Read Online The Jugger by Richard Stark - Free Book Online

seen it before. He shook his head and tucked the gun away inside his coat. 'Come on. Let's go see him.'
     
     
TWO
     
    THE room was full of law. Apparently somebody on Younger's force had invited the state police to attend after all; the pack of technical men, with their cameras and chalk, powders and notebooks and little white envelopes, all seemed too professional, too sleek, too quiet and efficient to be any part of the local law.
     
    The local law was three dough-faced farm hands in rumpled blue uniforms, standing around the room looking for traffic to direct.
     
    Parker stood there near the door and watched. When they'd come in, Younger had looked at the pros at work, had cursed under his breath, and had told Parker. 'You wait right there. Don't talk to nobody.' Now he was across the room talking to the guy who must be in charge of the state men; a tall, straight, strong-looking guy with a grey crewcut and a professor's face.
     
    Parker watched and waited. From where he was standing, he could see Tiftus on the floor next to the bed. He wasn't much to look at. He'd been turned away, so the shovel — or whatever the guy had used — had hit him on the back of the head, cracking his skull like so many pieces of egg shell. He'd fallen on his face, blood and hair had mixed together to make a little thatched roof on the back of his head, and he'd died.
     
    The technicians worked around him now as though they expected to launch him into space.
     
    Across the room, Younger wasn't being happy. He was trying to argue, but he wasn't winning. The state man was being polite but firm, and Parker could see that Younger didn't stand a chance.
     
    Younger saw it too, after a while; and gave up. He came back over to Parker and said, 'We got to talk.'
     
    'We do?'
     
    'Out in the hall'
     
    Parker knew it was a dumb move, but this was Younger's party right now. He followed Younger out to the hall, feeling the state man's eyes on his back all the way.
     
    In the hall, down a way from the door, Younger turned and standing close to the wall, said, 'You're in the clear on killing him.'
     
    'And?'
     
    'With me,' Younger said, '
I
know you're in the clear. They don't.'
     
    'Why not?'
     
    Younger was taking some satisfaction from this exchange, evening the score for losing with the state man. He took his time. 'They know when he was killed. Within half an hour they know it. I was already with you then. I'm your alibi.'
     
    Parker said, 'And I'm yours.'
     
    Younger was surprised. 'Mine? What the hell do I need with an alibi?'
     
    'You're looking for something, and so was Tiftus.'
     
    'And so are you, God damn it.'
     
    Parker shrugged.
     
    Younger said, 'We don't have much time, Willis, don't waste it with a lot of crap. I'm your alibi, that's the point, I'm your alibi if I want to be. If I don't want to be, you've had it.'
     
    'You didn't say anything yet?'
     
    'Not a word. Regan, the guy I was talking to, he wants to ask you some questions.'
     
    'Why?'
     
    'Because it's your room. Because you're a stranger here and so is that guy whatchamacallim, and because you knew each other.'
     
    Parker nodded. 'So you want to deal.'
     
    'Partners,' Younger told him. 'Fifty-fifty split, all the way.'
     
    'I don't know where the stuff is.'
     
    'So we'll both look for it, we'll team up.' Younger jabbed a thumb at the room they'd just left. '
Somebody
killed him,' he said. 'It wasn't you and it wasn't me. So there's somebody else in this. We got to stick together for our own good.'
     
    The best thing now was to ride along with Younger and look for a chance to get the edge. Parker said, 'It's a deal.'
     
    Younger seemed relieved. 'That's good,' he said. 'We still got to let Regan talk to you, but don't worry, I'll be right there with you.'
     
    Parker wasn't worried. He said, 'Afterwards, I want to get out of the hotel.'
     
    Younger was suddenly suspicious. 'Why? Where you want to go?'
     
    'Back to Joe's house.'
     
    'We