For those who have not as yet Chapter 53:
HERE IT IS!
SPOILERS!
Chapter 53: The Woman In Charge
(Thursday, October 18, 1984)
Ellery slammed his phone down and stalked out into the outer office. “Wes better be here.”
“He’s back in Processin,” Joe said. “Havin trouble reaching your Assistant D.A.?”
“Yeah. When the hell is Mel getting back? An where is his flunky assistant? Harry, Henry –“
“Larry, the one with the Ellery hair,” Joe said, taking a contemplative bite of his muffin.
“That one.”
“He should be answerin the phone.”
“Well he ain’t, an I keep getting the front desk.”
“So go over there.”
“How many fuckin messages I got ta leave for that woman before she gets the point that I got ta know –“
“Problems, Chief Deputy?” Wes came in through the security door from Processing. “We got an arson back there in Processin, who wants it?”
“Arson, huh?” said Joe, cocking an eyebrow.
“Can I?” said Dupree.
“You want ta work on it, ya still report ta Ellery on major cases,” Wes said.
“Ya gonna work on this arson with me?” Dupree looked up at Ellery.
“Can I deal with one thing at a time? I got this arraignment –“ Ellery objected.
“It was continued to the first a November. If you got time after lunch go up ta the D.A.’s office an give Samuelson what ya got an in the meantime I want ya ta question this suspect an bring Dupree along on it..”
Ellery stared at Wes. “Ya want me ta go up there?”
“C’mere boy,” Wes said, and turned on his heel, heading for his office. Dupree shrugged, and Ellery gave Dupree a backward look before he followed Wes into his office and closed the door.
“Mel is down for the count the rest a this week. Bunny is doin poorly an they can’t hardly make head nor tail of her mental state, an they got ta operate on her leg, an they can’t get goin on treatin the alcoholism an so she’s goin through withdrawals too.”
“Shit,” said Ellery. “An I can’t even raise Mel’s office.”
“There’s a reason for that. Mel has got Samuelson negotiatin some sort a state’s evidence with Amos Marigold…”
“You are shittin me. He is gonna confess?”
“He hasn’t yet given em anything on his dealins with the Brotherhood, but it looks like those boys are gonna rat him out before he rats them out.”
“They got more ta lose, like their lives.”
“Right. But the most we’ll get on Amos is life if he is found guilty of conspiracy ta murder.”
“That has got ta be wrong.”
“Our conspiracy laws ain’t that strong, Ellery, unfortunately. He didn’t pull any triggers, he just paid people money, an that ain’t considered a capital crime as yet here. We’d have ta prove he was actually plannin murders en payin for em, an nobody’s sayin that yet. Anyhow, that is off the point. The point is – we got ta keep rollin here, an I want ya ta give Dupree his head a bit with this arson. They got a suspect, an we got the witnesses who saw em.”
“What burned down?”
“Warehouse down on South 3rd, took out a couple a stores near that garage.
“You mean … that Nate’s place, the radiator man?”
“Yeah that’s him.”
Ellery made a little face.
“What’s that about?”
“Nate the radiator man is sweet on Ennis.”
“Well, he is one a yer witnesses, saw the suspect walkin the neighbourhood when he was workin late.”
“Is this a hard lead or a soft one?”
“Considerin the suspect has got a rap sheet a mile long it’s probably a hard one.”
“Arson?”
“Among other things.”
“Maybe it’s open an shut.”
“Were that all police work were open an shut. Anyhow, you do the legwork an get over ta Samuelson’s office with the rest a the stuff on McCollum, she was gonna continue it anyway.”
“How come she didn’t tell me, I was tryin ta reach her all day yesterday?”
“Because she told me.”
“She didn’t return my calls.”
“Did that hurt yer little Chief Deputy feelins or something?”
Ellery glared.
“Stop actin like a typical man, Ellery. Think of her as Mel’s trusted deputy instead of some demon in a skirt tryin ta land on yer lap.”
“I am thinking a her as the Assistant D.A. who didn’t return ten a my phone calls yesterday.”
“So go up there. She’s busy. Talk ta Larry an get em ta give her the files an she’ll get back ta ya when she needs ta or when she has a date. Now go work on this arson with Dupree an see if we’ve got a case or just a hunch.”
“I ain’t that bad.”
“Yer grumpy. Why is it that yer so fuckin grumpy? Is this the no-coffee thing?”
“An the no cigars thing an the no salt thing. I feel like I’m comin apart at the ears.”
“Well talk to yer doctor, maybe he’ll tell you ta cut down gradually.”
“It’d help if some a you guys were sufferin with me. At least Ennis is givin up cigars at the same time an we’re twitchin the same way at the same time.”
“Good for him. I’ll give up cigars when ya pry em out a my cold dead hands.”
“Then you’ll be a little more sympathetic,” Ellery said, scowling.
“Never. I’m the Sheriff. I’m paid to kick asses. Dismissed.”
Ellery left Wes’s office and went back to where Dupree was looking at a rap sheet on a David Terwilliger. “This guy has been ta jail on everythin in the world. Even counterfeitin.”
“What’d he do, make his own twenty dollar bills with crayons an green paper?” Ellery said.
“Maybe. If yer gonna burn down a warehouse, why stand around where everybody can see ya?” Dupree asked, looking at the police report.
“Good question. Was he at the scene a the fire?”
“Yup. Taylor an Mulrayne were interviewin people half the night as the firemen were putting it down an he was one a the first people they interviewed, an they tagged em for further questioning cause he had a smell a gasoline on em.”
“So he’s been caught doin every crime he’s ever done, exactly the kind a guy I like as a suspect,” Ellery grinned. He reached over and patted Dupree on the shoulder. “Come on, Detective, let’s go get em.”
“Does this mean ya forgive me?”
“You get me blueberry donuts three days in a row an we’ll call it even.”
Dupree grinned. “Done!”
Topic: Taking Chances, by E. L. Van Hine and L.H. Nicoll (Read 4043502 times)