Read Online Judge Me Not by John D. MacDonald - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: John D. MacDonald
Ads: Link
since Mark married her. Pretty sure I knew three boys who bedded her down.” He counted them off slowly on languid fingers, yellowed by nicotine. “Lonnie Raval. Luke Koalwitz. Judge Kennelty. Heard ’em comparing notes at the Lantana Brothers picnic last summer. Sort of had a hunger for the mature type, I guess.” He smiled without mirth. “Covering the City Hall beat, Rich, did you get to cover that too?”
Seward, astonishingly, blushed. “I was out there one day trying to get an interview with Carboy. That was when he was staying out of sight on account of that bus-franchise squabble. He wasn’t home, but she was. After about ten minutes I suddenly realized I was going to get myself into a position where I’d have to write nice things about the Mayor, just to ease my conscience. So I got out of there fast. I think she was a little peeved at me.”
Leighton turned his deep-eyed dusty stare on Teed. “Figuring it out, boy, I’d say she’d fling her tail at anybody who’d either do Mark good, or do him less harm. So I’m sort of putting you on the list too. Mind?”
Teed made himself grin. “And I was thinking it was my personal charm. O.K., Captain. If you’re going to try to help, I might as well come clean. Add me to that list.”
Seward looked at him with something close to contempt and turned away.
Leighton said softly, “I suppose you took her up to that camp.”
“She would come up by herself and meet me there. Week-end afternoons, and then only since the other camps have been closed.” Seward stood looking out the windows, his hands behind him, rocking back and forth from toe to heel.
“She try to pump you? Find out what Dennison is planning?”
“In a subtle way. I never told her anything. We broke up … a while back when she tried to tell me to take it easy on her husband.”
“I suppose people saw her driving up there and back.”
“I don’t know.”
Leighton sighed. “Seward seems to think I’m willing to go out on a limb for you, Morrow.”
“I’m not so sure now,” Seward snapped, not turning.
“It ain’t a moral issue, Ritch,” Leighton said softly. “It’s a murder situation. They keep me on the cops, boy, so they can look at my beat-up clothes and my old heap of a car and my goddam mortgage and they can say, ‘See, we got an honest officer on the force here in Deron.’ So I keep my nose reasonably clean, Morrow. When I go out on a limb, I don’t want any son of a bitch sawing it off close to the trunk. Now stop looking at the rug and look at my eyes, Morrow. Did you kill her?” His voice sounded like two files being rubbed together.
“No. I didn’t kill her.”
“Was she out at your camp last night with you messing around with her?”
“No.”
“She gave you any little keepsakes that could tie the two of you together?”
“No.”
“They liable to find anything of yours among her stuff?”
“Not a thing.”
He pulled himself slowly out of the chair. “I don’t condemn you on moral grounds, Morrow. Better men than you and me have done like that little old dog on the railroad tracks. I just think it was damn poor judgment for a man in your position to fediddle the Mayor’s wife.”
“I know that, now.”
“I think they’ll try to hurt Dennison through you. Hurt what he’s trying to do. I don’t like having that car planted outside your place. Might be, they’ll haul you in on suspicion and beat the hell out of you. Do you think you can take it?”
“I think so.”
“They’ll want you to talk about everything Dennison is planning to do. No man can take it for too long. So after I arrange about this car, I’m going to talk to Armando Rogale. He’s a tough little wop lawyer and a fighter. And he knows his way around. Soon as you drop out of circulation I’ll figure they’re hiding you in one of the precincts, and I’ll sick Armando on ’em. Anybody asks you, he’s your lawyer.”
“What are you going to do about the
Seward, astonishingly, blushed. “I was out there one day trying to get an interview with Carboy. That was when he was staying out of sight on account of that bus-franchise squabble. He wasn’t home, but she was. After about ten minutes I suddenly realized I was going to get myself into a position where I’d have to write nice things about the Mayor, just to ease my conscience. So I got out of there fast. I think she was a little peeved at me.”
Leighton turned his deep-eyed dusty stare on Teed. “Figuring it out, boy, I’d say she’d fling her tail at anybody who’d either do Mark good, or do him less harm. So I’m sort of putting you on the list too. Mind?”
Teed made himself grin. “And I was thinking it was my personal charm. O.K., Captain. If you’re going to try to help, I might as well come clean. Add me to that list.”
Seward looked at him with something close to contempt and turned away.
Leighton said softly, “I suppose you took her up to that camp.”
“She would come up by herself and meet me there. Week-end afternoons, and then only since the other camps have been closed.” Seward stood looking out the windows, his hands behind him, rocking back and forth from toe to heel.
“She try to pump you? Find out what Dennison is planning?”
“In a subtle way. I never told her anything. We broke up … a while back when she tried to tell me to take it easy on her husband.”
“I suppose people saw her driving up there and back.”
“I don’t know.”
Leighton sighed. “Seward seems to think I’m willing to go out on a limb for you, Morrow.”
“I’m not so sure now,” Seward snapped, not turning.
“It ain’t a moral issue, Ritch,” Leighton said softly. “It’s a murder situation. They keep me on the cops, boy, so they can look at my beat-up clothes and my old heap of a car and my goddam mortgage and they can say, ‘See, we got an honest officer on the force here in Deron.’ So I keep my nose reasonably clean, Morrow. When I go out on a limb, I don’t want any son of a bitch sawing it off close to the trunk. Now stop looking at the rug and look at my eyes, Morrow. Did you kill her?” His voice sounded like two files being rubbed together.
“No. I didn’t kill her.”
“Was she out at your camp last night with you messing around with her?”
“No.”
“She gave you any little keepsakes that could tie the two of you together?”
“No.”
“They liable to find anything of yours among her stuff?”
“Not a thing.”
He pulled himself slowly out of the chair. “I don’t condemn you on moral grounds, Morrow. Better men than you and me have done like that little old dog on the railroad tracks. I just think it was damn poor judgment for a man in your position to fediddle the Mayor’s wife.”
“I know that, now.”
“I think they’ll try to hurt Dennison through you. Hurt what he’s trying to do. I don’t like having that car planted outside your place. Might be, they’ll haul you in on suspicion and beat the hell out of you. Do you think you can take it?”
“I think so.”
“They’ll want you to talk about everything Dennison is planning to do. No man can take it for too long. So after I arrange about this car, I’m going to talk to Armando Rogale. He’s a tough little wop lawyer and a fighter. And he knows his way around. Soon as you drop out of circulation I’ll figure they’re hiding you in one of the precincts, and I’ll sick Armando on ’em. Anybody asks you, he’s your lawyer.”
“What are you going to do about the
Similar Books
