face crinkled into a smile and he looked quite human.
“Can’t say I blame you,” he said. “I guess I would have done the same thing. But it’s not the kind of thing I’d recommend you to try again.”
I said I wouldn’t try it again.
“You realize how lucky you have been?” he said. “You could have got yourself nailed for murder. But the doc says she was stabbed at least two hours before you entered the cabin. She took that time to die. He could tell by the blood on her and on the floor.”
“How did your men know she was there?”
“Some guy spotted you going into the cabin. He was taking a look at the scene of the crime, so he says; he spotted you and called headquarters.”
“What wouldn’t we do without the great American public?” I said. “No sign of the killer, of course?”
Rankin shook his head.
Then I asked the sixty-four dollar question.
“Any idea who she is?”
Rankin stubbed out his cigarette, then sat back while he and Holding exchanged glances.
Holding shrugged.
“It’s pretty obvious she’s the woman who called for Sheppey at his hotel this morning. What she has been doing from eleven o’clock this morning up to the time of her death defeats me. She was still wearing the swimsuit she had on when she left Sheppey.”
“Have you been able to identify her yet?”
“A girl named Thelma Cousins has been reported missing by her landlady. The landlady said she hadn’t been back since she left for work this morning. We got her to look at the body. She says the girl is Thelma Cousins. We’re getting a second check on her. The man she works for is on his way down now.”
“Who is he?”
Rankin supplied the information, which had me suddenly pointing like a gun dog.
“His name is Marcus Hahn,” he said. “He’s a phony who runs a pottery racket he calls the School of Ceramics out at Arrow point. The girl worked in his showroom.”
II
I had to decide whether to tell them about the folder of matches I had found in Sheppey’s luggage and the odd tie-up between the folder and this School of Ceramics or whether to say nothing.
I told myself that maybe this wasn’t the time for a complete exchange of confidences. I had to make sure first that Rankin was going to find Sheppey’s killer. Although he was in charge of the investigation that didn’t mean he had a free hand. He could still be blocked by Katchen on Creedy’s orders. I wasn’t going to hand him anything on a plate until I was sure he meant business.
Rankin said, “We want to find out what Sheppey and this girl were up to. It’s my bet she had a boyfriend and he fixed them both.”
I looked over at Holding. His face had gone blank and he had begun to fidget with the pen tray.
“It shouldn’t be difficult to find out if she had a boyfriend,” I said.
“Hahn may know something.” Rankin looked at his watch. “I guess I’d better go over to the morgue. He should be down any moment now.” He looked at Holding. “Okay?”
“Oh, sure,” Holding said.
I made a move to get up, but Holding lifted his hand.
“I’d like to run over your statement just once more, Mr. Brandon. You get off, Lieutenant.”
Rankin got to his feet, nodded to me, and went out.
There was a long pause after he had shut the door, then Holding pulled a pipe from his pocket and began to fill it. I took that as a signal that we were going to be chummy and I fetched out my pack of Luckies and lit one.
“You had a talk with Captain Katchen this morning?” Holding said, not looking at me.
“You might call it that. It was a little one sided, but I managed to sound off in the end. I collected a slap in the face for my trouble, but I’m not complaining.”
“Something was said about Lee Creedy,” Holding said, looking up.
“Something was said about Lee Creedy,” I said, watching him.
His small hard eyes searched my face.
“You mentioned his name to Katchen?”
“I did.”
“You are under the impression that
“Can’t say I blame you,” he said. “I guess I would have done the same thing. But it’s not the kind of thing I’d recommend you to try again.”
I said I wouldn’t try it again.
“You realize how lucky you have been?” he said. “You could have got yourself nailed for murder. But the doc says she was stabbed at least two hours before you entered the cabin. She took that time to die. He could tell by the blood on her and on the floor.”
“How did your men know she was there?”
“Some guy spotted you going into the cabin. He was taking a look at the scene of the crime, so he says; he spotted you and called headquarters.”
“What wouldn’t we do without the great American public?” I said. “No sign of the killer, of course?”
Rankin shook his head.
Then I asked the sixty-four dollar question.
“Any idea who she is?”
Rankin stubbed out his cigarette, then sat back while he and Holding exchanged glances.
Holding shrugged.
“It’s pretty obvious she’s the woman who called for Sheppey at his hotel this morning. What she has been doing from eleven o’clock this morning up to the time of her death defeats me. She was still wearing the swimsuit she had on when she left Sheppey.”
“Have you been able to identify her yet?”
“A girl named Thelma Cousins has been reported missing by her landlady. The landlady said she hadn’t been back since she left for work this morning. We got her to look at the body. She says the girl is Thelma Cousins. We’re getting a second check on her. The man she works for is on his way down now.”
“Who is he?”
Rankin supplied the information, which had me suddenly pointing like a gun dog.
“His name is Marcus Hahn,” he said. “He’s a phony who runs a pottery racket he calls the School of Ceramics out at Arrow point. The girl worked in his showroom.”
II
I had to decide whether to tell them about the folder of matches I had found in Sheppey’s luggage and the odd tie-up between the folder and this School of Ceramics or whether to say nothing.
I told myself that maybe this wasn’t the time for a complete exchange of confidences. I had to make sure first that Rankin was going to find Sheppey’s killer. Although he was in charge of the investigation that didn’t mean he had a free hand. He could still be blocked by Katchen on Creedy’s orders. I wasn’t going to hand him anything on a plate until I was sure he meant business.
Rankin said, “We want to find out what Sheppey and this girl were up to. It’s my bet she had a boyfriend and he fixed them both.”
I looked over at Holding. His face had gone blank and he had begun to fidget with the pen tray.
“It shouldn’t be difficult to find out if she had a boyfriend,” I said.
“Hahn may know something.” Rankin looked at his watch. “I guess I’d better go over to the morgue. He should be down any moment now.” He looked at Holding. “Okay?”
“Oh, sure,” Holding said.
I made a move to get up, but Holding lifted his hand.
“I’d like to run over your statement just once more, Mr. Brandon. You get off, Lieutenant.”
Rankin got to his feet, nodded to me, and went out.
There was a long pause after he had shut the door, then Holding pulled a pipe from his pocket and began to fill it. I took that as a signal that we were going to be chummy and I fetched out my pack of Luckies and lit one.
“You had a talk with Captain Katchen this morning?” Holding said, not looking at me.
“You might call it that. It was a little one sided, but I managed to sound off in the end. I collected a slap in the face for my trouble, but I’m not complaining.”
“Something was said about Lee Creedy,” Holding said, looking up.
“Something was said about Lee Creedy,” I said, watching him.
His small hard eyes searched my face.
“You mentioned his name to Katchen?”
“I did.”
“You are under the impression that
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