Part 3 (1/2)

WE GOT THE job done in a small town in Alabama, the name doesnat matter. It wasnat the fanciest wedding Iad ever had. I went the cutaway-and-white-satin route once. To be strictly accurate, it was right after the war and I was in uniform-the first time Iad worn my soldier suit in almost four years. What Iad really been doing overseas in various other costumes was an official secret, not to be revealed to anybody, not even my bride.

I was making like an army officer on terminal leave, therefore, but some of the other male partic.i.p.ants wore those streamlined tailcoats, and the bridesmaids were in tulle, if Iave got the name right, It was very formal and pretty, and everybody said the bride looked perfectly lovely, but it didnat take. She learned a little too much about me eventually, and didnat like what she learned; and now sheas married to a rancher in Nevada and the kids are growing up on horseback and calling him daddy. I guess heas better daddy material than 1 am, at that.

Olivia and I had lunch in the town afterward so anybody who wanted to check on the ceremony would have time to do so. The meal was a silent one. I suppose we both felt awkward about our new legal relations.h.i.+p. Finished, we got back into the car.

It was hers, a little foreign job with the engine behind. I guess shead felt Volkswagens were getting too commonplace with the intellectual crowd; shead got herself a French Renault, plain black with gray vinyl upholstery and all of thirty-two horsepower working through a three-speed s.h.i.+ft, which isnat enough gears to get real efficiency out of so small a mill. I got behind the wheel, started the machinery stirring in back and drove away, watching the mirror.

It was a waste of time. Nothing showed but the ordinary southern small-town traffic. Nothing followed us away from there except a Ford pickup with Alabama plates, which turned off onto a dirt road after a couple of miles.

aIt still looks like a water haul,a I reported at last.

aWhat?a aA country colloquialism, Mrs. Corcoran,a I said. aThatas what you say when youave come a long way for very little. Not that Iam running down the holy state of matrimony, you understand.a She smiled, and stopped smiling, and looked thoughtful. aCould Kroch just be giving us rope, so to speak, counting on picking us up in Pensacola?a aWhy should he think Iad take you home to Pensacola where your friends and colleagues are? As of this morning, he had no reason to believe my intentions were honorable. Having softened up the lady, wouldnat I be much more likely to take her to a lonely love nest by the seash.o.r.e?a I shook my head ruefully. aIf heas our man, he ought to be sticking with you. If he doesnat show, weave figured wrong somewhere.a aBut if he isnat our man, why was he hiding in my room?a Olivia protested. aIt doesnat make sense.

aIf he is our man, why was he hiding in your room?a I countered. aMr. Kroch seems to have a habit of not making much sense. I have a hunch, the kind you get in this business, that he was waiting there to kill me.a She looked startled. aThatas kind of farfetched, isnat it? Why would he want to kill you? And why would he think youad come here?a I said, aAfter the cozy way youad spent the night in my room, it wasnat too unlikely that Iad visit yours. If you came alone, you could be made to call me. I should have antic.i.p.ated something of the sort, but Iad seen no indications that the guy was around and Iam having kind of a hard time following his mental processes. But he was annoyed with Mooney for being there, wasnat he? Presumably head expected somebody else, me. As for his motive, heas already served notice that he doesnat like interference.a She said, aIt was my room, after all. The most likely possibility is that he was just waiting for me.a I said, aThe answer to that is that youare sitting beside me very much alive, thank G.o.d. If head wanted you, if the word had come through that it was time for him to act, head have got you. What was there to stop him, with your efficient bodyguard slurping coffee three stories below?a I made a wry face at the winds.h.i.+eld. aHe had you, but he didnat kill you. He just shot Mooney in the arm and took offa . Wait a minute! Weare overlooking something. Suppose he was waiting for just the man he got. Suppose he was waiting for Dr. Harold Mooney.a She was staring at me. aYou canat think thereas anything between Harold and Kroch!a aIam trying out the idea. It has possibilities.a aItas absolutely insane!a she protested. aI should think youad be satisfied about Harold after this morning. We agreed heas not the stuff one makes secret agents out of.a I said, aSure. He couldnat be trusted to do the work alone. Iall grant that. But that doesnat mean he isnat the stuff one makes secret agentsa accomplices out of. Suppose Kroch is our man after all, but suppose heas playing it real cagey. He hasnat shown previously, has he? Youad never seen his face before, to remember it?a aNo, but-a aItas a face you wouldnat forget if you saw it twice, even just pa.s.sing it on the street,a I said. aAnd donat think Kroch doesnat know it. Itas his handicap in this business, as my height is mine. Heall be forever figuring ways to get around it. Well, suppose heas using Mooney as his eyes, and keeping his ugly, conspicuous self under cover. Mooney isnat scheduled for any heavy work. Anybody can see he isnat up to it. He just keeps track of you, acting the romantic lover. Thatas why he followed you here in a panic, not because he was scared of a scandal, but because he couldnat afford to lose contact with you or Kroch would have his hide. His job is to keep you located in a general sort of way. When the time comes, Kroch moves in and makes the kill.a Olivia winced. I guess it wasnat a pleasant idea to have tossed at you casually.

Then she said impatiently, aThatas ridiculous! Harold has no interest whatever in politics. Why would he-a aDoes Harold lead such a blameless life that you canat imagine anybody blackmailing him, Doc? Is he such a strong character head tell a blackmailer to publish and be d.a.m.ned?a She was silent for a moment, then she said quickly: aBut Kroch shot him! Doesnat that prove-a aIn the arm?a I said. aA neat, small-caliber flesh wound with a doctor available-two doctors if you count Mooney himself-if anything went wrong, like a severed artery? Itas been done before by people with complicated motives and mentalities. Why did Mooney come around this morning to apologize? Heas hardly the apologetic type. If you hadnat invited him to your room, maybe head have invited himself on some pretext.a aTo get shot? Harold would never agree to that. You saw the way he reacted.a aHe didnat have to know what was going to happen. He could just have had orders to make an appearance there with you at a certain time. Krochas acting surprised and annoyed by his presence could have been just a cover up. And after the shooting, Mooney didnat dare squawk.a I drew a long breath. aLook, Kroch knows I have him spotted. He can guess Iam also suspicious of Harold, the way heas been hanging around you. This could be Krochas way of whitewas.h.i.+ng Harold and taking all the suspicion on himself. That would leave the handsome doctor, pale and romantic-looking, with his arm in a sling, free to keep up the surveillance unsuspected. Meanwhile Kroch crawls back into his hole, wherever it is, gets regular reports on you from Mooney, cleans his little popgun, and waits for Der Tag.a Olivia shook her head. aI donat believe it!a There was a little pause. She gave a short laugh. aI guess I just donat want to believe it, Paul. It was bad enough thinking Harold at least found me a well, attractive enough at the start. If he did the whole thing under orders, that doesnat leave me any pride at all.a I said, aIt could be that Kroch found the situation between you and Mooney already established when he came on the job, and simply looked around for a way to take advantage of it.a aItas a nice thought,a she said wryly. aIt makes everything much better. Now all I have to face is the fact that Harold is willing to help another man murder me to save his own skina .a The little car buzzed on down the black highway between the trees of one of those dry-looking southern pine forests. When you come from the West, as I do, youare apt to think everything east of the Mississippi is built up solidly like suburban New York, but it isnat true. There are still some good big forests there, and some bleak lonely island beaches that havenat yet been turned into replicas of Coney Island.

I had one of those offsh.o.r.e strips of white sand near Pensacola in mind as I drove. Iad seen it from the air, returning from the carrier with Lt. (jg) Braithwaite, and Iad talked it over with Olivia, whoad been out there in the summer. Shead agreed that at this time of year, too cold for swimming or picnicking, you could commit murder at leisure there, or any other crime you happened to have in mind. The difficulty would come in getting our subject out there, particularly if he was using another man as a front.

I noticed that Olivia was twisting her new wedding ring on her finger. aItas a funny feeling,a she said.

aWhat is?a aBeing married. Like this. In cold blood, so to speak. Paul?a aYes?a She didnat look at me. aPlease remember that in spite of last night itas purely a business proposition.a I said, rather stiffly, aIf you mean Iam not to presume on the wedding license-a aNo, thatas not what I mean,a she said quickly. aBut itas not as if we were in love with each other or trusted each other, really. Itas not as if we really knew each other and expected to spend a lifetime together.a aWhat are you trying to say, Doc?a She didnat look up. aJust that Iam not really a very nice person. I used to think I was. Nicey-nice. Prissy, even. A very high-minded and moral citizen. But Iam just not, thatas all. The last few days-the last few weeks-have shown me things about myself that are rather frightening. But youare not marrying me for my character or personality, or my looks or money or background, or anything like that, are you? You picked me out for this job, or your chief did. It wasnat my idea. Please remember that. So if you should learn something about me one day, something not very pleasant, youall have no right to complain that I tricked or deceived you. Will you?a I said, aIs this another of those little personal matters you donat care to discuss, Doc? The last one got me a sock on the jaw, as I recall. l hope you donat have any more pugilistic boy friends hanging around.a aNo,a she said. aNo, itas nothing like that. Itas just. No, I canat say any more. Itas not my secret.a I looked at her for a moment longer, looked ahead, and straightened the little car out at the edge of the pavement. For some reason I found myself remembering that Maria.s.sy was a Hungarian name, and that Emil Taussig had once pulled a big, murderous job in Budapest, or tried. It would be a h.e.l.l of a coincidence if there was any connection, and if there was one, I couldnat think what it would be, but it made me uneasy just the same.

aYou pick the d.a.m.ndest times to go into your mystery-woman act,a I said irritably. aThe secret life of Olivia Maria.s.sy. Nuts!a aI shouldnat have said anything. I was just trying to keep the record straight, for my conscienceas sake. Itas really completely irrelevant.a aSure,a I said. aSo was Mooney, you said. If itas not your secret, whose is it?a I looked at her again. She shook her head minutely; she wasnat telling. I said, aDoc, if youad heard that darling-never-trust-me line as often as I have-a aAnd always from a beautiful female agent, I suppose.a Oliviaas voice was dry. aAnd usually in bed, no doubt. It must be a fascinating life.a aYouall have an opportunity to judge it for yourself in just a moment,a I said. aIam going to give it a try while weare still on the road. If somebodyas tailing us, theyare very good, and theyare obviously not going to give us a look at them, driving. I think wead better disappear from the highway temporarily. Get the guy worrying about losing us, if there is a guy, and maybe heall show himself while we lie in the woods, watching. He may even come in after us, if we arrange it right.a She looked at me, and touched her tongue to her lips. aAnd if he does?a aIf he does,a I said, aweave got orders to take him.a aYou mean right now? Right here? I thought you said you were going to wait and lure him out to one of the beaches-a aWeall keep the beaches in reserve,a I said. aThis piney country looks pretty good. Iam pretty good in the woods, if I do say so myself.a Olivia s.h.i.+vered slightly. aAll right,a she breathed. aAll right. You donat mind if Iam a little frightened, do you? But it will be nice to have it over, if it works. if there is someone.a She hesitated. aYouall have to tell me what to do.a I told her.

XIV.

THE ROAD I PICKED to turn off on was just two ruts among the trees. It ran straight back into a patch of timber that promised adequate cover. I drove off the highway a reasonable distance but not so far that the Renault couldnat be spotted by someone with sharp eyes driving by.

Stopping, I took Olivia into my arms. It was supposed to look very pa.s.sionate from a distance-after all, wead just got married, and a little private clinch was in order-but the French, for all their s.e.xy reputation, must not go in for that stuff much or they wouldnat put the handbrake and gears.h.i.+ft lever where they do.

Still, it wasnat exactly a mechanical performance. I mean, we were both human and wead spent some time in the same bed the night before. She still knew where the noses went. I was aware of traffic on the highway, but I wonat claim I kept an accurate count of every car that went past. We were both a bit breathless when the time came to break.

aOne of these days,a I said, releasing her, aone of these days weall have to do that just for fun, Doc. Scene Two coming up. Do you have a blanket on board?a aBlanket?a She had her hands to her hair. She wasnat looking at me. There was color in her cheeks, and she looked just like a woman whoad been kissed and not at all like a scientific inst.i.tution. aNo, Iam afraid thereas no blanket. Why?a aDonat be innocent,a I said. aBecause of what would follow naturally between two newlyweds in a secluded spot like this, thatas why. Because of what obviously canat be done in a car this size by a man my size. Well, my topcoat will have to do. Leave your d.a.m.n hair alone and come on.a I grabbed the coat from the rear seat, got out, and joined her on the other side of the car, putting my arm around her to make it look good if somebody was watching. A vehicle went past on the highway doing at least eighty; that one wasnat looking out for anything but cops. I led her toward a patch of brush that offered privacy. Inside there was enough s.p.a.ce at the foot of a big pine to spread my coat. Olivia sat down and checked her stockings for snags, then looked up smiling.

aIam not supposed to be thinking of my appearance, am I?a Her voice was cool and steady now, and I found myself wondering if that was really what shead been thinking. It wasnat my idea, shead said. Youall have no right to complain that I tricked or deceived you. It was as clear a warning as I could expect.

It was a h.e.l.l of a case, I reflected. n.o.body was really acting right, not Kroch, not the woman who was supposed to be my partner in the a.s.signment, the woman who was now, according to law, my wife. Even Mooney, the lightweight, couldnat seem to stay in character either as a sincere lover or a panicky seducer or a cowardly accomplice. And in some respects I wasnat being very consistent myself, although I preferred not to examine that idea too closely.

I said, businesslike: aIf anybodyas shadowing us, heas had plenty of time to go past. Weall a.s.sume he spotted us smooching in the car.a aKroch knows what you are,a Olivia interrupted. aThe pa.s.sionate love scene isnat likely to have fooled him, is it? Any more than our hasty marriage?a I said, watching her, aLetas not go overboard on this Kroch theory, Doc. Heas our best bet, true, but heas acting very oddly. And if there should be somebody else, neither Kroch nor Mooney-a She frowned quickly. aWho?a aI donat know,a I said. aBut thereas something in this d.a.m.n case that Iam overlooking, and until I find it Iam not going to settle on Herr Kroch to the exclusion of everything else. And if itas Kroch following us, no harm is done. Heall naturally have some doubts about the sincerity of our display of pa.s.sion; heall wonder just who the h.e.l.l we think weare fooling. Heall be puzzled. So much the better. Heall have all the more reason to want to find out what weare really up to in here. Letas hope he parks up ahead and comes sneaking back for a look. If he does, your job is to make him think weare both right here in this thicket. I leave the details to your imagination.a I paused, and took my compact .38 Special out of my pocket. aOne more thing. Have you ever been checked out on one of these, Doc?a She shook her head. aNo. Do I have to-a aSomething could go wrong. I was told you were valuable government property out on loan to us, to be returned in good condition. If thereas trouble, I want you to have this.a aWhat about you?a ah.e.l.l, I canat use a gun on him. I have to take him alive. But heas tough and experienced and he could get away from me and come for you. Thatas what the gun is for. It sounds like the crack of doom and it kicks like Tennessee white lightning, so hold it with both hands and donat let the uproar scare you. It holds five shots. Point it where you want to shoot and pull the trigger five times and once more for luck. Donat sit around waiting to see what the first shot will do. Just keep shooting till it clicks empty. Okay?a She licked her lips, took the gun gingerly, and looked it over. aOkay, Paul. Whereas the safety?a I said, aYouave been reading too many books, Doc. This is a revolver. If it had a safety Iad have told you. All you have to do is pull the trigger. Donat talk, donat threaten, donat warn, donat hesitate, just shove the thing out ahead of you and open up. If he comes in here after you. Thatall mean I wasnat as good in the woods as I thought. You canat take him alone so donat try. But remember, we want him alive if it can possibly be arranged so donat shoot unless heas really coming for you.a I started to turn away and stopped. aJust one more thing. We also want me alive if it can be arranged. At least I do. Iall sing out before I get too close. The pa.s.sword is still aflattop.a Donat get nervous and blow my head off by mistake.a aI a Iall be careful.a Her voice was a little shaky.

aScared?a I asked.

She smiled faintly. aJust a little. Do you think heall really come?a aIf there is a shadow-Kroch or somebody else-and if he gets curious enough, heall come,a I said. aIf. Thatas one question. How far heall come is another. Weall give it a full hour. Go into your act if you hear somebody out here.a I looked at her sitting on my spread-out coat, looking lost and out of place in the woods in her smart jersey dress-her wedding dress, as things had turned out-and her nylons and high heels, with the murderous little revolver in her hands. I found myself remembering, for some reason, Harold Mooney, the man she claimed to love, screaming silently into the twisted towel as she went into his arm without anesthetic. Iam not a very nice person, shead said.

aWell, take it easy, Doc,a I said, and slipped away.

He took forty-seven minutes to make up his mind, counting from the moment I left her. Lying in damp pine needles with a downed tree for shelter, I saw him coming, moving silently through the woods at the edge of the highway. It was Kroch, all right. So much for my fancy theories.

Anyway, he thought he was moving silently, but he didnat really like it and wasnat very good at it. Basically, I could see, he was a city man, a street man, a dark-alley man. He liked traffic, he liked cars, he liked shadowy doorways and narrow stairs. He liked abusing little girls in attic studios.

He didnat like trees and brush and pine needles and the soft uneasy murmur of the wind and the nervous chattering of a squirrel somewhere in the distance. The cawing of a lone crow cruising by at treetop height made him freeze and wait until head identified the sound by spotting the flying bird. A crow, for G.o.das sake. Youad think anybodyad know a crow.

I lay behind my log and watched him and knew it wasnat going to work. He was acting too wary; he wasnat going to come in far enough to let me deal with him without risking interference from the highway. Head seen the empty car but he was too smart to go near it. He was Karl Kroch and head had traps set for him before. He knew I was somewhere around, waiting.

Head thrown me a challenge in New Orleans, to be sure; head sent me his name and a vainglorious message via Antoinette Vail. It was kid stuff, but it didnat mean he was going to give me any careless breaks in the showdown. He knew this wasnat the right place for him. Iad picked the terrain, therefore I must like it. He didnat. To h.e.l.l with Olivia Maria.s.sy and the shadowing job, for the time being. To h.e.l.l with me.

He turned and went back the way head come. Well, it had been a lot to hope for. Presently I heard a car start up in the distance and drive away. I was supposed to hear that. I didnat think head be going far.

I got up and brushed myself off and went back to the patch of bushes with the pine tree growing out of it. Olivia must have heard me coming because her voice reached me, low but audible: aDarling, please! How do you expect me to get my dress back on if youa . Ah, donat, that tickles!a She laughed softly.

aComing in,a I said. aFlattop, like in aircraft carrier.a She was silent. I went in through the brush and found her sitting on my coat as Iad left her, fully dressed of course, holding the gun with both hands. It was aimed right at my chest. I stood quite still until the muzzle dropped.

She laughed again, a little embarra.s.sed. aI thought it might bea . You told me to go into my act if I heard somebody.a aSure.a aDid youa what happened? Did you see anybody?a aYes, I saw him.a She looked up quickly. aWho?a aIt was Kroch after all,a I said. aMaybe weave proved something. But he didnat like the setup. He sensed something wrong and flared off like a duck.a aSo itas still left to be done.a She drew a long breath and rose and looked down at the gun in her hand. aYouad better carry this, hadnat you?a she said, giving it to me. She watched me start to put it away. aPaul?a aYes?a aIad like you to show me how to open it.a I hesitated. She was watching me with an odd kind of intentness. I said, aSure,a and brought the weapon out again. aYou just use your thumb on the latch like this and the cylinder swings outa like this.a There was a little silence. She looked down at the weapon, open in my hand. She said quietly, aIt isnat loaded, is it?a aNo,a I said. aIt isnat loaded, Doc.a I took the cartridges from my pocket and started feeding them into the empty chambers.

aYou werenat really trying to trap him, were you?a I said, aI wanted to see if he was there. If head come in close, Iad have taken him if I could. I didnat really expect him to come in. It was too obvious a trap to catch a pro.a aBut you were really testing me.a Her voice was quite even. aWerenat you?a I looked up from the gun. Her eyes met mine steadily. Even with the gla.s.ses on, they were pretty nice eyes. She was rather an attractive person, when she didnat have that grim, haggard, arrogant look, I reflected. Or maybe I was just getting used to her.

aYou raised some disturbing possibilities with that last mysterious speech you made,a I said. aI had to check them. Sooner or later I may have to turn my back on a loaded gun held by you, Doc, and I probably wonat have time to worry about you then.a I expected her to be angry, or at least moderately resentful. To my surprise, she laughed, took a step forward and rose on tiptoe to kiss me on the mouth.

aYou know, I could get quite fond of you, Corcoran or whatever your name is,a she said, smiling. aYou havenat an ounce of romance or chivalry in your makeup, and you donat know how refres.h.i.+ng that is to a lady whoas been a sucker for moonlight and roses. Come on, letas go home. Iam going to make you carry me over the threshold for the benefit of the neighbors.a She did, too. It was a small, standardized house with a picture window in a development with winding streets laid out with a French curve by an architect whoad read in a magazine that straight streets were pa.s.s. Nevertheless, for a development, it didnat look too bad; and the house didnat look too bad, either, although Iam not really a picture-window man at heart. When we got inside, the phone was ringing.

XV.

I SET HER DOWN inside the door and kicked it shut behind me. There wasnat anybody in here we needed to put on an act for, and the jangling telephone bell would have killed romance in any case, so I just stepped back and glanced at my watch. It read two oaclock. The little Renault was no sports machine and there had been some delays and detours so we hadnat made nearly the time covering the distance between New Orleans and Pensacola that young Braithwaite had managed in his racing Healey.

Olivia smoothed down her dress and went to the phone while I went back out for the suitcases. When I returned, she held the instrument out to me. I put my load down and took it.

aHowas the honeymoon coming?a It was the familiar voice of the New Orleans contact Iad never met.

aWell,a I said, athereas an old saw about three being a crowd, if you know what I mean.a.

aWhoas your shadow, the great stone face?a aThatas right.a aGood. That just about clinches it. His being in New Orleans could have been some kind of coincidence, I suppose, but his trailing the lady across four states didnat happen by accident. Heas our man, all right.a There was a pause. aIs he around right now?a aWell, heas not standing beside me,a I said, abut Iad guess heas not too far away.a aThatas nice,a the man in New Orleans said. aThatas nice because youare going to have to pick him up, it says here.a I didnat like the way he put it. I said carefully, aSure, I know. As a matter of fact, I gave it half a try this afternoon, but Krochas very cagey. Iam going to have to wait and set it up more carefully. Besides, the way the guy is acting bothers me. Half the time heas an experienced old pro and the other half heas a reckless, boastful punk. Iad like to find out whatas behind his corny melodrama before I take him.a aYou can ask him all the questions you want after you take him,a said the voice on the phone. aBut he followed Maria.s.sy and n.o.body else did. Or did they?a aThen heas the man you take, and you take him now. The Taussig matter is becoming urgent. Immediate action is requested, not to say commanded. Got it?a I drew a long breath. aSure. I got it.a aYou take him. Thatas the word. Iave got more good news for you. That little artist girl, the one with the attic studio and the black eye, came to the Montclair Hotel about half an hour after you left. She was looking for you.a aAntoinette Vail? What did she want?a aShe had a letter for you. When she was told at the desk that youad checked out, she wanted to have it sent after you, but youad left no forwarding address and we hadnat antic.i.p.ated this possibility and tipped off the desk clerk, so he wouldnat take it. So we still donat know what the communication was, but by the looks of things youall soon have an opportunity to find out.a aI will?a I said. aHow?a aWhile she was trying to learn how to reach you, who should appear but a certain Dr. Mooney, looking pale and favoring his left arm. Whoas responsible? Your report is eagerly awaited. Anyway, he heard her asking questions about you. He had an idea. He approached her. She started to brush him off, but something he said caught her interest and they went up to his room to talk. A little later, very friendly, they drove off together in his car-a light blue Chrysler convertible, if it matters. She was driving, presumably because of his arm. Time of departure, ten-fifteen. Course, due east, Pensacola-wards. Speed, excessive. So you can expect company soon, you lucky boy.a aI see.a I frowned. aAnd you have no idea what it is the girl wants to tell me.a aNot any.a ad.a.m.n,a I said. aCan you have her picked up?a aFor what reason? On what charge?a ah.e.l.l, have the cops pick them both up on the Mann Act or something. Theyall be crossing plenty of state lines between there and here.a aAnd this will accomplish what?a aIt will get the fool kid off the street before she gets herself clobbered again,a I said.