1954 - Safer Dead Read Online Free PDF Page A

The police didn’t manage to turn him up or if they did, they didn’t think he was of sufficient interest to mention him. I think he’s worth investigating. Anyone who wears dark glasses at night is my idea of a suspect. And another thing: who is this girl Joan Nichols? Where does she fit in? She called here three days after Fay had disappeared and asked for her. Then she promptly falls downstairs and breaks her neck. Farmer is the only guy who could have seen Fay leave the club and he gets himself conveniently run over. Looks to me that Joan Nichols and Farmer were got rid of because they knew too much.’
    Bernie’s eyes popped.
    ‘Hey! Has it occurred to your master mind we also know something?’ he said, lowering his voice. ‘Suppose someone starts trying to knock us off?’
    ‘Don’t drivel. Investigators never get knocked off. Don’t you read thrillers?’
    ‘I don’t like it. Maybe we’d better drop this case, Chet. I’m serious. I wouldn’t like anything to happen to you - nor to me, come to that.’
    ‘Skip it!’ I said. ‘This is going to be our best story. I’m going after Hesson. I want you to find this guy in the camel hair coat. The chances are he’s already left town, but it’s worthwhile calling on all the hotels here and seeing if anyone recognizes his description. His car might help you.’
    Bernie nodded reluctantly.
    ‘Well, okay. I’ll do what I can. There can’t be many hotels in town - I hope!’
    I pushed back my chair.
    ‘Well, come on. I’ll need the car. I should be back from Frisco tonight. See you here.’
    Bernie got to his feet and we went into the lobby.
    ‘Hang on a moment,’ I said and stepped into the telephone booth. I called the Florian club and asked to be put through to the stage door office.
    ‘Is Spencer there?’ I asked.
    ‘This is Spencer talking. Is that Mr. Sladen?’
    ‘Yeah. Do you know if Miss Benson owned a charm bracelet? You know what that is, don’t you?’
    ‘Sure, Mr. Sladen. She did have one. It had a lot of charms on it. She showed it to me.’
    ‘Was there a gold apple among the charms?’
    ‘That’s right.’
    ‘Fine, and thanks,’ I said and hung up. I left the booth and joined Bernie. ‘I was right. The charm came off her bracelet, Spencer saw it. Hesson will have a job to explain how it got into his room.’
    ‘We’re not bad for amateurs, are we?’ Bernie said.
    ‘If we were amateurs we’d be good. See you tonight.’
    It was four o’clock and growing dusk when I drove over the Oakland Bay bridge and stopped on Harrison Street to inquire the way to Lennox Street.
    The cop told me to make for India Basin.
    I left the Buick in a vacant plot and walked down the dirty street, at the end of which was Lennox Street. Tenement houses, faced with iron escapes, stood starkly against the darkening sky. Here and there lights showed in upper windows.
    I paused outside No. 3. It was a narrow high building with a bunch of dirty, ragged kids sitting on the bottom step. They stared fixedly at me, nudging one another.
    I said, ‘Sam Hardy live here?’
    ‘Yes, but he’s out,’ one of the boys said. He shifted a little to let me pass, and as I walked up the dirty, worn steps, the kids turned to stare after me. The front door was ajar and I pushed it open and entered a bare, dirty hall.
    A thin negro was sitting on an upturned box with his back against the wall, reading a racing sheet. He looked up and stared at me, his eyes tired and bored.
    ‘Where do I find Jake Hesson?’ I asked and showed him a dollar bill.
    His eyes lit up.
    ‘Third floor, boss. Room 10.’ He reached for the bill and I let him have it.
    ‘Is he in?’
    ‘Sure, boss. He hasn’t been out all day.’
    I nodded and began to climb the stairs. I kept on until I reached the third floor. A radio was blaring from behind one of the doors. I went quickly along the passage to room 10, paused to listen with my ear against the panel, then hearing nothing, I rapped.
    No