1953 - I'll Bury My Dead by James Hadley Chase

Author:James Hadley Chase [Chase, James Hadley]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

III

Nick English was still pacing his study floor when Ed Leon came in. Leon wandered over to an armchair, sank into it and pushed his hat to the back of his head.

‘Jay-sus! What an evening I’ve had,’ he said. ‘If there’s a drink handy I could do with it.’

English crossed to the cellarette and made two large whiskies.

‘Where’s the girl?’ he asked as he brought the drinks to the desk.

‘I muffed it,’ Leon said, took the glass and drank half the whisky. ‘Right at this minute she’s in the morgue, poor kid.’ He put down his glass and grimaced.

‘You mean she’s dead?’

‘Yep. Someone stuck a knife in her guts,’ Leon returned, and went on to tell English the events of the evening.

English sat smoking, his eyes staring fixedly at the blotter on his desk, not missing a word.

‘Someone was waiting for her in the alley,’ Leon concluded. ‘I heard her scream, but by the time I got to her she was beyond help. Someone knifed her. He didn’t leave the knife, but he did leave something more important to us.’

He took from his pocket a scrap of paper and put it on the desk. It was the wrapping of a chewing gum package. English picked it up, his eyes meeting Leon’s.

‘Might not mean anything,’ he said quietly.

‘It’s my bet it does. She was lying on it. I think this guy in the brown suit gets hotter every time someone is knocked off.’

English put the scrap of paper carefully in his desk drawer.

‘What happened when you found her?’

‘The place was getting lousy with cops so I decided to duck out. The chances were I would be grabbed as the killer. I bolted down the alley, climbed a wall and picked up a cruising taxi. I got him to drop me off on Central Avenue, and I walked here.’

English nodded.

‘Think they picked up this man with the scar?’

‘Maybe. There’s a chance they did.’

‘And the fat man?’

‘I think he’s dead. I hit him in the belly and he didn’t seem to be enjoying the experience last time I saw him.’

‘Looks like a gang, doesn’t it?’

‘I guess so. Our chewing gum friend could be the boss.’

‘If it’s Sherman, he must be the boss,’ English said grimly. ‘That would make Roy the stooge. I didn’t think he had it in him to organize a racket like this.’

‘I don’t see what you can do to Sherman if he turns out to be the guy you want. Pull him into the limelight and Roy gets dragged in, too.’

English nodded.

‘That’s right.’ He sat brooding for a long minute, then he stood up. ‘Go home and get some sleep, Ed. This wants working out. I’ll have some ideas for you by tomorrow.’

‘Okay,’ Leon said, finished his whisky and stood up. ‘I didn’t get around to tracing those wires from the mike in my office. That’s something I’ll take care of tomorrow night.’

English walked with him to the front door.

‘I’ll talk to Morilli. This fat man you think you killed may have a record.

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