rc.theladyinthelake-第30章
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〃Okay； Shorty。 Go and tell Reed。〃 The small cop licked his lip。 〃You say the word； lieutenant； and I'm with you。 I don't have to know you got suspended。〃
〃We'll take him down ourselves； just the two of us；〃 Degarmo said。
〃Yeah； sure。〃 Degarmo put his finger against my chin。 〃A sex…killer；〃 he said quietly。 〃Well； I'll be damned。〃 He smiled at me thinly； moving only the extreme corners of his wide brutal mouth。
34
We went out of the apartment and along the hail the other way from Apartment 618。 Light streamed from the still open door。 Two men in plain clothes now stood outside it smoking cigarettes inside their cupped hands； as if a wind was blowing。 There was a sound of wrangling voices from the apartment。
We went around the bend of the hail and came to the elevator。 Degarmo opened the fire door beyond the elevator shaft and we went down echoing concrete steps； floor after floor。 At the lobby floor Degarmo stopped and held his hand on the doorknob and listened。 He looked back over his shoulder。
〃You got a car？〃 he asked me。
〃In the basement garage。〃
〃That's an idea。〃 We went on down the steps and came out into the shadowy basement。 The lanky Negro came out of the little office and I gave him my car check。 He looked furtively at the police uniform on Shorty。 He said nothing。 He pointed to the Chrysler。
Degarmo climbed under the wheel of the Chrysler。 I got in beside him and Shorty got into the back seat。 We went up the ramp and out into the damp cool night air。 A big car with twin red spotlights was charging towards us from a couple of blocks away。
Degarmo spat out of the car window and yanked the Chrysler the other way。 〃That will be Webber；〃 he said。 〃Late for the funeral again。 We sure skinned his nose on that one； Shorty。〃
〃I don't like it too well； lieutenant。 I don't； honest。〃
〃Keep the chin up； kid。 You might get back on homicide。〃
〃I'd rather wear buttons and eat；〃 Shorty said。 The courage was oozing out of him fast。
Degarmo drove the car hard for ten blocks and then slowed a little。 Shorty said uneasily： 〃I guess you know what you're doing； lieutenant； but this ain't the way to the Hall。〃
〃That's right；〃 Degarmo said。 〃It never was； was it？〃 He let the car slow down to a crawl and then turned into a residential street of small exact houses squatting behind small exact lawns。 He braked the car gently and coasted over to the curb and stopped about the middle of the block。 He threw an arm over the back of the seat and turned his head to look back at Shorty。
〃You think this guy killed her； Shorty？〃
〃I'm listening；〃 Shorty said in a tight voice。
〃Got a flash？〃 I said： 〃There's one in the car pocket on the left side。〃 Shorty fumbled around and metal clicked and the white beam of the flashlight came on。 Degarmo said： 〃Take a look at the back of this guy's head。〃 The beam moved and settled。 I heard the small man's breathing behind me and I felt it on my neck。 Something felt for and touched the bump on my head。 I grunted。 The light went off and the darkness of the street rushed in again。
Shorty said： 〃I guess maybe he was sapped； lieutenant。 I don't get it。〃
〃So was the girl；〃 Degarmo said。 〃It didn't show much but it's there。 She was sapped so she could have her clothes pulled off and be clawed up before she was killed。 So the scratches would bleed。 Then she was throttled。 And none of this made any noise。 Why would it？ And there's no telephone in that apartment。 Who reported it； Shorty？〃
〃How the hell would I know？ A guy called up and said a woman had been murdered in 618 Granada Apartments on Eighth。 Reed was still looking for a cameraman when you came in。 The desk said a guy with a thick voice； likely disguised。 Didn't give any name at all。〃
〃All right then；〃 Degarmo said。 〃If you had murdered the girl； how would you get out of there？〃
〃I'd walk out；〃 Shorty said。 〃Why not？ Hey；〃 he barked at me suddenly； 〃why didn't you？〃 I didn't answer him。 Degarmo said tonelessly： 〃You wouldn't climb out of a bathroom window six floors up and then burst in another bathroom window into a strange apartment where people would likely be sleeping； would you？ You wouldn't pretend to be the guy that lived there and you wouldn't throw away a lot of your time by calling the police； would you？ Hell； that girl could have laid there for a week。 You wouldn't throw away the chance of a start like that； would you； Shorty？〃
〃I don't guess I would；〃 Shorty said cautiously。 〃I don't guess I would call up at alL But you know these sex fiends do funny things； lieutenant。 They ain't normal like us。 And this guy could have had help and the other guy could have knocked him out to put him in the middle。〃
〃Don't tell me you thought that last bit up all by yourself；〃 Degarmo grunted。 〃So here we sit； and the fellow that knows all the answers is sitting here with us and not saying a word。〃 He turned his big head and stared at me。 〃What were you doing there？〃
〃I can't remember；〃 I said。 〃The crack on the head seems to have blanked me out。〃
〃We'll help you to remember；〃 Degarmo said。 〃We'll take you up back in the bills a few miles where you can be quiet and look at the stars and remember。 You'll remember all right。〃 Shorty said： 〃That ain't no way to talk； lieutenant。 Why don't we just go back to the Hall and play this the way it says in the rule book？〃
〃To hell with the rule book；〃 Degarmo said。 〃I like this guy。 I want to have one long sweet talk with him。 He just needs a little coaxing； Shorty。 He's just bashful。〃
〃I don't want any part of it；〃 Shorty said。
〃What do you want to do； Shorty？〃
〃I want to go back to the Hall。〃
〃Nobody's stopping you； kid。 You want to walk？〃 Shorty was silent for a moment。 〃That's right；〃 he said at last； quietly。 〃I want to walk。〃 He opened the car door and stepped out on to the curbing。 〃And I guess you know I have to report all this； lieutenant。〃
〃Right；〃 Degarmo said。 〃Tell Webber I was asking for him。 Next time he buys a hamburger； tell him to turn down an empty plate for me。〃
〃That don't make any sense to me；〃 the small cop said。 He slammed the car door shut。 Degarmo let the clutch in and gunned the motor and hit forty in the first block and a half。 In the third block he hit fifty。 He slowed down at the boulevard and turned east and began to cruise along at a legal speed。 A few late cars drifted by both ways； but for the most part the world lay in the cold silence of early morning。
After a little while we passed the city limits and Degarmo spoke。 〃Let's hear you talk；〃 he said quietly。 〃Maybe we can work this out。〃 The car topped a long rise and dipped down to where the boulevard wound through the parklike grounds of the veterans' hospital。 The tall triple electroliers had halos from the beach fog that had drifted in during the night。 I began to talk。
〃Kingsley came over to my apartment tonight and said he had heard from his wife over the phone。 She wanted some money quick。 The idea was I was to take it to her and get her out of whatever trouble she was in。 My idea was a little different。 She was told how to identify me and I was to be at the Peacock Lounge at Eighth and Arguello at fifteen minutes past the hour。 Any hour。〃 Degarmo said slowly： 〃She had to breeze and that meant she had something to breeze from； such as murder。〃 He lifted his hands lightly and let them fall on the wheel again。
〃I went down there； hours after she had called。 I had been told her hair was dyed brown。 She passed me going out of the bar； but I didn't know her。 I had never seen her in the flesh。 All I had seen was what looked like a pretty good snapshot； but could be that and still not a very good likeness。 She sent a Mexican kid in to call me out。 She wanted the money and no conversation。 I wanted her story。 Finally she saw she would have to talk a little and told me she was at the Granada。 She made me wait ten minutes before I followed her over。〃 Degarmo said： 〃Time to fix up a plant。〃
〃There was a plant all right； but I'm not sure she was in on it。 She didn't want me to e up there； didn't want to talk。 Yetishe ought to have known I would insist on some explanation before I gave up the money； so her reluctance could have been just an act； to make me feel that I was controlling the situation。 She could act all right。 I found that out。 Anyhow I went and we talked。 Nothing she said made very much sense until we talked about Lavery getting shot。 Then she made too much sense too quick。 I told her I was going to turn her over to the police。〃 Westwood Village； dark except for one all night service station and a few distant windows in apartment houses； slid away to the north of us。
〃So she pulled a gun；〃 I said。 〃I think she meant to use it； but she got too close to me and I got a headlock on her。 While we were wrestling around； somebody came out from behind a green curtain and slugged me。 When I came out of that the murder was done。〃 Degarmo said slowly： 〃You get any kind of a look at who slugged you？〃
〃No。 I felt or half saw he was a man and a big one。 And this lying on the davenport； mixed in with clothes。〃 I reached Kingsley's yellow and green scarf out of my pocket and draped it over his knee。 〃I saw Kingsley wearing this earlier this evening；〃 I said。
Degarmo looked down at the scarf。 He lifted it under the dashlight。 〃You wouldn't forget that too quick；〃 he said。 〃It steps right up and smacks you in the eye。 Kingsley； huh？ Well； I'm damned。 What happened then？〃
〃Knocking on the door。 Me still woozy in the head； not too bright and a bit panicked。 I had been flooded with gin and my shoes and coat stripped off and maybe I looked and smelled a little like somebody who would yank a woman's clothes off and strangle her。 So I got out through the bathroom window； cleaned myself up as well as I could； and the rest you know。〃 Degarmo said： 〃Why didn't you lie dormy in the place you climbed into？〃
〃What was the use？ I guess even a Bay City cop would have found the way I had gone in a little while。 If I had any chance at all； it was to walk before that was discovered。 If nobody was there who knew me； I had a fair chance of getting out of the building。〃
〃I don't think so；〃 Degarmo said。 〃But I can see where you didn't lose much trying。 What's your idea of the motivation here？〃
〃Why did Kingsley kill her…if he did？ That's not hard。 She had been cheating on him； making him a lot of trouble； endangering his job and now she had killed a man。 Also； she had money and Kingsley wanted to marry another woman。 He might have been afraid that with money to spend she would beat the rap and be left laughing at him。 If she didn't beat the rap； and got sent up； her money would be just as thoroughly beyond his reach。 He'd have to divorce her to get rid of her。 There's plenty of motive for murder in all that。 Also he saw a chance to make me the goat。 It wouldn't stick； but it would make confusion and delay。 If murderers didn't think they could get away with their murders； very few would be mitted。〃 Degarmo said： 〃All the same it could be somebody else； somebody who isn't in the picture at all。 Even if he went down there to see her； it could still be somebody
