Prisoner's Base

I was pointing the gun at the dope, and he was standing with his arms straight up as far as he could reach. There wasn't a chance in a million that he was accoutered, but I gave him a few quick pats to make sure. "Have you seen Mrs. Jaffee in the last half-hour? Or heard her? Talk fast. Have you?"

"No! She came-"

"Into the elevator. Step on it! Sixth floor."

He obeyed. We started up. "You're crazy," he said. "That hackie will have a cop here in no time."

I saved my breath. The cage stopped. "On out," I told him, "and to Six B." He hooked the door open and preceded me along the hall. At the door of 6B he put his thumb to the button.

"I'll do that," I said. "You get out your keys and open the door."

"But I'm not supposed-"

That dope never knew how close he was to getting slammed down with a hunk of metal. I knew damned well I was too late, and it would have helped a little to clop eight or nine people, beginning with him. But as I gave the gun a jerk he went for his keys. For the record, I pressed a finger against the bell button and kept it there while he was unlocking the door. When he had it open I pushed him through ahead of me, but only two steps in he stopped, and I quit pushing.

She was lying off to the right, about halfway to the entrance to the living room, her body in a twisted position, one leg straight out and one bent. Her face was in full view from where we stood, and there was no question about being too late, as was natural in a case of throttling. She was not recognizable.

The dope made a movement, and I grabbed his arm and whirled him around.

"Christ Almighty," he said, and it looked as if he were about to blubber.

"Take the elevator down," I told him, "and stay there. The cops will want it."

I shoved him out and closed the door and turned. There was no time for a job, but a glance was enough. She had followed instructions all right, but had never reached the outside door. Three paces from where she lay a closet door was standing open. He had been ambushed there, and, as she passed, had swung the door open and hit her with a bronze tiger, a bookend. It was there on the floor. He had then finished up with a doubled cord from a Venetian blind, also there on the floor. Everything was right there.