No, I said with disgust. The bastard would pay to have it done.
And the same thing for that deal at the arena.
I smacked the arm of the chair with my fist. Nuts, Pat. Thats only what we surmise. Dont forget that Clydes been in on murder before. Maybe he has a liking for it now. Maybe hes smart enough not to trust anybody else. Lets see how smart he can get. Lets let it hang just a few days longer and see if hell hang himself.
I didnt like the look on his face. Why?
The D.A. didnt believe my story about being with you. He has his men out asking questions. It wont take them very long to get the truth.
Oh, God!
The pressure is on the lad. The kind of pressure he cant ignore. Somethings going to pop and it may be your neck and my job.
Okay, Pat, okay. Well make it quicker then, but how? What the hell are we going to do? I could take Clyde apart but hed have the cops on my neck before I could do anything. I need some time, damn it. I need those few days!
I know it, but what can we do?
Nothing. Not a damn thing . . . yet. I lit another butt and glared at him through the smoke. You know, Pat, you can sit around for a month in a room with a hornet, waiting for him to sting you. But if you go poke at his nest itll only be a second before youre bit.
They say if you get bitten often enough itll kill you.
I stood up and tugged my coat on. You might at that. What are your plans for the rest of the evening?
Pat waited for me by the door while I hunted up my hat. Since youve gotten my schedule all screwed up I have to clean up some work at the office. Besides, I want to find out if Raineys two pals have been found yet. You know, you called it pretty good. They both disappeared so fast it would make your head swim.
What did they do about the arena?
They sold out . . . to a man who signed the contracts and deeds as Robert Hobart Williams.
Dinky . . . Clyde! Ill be damned.
Yeah, me too. He bought it for a song. Ed Cooper ran it in the sports column of the Globe tonight with all the nasty implications.
Ill be damned, I said again. It tied Rainey in very nicely with Clyde, didnt it?
Pat shrugged. Who can prove it? Raineys dead and the partners are missing. That isnt the only arena Clyde owns. It now appears that hes a man quite interested in sporting establishments.
We started out the door and I almost forgot what I came for. Pat waited in the hall while I went back to the bedroom and pulled out the dresser drawer. The Luger was still there wrapped in an oily rag inside a box. I checked the clip, jacked a shell into the chamber and put it in half cock.
When I slid it into the holster it fit loosely, but nice. I felt a lot better.
The snow, the damned snow. It slowed me to a crawl and did all but stop me. It still came down in lazy fashion, but so thick you couldnt see fifty feet through it. Traffic was thick, sluggish and people were abandoning their cars in the road for the subway. I circled around them, following the cab in front of me and finally hit a section that had been cleared only minutes before.
That stretch kept me from missing Velda. She had her coat and hat on and was locking the door when I stepped out of the elevator. I didnt have to tell her to open up again.
When she threw her coat on top of mine I looked at her and got mad again. She was more lovely than the last time. I said. Where you going?
She pulled a bottle out of a cabinet and poured me a stiff drink. It tasted great. Clyde called me. He wanted to know if that was `later.
Yeah?
I told him it might be.
Where does the seduction take place?
At his apartment.
You really have that guy going, dont you? How come hes passing up all the stuff at the Inn for you?
Velda looked at me quickly, then away. I reached for the bottle. You asked me to do this, you know, she said.
I felt like a heel. All she had to do was look at me when I got that way and I felt like I was crawling up out of a sewer somewhere. Im sorry, kid. Im jealous, I guess. I always figured you as some sort of a fixture. Now that the finance company is taking it away from me I get snotty.
Her smile lit the whole room up. She came over and filled my glass again. Get that way more often, Mike.
Im always that way. Now tell me what youve been doing to the guy.
I play easy to get but not easy to get at. There are times when sophistication coupled with virtue pays off. Clyde is getting that look in his eyes. Hes hinting at a man-and-mistress arrangement with the unspoken plan in mind of a marriage license if I dont go for it.
I put the glass down. You can cut out the act, Velda. Im almost ready to move in on Clyde myself.
I thought I was the boss, she grinned.
You are . . . of the agency. Outside the office Im the boss. I grabbed her arm and swung her around to face me. She was damned near as tall as I was and being that close to her did things to me inside that I didnt have time for. It took me a long time to wise up, didnt it?
Too long, Mike.
Do you know what Im talking about, Velda? Im not tossing a pass at you now or laying the groundwork for the same thing later. Im telling you something else.
My fingers were hurting her and I couldnt help it. I want you to say it, Mike. Youve played games with so many women I wont be sure until I hear you say it yourself. Tell me.
There was a desperate pleading in her eyes. They were asking me please, please. I could feel her breath coming faster and knew she was trembling and not because I was hurting her. I knew something was coming over my face that I couldnt control. It started in my chest and overflowed in my face when the music in my head began with that steady beat of drums and weird discord. My mouth worked to get the words out, but they stuck fast to the roof of my mouth.
I shook my head to break up the crazy symphony going on in my brain and I mumbled, No . . . no. Oh, good God, I cant, Velda. I cant!
I knew what the feeling was. I was scared. Scared to death and it showed in my face and the way I stumbled across the room to a chair and sat down. Velda knelt on the floor in front of me her face a fuzzy white blur that kissed me again and again. I could feel her hands in my hair and smell the pleasant woman smell of cleanliness, of beauty that was part of her, but the music wouldnt go away.
She asked me what had happened and I told her. It wasnt that. It was something else. She wanted to know what it was, demanded to know what it was and her voice came through a sob and tears. She gave me back my voice and I said, Not you, kid . . . no kiss of death for you. Thereve been two women now. I said I loved them both. I thought I did. They both died, but not you, kid.
Her hands on mine were soft and gentle. Mike . . . nothing will happen to me.
My mind went back over the years-to Charlotte and Lola.
Its no good, Velda. Maybe when this is all over itll be different. I keep thinking of the women who died. God, if I ever have to hold a gun on a woman again Ill die first, so help me I will. How many years has it been since the yellow-gold hair and the beautiful face was there? Its still there and I know its dead but I keep hearing the voice. And I keep thinking of the dark hair too . . . like a shroud. Gold shrouds, dark shrouds. . . .
Mike . . . dont. Please, for me. Dont . no more.
She had another drink in my hand and I poured it down, heard the wild fury of the music drown out and give me back to myself again. I said, All over now, sugar. Thanks. She was smiling but her face was wet with tears. I kissed her eyes and the top of her head. When this is settled well take a vacation, thats what well do. Well take all the cash out of the bank and see what the city looks like when theres not murder in it.
She left me sitting
there smoking a cigarette while she went into the bathroom and washed her face. I sat there and didnt think of anything at all, trying to put a cap over the raw edges of my nerves that had been scraped and pounded too often.
Velda came back, a vision in a tailored gray suit that accentuated every curve. She was so big, so damn big and so lovely. She had the prettiest legs in the world and there wasnt a thing about her that wasnt beautiful and desirable. I could see why Clyde wanted her. Who wouldnt? I was a sap for waiting as long as I had.
She took the cigarette from my mouth and put it in her own. Im going to see Clyde tonight, Mike. Ive been wondering about several things and I want to see if I can find out what they are.
What things? There wasnt much interest in my words.
She took a drag on the cigarette and handed it back. Things like what it is he holds over peoples heads. Things like blackmail. Things like how Clyde can influence people so powerful they can make or break judges, mayors or even governors. What kind of blackmail can that be?
Keep talking, Velda.
He has conferences with these big people. They call him up at odd hours. Theyre never asking . . . theyre always giving. To Clyde. He takes it like its his due. I want to know those things.
Will they be found in Clydes apartment, baby?
No, Clyde has them . . . she tapped her forehead, here. He isnt smart enough to keep them there.
Be careful, Velda, be damn careful with that guy. He might not be the pushover you think he is. Hes got connections and he keeps his nose too damn clean to be a pushover. Watch yourself.
She smiled at me and pulled on her gloves. Ill watch myself. If he goes too far Ill take a note from that Anton Lipseks book and call him something in French.
You cant speak French.
Neither can Clyde. Thats what makes him so mad. Anton calls him things in French and laughs about it. Clyde gets red in the face but thats all.
I didnt get it and I told her so. Clyde isnt one to take any junk from a guy like Anton. Its a wonder he doesnt sic one of his boys on im.
He doesnt, though. He takes it and gets mad. Maybe Anton has something on him.
I cant picture that, I said. Still, those things happen.
She pulled on her coat and looked at herself in the mirror. It wasnt necessary; you cant improve on perfection. I knew what it was like to be jealous again and tore my eyes away. When she was satisfied with herself she bent over and kissed me. Why dont you stay here tonight, Mike?
Now you ask me.
She laughed, a rich, throaty laugh and kissed me again. Ill shoo you out when I get in. I may be late, but my virtue will still be intact.
It had damn well better be.
Good night, Mike.
Night, Velda.
She smiled again and closed the door behind her. I heard the elevator door open and shut and if I had had Clyde in my hands I would have squeezed him until his insides ran all over the floor. Even my cigarettes tasted lousy. I picked up the phone and called Connie. She wasnt home. I tried Juno and was ready to hang up when she answered.
I said, This is Mike, Juno. Its late, but I was wondering if you were busy.
No, Mike, not at all. Wont you come up?
Id like to.
And Id like you to. Hurry, Mike.
Hurry? When she talked like that I could fly across town.
There was an odd familiarity about Junos place. It bothered me until I realized that it was familiar because I had been thinking about it. I had been there a dozen times before in my mind but none of the eagerness was gone as I pushed the bell. Excitement came even with the thought of her, a tingling thrill that spoke of greater pleasures yet to come.
The door clicked and I pushed it open to walk into the lobby. She met me at the door of Olympus, a smiling, beautiful goddess in a long hostess coat of some iridescent material that changed color with every motion of her body.
I always come back, dont I, Juno?
Her eyes melted into the same radiant color as the coat. Ive been waiting for you.
It was only the radio playing, but it might have been a chorus of angels singing to form a background of splendor. Juno had prepared Olympus for me, arranging it so a mortal might be tempted into leaving Earth. The only lights were those of the long waxy tapers that flickered in a dancing yellow light, throwing wavy shadows on the wall. The table had been drawn up in the living room and set with delicate china, arranged so that we would be seated close enough to want to be closer, too close to talk or eat without feeling things catch in your throat.
We spoke of the little things, forgetting all the unpleasantness of the past few days. We spoke of things and thought of things we didnt speak of, knowing it was there whenever we were ready. We ate, but the taste of the food was lost to me when Id look at her in that sweeping gown that laughed and danced in the rising and falling of the lights. The cuffs of her sleeves were huge things that rose halfway to her elbows, leaving only her hands visible. Beautiful large hands that were eloquent in movement.
There was a cocktail instead of coffee, a toast to the night ahead, then she rose, and with her arm in mine, the short wisps of her hair brushing my face, took me into the library.
Cigarettes were there, the bar set was pulled out and ice frosted a crystal bowl. I put my crumpled pack of Luckies alongside the silver cigarette box to remind me that I was still a mortal, took one and lit it from the lighter she held out to me.
Like it, Mike?
Wonderful.
It was special, you know. Ive been home every minute since I saw you last, waiting for you to come back.
She sat next to me on the couch and leaned back, her head resting on the cushion. Her eyes were beginning to invite me now. Ive been busy, goddess. Things have been happening.
Things?
Business.
One of her fingers touched the bruise on the side of my jaw.
Howd you get that, Mike?
Business.
She started to laugh, then saw the seriousness in my face. But how . . .
It makes nasty conversation, Juno. Some other time Ill tell you about it.
All right, Mike. She put her cigarette down on the table and grabbed my hand. Dance with me, Mike? She made my name sound like it was something special.
Her body was warm and supple, the music alive with rhythm, and together we threw a whirling pattern of shadows that swayed and swung with every subtle note. She stood back from me, just far enough so we could look at each other and read things into every expression. I could only stand it so long and I tried to pull her closer, but she laughed a little song and twisted in a graceful pirouette that sent the gown out and up around her legs.
The music stopped then, ending on a low note that was the cue to a slow waltz. Juno floated back into my arms and I shook my head. It had been enough . . . too much. The suggestion she had put into the dance left me shaking from head to foot, a sensation born of something entirely new, something I had never felt. Not the primitive animal reflex I was used to, not the passion that made you want to squeeze or bite or demand what you want and get it even if you had to fight for it. It made me mad because I didnt know what it was and I didnt like it, this custom of the gods.
So I shook my head again, harder this time. I grabbed her by the arm and heard her laugh again because she knew what was going on inside me and wanted it that way.
Quit it, Juno. Damn it, quit fooling around. You make me think I want you and I lose sight of everything else. Cut it out.
No. She drew the word out. Her eyes were half closed. Its me that wants you, Mike. Ill do what I can to get you. I wont stop. Theres never been anyone else like you.
Later.
Now.
It might hav
e been now, but the light caught her hair again. Yellow candlelight that changed its color to the gold I hated. I didnt wait to have it happen to me. I shoved her on the couch and reached for the decanter in the bar set. She lay there languidly, waiting for me to come to her and I fought it and fought it until my mind was my own again and I could laugh a little bit myself. She saw it happen and smiled gently. Youre even better than
I thought, she said. Youre a man with the instincts of some
jungle animal. It has to be when you say so, doesnt it? I threw the drink down fast. Not before, I told her. I like that about you too, Mike.
So do I. It keeps me out of trouble. When I filled the glass I balanced it in my hand and sat on the arm of the couch facing her. Do you know much about me, Juno?
A little. Ive been hearing things. She picked one of her long cigarettes out of the box and lit it. Smoke streamed up lazily from her mouth. Why?
Ill tell you why Im like I am. Im a detective. In spirit only, now, but I used to have a ticket and a gun. They took it away because I was with Chester Wheeler when he used my gun to commit suicide. That was wrong because Chester Wheeler was murdered. A guy named Rainey was murdered too. Two killings and a lot of scared people. The one you know as Clyde is a former punk named Dinky Williams and hes gotten to be so big nobody can lay a finger on him, so big he can dictate to the dictators.
That isnt the end of it, either. Somebody wants me out of the way so badly they made a try on the street and again in my apartment. In between they tried to lay Raineys killing at my feet so Id get picked up for it. All that . . . because one guy named Chester Wheeler was found dead in a hotel room. Pretty, isnt it?
It was too much for her to understand at once. She bit her thumbnail and a frown crept across her face. Mike . . .
I know its complicated, I said. Murder generally is complicated. Its so damn complicated that Im the only one looking for a murderer. All the others are content to let it rest as suicide . . . except Rainey, of course. That job was a dilly.
Thats awful, Mike! I never realized . . .
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