Stardust (50 page)

“What do you mean by that?”

“They were sent to him but we don’t know that he picked them up, do we?”

“We can assume.”

“But we can’t prove it. The guy who went over the balcony—my burglar. Ray. Police find a mail key on him?”

Henderson said nothing.

“You must have asked. Given your interest. Or didn’t anybody think of it?”

“We asked.”

“And? Great partnership,” he said when Henderson didn’t answer. “Look, I can find out anyway. But I thought there was some urgency here.” He stared at Henderson. “It’s important.”

Henderson nodded, then said, “Now tell me why.”

“Because he didn’t take mine. So he already had one. Danny’s. Which he either took from him, or which Danny never had. It’s possible
somebody else picked up the mail.” He looked at Liesl. “It’s also possible Danny did. Either way.”

“And either way he’s part of it,” Henderson said. “He had to know.”

“About the mail, yes. Not necessarily what was in it.”

“Small difference.”

“Not to us,” Ben said, including Liesl. “Anyway, Ray had a key. Which means whoever hired him gave it to him. Which also means he doesn’t have it anymore. And that’s where we come in,” he said to Henderson.

“Back up,” Henderson said.

“Guy goes to the Cherokee, checks the mail but nothing’s there because I’d already picked it up. So he checks the apartment, still nothing, and after he knocks me out, he goes through my pockets and still nothing. Then he goes over. And now the police have the key. But not the letter, or all kinds of bells would be going off. So whoever hired him is stuck. No key, no letter. But he knows it was sent, so where is it?”

“You have it,” Henderson said quietly.

“Right. And the important thing is that he doesn’t know we’re having this little talk. He doesn’t know I gave it to you. Unless somebody leaks. We don’t know where he has friends.”

“Nobody’s going to leak.”

“Make sure, okay? Or he won’t move. He won’t take the bait.”

“The bait being you,” Henderson said.

Ben nodded.

“What are you talking about?” Liesl said. “Bait?”

“If the letter’s already here, I must have it. If it’s still on its way, then I’d get it. No other keys. Not to mention he won’t want to risk checking the boxes at the Cherokee. After what happened. Police might be taking an interest. So if he wants it, he has to get it from me. With any luck, before I start asking anybody about it. So he doesn’t want to see me with anybody.” He looked at Henderson. “No watchdogs. But Liesl’s a different story. That’s why I wanted you here, so you’ll know. I want you to put someone on the house,” he said to Henderson. “Not
sitting out front in a hat, either. A gardener, maybe, something like that. But who’s there all the time. And somebody right behind, when she goes out. So she’s always covered.”

“You’re taking the case over now?”

“You were going to put some guys on me, weren’t you? Just switch them to her. He’ll watch me. He has to think it’s all right, to make his move.”

“Try to kill you, you mean,” Liesl said.

“Which he might do,” Henderson said. “And then we’re nowhere and you’re dead.”

“That’s the chance you’ll have to take.”

“You’re the one taking the chances,” Liesl said. “You don’t have to do this.”

“He’ll come anyway. He’s already tried once. Besides we have some names to protect,” Ben said, leading him.

“Protect.”

“You moved in hours. If you had files on these guys, criminal files, you’d be rounding them up. So they’re in the other files.”

“Which other files.”

“Security clearance is my guess. Of course, I’m not cleared to know.”

“Does it make any difference?”

“I’m putting myself in a gun sight for you.”

Henderson looked at him. “I’ll see what I can do. I’d need approval.”

“Protect yourself,” Liesl said. “Don’t act like this. You should have someone.”

“You wouldn’t even know he was there,” Henderson said. “We can do that.”

“He’d know. And then he’d know you were after him. He’d duck. We have to do it this way. I’ve got a guy looking into who hired Ray. It’s a back way in, but maybe we’ll get lucky. Otherwise—”

“What guy?”

“A reporter. Knows a lot of rats. Sorry I can’t say who—you’re not cleared.”

“Very funny.”

“How about the Bureau issuing me a gun?”

“A gun?” Liesl said, alarmed.

One of the other agents knocked and opened the door. “Phone,” he said to Henderson.

“In a minute.”

“It’s long distance. Berkeley.”

Henderson frowned, annoyed. “I have to take this.” He hurried out of the room, closing the door behind him, leaving them alone, the air suddenly thick with quiet.

“This is what you think, he was a traitor? It’s
fantastische
.”

“I don’t know.”

“How can you say that? I know.”

“Because you’re still in love with him.”

She jerked up her head, meeting his eyes for a minute, then looked away. “You take everything too seriously. I didn’t mean—”

“I didn’t see it. Maybe I wasn’t looking.”

“What difference does it make?”

“His widow, that’s one thing. His wife—”

She smiled grimly to herself, still staring at her lap. “Not seemly.” She was still for a minute, then got up, pacing to the other side of the table. “So now you want to get yourself killed to prove this? First an informer, now, what? From bad to worse. That’s what you want?”

“To get killed? No. I want to talk to him.”

“Talk to him.”

“I want to know what happened. What Danny did. Not guess. Know.”

“Why?”

He looked at her. “So I can let him go.”

She stopped, folding her arms across her chest, swaying slightly, holding herself in. “And me,” she said.

Before he could answer, Henderson was back, the same brisk hurrying.

“Any luck?” Ben said.

“With what?”

“The San Francisco postmark. Wasn’t that the call? Berkeley?”

Henderson shook his head. “Something else. We have other cases, believe it or not. Now, we were—”

“You were going to get me a gun.”

“We’re not a store. You’d have to be deputized.”

“Fine. It’s a family tradition, working for the Bureau. Maybe this time it’ll be for something worthwhile, not just chasing Communists.”

Henderson turned to him. “You’re a little mixed up on this,” he said.

“How?”

“I told you. Those names are like an order of battle. The only people interested in that now
are
the Communists. That’s who your brother was working for.”

R
IORDAN SHORTSTOPPED
him in the hall. “You don’t want to go in there. Not even near. Not the way he is today. He’d do it with his bare hands.”

Riordan was carrying an envelope, in a rush, his eyes darting toward the parking lot.

“What’s the problem?”

“Are you kidding? Warning Kaltenbach? C’mon, before he sees you.”

“Then how about you going in there, quiet, and getting my copy of the list and I’ll be gone.”

“Forget it. Get it from the Bureau. Ever see him crossed?” He paused. “Why’d you do it, anyway? I mean, who was he to you?”

“Nobody. Just a friend of the family.”

They both turned as the door opened, Minot coming out so fast he almost bumped into them.

“You’ve got a hell of a nerve,” he said to Ben. “What are you doing
here? Dennis, I thought you had something to do.” He slammed the door behind him. “Let’s go. Or do you want me to have Frank throw you out?” He began hustling everybody down the hall.

“Congressman—”

“I don’t want to hear it. Just get out. You come here again, there’ll be orders to call the cops. You hear that, Frank?” he said to the guard at the door. “Take a good look at this one. You want to remember, if he shows up.”

“Yes, sir.”

They were outside now, Minot watching his car pull up.

“He was an old man,” Ben said to him. “There wasn’t much to squeeze.”

“That’s not for you to decide, is it?” he said, his voice fast, a whiplash. “Or maybe you think it is.” He looked at Ben. “It isn’t. He was my witness and he’s gone. Dennis.” He nodded toward another car pulling into the lot. “Let’s get the subpoenas served before Paul Revere here has any more ideas.”

“What subpoenas?”

“You think I’m going to let this happen again? Once is a lesson. Twice is stupid. I learned my lesson. Thanks to you.” He stopped, his face breaking into a jagged smile. “That’s right, isn’t it? They’ll all owe it to you. Maybe we should let them know. Make you a popular guy.” He switched tone. “I didn’t want it like this. I wanted more time, do it right. Now I don’t have a choice, I have to use a net. But there’s something to be said for surprise.” He smiled to himself again. “Catch the lawyers off guard.”

“Mine too? You going to put a lamp in my face?”

“I don’t want to see it again. Ever. I trusted you.” He shrugged. “Another lesson in life.”

“You’re a lot upset over very little.”

“That depends. Maybe you’re right, maybe I don’t need him at all. But I sure as hell don’t need you. So I’m throwing you back.” Another smile. “We’ll let the others take care of you.” He opened the car door and got in. “Dennis? Make sure he gets out of here.”

“What others?” Ben said after Minot had left.

“What?”

“Taking care of me. He meant something by it.”

“He gets mad, that’s all. He likes to get even. In other ways.”

“Such as?”

“Targeting Continental. They get to go first. Kind of a payback.”

“To me? That’s crazy.”

“You shouldn’t have crossed him.”

“When is this?”

“As soon as the subpoenas—” He stopped. “Get out of here, okay? You don’t have to warn anybody. They’ll know soon enough. Maybe nobody’ll connect the dots.”

“To me. The dots in his head.”

The other car had pulled up.

“Hey, Kelly,” Ben said. “Still picking up Polly’s laundry?”

Kelly took the envelope from Riordan, a little embarrassed.

“Anything yet on Ray?”

“I just put out a feeler yesterday.”

“And then you got busy,” Ben said, looking at the envelope. “Is Polly getting a lead this time or still playing shill?”

“What’s it to you?”

“I like to see you get ahead.”

Kelly looked at Riordan, a thanks for the envelope. “I’m doing all right.”

“I’ll walk you to your car,” Riordan said.

“I can find it,” Ben said. “You’re busy.”

They watched Kelly drive away.

“So who were they? In the letter,” Riordan said.

“I don’t know. They wouldn’t say.”

“They wanted to find you in a hurry.”

“You know what I think? They don’t know. They were looking to me to tell them.”

Riordan made a face, skeptical. “Communists?”

“Haven’t you got enough?” Ben said, cocking his head toward the office.

Riordan didn’t bother to answer. “Maybe we’ll run into each other some time. Lunch at the Market.”

Ben headed for his car, then turned, watching Riordan go in. So who were they? Friedman. Someone the San Francisco operator didn’t have. A few names lodged somewhere in the back of his mind, the rest in a drawer, unavailable. He looked at the building, the guarded back door. Minot’s office would face the side street. He followed it toward the front entrance on Wilshire, trying to guess which windows were Minot’s. There, both open now, but locked tonight. High enough to require a jump to catch the sill. And then what? He saw himself dangling in the street, pulling himself up, breaking the window, the sound of smashing glass—impossible, something even the Partners would find absurd. The way into any office was through the door.

He skirted the building, going in through the Wilshire entrance. Also locked at night, presumably part of Frank’s rounds. He walked down the long hall to Minot’s office, then stood near the door. Behind the translucent glass he could hear voices, Dennis and the secretaries. Did they all go out to lunch together? But then they’d lock it. He looked at the doorknob, the keyhole in the middle. Something Frank could open with a master key, but not Ben.

A man came out of the next office and crossed the hall to the restroom, looking at him. Ben took the knob, pretending to enter, until he heard the men’s room door close, then noticed Frank turning the corner down the hall. He jerked his hand away and went into the next office. Statewide Insurance. An outer room with three secretaries.

“Yes? Are you here to see Mr. Herbert?”

“No, I—I think I’ve made a mistake. Congressman Minot?”

“Next door, on your right.”

“Thanks,” he said, hesitating, listening for Frank, then saw that she was waiting and that he had to move. He opened the door, and looked
down, hiding his face. But Frank had passed. He hurried back to Wilshire, the files still behind him.

At the studio, people already knew Minot was going to make a move. The power of Hollywood gossip, Ben thought, impressed again, no warning flares needed.

“Bunny’s been with lawyers all day,” Hal said.

“But nothing’s happened.”

“It’s going to. Polly’s got a column tomorrow. She says it’s about time.”

“For what?”

“Housecleaning. Makes you think of a duster. Joan Leslie doing a little tidying up.”

Ben glanced at him, surprised at his tone. “But you’re all right. I mean—”

Hal nodded, smiling a little. “But you had to ask, didn’t you? Take a walk around the lot. You can feel it, people just waiting to see.”

Bunny came in without knocking.

“Oh good, both of you. How’s your head?” he said to Ben and then, at his expression, “You made the papers. Well, the burglar did. Some building.”

“Still a little sore.”

“Can you work? We need to get this wrapped up.”

“Sure. Why?”

“You think you’ve got a headache? Wait till the messengers get here with their little papers. Tomorrow? The next day? The suspense is killing us. Except it’s not going to. We stay on schedule.” He turned to Hal. “Two things. The overrun was
not
authorized. It’s an Army film, let Fort Roach do the processing.” He stopped, taking in Ben, too. “We bring it in on budget or we bail. I mean it. Second, I need to see you. In the office.” This to Hal, his voice lower.