42 Days For Murder

Chapter Twenty-Four

Crandall’s office was just as big and pretty as it had been before. Only this time, instead of the dignified looking young punk who’d done the honors in the front office, we met the two guards who’d raised hell with us when we’d crashed Crandall’s house. The one called Barney opened the door for us and grinned at me and said:

“Yowsuh! He’s waiting for you.”

Wendel said: “I was slightly delayed.”

I said: “There’s a couple more coming in a minute. His lawyer and his friend.”

“I’ll send ’em in.”

There was a water cooler over in the corner of the room and I took one of the paper cups that came along with the rig and took myself a drink. Wendel watched me with an impatient expression and I said:

“Okey! In we go. To beard the lion in his den.”

“What!”

I said: “Read the classics. It goes something like ‘And darest thou then to beard the lion in his den, the Douglas in his hall? And hopest thou hence unscathed go? No! By St. Bride of Both well no! Ho, Warden, ho! Let the portcullis fall, Marmion.’ ”

He said: “Are you crazy?”

I said: “Just educated. Scott wrote it; if anybody’s crazy it was him.” And to the one called Barney: “Suppose you let us in, portey.”

He said: “What!” also, and I shook my head and told him: “You weren’t listening. You’re riding for what they gave the portcullis.”

“Hunh.”

I said: “A fall, dope. Show us in to the old marster.”

He shook his head as though I’d been talking gibberish, which I’d been. And no mistake about it. I felt that way; the show-down was coming up in the next few minutes, one way or the other, and I felt tight and tense and like babbling.

Too much nerves.

We went inside and there was Crandall, all alone. But he said to Barney: “Suppose you stay in here, Barney. The gentleman...” he nodded at me... “is inclined toward violence and I’m in no mood for it.”

I said: “I can always wait until you are in the mood. I’m a patient man.”

He grinned nastily and said: “I should think by this time Connell, that you’d have learned your lesson. Every time there’s been trouble between us your side has lost.”

I looked over at the floor by the door, where he’d fallen the time I’d smacked him, and he got red in the face. He let it go, though, and said to Wendel:

“Your wife refused to attend this little meeting, though I tried to persuade her to be present. But I hold her power of attorney, of course. I’d rather Amos Mard was here however; I understand he’s representing you.”

“He’ll be here shortly,” Wendel said.

“That’s fine, that’s fine.”

I said: “He and Joey Free are following us.”

Crandall gave me a sharp look.

Wendel said: “Now understand me, Mr. Crandall. I’m willing to sign this settlement because I believe Ruth wants this divorce. Naturally, I want to be fair with her. Your threat about that assault charge hasn’t influenced me in the slightest.”

Crandall said: “Of course not. I’m glad I was able to stop that. You understand, Mr. Wendel, a wealthy man is a target for schemes of different kinds at all times. Possibly this was something of that sort.”

“Does that mean,” I asked, “that there’ll be no assault charge filed if this settlement doesn’t go through?”

Crandall smiled his lawyer, smile. “Now Mr. Connell. Naturally I can’t hazard an opinion on that. I wouldn’t know. The girl’s father could undoubtedly press the charge anytime he saw fit.”

“Then Mr. Wendel is liable to take it on the chin, whether he signs this settlement or not?”

“I’d naturally use my influence to stop anything like that.”

I said: “That’s certainly white of you.”

The other plug-ugly brought in Amos Mard and Joey Free then. Mard nodded to Crandall and Joey beamed around at one and all and said:

“Hah! Everything friendly, I see.”

Crandall said to Mard: “I have everything drawn up, Amos. If you’d care to look over things? It’s just a form, of course.”

Mard said nothing and reached out his hand and Crandall handed him papers. He studied them for a bit, while Joey babbled about wanting to go back to the city because Reno was too rich for his blood. He stopped for breath and I said:

“It’s been pretty rich for Wendel’s blood, I’d say. Or don’t dough like this settlement count as money.”

Wendel said stiffly: “I’ll ask you not to comment on my personal affairs, Connell. I feel this matter could have been handled differently from the start and I don’t hesitate to say so.”

Joey winked at me and said: “I guess you’re sat on, old boy, old boy.”

Mard looked up then and nodded at me. I said: “I come up smiling, Joey,” and to Crandall: “D’ya mind if I get a drink of water? I ate something salty, I guess.”

I nodded toward the outside office, where the one yegg had gone and where the water cooler was, and he said:

“Certainly not, Connell. In the other room.”

Joey said to Crandall: “You ought to buy a drink, Crandall. Not water; I don’t mean water.”

Just as I got to the door Crandall said: “A very good idea, Mr. Free.”

I went outside.

The yegg was sitting in an over-stuffed chair looking at the cartoons in The Satevepost. And he didn’t look as though he knew enough to read the captions, much less understand the cartoons themselves. I waved at the cooler and said: “Drink.”

He nodded and I walked to the cooler. It was at his side, maybe five feet from him, and I got one of the trick paper cups and fiddled with it and he looked down at the magazine again. I took my gun out from under my coat and bopped him across the jaw with it. He just dropped his head down on the magazine without a sound. I opened the door into the hall, very quietly, didn’t see anything of either Kirby or Macintosh, and whistled. They came around the bend in the hall and up to me and I saw Macintosh had a nice start toward a black eye and more scratches on his face than I had. I whispered: “Where’s the bitch?”

He jerked his thumb over his shoulder and said: “She doesn’t want to talk to her husband. She says so. She fights against it even. D’ya want her? The kid’s looking after her so we can help out if it’s needed.”

I said: “Everything is okey in the outside office. Get ready to come in when I sing out. Bring her in with you.”

He said: “All right,” and I ducked back inside the inner office again. Barney looked at me suspiciously and Crandall nodded at the bottle and glasses he had set out on the table and said: “Drink, Connell?”

I said: “I just had one.”

Barney said: “And it took you long enough, too.”

“I was thirsty.”

“You must’ve been.”

He stood and started toward the door and Crandall said sharply: “Sit down, Barney! Everything is all right.”

Barney sat down, glowering at me while he did.

Mard said, slowly and carefully: “Now again, Mr. Wendel, I’ll advise you against signing any ridiculous settlement like this. I advise you to start a counter-suit and fight this.”

Joey wandered over to the desk and tipped the bottle over one of the glasses. He turned with the glass in his hand and said to Wendel: “It’s your affair; Tod. Naturally, I hate to see you and Ruth having trouble; I like you both. But God knows you’ve tried for a reconciliation and that’s about all you can do.”

Wendell pulled his chair over to the desk and reached out his hands for the papers Mard still held. He said: “Let’s get it over with. Where do I sign?”

He sounded sick and sorry.

Crandall leaned across the desk and marked lines with a penciled cross and said: “Here, and here, and here.”

I said: “I guess maybe you’d better talk with the lady first Wendel,” and then called out: “Bring her in, Mac!”

I was watching Joey Free’s face and I didn’t expect the look he put on. It had everything in it. Shock, surprise, bewilderment, and I’m damned if he didn’t look as though he wanted to laugh on top of it all. He stood up there holding his drink and staring at the door.

I swung around and looked and I didn’t blame him. It was more than I expected to see. Macintosh was holding the door open, standing inside the room and looking mean.

Lester and the girl were in the doorway, with Lester slightly ahead. They’d made sure he’d handle her. He had a handcuff on his right wrist and he had his left hand over on the chain and he was pulling the girl into the room. She had one pair of cuffs on her wrists, holding them together, and the other side of Lester’s cuffs were snapped over that chain. He was pulling on her as if she was a balky mule.

But that wasn’t the payoff. She had one handkerchief tied across her mouth and another holding her chin up so she couldn’t open it. She looked like she had the mumps. All she could do was make whimpering noises. She hung back in the doorway, with Lester tugging away and not doing any good by it, and then I saw Kirby’s face show up over her shoulder. Then he shoved her in the back and she came skating into the room.

Wendel shouted: “RUTH!”

I said: “Take the wraps off her puss.”

Crandall stood up and bawled out: “This is an outrage. Are you trying to force this woman in here?”

Barney reached under his coat for his gun and I let him see the one I was holding was pointing at him and said:

“I wouldn’t! Or do as you like!”

He took his hand away from his coat as though he’d burned it there.

Wendell stood up and I stood up at the same time. He started to run toward Lester and the gal and I got him by the shoulder and yanked him back and threw him in his chair. I said: “Stay there, you.”

Crandall said, very loudly: “You can’t force this woman like this. Mrs. Wendel, I’ll take care of this.”

During this time Macintosh had reached over and ripped the handkerchiefs away from her face. She spit out another one, that didn’t look too clean even at that distance, and tried to kick Macintosh in the shins. Her eyes looked like black fire and she was bouncing up and down like a dancing doll. Lester was trying to hold her, but he needed more than cuffs to do it; he needed about a hundred pounds of weight. I could see why they’d tied her to him.

Wendel shouted: “Ruth!” again, and I said: “Will you shut up and stay down? This gal is Madge Giovanatti. She isn’t Ruth. Tell him you’re not Ruth, honey.”

She spoke then. She said to me: “You dirty bastard!”

Crandall said: “Mrs. Wendel! I forbid you to talk.”

I said to Wendel: “Are you satisfied, mister?”

He sat there with his mouth open. I said again: “You satisfied? Her name is Madge Giovanatti. She’s a San Francisco tart.”

She spit out something at me in Italian and “bastard” sounded like a pet name compared to it.

Macintosh said: “I guess this is enough. You’re under arrest, Crandall. And you too, mister.”

This last was to Barney.

Wendel said, in a dazed voice: “This... this isn’t my wife.”

I said: “That’s what I’m telling you.”

I’d been watching Joey Free. He was staring first at the girl, then at me, then at Macintosh and Kirby. All around the room. He was still holding his glass of whisky but he had it up around the level of his chin.

Crandall said: “What am I being arrested for? If this is a fraud, I’m no party to it. Naturally not.”

And then drooped his eyelid in a deliberate wink at the girl.

I said: “Well, that’s only one of the charges. Fraud! There’s murder, too. Attempted murder with me as the victim will be another. And Mr. Macintosh has a few little Stags against you. White slavery and dope and little odds and ends like conspiring to defeat justice. Laugh all that off too.”

Joey Free said: “Well isn’t this something.”

I said: “The same is going against you, Joey. Except the dope and slave charges.”

He said: “What! You’re crazy, Shean!”

I said: “I’m getting sick and tired of being told that I’m crazy. Now listen! The...”

Mard almost screamed: “Look out!” and pointed toward the door, and I started to turn my head. Joey pitched his whiskey, glass and all, into my face then. I went blind for a second and a gun crashed out, sounding like a cannon in the confined space. I didn’t know who it was meant for and didn’t see any reason for sitting in the chair like a turkey at a shoot. I rolled off the chair to the floor and somebody, it must have been Joey, kicked me in the face about the time I landed.

I kept on with the roll, trying to get away from another kick. I was holding my gun in my hand and the next kick caught me a glancing blow across the forearm, but I still kept it. I opened my eyes, saw dimly that Joey was following me up, and reached up and out with the gun and pulled the trigger.

He came down on top of me and it took me a second to shake him off. Not because he was trying to hold me but because he was so heavy. I got up to my knees and faced the door and saw Kirby leaning back against the wall. His shoulders were touching it but his feet were a foot and a half away and he looked as if he was trying out some acrobatic trick. Macintosh had a gun in his hand and just as I saw it he fired. Toward Barney, I thought, though I didn’t turn my head enough to be sure. The bird I’d bopped on the chin in the outside office was standing in the doorway and he shot at me just as I recognized him.

He didn’t miss. Not entirely. I felt something like a hot iron being laid across the side of my neck and then shot back.

I didn’t have time for any fancy stuff and I wanted to stop him quick. Just as the front sight came up to where his dark pants and light shirt made a line I pulled the trigger. He stooped way over, put both hands around his belly, took a step ahead and fell. I knew that this time he was out for good.

Lester and the girl were on the floor. She’d yanked him down there when the thing started, I found out later. I even noticed he’d lost his glasses in the scramble. I looked over at Barney and saw him leaning over the arm of his chair. He was still holding a gun but he didn’t look as though he had any use for it. I kept swinging my head and didn’t see Crandall and decided he was back of his desk. I kept on with the swing until I saw Joey Free, and Joey was flat on his back and dead to the world.

The room was racketing with echoes from the guns and the girl was screaming through the din. Her voice wasn’t so loud but it cut through because it held such fear. She was trying to crawl to the side of the room and she was dragging Lester with her.

Kirby started to slump down to the floor then, and I got the rest of the way to my feet and started toward him. And got halfway there when another man stood in the doorway.

I’d never seen him but I would have known who he was if I’d met him on the street instead of in Crandall’s office. He had Rucci written all over him. The young one, Luigi Rucci, and no mistaking him. He and I shot at the same time but I got up and he didn’t. I took mine through the leg and he took his through the face. His slug didn’t even touch the thigh bone and mine took the whole back of his head away with it.

Things got hazy then but I remember Macintosh howling at me for killing that particular Rucci and not saving the guy for him and me howling back about how I wouldn’t stand up and play clay pigeon for him or any other son of a bitch on earth.

We were both excited.

Kirby, whom Barney had got in the shoulder with the first shot, and I, went to the hospital in the same ambulance.

Joey Free rode by himself in another but he was always one for attention He even had a policeman with him all the time after they’d patched him up. My slug had caught him just below the knee and ranged up the whole length of his thigh. They dug it out up by his hip but they had to cut off his leg to find it The leg wasn’t any good to him, anyway; that flat-nosed .45 had pulverized the bone during its trip.

Lester rode to the hospital with Kirby and Macintosh and I rode to the jail with Crandall and the gal.

Altogether everybody took a trip, but it was a one-way ride for Barney, Barney’s pal, and the young Rucci.