That was the way the incident ended. It was the way a dozen similar ones ended during the next few months. He gave in, and with each giving in her charm became thinner, the pretense of affection a leaner shadow. Why bother with charm, with pretending something she was incapable of feeling? It was easier and more to her taste simply to raise hell.
Still, Toddy couldn’t understand; he refused to understand. She’d married him. Why had she done that unless she loved him? He wouldn’t accept the contemptuous explanation she gave—that marriage, even to a chump like him, was better than working. She couldn’t mean that. How could she when he’d done nothing to hurt her and was willing to do anything he could to help her? The fact that she’d make such a statement was proof that she was seriously ill. And so Toddy took her to a couple of psychiatrists.
The first had offices in his own building on Wilshire Boulevard, and he charged fifty dollars for a thirty-minute consultation. He allowed Toddy to spend one hundred and fifty with him before curtly advising him to spend no more.
“Your wife is not an alcoholic, Mr. Kent,” he said. “In alcoholic circles she is what is known as, to speak plainly, a gutter drunk. A degenerate. She could stop drinking any time she chose to. She does not choose to. She is too selfish. In a way, you are fortunate; she might have had a penchant for murder. If she had, she would probably pursue it as relentlessly as this will to drink.”
The opinion of the second psychiatrist coincided pretty largely with that of the first, but he was longer in arriving at it. He spent much more time talking to Toddy than to Elaine, usually detaining him for an hour or so after each consultation. Toddy didn’t mind. The guy was obviously a square shooter and interesting to talk to.
“Toddy,” he said quietly one afternoon, the last afternoon they talked together, “why do you stick with her, anyway? I’ve told you she’s no good. I’m sure you must know it’s the truth. Why continue a relationship that can only end in one way?”
“I don’t know that she’s no good,” said Toddy. “I know that she needs help, that I’m the only person—”
“She doesn’t need help. She’s been helped too much. She got along most of her life without you, and she can get along very well without you for the rest of it. The Elaines of this world have a peculiar talent for survival.”
“Put it this way, then,” said Toddy. “I married her for better or for worse. I’m not going to pull out—and, no, I’m not going to let her—just because things don’t break quite the way I think they should.”
The psychiatrist nodded seriously. “Now we’re getting somewhere,” he said. “We’re approaching your real reason, at last. Let’s examine it and see how it stands up. Your parents were divorced and your mother remarried. From then on, until you ran away, you lived in hell. The experience gave you an undying hatred of divorce. You made up your mind that you’d never do what your parents had done. All right. I can understand that attitude. But,”—he pointed with his pipestem—“it’s ridiculous to maintain it in this present case. You’re married to a virtual maniac. You haven’t any children. Now stop living with the past, and use that intelligence I know you have.”
“I—” Toddy shook his head. “What did you mean, Doc, when you said the marriage, Elaine’s and mine, could only end in one way?”
“I don’t think I’ll tell you. I think it would make a greater impression if you told yourself.”
“How do I go about doing that?”
“Well, let’s start back with the time you ran away from home. Your reason for leaving, as I remember, was that one of the barn rafters had broken and struck your stepfather. You were afraid you might be held responsible for the accident, so you ran away.”
“Well?” said Toddy.
“It was an accident,” said the psychiatrist, “and yet you had a package of sandwiches, a lunch, all prepared. You were able to get away just in time to catch the evening freight out of town.…That, Toddy, is just about the most opportune accident I ever heard of.”
Toddy looked blank for a moment; then he grinned.
“And so on down the line,” the psychiatrist sighed. “You’re easy to get along with; you’ll suffer a great deal before you act. If you’d been treated fairly by your stepfather or the county attorney or that gambling house proprietor in Reno or the detective in Fort Worth or…But that isn’t important. It’s not what I’m talking about.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You must know, Toddy: the fact that you can’t admit the things you’ve done, even to yourself. At heart you’re what you’d call a Square John. You’re peaceful. You don’t ask much but to be left alone and leave others alone. That’s your basic pattern—and life hasn’t let you follow that pattern. You’ve been forced into one situation after another where your strong sense of justice has impelled you to acts which were hateful to you…
“Get away from Elaine, Toddy. Get away and stay away. Before you kill her.”
11
The chinless man chuckled softly and massaged his hands. “I present my proposition a little too fast, eh? It was not what you expected. I must apologize, incidentally, for the manner in which you were induced to return here. It seemed necessary. It was important that I talk to you, and I felt you might not respond to a simple request to call…”
He waited, beaming, apparently for Toddy to make some polite disclaimer. Toddy didn’t. For the moment, at least, he was incapable of saying or doing anything.
“As you can see,” Chinless continued, “I mean you no harm. Quite the contrary, in fact. Despite the perhaps regrettable preliminaries of our meeting, I mean to benefit you—and, of course, to benefit myself. I would like to have you believe that, Mr. Kent; that I hold nothing but the friendliest feelings toward you.”
He paused again, his beady black eyes fixed on Toddy’s.
“Well…” said Toddy; and his head moved in a vague half-nod.
“Good!” said the man promptly. “Now we will go into the matter in detail, take up details in their proper order. First of all, my name is Alvarado; I am known by that name. You, of course, are Todd or Toddy Kent…also known as T. Jameson Kent, Toddmore Kent, Kent Todd and various other aliases. As you can see, I took the liberty of looking into your record after your visit here this afternoon. It interested me very much. It is largely why I have prevailed upon you to make this second visit.”
“I—” Toddy swallowed. “I see.”
“As you have probably observed,” Alvarado went on, leaning forward earnestly, “extra-legal careers seldom attract the type of men which their successful pursuit demands. A willingness to flout often-foolish laws, yes—that characteristic is so common as to be unnoteworthy. But much more than that is required. Such men as yourself are indeed rare. I do not flatter you, Mr. Kent, when I say that some episodes in your past reflect positive genius.”
Toddy nodded again, his tense nerves relaxing a little.
“You find the dog disturbing, Mr. Kent? You need not. He is a working dog—quite harmless, actually, unless ordered to be otherwise.”
“I was just wondering,” said Toddy, “how you found out so much about me so fast.”
“Nothing could have been simpler. A description of you, and a generous retainer, naturally, to one of the better private detectives. A brief check at the city license bureau. Then a few cautious long-distance calls here and there…By the way, Mr. Kent”—Alvarado chuckled—“I should not show myself around Chicago, if I were you.”
“I don’t intend to,” said Toddy. “Now, about this proposition of yours—you’d better not tell me about it. I don’t think I can take it.”
“But…I do not understand.”
“The police are looking for me. Or they will be before long. My wife was murdered tonight—strangled in our room at the hotel.”
“Murdered?” Alvarado frowned. “Strangled in your hotel room? What time was this, Mr. Kent?”
“Early this evening. Between six-thirty and seven, approximatel
y.” Toddy forced a smile. “To tell the truth, I thought you did it.”
“I? Why did you think that?”
“Whoever killed her took the watch. Since it was your watch and you were the only one who knew I had it, I naturally thought you’d done it.”
Alvarado stared at him in dead silence, the frown on his fish-pale face deepening. Then, unaccountably, the beady eyes twinkled and he laughed with genuine amusement.
“The watch was taken, eh? That is very funny. Ha, ha. You are very amusing, Mr. Kent. Like me you have a sense of humor. I am glad to know it!”
“But—now, wait a minute!” Toddy protested. “I—”
“I understand. Ha, ha. I understand very well. Perhaps for the moment, however, we had better continue with our business.”
“But you—”
“As I was about to explain,” Alvarado said firmly, “my original motive in having you investigated was precautionary. I wished to discover whether you were of the type to take the watch—with all it would reveal to the knowing—to the police. Happily, I found you were not. You have every reason to avoid contact with the police. That is right, is it not?”
“Yes, but—” Toddy gave up. He couldn’t see why Alvarado thought the murder so funny. But since he did, that was that. For the moment, he wasn’t in a position to question the chinless man. Right now, he was on the receiving end of the questions.
“Yes,” he said, “that’s right. I can’t go to the police.”
“As I so ascertained,” Alvarado nodded. “And having done so, I invited you here. For some time, Mr. Kent, a change in the personnel of this organization—of one of the personnel—has been strongly indicated. In fact, I have recommended such a change. But since no substitute for the incumbent was available, the recommendation did not carry much weight. In you, I think, I have found that long-needed replacement.”
“You say you recommended the change?” Toddy asked.
“Yes. My superiors are not in this country, and it is necessary to consult them on such matters. Within reasonable bounds, however, they will act on my recommendations.”
“I don’t know,” said Toddy, casually. “I can’t see any big money in running gold across the border. Not for the individual runner.”
“That was not what I had in mind.”
“Well. You know I’m not a goldsmith.”
“I know.”
“I see,” said Toddy. “Who’s your present supplier?”
“Really, Mr. Kent.” Alvarado laughed. “But I do not condemn your curiosity. It would be a splendid thing to know, would it not?”
“That’s the spot you’re planning for me?”
Alvarado shrugged. “For large rewards, Mr. Kent, one must expect to take certain chances. Your history indicates a willingness to do so.”
“Up to a point,” Toddy qualified. “There’s one thing I don’t understand. How can you get enough scrap gold to keep this racket running?”
“Another secret. You will understand when it is necessary for you to.”
“I—” Toddy spread his hands helplessly. “I just don’t see much point in discussing it, Mr. Alvarado. It sounds like a good proposition—one I’d jump at, ordinarily—but I can’t take it now.”
“No?”
“No! My wife was murdered tonight. I’m the logical suspect. I can’t show myself anywhere. If I could, I’d be hunting down the murderer.”
Alvarado started to smile again. “Ah, yes. Your wife…the watch. Perhaps you had better give me the watch now, Mr. Kent.”
“Dammit!” Toddy snapped. “I just got through telling you that—”
“You want to keep it, of course,” Alvarado nodded, understandingly. “You would be unintelligent if you did not try to. I do not blame you in the least, but it is impossible.”
“But I haven’t—”
“It is a sort of pattern, a template, you see. Without it, our work here would be seriously delayed. So,”—Alvarado’s eyes glinted fire—“the watch, Mr. Kent.”
Toddy got to his feet, carefully holding his arms out from his sides. The dog rose also, turning an inquiring eye toward the chinless man.
“Go ahead and search me,” said Toddy hoarsely. “I can’t give you something I haven’t got.”
“Since you are willing to be searched, you obviously do not have it with you. You will please tell me immediately where it is.”
“I told you! I don’t know—it was stolen!” He moved back a step as Alvarado rose. “Good God, do you think I’d make up a yarn like that? I thought you’d killed her. That’s why I tried to get away from the girl. I—”
“What you thought, Mr. Kent, was that I was a fool. I am afraid you still think so.…Did you dispose of it to that loan shark you visited—that petty racketeer? Or to that watch shop where you sell your gold? Carefully, now! I can discover the truth of your answer quickly enough.”
“I’ve told you the truth,” said Toddy simply. “I can’t tell you anything more.”
Alvarado’s hand dipped into the inside pocket of his coat and emerged with a snub-nosed automatic. He held it pointing squarely at Toddy’s stomach.
“This is embarrassing,” he sighed, “as well as vastly annoying. Before telling me that your wife had been murdered, you should have made sure that I could not prove the contrary.”
“Prove?”
“Now you will accompany me to the hotel and extricate the watch from wherever you have hidden it.”
“The hell I will!” Toddy shook his head.
“Really, Mr. Kent,” Alvarado grimaced. “You must know you are being preposterous.”
“I know I’m not going to walk into a roomful of cops,” snapped Toddy. “Not if I had a dozen popguns like that pointing at me.”
The talking dog whined softly and looked up at them, then padded away unnoticed in the tension of the moment. Ever so little, the chinless man’s eyes wavered. He moved back a step or two until he was no longer standing on the rug. He stamped his foot on the floor.
A door opened and clicked shut. There was a gasp and then the girl swept into the room.
“Alvarado! You promised me that—”
“Silence!” The word cracked like a whip. “I have not broken that promise yet. I would much prefer not to. Tell me…Where did you pick up Mr. Kent’s trail tonight?”
“Why, I—I—” The girl looked at Toddy. “Didn’t he tell you?”
“Answer me! Quickly, truthfully, and in complete detail!”
“I picked him up—him and the other man I told you of—about three blocks from the hotel. They were going south on Spring Street. As I told you, I had to circle a number of blocks, driving up and down before—”
Alvarado’s hand jerked sidewise. The gun barrel whipped across the girl’s breasts and back again.
“You were listening at the door, eh? You would remove Mr. Kent from the difficult position in which his stupidity has placed him? I will give you one more chance. Why was it, when you were given Mr. Kent’s address, you were forced to pick him up several blocks away?”
“Because…he got away from me.”
“Yes?”
“I…it was as I told you. He was leaving the hotel when I first saw him; that was at about six o’clock. I followed him from there to the watch shop, then back again. In my haste to park, I passed through a red light. A police officer saw me. He insisted on giving me a lecture, then on trying to arrange a later meeting…”
A rosy flush spread under the cream-colored skin, and her eyes lowered for a moment. “I do not know exactly how long it was before I got away. Perhaps twenty minutes. Perhaps a total time of thirty minutes elapsed before I parked the car and got up to Mr. Kent’s room…”
“Go on. You knocked on the door. You tried it and found it unlocked. See? I save you the repetition of tire-some details.”
“I went in. Mr. Kent was not there…”
“But the room was in great disarray, eh? You were shocked by its condition.”
&n
bsp; The girl shook her head.
“No,” she said dully. “There was no disarray. The room was in quite good order.”
“Now wait a minute!” Toddy exclaimed. “I left that room just—”
“Quiet, Mr. Kent. You will have ample opportunity to talk in a moment. I shall even assist you.” Alvarado grinned at him fiercely, then nodded to the girl. “You say the room was in reasonably good order, Dolores? Surely, you are overlooking one very important item. Only a few minutes before—or so he tells me—the body of Mr. Kent’s wife was in that room. Brutally murdered. Strangled with her own stockings. Killed and robbed of the watch which Mr. Kent had hidden in a dresser drawer…You recollect it now, eh? You remember this shocking sight now that I have refreshed your memory? The body of Mr. Kent’s wife was in the room, yes? Answer me!”
Poised at the front door, the Doberman turned his great head and stared at them thoughtfully. Then he bellied down at the threshold, moved his muzzle back and forth across the lintel. A quiet, waiting purr ebbed up from deep in his throat.
“Well? We are waiting, Dolores.”
The girl hesitated a moment longer, her lip caught between her small white teeth.
Then she looked up. She spoke staring straight into Toddy’s eyes.
“No,” she said. “There was no body.”
12
Airedale Aahrens (Need Bail?—Call Airedale) let the telephone jangle for a full minute while he lay cursing bitterly. Then he kicked back the bedcovers, snapped on the reading lamp, and literally hurled himself across the room.
“George!” he howled into the wall telephone. “How many times do I gotta tell you I…Oh,” he said, after a minute. “Well, okay, George. Send him up.”
Unlatching the door, he slid his feet into house slippers and shuffled out to the kitchenette. He poured himself a glass of milk from the refrigerator and carried it back into the other room.
The door opened, and City Councilman Julius Klobb came in.
“Look,” he said. “This Elaine Ives—Kent. You’ve got to have her in court in the morning.”