42 Days For Murder

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a selection from: CHAPTER ONE LESTER came in my office with the sun hitting his glasses and making them shine like headlights. He said: Joey Free and some other man are outside and want to see you. He stopped, took off his glasses and started to polish them. He can't see two feet in front of his nose without them, but he peered over toward where I was and added: Joey is drunk, I think. I think the other man is drunk, too. I said: It's early in the day for that, even for Joey. But I wouldn't let it bother me. Lester's tone showed it bothered him plenty. He had the notion Joey Free built the world and then a neat little picket fence around it. And Lester's only nineteen and doesn't appreciate the solid joy a drinking man takes with his drink. Then Joey and his friend followed Lester in. Joey is big and stocky, with a body like a keg. He was supposed to have a lot of money and to be spending it on women and liquor far too fast. It wasn't gossip because I'd been to parties at Joey's place. The man with him was tall and slat-like and looked very solemn and serious. I had to take another look before I could see the look was put on for effect; that the man was just carrying his liquor carefully. Joey is ordinarily careful about his clothes. But he was dressed in clothes that looked as though they'd been thrown at him. The coat and trousers didn't match, he wore no necktie, and his shirt was filthy dirty. The other man looked no better; he couldn't well have looked worse. Joey gave me his big toothy grin and said: Hi, Shean! I brought you a customer. We just got in. This is Tod Wendel. Toddy, tell the man your troubles. I said I was glad to meet Mr. Wendel and Lester put his glasses back on and scurried around and got chairs. I introduced him to Wendel, saw the doubtful look Wendel gave him, and let Lester do the explaining, which he always does. Lester said: My great-uncle left me some money so I bought an interest in Mr. Connell's agency. I've always been interested in criminology. It's a fascinating subject. Lester's a lanky kid who looks sixteen and no older. I could see Wendel's estimation of the Connell agency take a drop but Joey helped things out with: Shean got himself a partner and five grand along with him. Shean will do anything for money and admits it. I said: Where in hell did you get the rig? You look like a bum, Joey. In Reno, he said. That's what Toddy wants to talk to you about. Toddy and I went to Yale together. I met him in Reno when he wired me. I said to Lester: Ask Miss Gahagan to come in and make notes, kid, and to Wendel: Suppose you tell me about it.

Author / Editor: Torrey, Roger

Category: Mystery & Crime

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