Read Online Shadow of a Broken Man by George C. Chesbro - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: George C. Chesbro
Tags: Fiction, General, Mystery & Detective, Private Investigators, Mystery Fiction, Private Investigators - New York (State) - New York, Criminologists, Dwarfs, Mongo (Fictitious Character), Criminologists - New York (State) - New York, Dwarfs - New York (State) - New York
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find himself in a locked hospital room with a cop. That's when I started thinking that they'd locked me up with some kind of nut."
We sat in silence for a time while O'Connell ran a finger around the rim of his beer can. "What happened then?" I prompted.
"He just started talking. He was a good talker."
"You mean, he was just making conversation?"
"That's right. Came on like a real nice guy." O'Connell's lip curled contemptuously. "That's what I thought at the time. Now I can see what he was up to. He started talking about how tired I must be, like he was reading my mind. He was right. I was just starting in on a second tour of duty, and probably looked like hell. He suggested I sleep. I didn't intend to do any cooping on that job, but all of a sudden I couldn't keep my eyes open. Dropped right off. You see what I mean about his being a hypnotist?"
"Yeah." It was an interesting thought; I remembered Rafferty's black, brooding hawk eyes. But he hadn't hypnotized the door open. "And Rafferty was gone when you woke up?"
"Like a big bird," he said with some bitterness. "He'd locked me in."
"You're absolutely sure there was no way he could get out of that room by himself?"
"Absolutely. There wasn't even a hinge on the inside, and no way to jimmy that outside bolt. Somebody had to let him out."
"How many people could have known he was in that particular hospital?"
He considered it, finally said: "Just the two guys in the ambulance and a few people in the hospital, besides whoever knew about the orders. Maybe whoever it was found out some other way."
"With all that secrecy?" It didn't seem likely.
"I know it sounds like I'm making excuses, but somebody just had to help him get out of that room. Once out, all he had to do was walk down one of the fire exits to the street."
"Maybe you helped him." I let it drop cold and watched O'Connell's growing anger. His face blotched pink and white.
"You're calling me a liar, mister," he said in a choked whisper.
I stared at the clenched fist that had suddenly appeared under my nose. "You must have been asked the same question before."
"No, mister, I wasn't. Damn , that makes me angry! I may be a fool, but I don't give up prisoners! I ain't no crook! I'm telling you, they knew he was a hypnotist. Christ, I was sound asleep when this Lippitt walked in on me!" O'Connell squeezed the beer can until foam squirted out of the opening and rolled down over his hand. "I think you just asked your last question, Frederickson. I don't like being called a liar."
"C'mon, O'Connell," I said quietly. "I'd have to be an idiot not to ask that question."
O'Connell exhaled sharply and looked away. "What else do you want to know?"
"Tell me about this Mr. Lippitt."
"Real weirdo. There was something wrong with him: Here he is wearing a heavy overcoat in August. You could see him shiver every once in a while." He paused, staring hard into the past. "When he found out Rafferty was gone, he chewed my ass good."
Lippitt was beginning to sound like a stand-in for Boris Karloff. But he was real enough; he'd certainly made an impression on O'Connell. "He actually shivered ?" I asked. "Even with the overcoat?"
"Sure did. And it must have been eighty-five or ninety degrees; he still seemed cold. Didn't make him any less mean, though," he added as an afterthought.
"Did he say what agency he worked for?"
"No, and I didn't ask."
"Don't misunderstand me, Mr. O'Connell," I said, touching his elbow, "but I'm surprised you weren't disciplined in some way."
"The Department was thinking about it, I'm sure of that. My guess is that the weird guy talked them out of it."
"Why should Lippitt have done that?" I asked.
"I suppose he was decent enough not to want to see me punished for something that wasn't all my fault. He knew Rafferty was a hypnotist."
"Were you asked to file a report?"
He laughed. "Hell, I was told not to." He paused, coughed. "I probably shouldn't be talking about it now."
"I appreciate the
We sat in silence for a time while O'Connell ran a finger around the rim of his beer can. "What happened then?" I prompted.
"He just started talking. He was a good talker."
"You mean, he was just making conversation?"
"That's right. Came on like a real nice guy." O'Connell's lip curled contemptuously. "That's what I thought at the time. Now I can see what he was up to. He started talking about how tired I must be, like he was reading my mind. He was right. I was just starting in on a second tour of duty, and probably looked like hell. He suggested I sleep. I didn't intend to do any cooping on that job, but all of a sudden I couldn't keep my eyes open. Dropped right off. You see what I mean about his being a hypnotist?"
"Yeah." It was an interesting thought; I remembered Rafferty's black, brooding hawk eyes. But he hadn't hypnotized the door open. "And Rafferty was gone when you woke up?"
"Like a big bird," he said with some bitterness. "He'd locked me in."
"You're absolutely sure there was no way he could get out of that room by himself?"
"Absolutely. There wasn't even a hinge on the inside, and no way to jimmy that outside bolt. Somebody had to let him out."
"How many people could have known he was in that particular hospital?"
He considered it, finally said: "Just the two guys in the ambulance and a few people in the hospital, besides whoever knew about the orders. Maybe whoever it was found out some other way."
"With all that secrecy?" It didn't seem likely.
"I know it sounds like I'm making excuses, but somebody just had to help him get out of that room. Once out, all he had to do was walk down one of the fire exits to the street."
"Maybe you helped him." I let it drop cold and watched O'Connell's growing anger. His face blotched pink and white.
"You're calling me a liar, mister," he said in a choked whisper.
I stared at the clenched fist that had suddenly appeared under my nose. "You must have been asked the same question before."
"No, mister, I wasn't. Damn , that makes me angry! I may be a fool, but I don't give up prisoners! I ain't no crook! I'm telling you, they knew he was a hypnotist. Christ, I was sound asleep when this Lippitt walked in on me!" O'Connell squeezed the beer can until foam squirted out of the opening and rolled down over his hand. "I think you just asked your last question, Frederickson. I don't like being called a liar."
"C'mon, O'Connell," I said quietly. "I'd have to be an idiot not to ask that question."
O'Connell exhaled sharply and looked away. "What else do you want to know?"
"Tell me about this Mr. Lippitt."
"Real weirdo. There was something wrong with him: Here he is wearing a heavy overcoat in August. You could see him shiver every once in a while." He paused, staring hard into the past. "When he found out Rafferty was gone, he chewed my ass good."
Lippitt was beginning to sound like a stand-in for Boris Karloff. But he was real enough; he'd certainly made an impression on O'Connell. "He actually shivered ?" I asked. "Even with the overcoat?"
"Sure did. And it must have been eighty-five or ninety degrees; he still seemed cold. Didn't make him any less mean, though," he added as an afterthought.
"Did he say what agency he worked for?"
"No, and I didn't ask."
"Don't misunderstand me, Mr. O'Connell," I said, touching his elbow, "but I'm surprised you weren't disciplined in some way."
"The Department was thinking about it, I'm sure of that. My guess is that the weird guy talked them out of it."
"Why should Lippitt have done that?" I asked.
"I suppose he was decent enough not to want to see me punished for something that wasn't all my fault. He knew Rafferty was a hypnotist."
"Were you asked to file a report?"
He laughed. "Hell, I was told not to." He paused, coughed. "I probably shouldn't be talking about it now."
"I appreciate the
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