Part 20 (2/2)
Chapter28.
WHEN I TOLD Frederics what I wanted, he said, ”I'll come myself,” and hung up. Maybe I had underrated him.
Brewster's lip was swelling, one eye was closing, blood still snuffled out of his hose. While I was talking, he had slid to the floor and now sat with his back against the window wall, his feet straight out in front of him. Simms had gone the other way. He was sitting on the couch now. There was a large bruise on his temple. He seemed to be missing a tooth. I noticed that there was a cut on the knuckles of my left hand.
Brewster said, ”What are you going to do?” He had trouble speaking clearly.
I said, ”You are going to confess on camera to the murder of Candy Sloan.”
Brewster said, ”What if I don't?”
I said, ”I'll kill you.”
”There's cops out there.”
”Yeah, and how bad will they feel about you taking the jump when I tell them why?”
The phone rang. I picked it up and said, ”Yeah?” A voice said, ”This is Gene Hall. What kind of a deal can we make?”
I said, ”You know a homicide cop named Samuelson?”
Hall said, ”Sure.”
”Get him,” I said. ”Tell him I've got the people who killed Sam Felton, and Candy Sloan, and Franco Montenegro. Tell him he can have them, but I want a little time to do something I have to do.”
”Who you got in there? Secretary's so excited, I'm having trouble understanding her.”
”I got Peter Brewster, who's the head of this company, and Rollie Simms, who's the chief of security.”
”And what'd you say your name was?”
”Spenser.”
”Okay. You want to stay by this phone so we can keep in touch?”
”Call anytime,” I said and hung up.
Brewster and Simms sat as they had. I said to Brewster, ”In a few minutes a guy from KNBS will be here with a cameraman. He's going to come in and interview you. You are going to give him a statement that I am going to type out for you right now.”
I pulled an IBM Selectric typewriter over near me on its typing table, turned it on, and began to type with one finger while I held the gun toward Simms. Brewster had given up, but Simms was of sterner stuff.
The phone rang. I stopped typing and picked it up. ”Gene Hall again, Spenser. Guy from KNBS-TV out here says you wanted him to come in?”
”Yeah,” I said. ”Send him in.”
”Well, there's a problem. You got two hostages now, I'd rather not add to the total.”
”I don't blame you. I'll swap you one of mine. I'll send Simms out if you let the TV people in.”
”That's still three for one,” Hall said.
”Yeah. They tell you what we have in mind?”
”They told me what you told them.”
”You been in touch with Samuelson yet?” I asked.
”Yeah. He's on his way.”
”Okay. Why don't we sit tight until he gets here, then I'll talk with him.”
”Okay by me, Spenser,” Hall said. ”Anything we can get you in the meantime?”
”Why do I think you guys will be less pleasant once I turn over Brewster and Simms?”
”Hey, no problem. You've been straight with us. We'll be straight with you. All we want is everything to go smooth. You want any coffee or anything?”
”No, thank you, Eugene,” I said. I hung up and typed some more. In about three minutes the phone rang. I said, ”Yeah?”
A voice, not Eugene's, said, ”Spenser, what the f.u.c.k are you doing?”
”Samuelson?”
”Who'd you expect it to be, Barbara Walters?”
”One always has one's hopes,” I said.
”What's going on?”
”You find Candy Sloan and Franco?”
”Yeah.”
”Brewster and Simms shot them. Brewster's connected. Franco was trying to shake him down, and Candy was still trying to solve the thing. So Brewster put them both away at the same time.”
”And you got Brewster in there?”
”Yes, and Simms. Simms probably pulled the trigger. Brewster wouldn't have the b.a.l.l.s. But he called it.”
”And you want the TV guys in there?”
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