The Honest Dealer

Chapter Eight

Chatsworth came up and took Mrs. Langford’s hand. For a moment Johnny thought he was going to kiss it, but he contented himself with pawing it in both of his own hands. “Do you mind, my dear?” he purred.

Young Halton growled deep in his throat.

“Not at all, Mr. Chatsworth,” Mrs. Langford was saying, “I’m delighted... you know Mr. Halton?”

“Of course,” said Chatsworth, nodding curtly.

“...And Mr. Fletcher and Mr. Cragg...”

Chatsworth gave his hand to Johnny, started to give it to Sam, then switched to a bare nod. “How are you, gentlemen?”

“Pull up a chair,” said Sam Cragg.

“May I?” Chatsworth addressed Mrs. Langford.

She gave assent, but there was no chair. The waiter who had brought the champagne was equal to the occasion, however. He went back to Mr. Chatsworth’s former table and brought up his recently vacated chair.

Johnny looked at Halton across the table. “Competition?”

Halton scowled.

Sam Cragg suddenly took it upon himself to roll the conversational ball. He grinned pleasantly at Mr. Chatsworth.

“What’s your racket, buddy?”

A startled expression came into Mr. Chatsworth’s eyes. “I beg your pardon?”

“Your racket — whaddya do for a living?”

“Why, uh, I... I’m in the insurance business,” floundered Mr. Chatsworth.

“You sell life insurance?”

Halton guffawed and Sam glared at him. “I say something funny?”

“Mr. Chatsworth,” said Jane Langford patiently, “is the head of the Midwest Insurance Company, one of the largest...”

“Oh, yeah,” said Sam, not at all disconcerted. “I had a policy in that outfit myself once.” He hitched his chair closer to that of Mr. Chatsworth. “I’m glad to meet you. I’ve got a bone to pick with your company. I paid in twelve bucks in premiums and then when I couldn’t pay once they closed me out. I ask you, Chatsworth, is that a way to treat a customer?”

Mr. Chatsworth got very red in the face. “I’m sure I don’t know the circumstances, Mr. Slagg...”

“Cragg!”

“...Mr. Cragg.”

“Yeah, well, circumstances or not, I shelled out twelve bucks and never got nothing for it. It’s things like that that make people turn against the insurance companies...”

“If you will write me a letter,” Mr. Chatsworth said stiffly, “I shall see that you are reimbursed in full... the entire twelve dollars...”

“And what about the interest?”

“Mr. Cragg,” interposed Mrs. Langford, “you’re quite droll, but you shouldn’t carry a joke too far...”

“Who’s joking?” cried Sam. “I’ve got a beef...”

“But this is hardly the time...”

Then Halton added his voice. “If a man’s in the insurance game, any time is the right time. Insurance agents bother you night and day — anywhere, any place. So why shouldn’t an insurance man be asked to make adjustments at any time...?”

“See here,” exclaimed Chatsworth. “I like a joke as well as the next man, but I fail to see the point of this, ah, rib... as you might say...”

Nick the bellboy came up, and bending over, whispered in Johnny’s ear. “Mr. Fletcher, could I see you a moment?”

“What’s up?”

Nick’s eyebrows went up. Johnny rose to his feet. “Excuse me a moment...”

He followed Nick toward the door. When he saw that Nick intended to go still further, Johnny reached forward and caught Nick’s arm. “Oh, come now, Nick, it can’t be that secret...”

“It is, Mr. Fletcher. Believe me, it is.”

Johnny followed Nick through the hotel lobby into the casino. Near the dollar slot machines, Nick stopped. “Go to your cabana, Mr. Fletcher, but don’t go inside. Not until I get there.”

“Look, son,” said Johnny. “I haven’t had any dinner yet...”

“You won’t feel like eating when you see what’s in your room...”

Johnny exclaimed in annoyance. “You talk like there was a stiff in my room...”

“There is...”

“What!”

“That’s why I don’t think we should be seen leaving together, Mr. Fletcher. You go through here and I’ll go out the front and around...”

Johnny looked sharply at the bellboy, then without a word, started through the crowded casino.

He left the casino by the rear door, cut across the driveway and bore down on the cabana which contained Room 24. As he stepped onto the veranda, he heard the rapid clicking of heels behind him and turning, saw Nick the bellboy come up.

“All right,” Johnny said tersely, “now let’s see what this is all about...”

He tried his door, found it locked. Nick brushed past him. “I’ll open it.” He put a key into the lock, turned it, and opening the door, reached inside. He found the light switch and flicked it.

Johnny stepped into the room. Nick crowded in on his heels. At first Johnny saw nothing unusual in the room, then his eyes swept the floor and he saw — between the two beds — a pair of brown-trousered legs.

He stepped swiftly around the nearest bed and looked down at the dead face of... the man from Death Valley, the man who had died virtually in his arms.

For a moment he stared down while a thousand thoughts flitted through his brain. Then slowly he turned and looked at the shrewd face of Nick.

“He’s been plugged,” the bellboy said softly.

“Who is he?”

“Don’t you know?”

Johnny shook his head slowly. Nick stepped to his side, drew a shuddering breath, then shot a quick glance down at the dead man. “I’ve been trying to place him for the last ten minutes. I’m almost sure I’ve seen him before, but damned if I can remember...”

Johnny went to the door, shot the bolt, then stepped to both windows in the room and made sure the shades were drawn down clear to the sills. Then he turned back to the bellboy.

“All right, Nick, let’s have a little talk.”

Nick seated himself on the edge of the bed, then grimacing, got up and moved to a chair. “Sure, Mr. Fletcher, that’s why I called you over on the q.t. Like I said, I come in here and find this guy...”

“Wait a minute, Nick. You say you came in here... why?”

“Because I got called.” He looked at his watch. “It’s eight twenty-three. It was two minutes to eight when I came in...”

“In answer to what call?” Johnny persisted grimly.

“Search me. The bell captain gives me a bell and when I go up he says go to Room 24. I come over here and knock on the door and there’s no answer. I think it’s funny so I unlock the door and... biff!”

“Do all the bellboys carry passkeys to the rooms?”

A ghost of a grin appeared on Nick’s face. “All the smart ones.”

“All right, Nick, you’re smart. So see if you can give me a straight story. You say the bell captain sent you over here. Who’s he?”

“Bill Hayes, a no-good, two-timing, double-crossing bastard if there ever was one.”

“I take it you and this Bill Hayes aren’t exactly pals.”

Nick stuck out his tongue and brought air up from his lungs. The result was a moist, raucous sound... his opinion of Bill Hayes. “I wouldn’t put it past him that he knew about this before he sent me over.”

Johnny blinked. “What makes you think that?”

“I dunno, but maybe he figured he was doing me a dirty trick.”

Johnny frowned. “What’s the system up front? Does the bell captain get the calls from the hotel clerk and then relay them to the various bellboys?”

“Sometimes, if the guests call the clerk direct. Usually, though, they tell the operator, and the operator calls the bellstand.”

“And Hayes told you there was a call from Room 24?”

“Yeah.”

“Did he tell you what I... I mean the caller, wanted?”

“Uh-uh, he just said twenty-four wanted a boy. I came here and when there wasn’t any answer to my knock I figured...” He cleared his throat. “I mean, I was thinking with the luck you been having you might a been celebratin’ and passed out. So I opened the door and... biff!”

“Biff!” repeated Johnny. “Just like that. You didn’t go back and tell Hayes what you found?”

“Think I’m crazy? You treated me white, Mr. Fletcher, The first thing I thought I’d talk to you and see what was what... I looked for you in the casino; then I tried the dining room and there you was.” He stopped. “Don’t you think we’d better get going?”

“Where?”

“You’re not going to leave this here, are you?”

“I’m going to call the police — naturally...”

A shudder ran through Nick. “The cops are awful tough in this burg.”

“I can’t help that. There isn’t anything else I can do, is there?”

“The desert’s right outside your back window. We could dump him out there a ways.”

“If I’d really killed him, that’s what I might be tempted to do.”

“You mean — you didn’t?”

“Did you think I had?”

Nick shrugged. “To me, it wouldn’t make any difference.”

There was a step on the stone veranda outside, then knuckles rapped on the door. Nick’s knees buckled for a second and his face turned pale.

“Sufferin’ Susie...!”

Johnny went toward the door. “Yes?” he called.

“It’s me — Mulligan,” said a voice outside the door.

“Oh, no!” gasped Nick.

Johnny gave him a sardonic glance. “Tough?”

“The worst of them all. And I’m caught...”

Johnny turned the bolt and opened the door. Catch ’Em Alive started to come in. “I’ve been thinking over our little talk,” he began. Then he caught sight of the legs between the bed.

“Surprise,” said Johnny.

Catch ’Em Alive stepped past Johnny and walked to a position between the beds. He looked down at the dead man and shook his head slowly. “I’ll admit I am a little surprised, Fletcher...”

“So was I — two minutes ago, when I came in and found him like that.”

“You called the station?”

Johnny shook his head.

“Why not?”

“Didn’t have time.”

“Where’s the gun?”

Johnny cocked his head to one side. “Feel him, Mulligan.”

Mulligan dropped to one knee, touched a leg of the corpse, then gripped it hard. He got to his feet. “I don’t get it; it’s only an hour or so since I was here.”

“He’s been dead twenty-four hours. He died just about this time yesterday...”

Mulligan regarded Nick the bellboy for a moment. “What are you doing here, Nick...?”

“Why, I, uh, I came over with Mr. Fletcher...”

“Why?”

“I wanted him to run an errand for me,” said Johnny, coming to the bellboy’s defense.

“Doing what?”

“I wanted him to have some gas put in the car and I came over to give him the keys...”

“They’re in your car,” said Mulligan bluntly. “They’ve been in it all day. I looked when I was here before.”

“Oh, so that’s where they are.”

“You didn’t know?”

“No, I didn’t have them in my pocket and I figured I must have left them here, so I asked Nick to come over...”

“Thanks, Mr. Fletcher,” Nick said, “but it ain’t gonna be no use. He’ll find out from Bill Hayes.” As Mulligan nodded, “He’s just tryin’ to help me. I brought him over. The bell captain sent me here, said he had a call from twenty-four. There wasn’t any answer when I knocked, so I came in and—”

“The door was unlocked?”

Nick swallowed hard. “Y-yes... I mean, no, I opened it with my passkey and there he was. So then I went right away to look for Mr. Fletcher...”

“Are you working for him or the hotel?”

Nick’s hand dove into his pocket and he brought out a yellow check. “Does the hotel give me tips like this, Captain?”

Catch ’Em Alive grunted. “You’re spoiling the help Fletcher.” To Nick, he said, “Take a look at him.” He indicated the dead man.

Nick didn’t like it, but walked gingerly in between the beds. He stared down, then looked at the detective. “His face is familiar, but I can’t seem to remember...”

“Look again,” Mulligan urged.

Nick obeyed, but backed away, frowning. “I don’t place him.”

“Suppose his face was filled out and he weighed about forty pounds more.”

Nick’s head swiveled back to the floor. He exclaimed, “Harry Bloss!” The bewilderment on his face increased. “But how could he lose all that weight in a couple of weeks?”

“You tell him, Fletcher.”

“Me? I never saw him until yesterday.”

“Where was that?”

“Death Valley. I told you...”

Mulligan nodded quickly. “A man can lose fifty pounds in a single day in Death Valley. Dehydration. Didn’t you notice how loose his clothing is?”

“Yes, but he was in pretty bad shape when I first saw him. I took him for a kind of a desert rat... Who was he?”

“A dealer. He dealt blackjack here until about two weeks ago.”

“What was he going wandering around Death Valley?”

“I thought you might be able to tell me that, Fletcher.” Catch ’Em Alive paused, then added gently, “Also why you brought him here...”

“I brought a dead man from Death Valley to Las Vegas?”

“How else would he get here?”

Johnny pointed at Nick. “Nick, my boy, did you or did you not get my bag out of the car when I checked in here this morning?”

“Sure I did, Mr. Fletcher.”

“And where was the bag when you got it out of the car?”

“In the luggage compartment.”

Johnny smiled at Catch ’Em Alive Mulligan. “Nick, tell the gentleman what else where was in the luggage compartment.”

“Why, nothing.”

“No corpses?”

“Of course not.”

Mulligan shrugged. “As a matter of fact, I looked in there myself. But if this is the man you saw in Death Valley...”

“It is.”

“...How did he get here?”

“That’s your problem, Mulligan.”

Mulligan swore without heat. “Why couldn’t he stay in Death Valley? Then it would have been the headache of the California police...”

“Can’t you ship the body back?” Johnny asked. Then, as Mulligan regarded him sourly, “I was only trying to help.”

Mulligan went to the phone. “You can help by clearing out of here for about an hour.” He picked up the phone. “Get me police headquarters.”

Johnny hesitated. “Where do you want me to wait?”

“I’ll find out when I want you.”

“Yes, but I thought I might look around town...”

“Go ahead. No matter where you are, I can locate you inside of five minutes...”

Johnny went out, followed by Nick. “Did he mean that?” Johnny asked the bellboy.

“About finding you inside of five minutes? Yep. Every place in town has a policeman stationed there, you know. And out in the county, there’s a deputy. The place pays half his salary and the county the other half. Las Vegas is a mighty big city...” He looked sidewise at Johnny. “Did I do all right in there, Mr. Fletcher?”

Johnny grinned crookedly. “Fine, Nick. Now, I wonder if you can do something else for me...”

Nick rubbed his hands together joyfully. “Anything, Mr. Fletcher. Just name it.”

“Jane Langford’s husband; think you can locate him for me?”

“He ain’t registered here at the hotel, but he’s got to sleep somewhere — if he’s staying in Las Vegas overnight. I’ll know where in a half hour.” He took the yellow check Johnny handed him. “This is sure a big day for Nick Bleek.”

Johnny clapped him on the shoulder. “Ride with me, Nick. I’ve got a streak and if it lasts, maybe you can retire...”