The D.A. Breaks an Egg

22

Lefty, the butler with the cauliflower ear, answered the door.

“Mr. Carr home?” Selby asked.

“No, sir, Mr. Carr is not at home.”

“Mrs. Carr home?”

“No, sir, she’s not at home.”

Selby said, “This happens to be a matter of considerable importance. It’s very much to Mr. Carr’s interests that he knows I’m here.”

“He’s not at home.”

“All right,” Brandon said, pushing forward. “You see this? I suppose you know what this is?”

“What is it?”

“It’s a search warrant,” Selby said. “We’re searching this house for stolen property.”

“You and who else?”

“I’m making the search,” Brandon said truculently.

“You’re not coming in here, warrant or no warrant.”

“This is a warrant,” Brandon said. “I’m the sheriff. I’m serving it and I’m coming in. I don’t know what your record is, but if you want to add resisting an officer to it that’s fine. And if you want to back up your play I’m going to start putting chips on the table. Now then, stand to one side. I’m coming in.”

The man blocked the door with his big body.

Brandon suddenly shoved his shoulder against the man’s chest, pushed him back off balance.

Lefty, weaving from the hips after the manner of a professional pugilist, started for Brandon.

Brandon stood stock-still, but his browned right hand dropped to the weapon at his belt. He said, ominously and steely-eyed, “You’re resisting an officer in the performance of his duties.”

Lefty hesitated. The cold glitter of Brandon’s eyes held him.

Brandon said, “I wouldn’t use fists if I were you, Lefty. Either stand to one side or else start reaching for a gun if you’ve got one. This is a showdown. I’m playing with blue chips.”

“I haven’t got a gun,” Lefty said hastily.

“I have,” Brandon told him.

The butler seemed unable to remove his eyes from Brandon.

Suddenly there were steps in the corridor and Carr’s voice said, “Dear me, what’s all the commotion? Well, well! My good friends Selby and the sheriff! That’s quite all right, Lefty. Let them in. I’m sorry, gentlemen, but I had left word that I wasn’t to be disturbed under any circumstances. I was afraid that there might be an attempt on the part of the press to... But do come in.”

“We’re coming in,” Brandon said. “This time I’m coming in not as a guest, but as an officer of the law. I have a search warrant for this place.”

“A search warrant?” Carr exclaimed incredulously.

“A search warrant,” Brandon said.

“For heaven’s sake what...?”

“I’ll tell you in a very few words, Carr. I have a search warrant authorizing me to search these premises for certain stolen jewelry.”

“Stolen jewelry!” Carr exclaimed. “Stolen jewelry? Are you crazy? What would I want with stolen jewelry?”

“I have a search warrant. I’m going to search.”

“Good heavens, Selby,” Carr said, “you’re an attorney. You know that a warrant of that sort can’t be issued unless there’s an affidavit filed and a showing of probable cause.”

“I’ve made the affidavit,” Selby said.

“You have!”

“That’s right, and the jewelry we’re looking for is the antique jewelry with which, as it happens, you are so remarkably and fortuitously familiar. The jewelry which belonged to Moana Lennox.”

Carr for once in his life seemed completely nonplused.

“You say the word, boss,” Lefty said, “and...”

“Yes, yes,” Brandon interrupted eagerly. “Go ahead and say it. Just say it, Carr. Go ahead, say it!”

Carr hesitated a moment, and said suavely. “Do come in and be seated, gentlemen. Let’s talk this over.”

“There’s nothing to talk over,” Brandon said. “I’m going to start searching. I’m tired of talk — your talk particularly.”

“Now, wait a minute,” Carr said. “Let’s be reasonable about this.” He motioned Lefty to one side, led the way to the living room.

“To hell with being reasonable. I’m going to start a search,” Brandon said. “I have a force of deputies waiting at my office. I’m going to get on the telephone, call them up here and I’m going to search this house from garret to basement.”

Carr said angrily to Selby, “You usually are a lot more astute than this, Counselor. You’ve placed yourself in a legally vulnerable position.”

“You’re probably right,” Selby said. “I’m taking a gamble. You should be smart enough to realize that I now can’t afford to be talked out of that gamble. I’ve already put my chips down. I can’t pick them back up. Therefore, I have to see if I hold the winning hand. In other words, Carr, I’m going to search this house.”

Carr abruptly turned his back on them, walked over to the big fireplace in the living room, and stood, drumming his fingers nervously on the wooden mantel.

Selby waited a matter of some ten seconds, then said to Brandon, “All right, Rex, telephone your deputies. And, in the meantime, since we don’t want to have any misunderstanding about this, you gentlemen will remain right here where we can watch you.”

Brandon started toward the telephone.

Abruptly Carr turned and faced them. “Very well, gentlemen,” he said in simple dignity, “you win. Would you mind stepping this way?”

“You, too,” Brandon said, nodding to the valet. “I’m keeping you in sight.”

Lefty said, “I go where A. B. Carr tells me to and only when he tells me to.”

“Right at the moment,” Brandon said, “you’re going where I tell you to. You’ve already gone through the motions of resisting an officer and if you want handcuffs on I’m the man who can put them on.”

“It won’t be necessary, gentlemen,” Carr said wearily. “Come this way. You too, Lefty.”

They followed Carr into the corridor, up a flight of stairs, into an upstairs study. Carr unlocked a drawer in the desk, took out a small jewel casket and handed it to the sheriff. “Here are the jewels that you want, I believe, Sheriff.”

Brandon looked at the jewels and a sudden surge of triumph came over his face. “Now, my friend,” he said, “I’m arresting you for having stolen property in your possession.”

“The property,” Carr said wearily, “was not stolen. It was turned over to me by way of a fee. I’m afraid that Miss Lennox was hysterical and upset when she reported the burglary to the police. Actually it was not a burglary. The jewels were voluntarily placed in my custody by her some time before the supposed burglary. And I may say, gentlemen, that I consider this whole farcical affair a damnable outrage.

“You know as well as I do that I can’t afford to have this house searched. There are things in here that... well, I guess, under the circumstances, I’ll refrain from making any further comment. You have your jewels, and if you will tell Miss Lennox where you found them, she will advise you that she gave them to me of her own free will. They were not stolen.”

“Now that,” Brandon said, grinning, “is something you can tell to the judge, Mr. Carr. This property was reported stolen and...”

“Reported stolen,” Carr said sharply. “You can’t act merely on a report. If you take me into custody, Sheriff, you’re going to have to stake your reputation on the fact that the property was stolen. Actually it wasn’t, and if you will let me step to that phone I can convince you that it wasn’t in about five minutes.”

“How long has this property been in your possession?” Selby asked.

“A matter of some six weeks,” Carr said coldly, “and I think under the circumstances I shall refuse to answer any more questions about it. After all, there’s a matter of professional confidence involved. Miss Lennox gave me this property as security for a fee.”

“You were in my office this evening,” Brandon said, “for the purpose of identifying stolen property. You didn’t say anything about it at that time.”

“I don’t have to discuss my private affairs, and I am duty-bound to protect the interests of a client.”

“And,” Brandon went on, “you had the publisher of a paper with you.”

“A friend of mine.”

“A friend of long standing?” Selby asked.

“I’ve known Mr. Paden for some time.”

Selby said, “That’s the trouble with you, Carr. You came to this community quietly, almost humbly. Ostensibly you were looking only for an opportunity to relax and retire. We let you in. You were grateful. Now you’re beginning to take over. You have too many people who are beholden to you. Too many people in key places. And now your friends are moving in.”

“Am I responsible for my friends?” Carr asked. “Can’t a friend of mine come to this city if he wants to?”

“The trouble is, Carr, you have too many friends.”

“The trouble,” Carr said bitterly, “is that I have too many enemies.”

“Damned if you haven’t,” Brandon agreed gleefully. “And now, having caught you with stolen property in your possession, it’s going to take more than your word to convince me it wasn’t stolen. You’re under arrest, Carr. You’re coming with me. If you come quietly, and Moana Lennox wants to make a retraction of the theft charge, that’s all right with me. If you resist this arrest, I’ll throw the book at you.”

“I’ll have bail and be out of your damned jail within twenty minutes of the time you put me in,” Carr said angrily.

“I don’t think you can do it under half an hour,” Brandon told him. “It’s going to take a little while to book you and fingerprint you, you know. And since you’re on such friendly terms with the press, perhaps you’d like to call in your publisher friend to write up the story. He might like to make some reference to the fact that at last we’ve found the genuine stolen jewelry. Come on, Carr.”

Carr hesitated.

Brandon pulled handcuffs from his belt. “Are you coming the easy way, or the hard way?”

Carr looked at Brandon’s grim face and suddenly smiled. “Why certainly, Sheriff. I’ll come the easy way, of course. Naturally you have the power to do this, if you want to take the chances.”

“I’m taking the chances,” Brandon told him. “You’re going to jail. You may get yourself out in half an hour, but you’re sure as hell going to jail.”