Chapter 12

Barney Williams walked the streets. He went many places and made many inquiries and came finally to a ratty looking building in the lower part of the city.

He went inside. It was a dirty, unhappy building that housed dirty unhappy people who were not doing well in business and probably never would because their businesses were like themselves dirty and unhappy.

One of the doors said, Felix Haymer, but it did not specify the nature of Mr. Haymer's enterprise.

Barney went in through the door and found a frumpy little middle-aged woman going through some correspondence at a battered old desk.

"Is Mr. Haymer in?"

The woman glanced fearfully at the door to the inner office. "No," she said. "When will he be back."

"He's gone for the day."

The woman's glance had betrayed her. Barney, paying her no more attention, went into the inner office and found a prim, precise little man seated at another desk.

"Hello, Bates."

Bates did not react with any alarm. "Hello, Williams."

"I've been looking for you."

"Quite a few people have been looking for me. The point is-you found me."

"A weird blind you've got here."

"It's an entirely legitimate business," Bates said coldly.

"What kind of a business."

"I negotiate the sale of bankrupt stocks."

"I'd say Art Ringler is about bankrupt. Wouldn't you?"

"I have no present dealings with Mr. Ringler."

"You've deserted the ship with the other rats?"

Bates gave Barney a long, level look. "You can't insult me, Williams. Experts have tried it."

"What are you going to do about the grand jury summons?"

"Nobody has served me a summons."

"You've been dodging it."

"I have been dodging it to the best of my ability."

"The dodging is over. You're going in." Bates folded his hands and pursed his thin lips thoughtfully. "Do you insist."

"I insist."

"You do not have a summons with you."

"I'm no deputy. The point is, I know where you are now. I couldn't possibly lose track of you again."

"I could leave town vanish."

"Not you, Bates. You haven't got the guts to head out. You know I'd find you and bring you back."

"Yes," Bates sighed. "I'm sure you would."

"So the thing for you to do is to go in voluntarily. It would help a lot."

"How bad will things be for me would you say?"

"Who knows? Maybe not bad at all. The idea is to get Ringler indicted. I think you might make a deal. Turn state's evidence. Colin Avery will have to go down the drain with Ringler. A special prosecutor will be appointed, and he'll be looking for help."

"I suppose that's the best way. Will tomorrow morning be all right? I have a few things to clear up."

"Tomorrow will be okay." Barney grinned without humor. "I'll be out of a job too, I guess. I think Vince will be hit too, eventually. Got any bankrupt stocks I might be interested in?"

"I don't think I have a thing that would suit your tastes," Bates said gravely.

"See you in court," Barney called.

He left the building after doing an admirable job of difficult tracing. But he was not happy. Nor did he want to see anyone.

He walked a while and then went into a bar and ordered a Scotch.

Twice, he approached the phone to call Flame, and both times he resisted the temptation.

He nursed his drinks but after several hours had passed, he'd taken on a respectable load of alcohol. But it did not seem to have any effect.

He stared straight ahead at the bottles behind the bar in front of him.

Then he jerked his eyes sharply away as the music on the radio stopped and a voice cut in.

"We interrupt this program to bring you a news flash. The body of Leona Brown, key witness in the Ringler grand jury hearing, was found in her apartment half an hour ago. Miss Brown was dead, apparently a suicide. An almost empty sleeping tablet bottle was found by her side.

"Efforts at resuscitation failed, and Miss Brown was declared dead an hour after a janitor, entering the apartment to fix a leaking faucet, discovered the body."

The barkeep scowled and flipped the radio dial to a sportscast.

"Damned crooks," he grunted. "A guy gets sick of listening to what goes on in this town. Ringler probably had the girl killed. I hope they hang the louse."

Art Ringler got the news in his office. He smiled. "God," he said. "That ought to let us off the hook. The witch had an attack of conscience. She knew she lied about me and couldn't face it. She did a dutch."

"That's not quite how the papers will write it up," Colin Avery said.

"Who the hell cares? They've lost their witness. That's the main thing."

"They have her testimony. It all depends on how the public reacts to this thing."

"You and your public! The trouble with you is you've got no guts, Avery."

"All the same, without the girl or Bates, they haven't got a prayer."

"Let's hope Bates stays out of sight."

"He will. He's smart. And he knows if he ever showed up to testify against me, I'd nail him. Talk, and the little creep lands in jail. It'd be the safest place for him."

"Incidentally, Art, there's something I want to tell you. I'm resigning after this thing is over."

"Resigning? What the hell. You turning yellow?"

"No, I don't think so. I just want out. I haven't got the stomach for it anymore.

"Okay so run. I'll get another boy. After this is over I'll be bigger and better than ever and don't you forget it."

"I think perhaps you will, Art. I just don't want any part of it."

"Well, I haven't got time to sit here yakking. I've got things to do. I got to start putting the fence together again ... "

Barney Williams dialed a number and heard Kane bellow at him from the other end.

"Where in the hell have you been? I've hunted everywhere."

"I was out looking for Bates."

"Did you find him?"

Barney stared moodily out of the booth.

"I asked did you find him?"

"Yes."

"You heard about the girl knocking herself off."

"Yes."

"All right. Now will you tell me what the hell good Bates will do us without the girl?"

"It looks as though the whole case might fall through."

Kane cursed. "A great break a real great break," he said bitterly.

"Maybe it's better. Art stays in business. But you stay in business too."

"I've never worried about myself, you lamebrain! I can beat Ringler any day in the week. I think you're losing your grip."

"The girl who killed herself," Barney said, "she was sticking her neck out for us. Don't you think we ought to send a wreath?"

"Very funny," Vince growled.

"It wasn't meant to be," Barney said, and hung up ...

He left the tavern and went back in a straight line toward Bates' building. As he entered, he found Bates on the way out. Bates' calm approach to things was gone. He looked scared.

"I'm leaving, Barney. The girl is dead. That means my testimony and mine alone would convict Ringler. He'll try to kill me if he can."

"He hasn't thought of that yet."

"But he will. I know Ringler. He'll begin to get uneasy having me around. He'll put out a contract."

"If he does that, they'll find you wherever you go."

"I can make a try at it at least. I'm not going to get taken like a sitting duck."

"There's a better way."

"I'd appreciate your telling me what it is."

"Come on back in your office ... "

While Bates watched silently, Barney dialed long distance. "Give me the governor's office in the capitol," he said.

Bates started slightly. Barney waved him down ...

"I'd like to speak to the governor," he said. "I'm calling for a very important witness in the Ringler case. What I have to say is personal and confidential."

"Just a moment please..."

Five minutes later, Barney put the phone down and smiled at Bates. "The governor, if you'll remember, is of the opposing party. He's been itching to get Ringler and his ilk out of power for a long time. So everything is fixed."

"But I'm a bigger sitting duck than ever," Bates wailed.

"You're as safe as if you were in a bank vault. A car will pick you up in less than half an hour. You'll stay under guard until this thing is over. Ringler is through can't you see that. Kane is through. There's going to be a big clean-up in this town. Flame's suicide was the spark. When it's over, Ringler won't be in a position to put out a contract on you or anybody else."

Bates thought it over. "I suppose it's the best way," he said. "But I won't relish being a public figure."

"You'll be famous," Barney said dryly. "You'll be selling your life story to the papers. They'll want a picture based on your life."

But it wasn't funny. Barney remembered saying that to Flame. God! What could he have been thinking of? What kind of a man had he been?

He snatched up the phone and dialed. His sudden anger frightened Bates.

"Who are you calling now?"

Barney frowned absently at Bates. "I don't want ' her in the city morgue," he said. "It's a hell of a place ... "

They laid Flame out in a small chapel in an uptown funeral home where Barney sent her, and he went there after a while and stood in front of the casket.

Word had not been let out. No one knew. So he was alone.

"I'm sorry," he said.

She was so achingly beautiful lying there. He bent over and kissed her cold lips and then stood motionless looking down at her for a long time.

Later, much later, he repeated his words.

"I'm sorry."

Then he turned away and saw Barbara Ames standing by the door. He went to her. "How did you find out?"

"I went to the morgue. I thought you might be there. A policeman told me."

"How long have you been waiting here?"

"A long time. It doesn't matter."

They went outside and began walking.

Barbara remained silent as she moved along beside him.

"How did you know it was-Flame?" he asked. "That you were in love with her? I'm not quite sure how I knew it. I sensed it I guess. I knew it had to be somebody."

A little later, she asked, "You were in love with her?"

"I think so. But I'm not too sure of anything now except that I don't like myself very much."

"What will happen now?"

"Ringler is through. Kane is through although he doesn't know it. In fact both of them are living in a momentary fool's paradise. The sky will fall on them tomorrow."

"I'm glad."

They came to a corner and turned. "What will you do now, Barney."

"I don't know. I'll go away, I think."

"I'll miss you."

He stopped and faced her. He took her chin in his fingers and lifted it. She said nothing as she looked up into his eyes.

"Come on," he said, "There's something I have to do."

He called a cab and they went downtown down to the lower east side. He took Barbara into the Park Hotel and sat her down in the lobby. "You wait here. I've got something to do. I'll be back ... "

Gooch and Frenchy and Lew came together at their spot.

"Where's Sammy?" Gooch asked.

"Parading around somewhere," Frenchy said with disgust.

Actually, they'd all paraded around. After the shock and the fears of the affair, there had been notoriety. People looked at them and, not being too discerning, they'd enjoyed it. Lacking in imagination, they could not visualize the coming trial going to jail. They'd lived for each day at a time, and these days had an excitement to them.

Gutsey Jake appeared in the doorway of the tavern. "Lew," he said. "There's a guy wants to see you."

Lew was pleased. "Me?"

"Uh-huh."

"Not us?" Gooch asked. "Later."

They smiled. "A newspaper guy maybe." Lew went inside. Gutsey pointed. "Down in the basement."

Mystified, Lew went down. "You wanted to see me?"

"My name is Barney Williams. You're Lewis Key?"

"Uh-huh. They call me Lew, though."

"Okay Lew " And Barney hit him.

Barney hit him squarely in the belly, his fist sinking deep. Lew's eyes bulged from surprise and sudden agony. He gagged and bent forward over himself.

Barney straightened him with an uppercut that smeared his nose with blood. Lew tried to back away.

"Wait a minute wait a minute now. I "

"You rotten little weasel!"

Barney smashed a straight left against Lew's nose. It gave. Lew squalled and back-pedaled. He went to his knees and pawed blindly upward.

"It wasn't me, mister! Honest! It wasn't me."

Barney paused--intrigued. "It wasn't you what?"

"What'd you jump me for."

"Rape, you rotten punk."

"Well, it wasn't me. I just went along. I didn't want to."

He interpreted Barney's inaction as a truce. Coming eagerly to his feet, he said, "It was them the others. I just went along."

Barney hit him in the gut again. Harder, swinging from the heels. Lew squalled and went down. He rolled into a ball.

"I'm busted! You busted something. I'm sick!"

He vomited.

Barney stepped back. He pulled Lew to his feet and pushed him to the back of the basement where he went down again. Then Barney went to the stairway and called to Gutsey.

"You can send the other two down now."

"One at a time?"

"Hell no. Send them down together ... "

Barney went back to the hotel and into the lobby and smiled at Barbara.

"Are you through with what you had to do?" .

Barney rubbed his knuckles. "I'm through."

"You look a lot better more cheerful."

"I am. I'm hungry, too."

"We can go to my place. I'll make dinner."

"All right."

They got a cab and he was silent until they were out of the cab and upstairs in Barbara's apartment.

But Barney did not take his hat off. "Pack a bag," he said. "Why?"

"We're going away."

"Where?"

"Somewhere-anywhere-across state lines."

Barbara laughed. It was all different now. "For immoral purposes?"

"Would you go?"

"Anywhere, darling any time."

"Then I'll have to marry you to keep you moral."

Her eyes questioned tremulously. "Then ? "

He knew what she was going to ask about Flame if he'd made a mistake. He hadn't, but it didn't make any difference. He knew what he wanted to do.

"Don't talk so much," he said. "Pack a bag ... "

Two hours later, they flew out over the city toward the west. They were in the lounge of a jet plane, Los Angeles-bound, and Barney looked out the window. He looked back toward the flickering lights of the city and whispered, "Good-bye, Flame sleep well."

Then he turned to Barbara: "Here's to us, darling."

But Barbara was more perceptive than he thought. She did not smile.

"I'll help you forget her, Barney."

"It's over done with."

"I'll be a good wife. I won't nag. I won't try to run your life."

He grinned. "Then it's all off. That's what I'm after. It's what I need. Somebody to start running my life."

Barbara leaned close. "Tell them to hurry, darling. Tell them to get us there quick. Then take me to a hotel. I've only had you once. I want you again. I want you now so bad I could push you right down on the floor."

"Me too," Barney whispered back.

And they both knew everything would be all right ...