attack.
‘I bring her along to you and that’s as far as we go. Except that she wouldn’t talk. She knows something because Schultz warned her if she opened her mouth he’d come after her. Now, you know as much about it as I do.’
Peter screwed up his eyes. ‘Where does Timson come in?’ he asked. ‘You haven’t mentioned him.’
‘It wasn’t until last night when your girl mentioned his name that I remembered him. He used to manage the Chez Paree and I’ve always looked on him as a kind of stooge. What he’s doing in there I don’t know.’
‘On the face of it,’ Peter said, uneasily. ‘This Lorelli girl could have killed him. Do you think Timson came to get her back and she knocked him off and bolted?’
‘Why Timson? He’s nothing to do with Schultz. It would add up if Joe was lying in there with his throat cut.’
‘Joe? Who’s Joe?’ Peter asked, bewildered.
‘Oh, he’s just a kid Schultz has to drive his car.’
‘We can’t sit here all day making problems,’ Peter said. ‘We ought to tell the police.’
‘Sure, we’ve got to do that, but how much are we going to tell them? Do we bring in Schultz and Lorelli?’
‘We’ll have to. Otherwise they’d want to know why I didn’t sleep in my bed.’
Duke went over to the telephone. ‘I think a word with Paul might clear the air,’ he said, and dialled.
Peter lit another cigarette and began to pace up and down.
Duke watched him thoughtfully and then shifted his attention when Schultz’s voice floated over the line.
‘Paul?’ Duke said. ‘This is Harry.’
There was a pause, then Schultz said, ‘What do you want?’ His voice had a rasp in it.
‘Do you know where Lorelli is?’
‘What’s that to you?’
‘Don’t act like a dope. This is serious. I brought her to Pete Cullen’s place last night and now she’s disappeared.’
‘What the hell are you talking about?’ There was a sneering laugh in Schultz’s voice. ‘You must have been pretty drunk last night, Harry.’
Duke’s face hardened. ‘Okay, so I was pretty drunk. What makes you so sure?’
‘You were either drunk or you’ve gone crazy,’ Schultz went on. ‘Lorelli never left my side all last evening and all last night. She’s right here beside me. If you don’t believe me, ask Joe. He’ll tell you.’
‘Wait a minute,’ Duke said, feeling that Schultz was going to hang up, ‘I don’t want to talk to Joe, I want a word with Lorelli.’
‘I don’t think she wants to talk to you, but I’ll ask her,’ Schultz said.
Duke heard him say, ‘Harry Duke’s on the line. He wants to speak to you.’
There was a pause, then Lorelli’s voice came to him. ‘Yes?’ It was cool and impersonal.
‘What’s the idea?’ Duke said, ‘Schultz says you were with him all the evening. You’re not letting him get away with that, are you?’
‘Why not? Where else do you think I was?’
‘You’re a dope, sister,’ Duke said, suddenly angry. ‘When I looked in last night, your fat friend was putting a rope round your nice little neck. If I hadn’t stopped him, he’d have killed you. It’ll pay you to play with me. Where did you get to last night?’
He heard her say to Schultz, ‘Here you speak to him. He’s crazy.’
Before Schultz could get back on the line, Duke hung up. He looked at Peter with cold intent eyes.
‘She’s back with Schultz,’ he said, briefly. ‘Her story is she never left his side all night. Joe’s their witness. We’ve got to think up something fast, Pete, or we might get nailed by the cops.’
Peter went a little white. ‘Why, that’s ridiculous. They can’t get away with that.’
Duke stretched. ‘I’m afraid they can,’ he said. ‘If we can’t explain Timson away, we might even burn for this. The cops would be glad of a chance to pin something on me.’
‘What the hell can we do?’ Peter said, running his fingers through his hair.
‘Wait here a second,’ Duke said, and went into the
‘I bring her along to you and that’s as far as we go. Except that she wouldn’t talk. She knows something because Schultz warned her if she opened her mouth he’d come after her. Now, you know as much about it as I do.’
Peter screwed up his eyes. ‘Where does Timson come in?’ he asked. ‘You haven’t mentioned him.’
‘It wasn’t until last night when your girl mentioned his name that I remembered him. He used to manage the Chez Paree and I’ve always looked on him as a kind of stooge. What he’s doing in there I don’t know.’
‘On the face of it,’ Peter said, uneasily. ‘This Lorelli girl could have killed him. Do you think Timson came to get her back and she knocked him off and bolted?’
‘Why Timson? He’s nothing to do with Schultz. It would add up if Joe was lying in there with his throat cut.’
‘Joe? Who’s Joe?’ Peter asked, bewildered.
‘Oh, he’s just a kid Schultz has to drive his car.’
‘We can’t sit here all day making problems,’ Peter said. ‘We ought to tell the police.’
‘Sure, we’ve got to do that, but how much are we going to tell them? Do we bring in Schultz and Lorelli?’
‘We’ll have to. Otherwise they’d want to know why I didn’t sleep in my bed.’
Duke went over to the telephone. ‘I think a word with Paul might clear the air,’ he said, and dialled.
Peter lit another cigarette and began to pace up and down.
Duke watched him thoughtfully and then shifted his attention when Schultz’s voice floated over the line.
‘Paul?’ Duke said. ‘This is Harry.’
There was a pause, then Schultz said, ‘What do you want?’ His voice had a rasp in it.
‘Do you know where Lorelli is?’
‘What’s that to you?’
‘Don’t act like a dope. This is serious. I brought her to Pete Cullen’s place last night and now she’s disappeared.’
‘What the hell are you talking about?’ There was a sneering laugh in Schultz’s voice. ‘You must have been pretty drunk last night, Harry.’
Duke’s face hardened. ‘Okay, so I was pretty drunk. What makes you so sure?’
‘You were either drunk or you’ve gone crazy,’ Schultz went on. ‘Lorelli never left my side all last evening and all last night. She’s right here beside me. If you don’t believe me, ask Joe. He’ll tell you.’
‘Wait a minute,’ Duke said, feeling that Schultz was going to hang up, ‘I don’t want to talk to Joe, I want a word with Lorelli.’
‘I don’t think she wants to talk to you, but I’ll ask her,’ Schultz said.
Duke heard him say, ‘Harry Duke’s on the line. He wants to speak to you.’
There was a pause, then Lorelli’s voice came to him. ‘Yes?’ It was cool and impersonal.
‘What’s the idea?’ Duke said, ‘Schultz says you were with him all the evening. You’re not letting him get away with that, are you?’
‘Why not? Where else do you think I was?’
‘You’re a dope, sister,’ Duke said, suddenly angry. ‘When I looked in last night, your fat friend was putting a rope round your nice little neck. If I hadn’t stopped him, he’d have killed you. It’ll pay you to play with me. Where did you get to last night?’
He heard her say to Schultz, ‘Here you speak to him. He’s crazy.’
Before Schultz could get back on the line, Duke hung up. He looked at Peter with cold intent eyes.
‘She’s back with Schultz,’ he said, briefly. ‘Her story is she never left his side all night. Joe’s their witness. We’ve got to think up something fast, Pete, or we might get nailed by the cops.’
Peter went a little white. ‘Why, that’s ridiculous. They can’t get away with that.’
Duke stretched. ‘I’m afraid they can,’ he said. ‘If we can’t explain Timson away, we might even burn for this. The cops would be glad of a chance to pin something on me.’
‘What the hell can we do?’ Peter said, running his fingers through his hair.
‘Wait here a second,’ Duke said, and went into the
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