Who Killed Bob Teal? and Other Stories Read Online Free PDF

hunch that he had beat it without his bags and without saying a word to me, much less giving me any money—leaving me with only twenty dollars to my name and not even much that I could hock, and with the rent due in four days.”
    â€œWhen did you see him last?”
    â€œAbout eight o’clock last night. He told me he was going down to Mr. Ogburn’s apartment to talk some business over with him, but he didn’t go there. I know that. I ran out of cigarettes—I like Elixir Russians, and I can’t get them uptown here—so I called up Mr. Ogburn’s to ask Herb to bring some home with him when he came, and Mr. Ogburn said he hadn’t been there.”
    â€œHow long have you known Whitacre?” I asked.
    â€œCouple of years. I guess. I think I met him first at one of the Beach resorts.”
    â€œHas he got any people?”
    â€œNot that I know of. I don’t know a whole lot about him. Oh, yes! I do know that he served three years in prison in Oregon for forgery. He told me that one night when he was lushed up. He served them under the name of Barber, or Barbee, or something like that. He said he was walking the straight and narrow now.”
    Dean produced a small automatic pistol, fairly new-looking in spite of the mud that clung to it, and handed it to the woman.
    â€œEver see that?”
    She nodded her blond head.
    â€œYep! That’s Herb’s, or its twin.”
    Dean pocketed the gun again, and we stood up.
    â€œWhere do I stand now?” she asked. “You’re not going to lock me up as a witness or anything, are you?”
    â€œNot just now.” Dean assured her. “Stick around where we can find you if we want you, and you won’t be bothered. Got any idea which direction Whitacre’d be likely to go in?”
    â€œNo.”
    â€œWe’d like to give the place the once-over. Mind?”
    â€œGo ahead,” she invited. “Take it apart if you want to. I’m coming all the way with you people.”
    We very nearly did take the place apart, but we found not a thing of value. Whitacre, when he had burned the things that might have given him away, had made a clean job of it.
    â€œDid he ever have any pictures taken by a professional photographer?” I asked just before we left.
    â€œNot that I know of.”
    â€œWill you let us know if you hear anything or remember anything else that might help?”
    â€œSure,” she said heartily; “sure.”
    Dean and I rode down in the elevator in silence, and walked out into Gough Street.
    â€œWhat do you think of all that?” I asked when we were outside.
    â€œShe’s a lil, huh?” He grinned. “I wonder how much she knows. She identified the gun an gave us that dope about the forgery sentence up north, but we’d of found out them things anyway. If she was wise she’d tell us everything she knew we’d find out, an’ that would make her other stuff go over stronger. Think she’s dumb or wise?”
    â€œWe won’t guess,” I said. “We’ll slap a shadow on her and cover her mail. I have the number of a taxi she used a couple days ago. We’ll look that up too.”
    At a corner drug store I telephoned the Old Man, asking him to detail a couple of the boys to keep Mae Landis and her apartment under surveillance night and day; also to have the Post Office Department let us know if she got any mail that might have been addressed by Whitacre. I told the Old Man I would see Ogburn and get some specimens of the fugitive’s writing for comparison with the woman’s mail.
    Then Dean and I set about tracing the taxi in which Bob Teal had seen the woman ride away. Half an hour in the taxi company’s office gave us the information that she had been driven to a number on Greenwich Street. We went to the Greenwich Street address.
    It was a ramshackle building, divided into apartments or flats of a dismal and