1945 - Blonde's Requiem (38 page)

She drew a sharp breath.
“
It
’
s worse than having a tooth out,
”
she said, with a bad attempt to smile.
“
And won
’
t I be glad when it is over!
”

We watched her go into the ladies
’
room and then we went downstairs to wait in the taxi.

Maddox Avenue was a dimly lit street with houses on one side and a large vacant lot on the other. Across the lot was the smelting works. The houses were widely spaced like the teeth in an old man
’
s mouth and were grimed with years of sooty smoke. It was too dark to see much of their sordid appearance.

We all stood beside Audrey
’
s taxi for the final talk before she went on to the house.

“
Beyfield and I
’
ll go first. We
’
ll keep out of sight in the garden,
”
I said.

“
Reg, you come on after the taxi
’
s arrived.
”

Audrey, leaning out of the taxi window, said a little anxiously:
“
And what do I do?
”

“
When you reach the house, ring the bell and wait. If Ted comes to the door, go with him. We
’
ll be right after you,
”
I said.
“
Have you a gun?
”

“
Yes . . . it
’
s in my bag.
”

“
Well, don
’
t keep it there. Have it in your hand, but keep it out of sight. If things get sticky and we don
’
t get there fast enough—shoot. Beyfield won
’
t mind.
”

All the time we were talking, the taxi-driver listened, openmouthed.
“
Sounds like you
’
re going to have a party,
”
he burst out.
“
Jeeze! This
’
ll be something to tell my old woman.
”

Beyfield curtly told him to pipe down.

“
All set?
”
I asked.

They nodded.

I squeezed Audrey
’
s hand.
“
Don
’
t be scared,
”
I said, and lowering my voice so only she could hear, I said:
“
I love you a lot.
”

Then I left her and Beyfield and I walked up Maddox Avenue, keeping in the shadows.

Number 49 was the last house in the street. It stood alone in a large garden and it looked dark and deserted. We approached it cautiously, and when we were a short way from it I spotted a light shining in the lobby.

“
See that,
”
I whispered to Beyfield.
“
He
’
s there, waiting for her.
”

“
Suppose we bust in and pinch him?
”
Beyfield asked.
“
I don
’
t like that young woman going in there alone.
”

“
Nor do I,
”
I said shortly.
“
But what else can we do? We must catch him red-handed.
”

We had stopped now and we were peering through the hedge that surrounded the garden. The rest of the house except for the lobby was in darkness.

“
We
’
ll try the back. Maybe we can get in that way,
”
I murmured.

“
My men should be around by now,
”
Beyfield whispered. He looked at his watch. The luminous dial showed eight-fifty.
“
Mind how you go or they
’
ll bend a club over your skull.
”

I stepped back.
“
Then you
’
d better go first,
”
I said.
“
Your head looks like it could stand it better than mine.
”

He grunted and moved forward. I followed him around the back of the house. We hadn
’
t gone far before a man rose out of the darkness. I caught a faint gleam of silver buttons and Beyfield called to him.

“
Anything happening, Sergeant?
”
he asked.

The police-sergeant shook his head.
“
We ain
’
t been here more than a couple of minutes,
”
he said.
“
There
’
s someone in the house, but we haven
’
t disturbed them.
”

“
How many men have you got?
”

“
Six. They
’
re spread around the garden. I
’
ve told
‘
em that anyone can enter the house, but no one must leave. That okay?
”

“
Sure.
”
Beyfield turned to me.
“
He
’
d better come with us, hadn
’
t he?
”‘

“
Okay, but no noise.
”

We crept across the uneven ground to the back of the house. A cement path led up to the back door and as we walked softly forward we heard the taxi coming up the street.

I was nervous and my hands were shaking. I suddenly wanted to stop Audrey from going any further with this. It was only with a tremendous effort that I fought down my panic.

Beyfield was trying the back door.

“
Locked,
”
he said, his lips against my ear.

I pushed him aside and examined the lock. It seemed a simple affair, and taking out my pocketknife I fiddled for a moment and then pushed open the door.

As I did so I heard the taxi stop outside the gate and a moment later a bell rang somewhere in the house.

I stepped into the kitchen and turned on my flashlight.

“
She
’
s at the door now,
”
I murmured to Beyfield.
“
Give me a couple of minutes and then come after me. Leave the sergeant to guard the back door.
”

He pressed my arm to show he understood and I went forward. I slid my hand inside my coat and eased the .38 police special from its holster.

The bell rang again, and as I opened the kitchen door, turning off my flashlight as I did so, I heard someone moving on the stairs.

I stood in the narrow, dark passage, my gun thrust forward, my heart hammering against my ribs, and waited. A shaded oil-lamp set high on the wall by the foot of the stairs shed a yellow light over the lobby.

A shadow appeared on the wall—a gaunt, crouching figure with long, thin hands and grotesque claw-like fingers. It moved swiftly and silently towards the front door. A moment later I saw it was Elmer Hench. He paused at the door, listened, and then jerked it open.

I heard Audrey catch her breath in a startled scream and then Hench
’
s bony fingers closed on her arm and pulled her inside. As she twisted away from him he closed the door and stood with his back against it.

“
Good evening, Miss Sheridan,
”
he said, smiling at her.

In the flickering oil-lamp his gaunt, white face looked terrifying. Audrey baled away from him. She was so close to me, I could hear her quick, uneven breathing.

“
Don
’
t be afraid, Miss Sheridan,
”
Hench said.
“
Ted
’
s waiting for you. He
’
s upstairs. All his friends are up there waiting for you. Go up and join them.
”

Audrey stood as if paralysed.

Hench frowned at her and then his face writhed into a terrifying grin.
“
What are you waiting for?
”
he said, his bony fingers reaching out towards her and then drawing back.
“
Go up to Ted. He
’
s been waiting a long time for you.
”
He gave a smothered snigger.
“
He wants you.
”

Very slowly, Audrey moved to the staircase. Not once did she take her eyes off Hench, who now stood motionless by the front door.

She put her foot on the first stair and then paused. I felt Beyfield breathing down my neck, but I didn
’
t look round. I was watching Audrey with intent concentration.

Then it happened. There was a faint swish. Audrey screamed. Her hands went to the rope that had encircled her throat. Then she was drawn slowly upwards. As her feet left the ground, Hench, making a soft, snarling noise like an animal, threw himself at her knees and hung.

Then a gun exploded by my ear end I was half blinded by the flash.

I blundered forward as Hench folded up silently on the floor. I caught Audrey round her waist, lifted her and took her weight off the rope. She was limp, and for a moment I had a horrible fear that we were too late.

Beyfield, who had fired at Hench, whipped the noose from her neck, and I heard her say:
“
It
’
s all right, Marc,
”
and then she began to sob. Reg and the police-sergeant came blundering up.

“
Take care of her,
”
I said to Reg, and putting her into his arms I ran after Beyfield.

He waited for me at the head of the stairs.

“
We
’
ve got him now,
”
he said, between his teeth.
“
He can
’
t get away. I
’
ve never seen anything to beat that.
”

“
You
’
ll see something better than that when I get my hands on the devil,
”
I said savagely.

We moved down the dark passage, our flashlights throwing two big spots ahead of us. There were doors along one side of the passage and I went into each room as we came to it, while Beyfield stood in the passage, his gun ready in case the killer dashed passed me.

We tackled room after room in that way. It was nervy work and slow. Each empty room brought us nearer to the killer, lurking in the darkness and listening to our steady approach.

Finally there was only one room left.

“
We
’
ve got him,
”
Beyfield said, pushing me aside.
“
Come on out!
”
he shouted savagely.
“
Do you hear? Come on out with your hands in the air!
”

There was a distinct movement inside the room.

“
Come on out!
”
Beyfield roared again.

The police-sergeant and two cops came up and stood watching at the end of the passage. Their powerful flashlights lit up the worm-eaten door.

Steps crossed the room. Slow, light, undecided steps.

We raised our guns.

The door moved inwards and then was suddenly flung wide. Mrs. Esslinger stood looking at us, her lips in a hard line and her eyes like stones.

She wore the same black ill-fitting dress and on her head was a flat black hat covered with jet sequins. She stood staring at us and then suddenly she went into peal after peal of wild laughter.

* * *

We sat in the hotel lounge with drinks at our elbows and cigarettes burning.

It was our last night in Cranville and we were all a little high.

Beyfield was positively beaming. Things were going well for him. Already he could see himself as Chief of Police. As soon as the story was published the Governor of the State was certain to demand an inquiry. Macey would have to go.

Beyfield raised his glass and, with tipsy dignity, saluted me.
“
You
’
re a great guy,
”
he said.
“
A guy of sterling worth—even if you are a private dick.
”

I thanked him.

Audrey rested her head on my shoulder and smiled secretly at the ceiling.
“
It was a fluke,
”
she said softly.
“
A beautiful fluke. Now I know how to be a successful detective. All I have to do is to pick on an innocent man and hope for a fluke. Come on, darling, admit it, you did think it was Ted.
”

I grinned.
“
Well, for a while I thought it was Ted, but then I changed my mind.
”
Seeing the look of outraged astonishment on her face, I went on hastily:
“
Okay, okay, I did think it was Ted, but I took the precaution to check up on Mrs. E. and her brother. Those two puzzled me. Anyway, how was I to know they were crazy? I haven
’
t lived all my life in this town like you . . . you can
’
t criticize.
”

Latimer sat up and looked at me with slightly bleary eyes.
“
Don
’
t argue,
”
he pleaded.
“
I want to write this story and how the hell can I write it if I don
’
t know what it
’
s all about?
”

Reg patted his arm.
“
You
’
re drunk,
”
he said happily.
“
Forget the story and have another drink.
”

Latimer scowled at him.
“
Go away,
”
he growled.
“
A story
’
s a story to me no matter how drunk I am.
”
He looked over at me.
“
Tell me about it. The old dame was nuts, but that don
’
t explain everything.
”

“
It does if you think about it,
”
I said, playing with Audrey
’
s curls.
“
I got her case history from Colonel Forsberg. I didn
’
t like Mrs. E. and I thought it
’
d pay dividends to check up on her. And it did. She began life in a travelling rodeo show and she could handle a rope as well as any cowpuncher. Her father died in an asylum—he was a homicidal lunatic. So was she. She was put away when she was twenty but her brother got her out. They came East together and she married Esslinger. He didn
’
t know anything about her past. Her brother kept an eye on her and when she started to slip, he lived with her. That
’
s why Esslinger had to take him on as his manager. Esslinger knew by then, but he wasn
’
t man enough to put her away.
”

Audrey sat up.
“
Where did you get all this from?
”
she demanded.

“
That
’
s one of the great advantages of working for an organization like International Investigations. Forsberg dug it out for me,
”
I said.
“
Mrs. Esslinger had one obsession—her son. She was crazily jealous of him, and when he began to run around with girls she became deadly dangerous. Hench was crazy, but in a different way. He didn
’
t kill . . . he embalmed. When Mrs. E. started strangling Ted
’
s girlfriends. Hench had a swell time embalming them. He was smart enough to hide the bodies in the Esslinger family vault. But you know about that.
”

Latimer nodded.
“
Sure,
”
he said.
“
Then there was nothing to the Street-Camera Studio?
”

“
I wouldn
’
t say that,
”
I returned.
“
In her crazy way, Mrs. E. was determined that Esslinger should be mayor. She saw a way of getting at Starkey through the Studio and she concentrated on the girls whose photos had appeared in the shop window. You remember I found Mary Drake
’
s handkerchief in the place? Well, I
’
ll bet Hench planted that in the hope that either I or Ted would find it. Ted was genuinely convinced that Starkey had something to do with the killings because his mother told him so.
”

“
And the girls—anything in the fact they were all blondes?
”

I pulled Audrey closer to me.
“
Only that Ted preferred blondes, as I do. You can
’
t beat a nice blonde.
”

“
It
’
s a cinch,
”
Beyfield said, smiling at me.
“
Boy! Am I going to be pleased when I see Macey
’
s face tomorrow? I
’
ll skin that fat punk alive.
”

“
I can
’
t understand why Hench and Mrs. Esslinger should have tried to kill me after they knew we had found the bodies,
”
Audrey said.
“
You
’
d
’
ve thought they would have waited a while.
”

“
They were crazy—the pair of them,
”
I said.
“
We baited the trap and they couldn
’
t resist walking into it.
”

“
But where was Ted all the time?
”
Audrey asked.
“
Why didn
’
t he keep his date with me?
”

“
Mrs. E. fixed that. He told her he was going out with you and she saw her opportunity. She got Hench to call Ciro
’
s club and leave the message for you to meet Ted at Maddox Avenue. Then she delayed Ted from reaching you punctually and, of course, when he arrived you
’
d gone. I bet she pulled the same trick with the other girls.
”

“
That all?
”
Latimer asked, stubbing out his cigarette.

“
I guess so. That
’
ll give you a swell story. Don
’
t forget to give Beyfield all the credit.
”

Beyfield beamed.

“
If you want a hand in putting that story together,
”
Reg said,
“
I
’
ll help you.
”

Latimer got to his feet.
“
Come on then. We
’
ll get the story away and then we
’
ll make a night of it.
”

“
See you early tomorrow, Reg,
”
I called after him.
“
I
’
m catching the first train out.
”

Beyfield finished his drink and stood up.
“
Well, I won
’
t keep you folks out of your beds,
”
he said, holding out his hand.
“
I
’
m almost sorry you
’
re going. The next time you come to Cranville, you
’
ll be surprised at the changes. With Macey and Wolf out of here, things will begin to smell sweet again.
”
He glanced over his shoulder and-then, lowering his voice, he whispered:
“
From the way things look I shouldn
’
t be surprised if McArthur isn
’
t made mayor. I
’
ve got a guy who
’
ll back him and he
’
s a smart little punk if he
’
s kept away from his wife,
”
He closed one eye and wavered unsteadily before us.
“
Well so long,
”
he said, beaming at us;
“
see you in church.
”

He began an unsteady journey across the room, leaving us alone together.

“
He
’
s quite nice really, isn
’
t he?
”
Audrey said, putting her hand in mine.

“
A copper
’
s always nice if he
’
s getting something out of you,
’’
I returned.

“
Come on, sweetheart, let
’
s go to bed.
”

She looked at me.
“
I know the joke
’
s on me,
”
she said,
“
but you remember you said Max Esslinger didn
’
t think I could crack the case — if he did say that, why did he hire me?
”

I grinned at her.
“
Mrs. E. persuaded him against his better judgment,
”
I said, putting my arm round her,
“
She thought with you on the case—
”

“
That
’
s enough from you,
”
Audrey broke in hastily,
“
and don
’
t you dare laugh.
”

I pulled her to me and kissed her.