1965 - The Way the Cookie Crumbles (21 page)

Lepski picked up the message as he was driving along the Promenade. He swung the car down a side street and made for the Regent Hotel.

Ten minutes later, he was calling Terrell.

‘Algir left the Regent on the ninth; left no forwarding address. Looks like he’s left town.’

‘He could have run short of money. Start checking on the cheaper joints,’ Terrell said. ‘He could still be here.’

‘Yes, sir,’ Lepski said and after he had hung up, he groaned.

CHAPTER NINE

T
icky Edris came out of the kitchenette, carrying a jug of coffee which he put on the table. He had slept badly and was edgy. During the night he had lain in the dark and brooded about his now uncertain future. He hated being forced to leave his apartment and all because Algir was an irresponsible, unreliable sonofabitch. He glanced at Algir, the hate in his eyes scarcely concealed, as he poured two cups of coffee.

Algir sat in the armchair, smoking. He also had slept badly, and there were dark smudges under his eyes. He kept looking towards the clock, waiting impatiently for the 07.34 hours news broadcast.

‘Hasn’t the paper come yet?’ he demanded as he reached for his cup of coffee.

‘No!’ Edris went over to the cocktail cabinet and added a liberal shot of brandy to his coffee.

‘I’ll have some of that,’ Algir said.

Edris gave him the bottle and as Algir poured the brandy into his cup, he again looked at the clock. It was 07.27 hours. Had the clock stopped? He checked his wristwatch and grunted with impatience.

‘Oh, relax!’ Edris said irritably. ‘I tell you we’re in the clear! Hamilton said the cops haven’t a clue. He doesn’t think they’ll ever find out who she is.’

‘That bum! What does he know about it?’ Algir sipped his coffee, then reaching forward, he snapped on the radio. The two men listened impatiently to the tag end of a swing number and then with even more impatience to the political news. Then finally, they stiffened to attention as the announcer continued, ‘There have been new developments in the Coral Cove murder case. The police want to interview Phillip Algir, alias Harry Chambers, last known address The Regent Hotel, Paradise City, who they believe can help them in their inquiries. Algir’s description is as follows: height six foot; weight 190 pounds; broad shoulders, blond, small moustache, blue eyes and a deep cleft in his chin. Last seen, he was wearing a fawn—coloured suit and a chocolate coloured straw hat with a red band. He was driving a convertible Roadmaster Buick, two toned red and blue, licence number NY 4599. If anyone has information concerning this man’s whereabouts, please telephone Police headquarters: Paradise 0010 immediately.’

The two men sat stunned for some thirty seconds while dance music filled the yawning silence between them. Then Algir suddenly came to life. With a muttered curse, he flung his coffee cup at Edris. The cup exploded in fragments against Edris’ chest, splashing hot coffee in his face.

‘You slob!’ Algir yelled, jumping to his feet. ‘I’ll kill you for this! God damn you! I’ll tear your stinking heart out!’

Edris slid off the settee as Algir rushed at him. Quick as a lizard he avoided Algir’s groping hands and darted into his bedroom, slamming and locking the door.

Cursing, Algir drove his shoulder against the door panel. The door quivered, but held. He stood back, panting, glaring at the door, his hands clenching and unclenching. Then the full impact of the broadcast hit him and he nearly threw up. He sat down, swallowing bile, his body cold, icy sweat beading his face, his teeth chattering.

In his bedroom, also scared witless, sure that Algir would murder him if he could get at him, Edris rushed to his chest of drawers, jerked open the lower drawer and searched frantically for the .25 automatic pistol he kept there. He couldn’t find it. Flinging everything out of the drawer, he satisfied himself the gun wasn’t there. Algir must have taken it, he thought. No one else could have taken it but Algir. His legs shaking, he abruptly sat on the bed, staring at the door like a terrified bird facing a snake.

It wasn’t until Algir had drunk half the bottle of brandy and some twenty minutes had elapsed that he began to recover his nerve. They hadn’t got him yet, he told himself. He was in a jam, but he still had a chance if he used his head. The cops would be watching the airport and the railroad station. They would be looking out for his car on the road. The Havana flight was down the drain. Even if they weren’t watching the road, he dare not use the Buick which at this moment was safely out of sight in Edris’ lock-up garage.

Well, that damned dwarf had got him into this and now he would have to get him out of it! He got to his feet and went over to the bedroom door.

‘All right, Ticky,’ he said. ‘Come on out. I won’t touch you. We’ve got to talk this one over. Come on out!’

‘I’m staying here,’ Edris said. He was changing into a dry shirt. ‘I don’t trust you.’

‘Don’t be a fool. We’re wasting time. We’re both in this. We’ve got to talk about it.’

Edris hesitated. Algir’s voice was no longer angry. He knew Algir’s temper went as quickly as it came but he wished he had his gun. He slid into another suit, then as Algir again shouted to him to come out, he unlocked the door and cautiously opened it.

Algir was standing in the middle of the room. In his right hand, he held Edris’ gun, pointing at the floor.

Edris paused. His face twitched as he stared at the gun.

‘All right, all right, you yellow freak,’ Algir snarled. ‘I’m not going to do anything to you.’

‘Gimme that gun! It’s mine!’ Edris said, moving into the sitting room.

‘You’re safer without it,’ Algir said, dropping the gun into his pocket. ‘Sit down! We’ve got to talk.’

Edris sat down, his mind busy. How had the cops got onto Algir? he asked himself. He knew if they caught him, he would talk. Algir would have no qualms about implicating him; Edris was sure of that. There was only one thing to do. He would have to catch Algir off guard and kill him before the cops did catch him.

Algir was saying, ‘We’re both in this, Ticky. It doesn’t look as if the cops are on to you or they would have been here by now. It doesn’t look as if they are on to Ira yet. They couldn’t suppress the news if they knew she wasn’t Norena. Now, listen, we stand a small chance of beating this rap. We might just make it in your Mini. If we can get as far as Miami, I know a guy who will keep us under the wraps until the heat cools. This guy has connections and he can get us onto a boat for Cuba, but it’ll cost. He’s expensive. Before we leave here, we’ve got to scrape up every dollar we can lay our hands on. So we’ve just got to make a try at the Garland loot.’

Edris stared at him. He knew what Algir was saying about getting as much money as they could together made sense, but not from the bank! That was crazy!

‘You can’t go to the bank, you hunk head,’ he snarled. ‘They’ll spot you.’

‘Who says I’m going to the bank? Until it’s time to move, I’m staying right here,’ Algir said. He pointed to the telephone. ‘Call Ira! Tell her to meet you at the café opposite the bank in half an hour. You said yesterday, if I quit, she would bring the money out. Well, that’s just what she’s going to do! I don’t give a damn how you persuade her, but persuade her! Tell her as soon as the vaults are open for her to get the money, then she must tell the guards she is feeling ill and she must leave the bank. You’ll be waiting at the cafe. Go on, telephone her how!’

Edris hesitated.

Cursing, Algir pulled the gun from his pocket and pointed it at Edris.

‘If you don’t do it, I’ll kill you! Do it, damn you!’

Edris walked slowly over to the telephone. He dialled a number after first checking in the book. A woman’s voice answered: ‘This is Mr. Devon’s residence.’

‘I want to speak to Miss Devon,’ Edris said.

The woman told him to hold on. There was a short delay, then Ira came to the telephone.

‘This is Ticky,’ Edris said. ‘I want you to meet me at the cafe opposite the bank in half an hour.’

‘Why?’ Ira demanded, her voice a little shrill.

‘Never mind why, do what I say or you’ll be sorry!’ and Edris hung up.

Algir got to his feet. He still kept Edris covered.

‘I want your share of the Wanassee take, Ticky. Twenty-five thousand. Hurry it up! I’ll keep it as security. You’re not walking out on me with Garland’s money. Hand it over!’

Edris saw the threat in Algir’s eyes and he didn’t argue.

He went to a drawer in his desk, pulled it right out, groped at the back and brought out a thick sealed envelope. He threw it at Algir.

Algir tore open the envelope, satisfied himself it contained Edris’ share of Wanassee’s money, then put it in his pocket.

‘You’ll get it all back, Ticky. Now beat it! Time’s running out.’

With murder in his heart, his face convulsed with rage, Edris bounced out of the apartment, slamming the door after him.

* * *

Joe Beigler sat at his desk, his face a little drawn, his eyes a little sunken. He had been at his desk now for eight nonstop hours coping with reports, telephone calls and radio messages that kept coming in concerning Algir and the Coral Cove murder.

Every available detective was out checking on the stream of information that Beigler kept passing on. The Detectives’ room was deserted except for Beigler who wished someone had the time to bring him some coffee.

The telephone bell rang for the twelfth time in the hour.

Grunting, he scooped up the receiver.

‘That you, Joe? This is Aldwick, security guard, Florida Safe Deposit Bank.’

‘Hello, Jim, what do you want?’

‘This guy, Algir. We know him here. He’s rented a safe and he comes in and out every day.’

‘Is that right?’ Beigler came to attention. ‘What’s he doing renting a safe with you?’

‘Big gambling man, that’s his story. Registered in the name of Lowson Forester, but the description matches and I recognize him from the picture in the papers. It’s Algir all right.’

‘Look, Jim, I’ll send someone down as soon as I have a man to spare. Maybe he has something in his safe we should look at.’

‘You’re unlucky. We can’t open the safe without his key.’

‘You can bust it open, can’t you?’

‘That’s for Mr. Devon to say.’

‘Okay, as soon as I have a man I’ll send him down, but if Algir shows up before then, will you handle him?’

‘You bet. Nothing I’d like better. So long, Joe, don’t over work,’ and Aldwick hung up.

Beigler scribbled a note on a scrap of paper and spiked it. The telephone bell rang again and shaking his head, he lifted the receiver.

* * *

Ira walked into the cafe and paused to accustom her eyes to the dim light after the glare of the early morning sun. She saw Edris waving to her from the far end of the bar and reluctantly, she walked down the aisle and joined him.

She knew something was badly wrong by his tense expression and by the whiteness of his face, and she felt a chill creep up her spine. Neither of them said anything until the barman had taken her order for coffee.

She had been lucky, she told herself that Mel hadn’t come down for breakfast before she left. He would have been certain to have questioned her for leaving so early.

She had told Mrs. Sterling she had an early date and couldn’t wait for breakfast. Now she was here, she couldn’t imagine what Edris wanted, and as she stared at him, seeing the way his eyes kept shifting and the sweat beads on his narrow forehead, she felt frightened.

Edris didn’t waste any time.

‘Seen the papers this morning?’ he demanded abruptly.

She shook her head.

‘Phil’s in trouble. The cops are looking for him. We haven’t much time, baby, so listen carefully. You’re getting the Garland money.’

He slid the key Algir had cut across the table to her.

‘Oh, no!’ Ira said, shrinking away from the key.

‘Shut up! Phil can’t get it. He has to keep under the wraps so you’re going to get it.’

‘I can’t! It’s too dangerous!’

Edris snarled at her. He looked like a vicious, cornered animal.

‘Save your breath!’ He pulled from his hip pocket a copy of the Paradise City Sun he had brought with him.

‘Take a look at this.’

She stared at the photograph of Algir on the front page of the paper and at the banner headlines. With growing horror, she read that Algir was wanted for questioning by the police in connection with the murder of the unknown girl found at Coral Cove.

Murder! Algir!

She stared stupidly at Edris.

‘I don’t understand. Did he . . .?’

‘It’s time you did understand,’ Edris said, his voice a hissing whisper. ‘That was crap I told you that Norena was drowned. She was in the way so Phil took her from the school before he collected you and he wrung her neck. The stupid slob didn’t bury her deep enough so they’ve found what’s left of her!’

Ira thought she was going to faint. She gripped the edge of the table with both hands, steadying herself, feeling the blood drain out of her face.

‘So they’re on to him and they’re hunting for him,’ Edris went on, watching her. ‘He needs money for a quick getaway. You’re going to get it for him or we’ll all be in the cart. Understand? If they catch him, he’ll sing his head off, and you and me will be down a very deep hole.’

‘I won’t do it!’ Ira said huskily. ‘It’s nothing to do with me. I didn’t know.’

‘Oh, shut up! You’ll do it!’ Edris said viciously. ‘Do you imagine the cops will ever believe you didn’t know that Algir knocked her off so you could take her place? This is a murder rap, baby, and you’ll be nailed as an accessory. You’ll draw life. Phil and I will go to the gas box, but you’ll spend the rest of your days in another kind of box with bars. Personally I prefer gas.’

Ira shivered.

‘Now use your head. You get the money for us and you’ll be in the clear,’ Edris said. ‘They can never hope to find out who the dead girl really is so long as they don’t catch Phil. I’m leaving, but you can stay. You’re the one in the gravy. You can still keep your home and still keep in the clear so long as Phil and me get the money. Can’t you see that? This is your big chance, but you’ve got to pay for it.’ He looked at his watch. The time was 08.50 hours. ‘Now, come on, doll, tell me you’re going to do it!’