Shayon. That’s why I hid the dynamite at his place.”
Holt said, “The other night in your room, you confessed the Linneker murder to me because, as you put it, it wasn’t decent to let another man take the blame. Now you claim you tried to frame this same man. Which time was the lie, Farnum?”
“The other time,” Farnum mumbled. “I’m telling the truth now.”
“In that case, you shouldn’t object to taking a lie detector test, should you?”
“I don’t want any of that crap!” Farnum cried immediately and his voice shook. “You can’t make me do that. I know my rights and privileges under the law and I don’t have to. Just leave me alone!”
The phrase “rights and privileges under the law” had an odd sound on Farnum’s lips as if he were parroting something he had been taught. Holt wondered who the teacher had been. Not Farnum’s attorney certainly, since he had none. Holt said, “I’m anxious to protect your rights and privileges, too. Why don’t you help me?”
Farnum wouldn’t look at him. “I haven’t got anything to say.”
Holt sighed. “If you change your mind, call me.” Farnum didn’t reply. Holt got up and shouted for the turnkey. When he left, Farnum was still sitting on the edge of his bunk, staring at the floor.
CHAPTER TWELVE
A DAIR had left word that he wanted to see Holt in his office, which suited Holt just fine. He considered that he had carried this particular load as far as he could by himself.
Adair was in a good mood, still basking in the warmth of the Linneker case wind-up. “Just wanted to ask when you figure on leaving. If it’s going to be soon, I’m going to start Burnett on the preliminary.”
“I was sort of planning on getting away tomorrow,” said Holt. “Until this other thing came up.”
“Didn’t want to take it away from you if you’re going to be here to handle it, since it’s your baby, after all.” Adair continued. Then he frowned, as if just realizing what his assistant had said. “What other thing you talking about, Mitch?”
Holt took the police dynamite survey out of his breast pocket and tapped the folded sheaf of paper on his knee for a moment before answering. “This is going to sound pretty wild to you,” he confessed finally, “but I think I’m duty bound to report it anyway.”
Adair waited, his face assuming its usual stony inscrutability.
Holt said, “It’s the question of the dynamite that McCoy and Quinlan found at Shayon’s apartment.”
“I thought that was all settled. Didn’t you get my note?”
“Yes, and I’ve also talked with Farnum about it. It still doesn’t make sense to me. Let me lay it out for you. First of all, Farnum confessed to the murder because, so he said, he didn’t want to see an innocent man suffer. When questioned, he denied planting the dynamite or, for that matter, ever being within a couple of miles of Shayon’s place. Two days later, he changed his story completely. Why?”
“Oh, I don’t think that’s so much of a problem,” said Adair, relaxing. He had obviously expected something much worse from the way Holt had commenced. “Weren’t you the one who said he was a paranoiac? You can’t expect rational behaviour from him.’’
“I agree with you — up to a point. I suggested a lie detector test to Farnum today. He would have nothing to lose, certainly. Yet he refused, went all to pieces, started quoting his legal rights and so forth.”
Adair rocked back and forth in his chair slowly. “Mitch, aren’t you making a mighty big mountain out of a pretty small molehill? Just what are you attempting to prove, anyhow?”
Holt opened the dynamite survey to the appropriate page and pushed it across the desk to the district attorney. “Read where I marked it.”
Adair did so, frowning. “Loren McCoy, Whiteside, California, fifty sticks Black Fox brand dynamite with blasting caps, purchased from Heartland Hardware Company, September 5 … What is all this,
Holt said, “The other night in your room, you confessed the Linneker murder to me because, as you put it, it wasn’t decent to let another man take the blame. Now you claim you tried to frame this same man. Which time was the lie, Farnum?”
“The other time,” Farnum mumbled. “I’m telling the truth now.”
“In that case, you shouldn’t object to taking a lie detector test, should you?”
“I don’t want any of that crap!” Farnum cried immediately and his voice shook. “You can’t make me do that. I know my rights and privileges under the law and I don’t have to. Just leave me alone!”
The phrase “rights and privileges under the law” had an odd sound on Farnum’s lips as if he were parroting something he had been taught. Holt wondered who the teacher had been. Not Farnum’s attorney certainly, since he had none. Holt said, “I’m anxious to protect your rights and privileges, too. Why don’t you help me?”
Farnum wouldn’t look at him. “I haven’t got anything to say.”
Holt sighed. “If you change your mind, call me.” Farnum didn’t reply. Holt got up and shouted for the turnkey. When he left, Farnum was still sitting on the edge of his bunk, staring at the floor.
CHAPTER TWELVE
A DAIR had left word that he wanted to see Holt in his office, which suited Holt just fine. He considered that he had carried this particular load as far as he could by himself.
Adair was in a good mood, still basking in the warmth of the Linneker case wind-up. “Just wanted to ask when you figure on leaving. If it’s going to be soon, I’m going to start Burnett on the preliminary.”
“I was sort of planning on getting away tomorrow,” said Holt. “Until this other thing came up.”
“Didn’t want to take it away from you if you’re going to be here to handle it, since it’s your baby, after all.” Adair continued. Then he frowned, as if just realizing what his assistant had said. “What other thing you talking about, Mitch?”
Holt took the police dynamite survey out of his breast pocket and tapped the folded sheaf of paper on his knee for a moment before answering. “This is going to sound pretty wild to you,” he confessed finally, “but I think I’m duty bound to report it anyway.”
Adair waited, his face assuming its usual stony inscrutability.
Holt said, “It’s the question of the dynamite that McCoy and Quinlan found at Shayon’s apartment.”
“I thought that was all settled. Didn’t you get my note?”
“Yes, and I’ve also talked with Farnum about it. It still doesn’t make sense to me. Let me lay it out for you. First of all, Farnum confessed to the murder because, so he said, he didn’t want to see an innocent man suffer. When questioned, he denied planting the dynamite or, for that matter, ever being within a couple of miles of Shayon’s place. Two days later, he changed his story completely. Why?”
“Oh, I don’t think that’s so much of a problem,” said Adair, relaxing. He had obviously expected something much worse from the way Holt had commenced. “Weren’t you the one who said he was a paranoiac? You can’t expect rational behaviour from him.’’
“I agree with you — up to a point. I suggested a lie detector test to Farnum today. He would have nothing to lose, certainly. Yet he refused, went all to pieces, started quoting his legal rights and so forth.”
Adair rocked back and forth in his chair slowly. “Mitch, aren’t you making a mighty big mountain out of a pretty small molehill? Just what are you attempting to prove, anyhow?”
Holt opened the dynamite survey to the appropriate page and pushed it across the desk to the district attorney. “Read where I marked it.”
Adair did so, frowning. “Loren McCoy, Whiteside, California, fifty sticks Black Fox brand dynamite with blasting caps, purchased from Heartland Hardware Company, September 5 … What is all this,
Similar Books
