Killer's Payoff

14.

ALICE LOSSING lived in Isola.

Cotton Hawes had been hit uncompromisingly the night before, but on the evening of July twelfth he nonetheless went to visit Miss Lossing. The apartment building was on The Bluffs, overlooking the River Dix. The River Dix bounded Isola on the south, and from Alice Lossing’s building, Hawes supposed you could see the prison at Walker’s Island on a clear day.

He stopped at Apartment 8B and buzzed.

“Who is it?” a girl’s voice called from within the apartment.

Hawes hesitated. He could remember his indoctrination into the 87th Precinct. He had knocked on the door of a suspected murderer and then had said, “Police! Open up!” The man inside had opened up with a pistol, and a cop named Steve Carella had almost been killed that day. Even now, Hawes flushed slightly at his earlier stupidity. But Alice Lossing was not suspected of murder.

“Police,” he said.

“Who?”

“Police,” he repeated.

“Just a second,” the voice said. He heard footsteps approaching the door. The flap in the door swung back. An eye appeared in the circle.

“Who’d you say you were?”

“Police,” Hawes said. “Detective Hawes.”

“Have you got identification?”

“Yes.”

“Let me see it?”

Hawes held up his plastic-encased I.D. card.

“Haven’t you got a badge?”

Hawes held up his shield.

The girl looked at the I.D. card again. “You don’t look very much like the picture,” she said.

“It’s me. If you want further proof, call Frederick 7-8024. Ask for Detective Carella, and ask him if Detective Cotton Hawes did not leave the squadroom on his way to visit you.”

“It sounds convincing,” Alice said. “Just a second.”

Hawes listened while the girl unlatched the door. From the number of bolts being snapped back, it sounded as if he were being admitted to Fort Knox. He wondered why the girl was so damned cautious, and then the door opened and he knew why.

Alice Lossing was perhaps the most beautiful girl he’d seen all week long. If he were Alice Lossing and if he lived in an apartment building, he would surely have constructed a steel door to keep away the wolves.

“Come in,” she said. “You’d better be legit.”

“Why?”

“I keep a pistol, and I know how to shoot it.”

“Do you keep a rifle?” he asked, from force of habit.

“No, thanks. A pistol serves the purpose just dandy.”

“The best weapon for a woman is a hammer,” Hawes said.

“A what?”

“A hammer.”

“Come in, come in. If you’re going to discuss weapons, don’t stand there in the doorway.”

Together, they went into the apartment. Alice Lossing had brown hair and brown eyes. She was a tall girl, at least five-seven, and she walked with the regal splendor of a queen. Her figure was neatly curved beneath the tapered slacks and sweater she wore.

When they were in the living room, she asked, “Why a hammer?”

“Several reasons. One, the excitability of a woman. Faced with an intruder, she may not shoot straight. She’ll empty the pistol, and then be left holding an empty weapon, which makes a clumsy club.”

“I shoot straight,” Alice said.

“Two, an intruder seeing a gun may pull his own gun, if he’s carrying one. Chances are, he’ll shoot straighter than the woman.”

“I shoot straight,” Alice repeated.

“Three, if an intruder has rape on his mind, he’s got to come close to do it. A hammer is a good infighting weapon. If he’s just got robbery or burglary on his mind, the best thing to do is let him take what he wants and then call the police. A gun might start trouble where there wouldn’t have been any trouble. Nobody gets heroic with a hammer. A hammer is purely a weapon of defense.”

“Is that your case?”

“Yes,” Hawes said.

“It stinks,” Alice said. “I keep a pistol in my night table, and it’s loaded, and I’ll shoot any person who steps into this apartment without being invited. I’ll shoot him straight and true and probably dead.”

“A girl can’t be too careful,” Hawes said. “Especially a pretty girl. I’m glad I was invited.”

“What’s this about?” Alice asked. “I’m purposely ignoring your compliment.”

“Why?”

“You’re too attractive,” Alice said. “I might lose my head and shoot off my big toe by accident.” She grinned.

“Exactly my point,” Hawes said, returning the grin.

“What is this about?”

“Phil Kettering,” Hawes said.

“What about him? Where is he? Do you know?”

“We don’t know. He seems to have vanished.”

“Don’t I know it,” Alice said.

“When’d you see him last?”

“In August of last year.”

“Haven’t heard from him since?”

“No,” Alice said. “I wouldn’t give a damn, but he’s got something that belongs to me.”

“What?”

“A ring.”

“How’d he get it?”

“I gave it to him. We got drunk together one night, and we decided to exchange rings. He gave me this piece of cheese”-she held out her right hand-“and I gave him a damn expensive cocktail ring. He wore it on his pinky.”

“May I see that again?” Hawes said.

Alice extended her hand. The ring was a simple signet, the letters P.K. in gold scroll, with a small diamond chip near the K.

“I had it appraised,” Alice said. “Fifty bucks, the jeweler told me. My ring was worth five hundred. If you find him, tell him I want that damn ring back.”

“How well did you know Kettering?”

“Not very.”

“Well enough to give him a ring?”

“We were drunk. I told you.”

“How long did you know him?”

“About four months. I’m a receptionist at Milady. Do you know the magazine?”

“No,” Hawes said.

“The women of America only wake up and go to sleep with the damn thing,” Alice said.

“I’m sorry.”

“You should be. I thought cops were well-informed. Anyway, I’m the receptionist there. Phil came up one day to deliver some pictures. A photographic essay on how to keep nail-polish bottles in one place. He had this long piece of wood with spaces drilled into it-”

“Is that when you met?”

“Yes. He asked me out. I accepted. I went out with him about once a week after that.”

“Up until the time he went on his hunting trip?”

“Is that where he went? He didn’t tell me.”

“Did he ever discuss hunting with you?”

“Once in a while. He was pretty good, to hear him tell it.”

“How good?”

“Won a lot of shooting medals. Supposed to be a crack shot. That’s the way he told it, anyway.”

“Did you ever see any of those medals?”

“One. He carried it in his wallet. It was a shooting medal, all right. I guess he was a good hunter.”

“Did he call you when he got back from the trip?”

“I haven’t seen or heard from him since the end of August. I wrote him several letters asking for my ring back. He never answered them. I called his office, and I even went down there. The place was locked up. If I could remember where he lives, I’d go there, believe me.”

“Forget it,” Hawes said. “We’ve been.”

“Then he’s really gone?”

“Really gone,” Hawes said.

“Where?”

“We don’t know.”

“Well, I’d sure like to know. That ring was worth five hundred dollars.”

“Is he a good-looking man, Miss Lossing?”

“Phil? Not in the movie-star sense. But he’s very manly-looking.”

“Have a temper?”

“Not particularly violent, no.”

“Is he the kind of person who’d be likely to carry a grudge?”

“I don’t think so. I don’t know him that well. We only dated for about four months, once a week. The only reason we exchanged rings is because we were drunk.”

“Did you go out to his home often?”

“I was there once. It’s a real suburban nothing. I ran for the hills.”

“Did he ever come here?”

“Of course.”

“Often?”

“To pick me up. Once a week. And to drop me off.” Alice Lossing studied Hawes for a moment. “What are you asking?”

“Only what I asked.”

“Are you trying to find out whether Phil and I-”

“No.”

“We didn’t.”

“Okay, but I didn’t ask.”

“You seemed like you wanted to.”

“Ask?”

“Yes.”

“About Phil? Or for myself?”

“One or the other,” Alice said.

“I’m not an asker,” Hawes said.

“No?”

“No. I have to report back to the squad when I leave here. I can do that by phone. Do you dance?”

“I dance.”

“Let’s.”

“Are you asking?”

Hawes smiled. Alice Lossing did not smile back.

“I’m a lady,” she said. “I like to be asked.”

“I’m asking. Would you like to go dancing with me?”

“You’re attractive,” she said. “I’d love to.”

“I keep wondering what a pretty girl like you is doing home all alone on a Friday night,” Hawes said.

“I was waiting for you,” Alice answered.

“Sure.”

“If you want to know the truth, I was stood up.”

“Okay.”

“You can call the squad from here, if you like. I’ll get changed.”

“Fine.”

“Are you off-duty once you make that call?”

“Technically, I’m never off-duty. But actually, yes, I am.”

“Then mix yourself a drink when you’re finished.”

“All right.”

Hawes made his call and mixed himself a drink. They left the apartment at nine-thirty. Alice thought Hawes was very attractive. She kept telling him so all night long. He thought she was very attractive, too. In fact, he fell in love with her while they were dancing.

They went for coffee afterward, and then he took Alice back to her apartment. It was still early, and so they sat and listened to records for a while. Her lips were very red and very inviting, and so he kissed her. It was too bright in the room, and so they turned off the lights.

And so…