by P C Hatter
“The hole was too small to notice unless you were looking for it. If you hadn’t known how many bullets were in the gun, even you would have been convinced it was suicide.”
“It was an old suit.”
Duke frowned. “What?”
“The suit must have been old. Old enough to have a hole in the pocket large enough for both the slug and casing to fall out in the hallway.”
Duke pulled out a note book and flipped through several pages before returning his attention back to me. “There were only a couple people who registered in the hotel the day before Wells died. A well-dressed older moose and a younger male in a worn suit. The younger male left the day after Wells died and paid in cash.”
“Did you get a description?”
“No.” Duke shook his head. “Seems they were in town to see a specialist and most of their face was bandaged. The desk clerk said he didn’t want to appear rude and didn’t look close enough to see if the male was canine, feline, or anything else.”
“Damn. It could have been Bruce.”
“Do you really think he would have done that on his own and be that cool about it? He probably hired a hitman. That wolf could have easily hired the same male for the arena job. He’s got enough clout now that he doesn’t need, or may not want, to be hands on anymore. And there’s more.”
The expression on Duke’s face had me worried. “More?”
“The D.A. doesn’t believe my story about me playing poker with you. He’s got people checking. Time is something we’re short on.”
“Do you think Bruce is somehow putting pressure on him to take me out of the equation?”
“Or someone close to him. Either way, we have to do something now or it’s your hide and my job.”
“Then I’ll need to go poke a hornet’s nest.” I got up from my box and went into my bedroom to change my suit. While I was in there, I grabbed the Luger out of the bottom drawer. I checked the magazine and stuck it in my shoulder holster.
“What are you going to do, Duke?”
“Go back to the office and catch up on paperwork and see if Dagger’s associates have been found. You called it right when you said they’d disappear.”
“And the arena?”
“Sold for a song to a Lenard J. Pink. The chipmunk at the newspaper wrote all about it in his column along with some nasty inferences. Seems Bruce now owns a lot of sporting venues.”
I couldn’t help smiling. “Looks like we’ve tied Pinky to Dagger.”
“Fat lot of good it will do if we can’t catch and prove Wells was murdered in the first place. Or why, for that matter.”
With the apartment door locked, we said our goodbyes. The snow was still coming down, and the roads were getting worse. People were ditching their cars for the subway and no matter how many plows I saw the white tide kept rising.
I managed to get to the office before Velvet left. The dress she wore made her look even better than the one before. “Where you going?”
“Take a guess.”
“Bruce.”
Velvet nodded and handed me a drink from the bottle on the desk. “He called and asked if tonight was the night. I told him maybe.”
“And?”
“We’ll be at his place.”
“Why’s he passing up all the fun at the lodge?”
Velvet gave me a dirty look. “I’m doing this for you, remember.”
“Sorry. I can’t help feeling jealous. You’ve always been here nice and safe. It’s like having the repo male come by, and I don’t want to give you up.”
She gave me one of her dazzling smiles and refilled my glass. “Get jealous more often.”
“With you, I always am. What are you planning on doing with him?”
“I’ve toyed with him enough that he’s got that male and mistress look in his eyes with a possible marriage license if I hold out.”
I slammed my glass down on the desk. “No. I’m about to nab Bruce myself.”
“Aren’t I the boss?”
“Of the agency. Outside these walls, I am.” I grabbed hold of Velvet and pulled her close. “And I’m a damn fool. Do you understand what I’m getting at?”
“Then say it. No games. I won’t know you’re serious until you say it.”
I tried. I honestly tried, but a cold icy hand grasped my chest, and I couldn’t breathe let alone speak. The fear must have shown on my face because I know my whole body was shaking so bad, I had to sit down.
“I can’t.” I’m not sure how loud I spoke, but Velvet was beside me in a flash with her arms around me. Comforting me. I could feel her hands running through my fur, her soft kisses on my forehead.
“What’s the matter, Kaiser? Tell me.”
“I don’t want you to die. I don’t want to lose you. Not you.”
“I’m not going to die, Kaiser. Everything will be fine.”
As much as I tried to convince myself that she was right, I couldn’t stop shaking. Couldn’t keep thinking how short the time between telling them that I loved them and their deaths that two females I swore I loved were gone. One by my own hand, the other by a murderer’s. How could I risk Velvet’s life?
It took me a while to calm down, and I was able to talk straight.
“When this is all over, we’ll take a vacation. Somewhere warm with no murders.”
“Sure, Kaiser.”
Velvet left me in the chair with a glass in one hand and a cigarette in the other. When she came back, the gown she’d been wearing was replaced by a tailored gray suit. She was still beautiful as ever.
She plucked the cigarette I’d been smoking from my lips and took a drag. “I’m still going. I’d like to see if I can get some answers to a few questions. Like what is it Bruce is holding over people that makes them grovel and do what he says. How is it that he can break judges and governors? What kind of blackmail can bring those type of people to their knees?”
“Explain.”
“Meetings. Calls at odd hours. They’re always giving, never receiving. It’s like Bruce is some lofty king. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t plan to find anything at his apartment. It’s all up here.” Velvet tapped her temple. “He’s too smart to keep anything at his apartment.”
“Careful, Bruce is no pushover.”
“Don’t worry, I will. I can always do what Allen Dale does and call him something French.”
“Since when do you speak French?” I looked up at Velvet and frowned.
“I don’t and neither does Bruce. But that doesn’t stop Allen Dale from calling him names in French. Bruce gets furious but never does anything about it. Curious, isn’t it?”
“Bruce wouldn’t let someone like that get the better of him.”
Velvet handed me back my cigarette. “Do you think Dale has something on him?”
“That’s hard to picture.”
Velvet put on her coat and checked herself in the mirror. I could feel the stab of jealousy return and looked away. She leaned down and kissed me. “Don’t worry. I’ll be fine. If you want to stay here, I can wake you when I get back. I’ll be back late, but my virtue will still be intact.”
“It better be, or I’ll murder him.”
She laughed and booped my nose.
After she left, I couldn’t stay still. I called Ellen, but she didn’t answer. So I called Viola. I was about to hang up when she answered.
I said, “This is Kaiser, I know it’s late, but are you busy?”
“I’m not busy at all. Come on over.”
I checked my watch and estimated the time it would take to get there, told her, and hung up. I was off by about ten minutes.
Viola met me at the door in a long hostess coat. The radio was playing loud enough to hear but not so loud as to interrupt conversations. She handed me a drink, and we sat and smoked. The conversation kept to pleasant things.
At one point, she pulled me out of the chair to dance. The way she moved had me thinking carnal thoughts, but then the light caught her fur and
Sylvia was back and laughing at me.
Viola asked me to stay, but even here I couldn’t find peace. I ended up leaving and checking into a nearby hotel.
CHAPTER 10
I must have fallen asleep because crazy images kept running through my head. Sylvia kept taunting me, telling me I missed something. Then Velvet was there, claws out, teeth bared, challenging Sylvia.
When I woke up, it was dark outside, and the storm had stopped. Light reflected off the blanket of snow. I called down to the reception desk, and the clerk said it was only nine o’clock. Confused, I asked him what day it was. Come to find out I’d slept an entire day away.
I straighten wrinkles out of my suit the best I could and then went to a restaurant down the street to eat. When I finished my meal, I found a pay phone and called Velvet.
“Hello, honey, it’s Kaiser.”
“Where were you?”
“Hold up in a hotel and asleep. How’s everything on your end?”
“Okay, I guess.”
My fist tightened on the handset. “Bruce didn’t…”
“No. But he almost did. If I hadn’t gotten him so drunk… Anyway, Bruce is blackmailing some very influential people. The Black Lodge Inn is a big part of it. Bruce said he’d tell me all about it if…”
Her voice sounded a little shaky, and I couldn’t help letting out a growl.
“I’ll try again tonight.”
“No.”
“Bruce is the key to everything. I have to try. It’s not like my life is in danger. I’m not getting shot at.”
“No.”
“I’ll be at his place at midnight.”
Velvet wasn’t listening to me and hung up before I could say another word.
Three hours wasn’t a lot of time. I called Duke and finally got him at the office. Instead of identifying myself, I said it was me. Before I could say another word, he told me he would meet me at the corner bar and hung up. There was a second click, and I knew someone was listening in on his phone conversations.
When I got near the bar in question, I slowed the car and pulled to the curb to look for Duke. I didn’t have to. He trotted out from an alleyway and got into the car. “Drive.”
I did as I was told. “The phone at your office is bugged.”
“Figured as much. The D.A.’s goons have been tailing me as well.” Duke looked at me. “There’s a warrant out for your arrest. The D.A. found another witness that puts you at the scene.”
“Who?”
“A ticket seller at the arena. Which means I’m now in the hot seat because I lied for you.”
“Is there any place you want me to drive you?”
“If you don’t mind. There was a suicide at the Brooklyn Bridge. The D.A. has me chasing anything with a toe tag. I might as well act as normal as I can until the bottom falls out.”
“Maybe we’ll be cell mates.”
Duke growled at me for being a smartass.
We got to the bridge and parked. Duke told me to stay put but after smoking my last cigarette, I got antsy. The bar on the corner was a dive, but it had a cigarette machine and bottled beer. I got a pack from the vending machine, ordered a beer, and waited at the bar.
Two buzzards came in discussing the suicide in detail. The bartender wasn’t too happy about the conversation and neither was I. After checking my watch, I paid for the beer and went to see what was taking Duke so long.
Duke was leaning over the body of a female cheetah as one of the officers with a flashlight talked. “There was a note in her pocket. It said, he left me. So far we haven’t found anything to identify her with.”
“Label her as unidentified.” Duke stepped back and let the buzzards from the morgue take her.
Less than thirty seconds later, a cab pulled up, and a fox jumped out. The fox ran over to the closest officer. There was a bunch of hand gestures and fast talking, and the cop took him over to see Duke. I could hear the conversation. Which was good because his accent was pretty thick, and his English was broken.
“I am Yusef. Capitan Yusef, of the barges. Is terrible. I see her. I see everything. He kill her.”
The German shepherd held up a hand. “Calm down and start from the beginning.”
“About two hours ago, all was quiet. I like sitting on the deckhouse with my night glasses. It’s peaceful. The barge is to go under the bridge and I saw them. I see their car. The female, she fights him, but he puts his hand over her mouth so she stop screaming.”
The fox pulled at his ears but rattled on. “It happen so fast. The male, he toss her over the side into the water. It take me forever to get off the barge and call police. They say to come here.”
Duke was almost wagging his tail. “Can you identify the male?”
The capitan shrugged. “Hat, coat, not face.”
Duke told the cop next to him to get the captain’s name and address along with his statement and sent others to see if they could drum up more witnesses.
Keeping my hat down and sticking to the shadows I edged up to Duke. “Interesting corpse.”
“Why aren’t you minding the car?”
“Do you think it’ll do tricks? What’s with the female?”
“Looks like a lovers quarrel. The cheetah has a broken neck and a couple of broken ribs. Bruising. She was probably dead before she hit the water. There’s no identification on the body.”
“Did her lover stuff the note in her pocket before throwing her over?”
He scowled at me, and I smiled. “It pays to have good ears.”
Duke motioned back to the car, and we climbed inside. I said, “The guy was strong to beat her up like that. I’ve tangled with one myself.”
“Not again. Stop talking in riddles, Kaiser, and give it to me straight.”
I reached over onto the backseat where I’d tossed the envelope with the pictures of the models. Duke turned the overhead light on as I searched for the photo I wanted and handed it to him.
“The cheetah’s name is Mazie Quin. She worked for the Allen Dales Agency as a model until a few days ago when she eloped.”
“More pictures.” Duke glared at me. “Do you know what that burnt stuff you gave me that was in Enrico Price’s fireplace. Photos. They were nothing but photos. Now we’re getting somewhere. Give me a week, and we can nail this bastard.”
“We don’t have a week.” I started the car and pulled away from the curb. “Did you find anything on the cloth?”
“Dead end.”
“Take the photo. Check marriage certificates and find out if Mazie Quin really eloped. Ten to one she didn’t.” I dropped Duke off at the Municipal Building, and he ran up the steps.
I drove to the nearest drugstore to use their payphone. The call I made to Viola was taken by an answering service. The female asked if I wanted to take a message. I didn’t and rang off. The second call was to Ellen.
There must have been something off with my voice because she asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Stay put will you. I’ll tell you when I get there.”
“Okay.”
I couldn’t help checking my watch as I drove over to Ellen’s apartment. The little stinker met me at the door in nothing more than a bathrobe.
“Hello, tiger. Ready for that ride?” Ellen’s smile vanished when she saw the expression on my face. “What is it? What’s wrong.”
“Get dressed and we’ll talk.”
Ellen scooted off toward the bedroom and a few minutes later we were both in the living room on the couch.
“Mazie Quin is dead. She was murdered and thrown off the Brooklyn Bridge. If it wasn’t for a witness who saw the whole thing, it would have been written off as a suicide.”
Other than covering her mouth with her hands, she didn’t say a word as I gave her the news.
“What was Mazie like? Who was the guy she married?”
“Mazie was in the clothes group. We didn’t associate much, but she seemed nice.” Ellen frowned. “When she first started working for
the agency, she did have a fiancée. But something happened, and the engagement was broken. After that, she soured on males. Really soured. There was a work party a while back, and we got to talking about how degrading males can be.”
“What changed her?”
“That I don’t know. When I heard she’d eloped, it came as a surprise for all of us. I know it’s putting her in a bad light, but I couldn’t help thinking the male she married must have been loaded. Wait, a minute.” Ellen popped up from her chair and searched through a drawer full of papers. When she found what she was looking for she handed it to me. It was a small newspaper clipping.
Quin wasn’t her real name. Mazie had it legally changed when she became a model. The clipping listed both the name change and her address.
“This should help.” I stuffed the clipping into my wallet. “Wish I had more to go on.”
“Mazie’s information should still be at the office. Even if her file was pulled from active accounts, I don’t think it would be thrown out yet.”
“I called Viola earlier, she wasn’t home. What about Allen Dale?”
“Allen was so drunk last night, he didn’t come in to work this morning. Viola was livid.”
I couldn’t sit down and started pacing. “Who else has a key to the place. The sooner I get those records the better.”
“I can get you in. All I have to do is talk to the janitor. I’ve done it before.”
The hands on my watch were moving faster than I wanted them too. “Do me a favor, Ellen. Go to the office, get her file, and come right back here.”
“Come with me.” Ellen smiled and slid forward on the couch so that her skirt hiked up her thighs.
“I can’t.”
“Why not? It’ll be fun.”
“Not now.” I almost roared the words.
“Okay. If it’s that important.” Ellen smacked me on the rear as she walked to the closet to get her coat. “I’ll be calling in the favor soon.”