Read Online The Criminal by Jim Thompson - Free Book Online Page A

"for the present at least. He admits intimacy with the girl, but the rape if any would seem to have been the other way around. All the people in that neighborhood-her own parents, for that matter-say she was pretty much of a chaser. She'd take out after anything that wore pants while this boy, on the other hand, did everything he could to keep out of her-"
    "But he was intimate with her."
    "This one time, yes. But he was miles away at the time she was strangled. Honestly, Captain, I-"
    "Can he prove that he was miles away?"
    "Well-well, perhaps not. He doesn't have any iron-clad alibi. But he went out to the golf course several days a week, we know that much. We know what kind of a boy he is- character-wise-and the kind of girl she was. Under the circumstances, the d.a. is reasonably satisfied that he's telling the truth. He went on to the golf course. She lingered in the canyon waiting for a chance to slip into her house and get her clothes changed. Someone came along and found her there- they've fixed the time of her death at about noon-and-"
    "And who might that mysterious someone be, Don? Does the d.a. have another suspect?"
    "Not at present, no," I said. "They think it might have been some hobo, someone that dropped off a freight there where they slow down for the trestle. I understand that quite a few tramps, because of the water and the trees-"
    "But the d.a. doesn't have anyone in custody? Aside from Talbert, there are no other suspects and there is every chance that there will be no other?"
    "Well-"
    "We've flubbed a good story, Don. Moreover, we've been remiss in our duty to the public. We don't know the facts in this case. We haven't given the public the facts. Just what do we know about this boy, anyway? What do we know about his background, his character, what he might or might not do? How do we know the district attorney has done his job thoroughly? How do we know he isn't soft- headed or incompetent? We don't, do we? We don't have anything to go on but his word. We've failed our trust to our readers."
    I shook my head. Hell, it was a juvenile case, wasn't it? How could you, with no real evidence to go on, smear a-.
    "It's a murder case, Don. Murder and rape. There's been too much hush-hush about these juvenile criminals. We've got to call a halt, and this is an ideal time to begin."
    An ideal story, he meant. It had just about everything. Young love and sex and murder and mystery. With the opposition still playing ethical-.
    "We'll run them off the stands, Don. By the time they wake up, it'll be too late. It'll be our story with the readers."
    "Yes, sir," I said. "But-"
    But why not kidnap the kid and hang him from the flagpole? That would make a good story, too, and it wouldn't be any worse than this.
    "Don't misunderstand me, Don. All we want is facts, no distortions or exaggerations. We find out everything we can about this boy. We see that the d.a. and the police do their jobs properly. That's all. We don't try the case in the newspaper."
    Oh, we don't, huh? What the hell did he call it? All the facts, all the dirt we could dig up and nothing to offset it. The "facts" and the d.a. doing his job-doing a job if he wanted to keep his.
    "All right, sir," I said. "I understand."
    "I read your quarterly report, Don. It's quite good."
    "Thank you, sir," I said. "I thought you'd be pleased with it."
    "Yes, it's good. For a man getting twenty-two thousand five hundred. My very best wishes to Teddy, Don, and please do everything you can for her."
    He hung up.
    I hung up.
    I glanced at the clock, squeezed my forehead between my hands. It was too much, by God; a man can take just so goddamned much and then he's had it.
    I snatched up the phone, called for a conference hookup and gave news, and telegraph and city desk the word on the late-noon. Then, I told the city editor, Mack Dudley, to drag his ass in, and, yes, those were the words I used.
    He came in, carefully dosing the door behind him. I waited until he started