A Father's Law by Richard Wright

Author:Richard Wright
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2022-11-08T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 12

Midnight was striking on all the town’s clocks as the police-car’s siren screamed into the balmy April air. Amidst high purple scudding clouds, a few faint yellow stars were visible. The car’s resilient springs jolted them like a pitching ship as they sought to equalize the rutted streetcar tracks. Ruddy and Ed were alone in the back seat and two officers were in front—one of whom was a chauffeur at the steering wheel, his face hunched grimly forward. Ruddy and Ed sat hunched forward, tense, their fingers holding smoldering cigarettes that they had lit and had forgot.

“It’s the goddamnest thing,” Ed commented.

“Yeah.”

“If it’s the murderer again, then it rules out some of your suggestions,” Ed said.

“Don’t want to sound sadistic,” Ruddy muttered, “but I’d not be sorry if it is the murderer. At least then we’d get a line on ’im and maybe keep ’im from killing again.”

“Yes. Since this girl’s dead already . . . and we were just thinking about starting with Heard’s son—”

“Hunh?”

“It’s strange, this new killing. Wonder if it is really linked with the others?”

“Hard to tell. We’ll know something soon.”

“Sleepy?”

“No. You?”

“No. But you didn’t get a wink of sleep last night.”

“I was a bit dopey. Earlier today. But I’m more wide awake now than I ever was in all of my life.”

“It’s always like that,” Ed sympathized.

“Say,” Ruddy asked of the chauffeur, leaning forward, “is your radio-telephone working?”

“Yes, sir. It’s right before you, down a bit toward the floorboard.”

“Oh, yes.”

“If you pick up the receiver and wait till the light flashes green, you’ll get a line.”

“Thanks.” Ruddy lifted the black receiver, and when the light glowed green, he asked the operator amid brittle static for Commissioner King’s office. When put through, he was told that naturally the commissioner was not in but that he could leave any messages he wanted. Ruddy informed the secretary that she must tell the commissioner: he was canceling the inaugural ceremony, scheduled for two o’clock in the afternoon, and he was also postponing the slated staff conference, which was to be held at four P.M.; that he would be absent in the field, giving his reasons as “the urgent nature of the new developments that were taking place in Brentwood Park.”

He hung up, feeling free now to give himself over without reserve to what lay ahead.

“Gosh, you weren’t an hour too soon, Chief,” the chauffeur said as Ruddy hugged the car handle, balancing himself against the tight pull of a steep curve.

“Looks like it,” Ruddy mumbled in an uncommunicative tone. “No facts as yet on this new find?”

“Nothing, Chief. Just what came over the wire about finding a girl’s body.”

“Hummn . . .”

“A workman found the body?” Ed asked.

“Yes, sir. But he seems on the level.”

“Funny, eh? It comes just a bit after you took the oath of office,” Ed commented.

“I was thinking about that,” Ruddy said almost defensively.

Ten minutes later, both Ruddy and Ed, following an officer with a flashlight, plunged into high wet grass and thick tree leaves and struggled toward an area ahead, which was illuminated by blinding spotlights.

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