Manhunt. Volume 9, Number 1, February 1961

I drove the cab up a few blocks and turned west to Broadway and when I saw a big drugstore I parked it and went in to a phone booth. Now I had to get the information I needed. I got a lucky break. The Night Wire Chief at the telephone company office was a guy I knew — he didn’t hesitate when I told him what I wanted. I gave him the number Larry Coster had dialed from his apartment.

“Call me back in about five minutes, Bill, and I should have the dope for you then,” he said.

That only left Inspector O’Leary. I took a deep breath and called Police Headquarters and asked for his office. When I told the cop who answered who was calling I didn’t have to wait for O’Leary. He almost came through the phone at me.

He had no trouble getting the words out now. He was icily sarcastic, his words hit me and stung me like a high-pressure needle shower. He went on for over a minute until I started to wonder if he were trying to trace the call, then I remembered it was practically impossible to trace a call over a dial system in a city.

“...and now the Commissioner knows about it and if you think I’m going to cover you five minutes more you’re out of your mind. I wouldn’t care if you got back ten million dollars worth of jewelry today you had no right to leave that room when that man died. It’s a felony and I personally will throw the book at you if you don’t get right down here...”

When he slowed down a little I tried to tell him about Coster. That made it worse.

“Ah, yes. I just learned how truly heroic you were. You went right up there alone and placed him under arrest. I’m going to call the Mayor right away and have him proclaim a whole week’s celebration for everyone in the city for such a great thing. But we have over twenty thousand men in the Police Department in New York and the dumbest cluck on the force could have done the same thing and probably better.”

“Look, Inspector,” I said. “You know why I went up there. I had to try to find out where Leon Schell is so we could get to him before he finds out about Monk. If he takes off we’ll never find him. I thought...”

“Did you find out?”

“I asked him where Schell was,” I told him truthfully. “He laughed at me, told me to find him myself.”

“Do you know where Schell is?”

“No, Inspector, I honestly don’t.”

“Well, you don’t have to worry about it. After your fine day’s work you should rest up a little. I’ll put a couple of hundred of those twenty thousand men on the case and maybe they can do almost as good a job as you could do. Mind you, I only said maybe.”

He was getting under my skin but I tried to reason with him.

“Inspector, you know that even if you do grab Schell it won’t do any good. We only have a circumstantial case against him and he’d have a high-powered lawyer get it thrown out before we even went to trial. We have to get something on him to tie him directly to this job, and you know I’m the only one who can possibly get close enough to him to do it. You’ve got to let me try.”

“No! Absolutely not, Young. Murder is still a more serious crime than robbing a safe. I don’t care if we ever convict Leon Schell. I want you in so we can clear up this Saunders death.”

“He tried to gun-whip me,” I said. “When I fought back and hit him with an ash tray I cut his face open and he fell back and cracked his skull. It was self defense. I certainly didn’t murder him.”

His voice became even more sarcastic. “I know that, Young. Believe it or not I did get a report from the men up there. But I’m only a dumb cop, remember? To me any death by violence is murder, until a Grand Jury decides otherwise. So all you have to do is make a sworn statement to a District Attorney and then tell your story to a Grand Jury — if they believe it then it’s self defense. But you’re not supposed to tell me about it over a telephone. That’s why I want you in — now!”

I still wanted a chance at Leon Schell. I was willing to plead.

“Please, Inspector. All I need is an hour, maybe two. I have an idea that I think might work. I want to...”

“Where are you now?” he interrupted.

I gave him a location fifteen blocks away.

“Wait there,” he said. “I’ll send a radio car right over to pick you up. Don’t leave there, you understand?”

“I’m sorry, Inspector, but I want Leon Schell convicted. I have to leave.”

He had a lot of trouble getting the words out then, but when they came they were five times as loud as before.

“...and so help me, Young, if you leave there, I’ll ruin you. I’ll indict you for everything I can find. I’ll put a general alarm out for you for murder...”

I’d have to take my chances on that. I put the receiver back on the hook gently. The booth wasn’t hot but my face and neck were wet from perspiration. I took out my handkerchief and dried off and lit a cigarette.