and she murmured, “Watch out, Savage! The hunt is on!” Then she picked up the telephone and began to dial.

  The two men sitting in the small office heard a plane land, but remained too engrossed in their card game to look outside. They looked up at once, however, when the door opened and a cool feminine voice said, “I’m looking for Ben Savage.”

  The older of the two men, a short, muscular type, removed his cigar from his mouth and stared at her, as did the other—a tall thin man wearing a mechanic’s boiler suit covered with grease. They blinked at the tall, well-dressed woman as if she were an outer-space alien.

  L. D. Hoover, the manager, got to his feet, his eyes running over Dani. Using his cigar as a pointer, he indicated a green door to his left. “Why, sure. He’s back in the storeroom—asleep I guess. Maybe I can help you?”

  Ignoring the question, Dani walked across the floor with a motion that drew both men’s eyes.

  “Hey—!” Hoover yelped, “He might not be dressed, he was up all night, working on that old crate of his—!” But the closing door cut off his words. Hoover slowly replaced the evil-smelling cigar and, without taking his eyes off the door, shook his head slowly. “Can you imagine being woke up by a broad like that, Joe?”

  “Guess Savage’s got hidden charms!”

  Dani stepped into a room with one window. By the golden bars of light filtering through the worn blind, she saw that shelves crowded with boxes and equipment took up most of the space. A desk and chair were wedged into one corner, and right under the window lay Ben Savage on a black vinyl couch patched at critical locations, with silver duct tape.

  He was lying on his back, sound asleep, but unlike most people, he slept with his mouth tightly closed. How like him! Dani thought as she stepped closer. Afraid he might actually say a few words too many. He needed a shave, and something about his face remained alert even though he was sound asleep.

  “Ben . . . ?”

  At the sound of her voice, his eyes flew open, and he rolled off the couch, his hands spread wide in a defensive gesture. He stared at her for one brief moment, then his hands dropped, and he nodded. “Hello.”

  “That’s all you’ve got to say!” she cried angrily. “I’ve left the agency and come all the way up here to find you, and all you can say is ‘hello’?”

  He stared at her. “What are you doing here?”

  She gave an exasperated shake of her head. “Ben Savage, where have you been?” She had no way of knowing how attractive she was, standing in the sunlight, her eyes flashing and every line of her body intensely feminine.

  On the way there she had decided to plunge right into the matter, avoiding any sentimentality. She had told her father before she left, “He’s a good man, Dad, and we need him. So I’m going to Shreveport and drag him back any way I can.”

  Her father had lifted his eyebrows at that, suggesting that a little tact and a softer line might be more effective. “After all, Dani, you two went through a lot together. There’s more here than just a business agreement.”

  She had snapped instantly, “No! That’s what it is, Dad—a business deal! No more!”

  Now, standing in front of Ben, she spoke rapidly, not allowing any sentiment to come into her voice. “You’ve had your vacation. Now it’s time to come back to work.”

  He studied her carefully, then shook his head. “Can’t do it right now.”

  “I suppose it’s because of that plane? How much would it cost to fix it?”

  “Three hundred and forty-seven dollars and sixteen cents.”

  She began to rummage through her purse, pulled out a checkbook, and asked, “How long will it take? I suppose you’ll have to order the parts?”

  “They’re down at the express office.”

  She wrote a check. “There’s five hundred. Will that be enough for gas and everything you need to get you home?”

  The word home brought a flicker of interest into his eyes, but he merely stared at the check. “Thanks for the offer, but I guess not.”

  She reached out and stuffed the check into his pocket. “Don’t be silly! It’s your money, Ben. After I made a fool out of myself and fired you, you never got your last paycheck.”

  Up until then her words had been businesslike, her tone crisp. Suddenly softness touched her mouth, and she smiled. “Go get your parts and fix the plane. How long will it take?”

  He stood there, a solid shape in the barred sunlight, and she knew his
mind weighed her in the balances. He had often looked at her like that, judging her in his private courtroom. Now he came to a quick decision. “If Hoover will let me use the pickup to get the parts, it’ll take about two hours.”

  “I’ll go with you,” she said. Dani walked back into the small office where the two men were waiting. “Mr. Savage will require the use of your truck.” She smiled. “Will that be all right, Mr. Hoover?”

  Her smile caught him, and without thinking, he nodded, saying hastily, “Oh, sure! Take your time, Ben!”

  Ben took the key and led her to a green El Camino. As he started the engine and pulled away from the curb, she began speaking very quickly, as if to avoid some unpleasant subject. “Vince got out of the hospital yesterday. He told me you’d been to see him before you left town.”

  “Yeah. He was in pretty bad shape, but I guess he’s coming around.” He gave her a sideways glance, adding, “You’ve given him a new point of view—about women, that is.”

  “Oh, he was so sick he’d have clung to any woman who paid him any attention.”

  “Nope. Not Canelli.” With easy skill, Ben dodged in and out between two huge eighteen-wheelers. “Karen was there the last time I went to see him.”

  “Oh, yes, we had lunch together before she went back to Minnesota.” It was Dani’s turn to give Ben a quizzical look. “Talking about a hit parade, Karen thinks you’re special.” When he didn’t answer, she probed a little more. “Matter of fact, I got the distinct impression that she was hoping to see more of you.”

  “No point in that.” He shrugged. “She’s too intellectual for me.”

  Dani blinked, wondering if his remark was some sort of personal snub, but he seemed to mean nothing by it, for he added, “She’ll find somebody, but she doesn’t need me.

  They talked about the others, Dani giving Ben the news that Bix had almost decided to give up his career as a rebel. She smiled, commenting, “It was really funny, Ben. Bix took such pride in that role! But the last thing he said was, ‘Guess I’ll have to find a new life-style. Maybe I’ll become a yuppie.’ And he was so serious about it!”

  Ben relaxed and said, “Lonnie went back to Arkansas with me. He flew with me in my plane.” As he turned down a side street, he added, “I’ve had to change my judgment about rednecks. Lonnie’s rough, but I wouldn’t mind having him at my back, if things got hairy.”

  “That’s right.” Dani nodded. “Poor Betty! She didn’t know what to do! But she finally decided to go back to Pennsylvania, to her old hometown. Said after being in that silo with a murderer, even that place didn’t seem so bad.”

  “I guess the silo changed us all,” Ben agreed. He pulled up to the curb, turned off the engine, then sat there, staring out the windshield. “I guess that fall I took years ago finally came to an end in that place. I’d gone about as far and as long a man ought to.”

  “What about Florrie and Hugo? Any more bad dreams?”

  “No, just some bad memories,” he said, then turned to give her a crooked smile. “But I guess all of us have a few of those, don’t we?”

  Dani knew he was referring to Jerry’s death. She diverted him quickly, “Well that leaves Sid and Karl. Karl went back to Germany. I think he wanted to get America out of his system. He’ll be all right. But what about Sid? What’ll happen to him, Ben?”

  “Up to him, I guess. Lots of prisoners go back the second time. Crime is the only thing they know, and it’s hard to break into a straight society. I told Sid we’d stay in touch. Gave him a name or two.” He opened the door. Just before he got out, he added, “I guess each of us has his own pint of dirt to eat. And if sid wants it bad enough, he’ll make it.” Quietly he added, “That’s the role call, isn’t it? But it doesn’t count Alex and Rosie and Candi. Three good guys!”

  He got out, and while he was inside, getting the parts, Dani went over the conversation, analyzing his words. How could she break down his resistance?

  When they returned to the airport, Ben led her to a small building to the left of the others. Inside she stopped when she saw an old biplane, a two-seater, the type once used for crop dusting as well as for flying-circus acrobatics.

  He saw her reaction and smiled. “Won’t take long. Better sit over on that chair, so you won’t get grease all over you.” As he worked, he became more voluble, telling her about the plane. “Bought it for five hundred dollars. Fellow who owned it hit a wire. It flipped over twice and broke both his legs. The plane was in about six million pieces. Took me a couple of years to put it back together.”

  She listened, saying little, and finally he slammed the cowling shut, and said, “All ready. Want a ride?”

  Dani stared at the plane. “I’ve only ridden in airliners,” she said doubtfully. But the amusement in his eyes angered her, so she shot out, “I’m ready if you are.”

  He leaned back against the plane, studied her, and shook his head. “You hate to have someone else be better than you,” he observed. “You don’t like not being able to do something that others can do. Right now you’re scared spitless to go up in this crate, but you’re too stubborn to admit it.”

  She glared at him, then snapped, “If you’re finished with your armchair psychology, Savage, I need to get back to work!”

  He grinned, and it made him look much younger. “All right, let me go settle up with Hoover for the gas.”

  While he was gone, she looked at the old plane, swallowed, and thought, What am I doing going up in this thing? It just proves he’s right about me! But she showed none of her thoughts in her face when he returned carrying a small bag which he stowed in the backseat.

  Ben turned to her and said innocently, “It’s going to be quite a trick to climb into this thing with that tight skirt on.”

  Gritting her teeth and struggling with the skirt, she managed to get into the front seat. He came alongside her, squatted on the wing, and handed her a soft leather helmet with huge goggles. While she struggled to put it over her heavy masses of hair, he strapped her in firmly. Giving her a small headset, he explained, “We can talk through this.”

  Then he got into his own seat, and she heard his voice, tinny and mechanical, ask, “You sure you want to do this?”

  “Yes!”

  He started the engine, and Dani, accustomed to the quiet, distant hissing of jet engines, nearly leaped out of her skin at the roaring explosion! Ben ran the engines briefly; then slowly the plane moved out of the large doorway. It took only a few moments to taxi out on the runway. Then he offered, “Still time to change your mind.”

  “No. Let’s go.”

  The plane trembled as Ben revved up the engine, and they went bumping along clumsily for what seemed like a long time. Then he said, “Here we go,” and suddenly there was no roughness. Looking out over the side, Dani saw the ground fall away, and she gripped the sides of her seat convulsively, expecting to fall at any second.

  But they rose steadily, and soon Ben said, “We’ll fly along at this altitude for a while.” He said no more, but five minutes later he asked, “You all right, boss?”

  His use of the old name warmed her. “Yes! It’s fun!” After the first fear left, Dani had begun to enjoy the sensation. It was nothing like being inside a large 747; after the initial takeoff, that was like being on a train or a bus. But this! She felt the wind as it pushed the plane around constantly and knew that Ben’s constant control overcame that force. The air was cold but invigorating and fresh.

  He began to point out the rivers and the swamps that stretched out beneath them, and he dropped low enough for her to see one small lake so filled with white egrets it looked like snow! Ben flew very carefully, and she knew that was for her benefit.

  Finally he said, “New Orleans right over there.” She looked to see the skyline of the city, in the close embrace of a crescent curve of the Mississippi. “Be down in ten minutes.”

  He brought the plane in so lightly that there was little sensation and came to a halt in front of several othe
r light planes. When he had chocked the wheels, he came to her, his face reflecting the evening shadows.

  “Thanks for the ride,” she said. “It was wonderful.”

  “Sure.” He hesitated, then said abruptly, “I’m not coming back to work for you.”

  Her eyes opened wide, and she moved away from the plane to stand close to him. “Why not? Is it money?”

  “No, it’s you.”

  She stared at him, and a streak of anger ran through her. “I knew that! I’ve always known you resented me, and I know why—it’s because I’m a woman!”

  He touched the scar over his eye, stared down at his feet, then shook his head. A flare of resentment touched his hazel eyes. “I don’t give a hang if you’re a woman!”

  “Yes, you do! You’ve got this—this thing about women,” she tossed out. “You’d never admit it, but you think a woman’s place is in the home, keeping house and changing diapers!”

  “That system’s worked pretty well for a few thousand years,” he shot back. “And all this guff about feminist rights isn’t going to give us anything better.”

  “You don’t really care about that, Ben,” Dani said heatedly. The argument had flared up so suddenly that she had spoken more freely than usual. “You’re just afraid that I’m better than you are at some things!”

  “I’m not such a fool as that,” he said instantly. “You’re smarter than I am. I never said you weren’t. That means you’re a better cop than me in some ways—and I don’t deny that. You’re an intellectual, and I’m a hooligan. You’re better at a lot of things than I am.” He shrugged.

  She stared at him, and the anger drained out of her. “Oh, Ben!” she said quickly. Her eyes grew softer. “Don’t talk like that!” She stood there, trying to find words that would tell him how she felt, but she knew she never would, for she didn’t know that herself. Finally she shook her head, saying, “What good did being an intellectual do us when we were in Stone’s hands? You got us out of that awful mess!” She took a deep breath. “Ben, I’m right about this, aren’t I? You resent the fact that I’m a woman. You won’t let yourself trust any woman because of what Florrie did to you!”