1945 - Blonde's Requiem (6 page)

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Authors: James Hadley Chase

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He nodded.

They

re out on the verandah.


Thanks,

I said, and turned to Marian, who was watching me with a worried look in her eyes.

You go on up and get some sleep,

I said.

It

s been a swell evening.


Thanks a lot,

she said.

I enjoyed it too.

She hesitated, then turned to the stairs.

I called

Good night

after her and then turned back to the clerk.

Who are these fellows?

I asked, lighting a cigarette and giving him a hard look.


One of them is Mr. McArthur,

he returned indifferently.

I didn

t see the other one.

McArthur! That could only mean one thing. He had thought over what I had said, given his wife the slip and was ready to talk.

Okay,

I said,

I

ll see them,

and I walked out onto the verandah.

McArthur peered at me and got hastily to his feet.

Mr. Spewack?

he said cautiously.

Yes, I see it is. Mr. Spewack, I want to apologize


Forget it,

I said, hooking one of the rocking chairs towards me with my foot.

If you want my help you can have it.

The other figure stood up and came into the light. He was young, slight and a few inches shorter than me. His suit was well cut but worn carelessly. His necktie had worked round until it was nearly natter-his right ear.


This is Ted Esslinger,

McArthur said in a low voice.

I

ve talked things user with him and we

ve decided to see you.


You Max Esslinger

s son?

I said, looking at him with sudden interest.


I am,

he said, offering his hand.

I stared at him. He had a fine head. His black wavy hair was taken straight back and his face was pale, sensitive and pleasant.

I shook hands rather blankly and looked at McArthur for a lead.

But it was Ted Esslinger who took charge.

Mr. Spewack,

he said, keeping his voice down,

you can appreciate I

m in an embarrassing position. Is there any place we can go where we can talk without interruption?

I remembered the man in the room next to mine and shook my head.

Not in my room,

I said.

Suggest some place and I

ll come with you.

Ted looked at McArthur and then shrugged.

I

ve got my car,

he said.

We can talk as I drive.


That suits me,

I said, and followed him down the steps of the hotel.

We crossed the street to where a Pontiac convertible stood in the shadows.

Ted opened the door and slid under the steering wheel.

I glanced back over my shoulder at the hotel. The blinds of all the windows were drawn, except one on the third floor. I could see the outline of a man standing looking down into the street. He was framed in the window, and as I looked up at him he jerked back out of sight. I noticed three things. He was looking from a window that was next to mine. He wore a slouch hat and he had very wide shoulders.

I climbed into the Pontiac and slammed the door.

As we drove away from the hotel I felt suddenly spooked. But I kept it to myself.

Outside the city

s limits Ted Esslinger slowed down and pulled over to the shoulder of the road. He parked tinder trees and, relaxing down in his seat, said:

We

re all right here.

None of us had spoken during the drive out of town.

MacArthur, sitting in the rear seat, leaned forward and began to breathe heavily down the back of my neck. I could tell by his restless movements that he was worried and jumpy.

I lit a cigarette, flipped the match out of the open window and waited. There was a long pause and I shot a side-look at Esslinger. He was staring into the darkness of the trees. In the moonlight he looked young. He couldn

t have been more than twenty-three, and I could see he was also a little jumpy.


You

re our only hope,

he said suddenly in a low voice.

That

s why we

ve come to you.

I didn

t say anything.

He looked back over his shoulder at McArthur.

You

re not to tell anyone about this, Mac,

he went on.

Father would be furious if he knew that I…

McArthur wheezed excitedly.

You go ahead,

he broke in.

I

m not saying anything.

I let them frighten each other. I wasn

t going to make it easy for them. They had come to me and it was up to them to put their cards on the table.

Ted Esslinger turned his head so he could look at me.

I want you to know I

m not taking sides in this business,

he said, his hands fiddling with the steering wheel.

You may be working for Wolf against my father, but I can

t help that. I

m sure if anyone can find these girls you can, and that

s all I

m interested in.


What makes it so important to you?

I asked, looking at him inquiringly.


Luce was a pal of mine. I went to school with Vera. Joy and I kept a regular date each week. I knew them well and I liked them. They were good kids.

He drew a deep breath, then blurted out:

At the rate we

re going now, they never will be found.

I grunted.

So they were your pals?

I said, underlying

pals

.

His face tightened.

I know what you

re thinking,

he said, half in anger,

but there was nothing like that. They were decent girls. Just ordinary kids who liked a good time. I and the rest of the-boys in Cranville kicked around with them, but nothing else.

I looked back at McArthur. His skinny, yellow face showed his misery.

He

s right, mister,

he said.

There was nothing wrong with the girls.


Okay, okay,

I said, shrugging.

What makes you think they

ll never be found?

Esslinger

s knuckles showed white as his grip tightened on the steering wheel.

It

s a political set-up.

There was bitterness in his voice.

No one cares a damn what

s happened to them. The police aren

t doing anything. As long as no one finds these kids, Macey

s sitting pretty. The election is in the bag, anyway. Starkey

s planning to strong-arm the voters. His gang will control the polls. It

s easy enough. All they have to do——


I know,

I broke in;

don

t let

s waste time. I

m tired. What do you want me to do?


But I want you to understand the set-up,

he protested.

You see, if these girls aren

t found, it won

t make any difference to Starkey, but it will to Wolf and my father. They

ve guaranteed to find the girls. It

s in Macey

s interests now for them not to be found.


Can you believe people could be so wicked?

McArthur said, punching the back of my seat.


So the police aren

t working on the case?

I said, jerking my hat lower over my eyes.

How about the investigator your father

s hired?

Ted made an impatient movement with his hands.

Audrey? I can

t think what father

s doing. He

s crazy to expect Audrey Sheridan to do anything. She

s a good kid. I

ve known her all my life, but against Macey and Starkey she

s helpless. Besides, she

s never had any experience of this kind of thing.

I let smoke drift down my nostrils.

She

s a licensed operative, isn

t she?

I said.

Why did your father hire her if she

s that bad?

Ted lifted his square shoulders helplessly.

I don

t know,

he said.

I wish I did. He must know she won

t get anywhere.


It

s no good, Ted,

McArthur said.

We

ve got to tell him the truth.

He leaned forward so I could see his troubled face.

Everyone likes Audrey,

he went on to mc.

Ted

s father thinks by hiring her he

ll ride along on her popularity. He figures if she doesn

t find the girls they won

t blame him so much.


That sickens me,

Ted burst out.

Even my father isn

t worrying about the girls. All he thinks about is the election. Can

t you understand how I feel? It

s driving me crazy. My father won

t listen to me. When Mac told me he

d seen you, I knew you were our only hope. I don

t give a damn who becomes mayor, but these kids must be found!


If they

re anywhere around, I

ll find them,

I promised.

But I want help. There

s too much opposition in this town to please me. What do you think

s happened to them?

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