Safer Dead

‘Then I’ll take care of him. I used to be pretty good with a rod. They didn’t call me Killer Sladen for nothing.’

Scaife and Peters laughed, but Bernie recoiled.

‘Put it away. That’s how accidents happen.’ He leaned forward and shoved his fat chin at me. ‘Where do you get this “we” stuff from? You won’t catch me on the streets after dark. I’m going to stay right here until he’s caught. If you want to be a hero, go ahead and be a hero. I’m staying right here.’

I looked helplessly at Peters and Scaife.

‘See what I have to put up with? The guy’s got no enterprise.’

‘What are you worrying about, kid?’ Scaife asked Bernie. ‘I’ll take care of you.’

‘I’m staying right here,’ Bernie said firmly.

I sat down.

‘Relax,’ I said. ‘Let’s do some work.’

‘I don’t mind working, that’s what I get paid for, but I’m not going to be used as bait for a trap,’ Bernie said. ‘I want that understood.’

‘Okay, okay,’ I said. ‘I’ll do it on my own.’ I lit a cigarette. ‘Now come on, let’s get this story on the mat.’

II

Around five o’clock I went up to Creed’s office with Peters tagging along behind.

‘Any ideas?’ Creed asked, shoving aside a file he was working on and waving me to a chair.

‘I’m doing this solo,’ I said. ‘Low doesn’t like the idea, and I can’t say I blame him. Anyway, it’ll make it easier for your men to cover one of us instead of two. As soon as it’s dark, I’ll leave here in a taxi and go to the hotel. I want to get out of this light suit and put on something that won’t show up in the dark. Then I’ll walk from the hotel to the restaurant on the corner. I’ll have dinner there. You can have a couple of men posted in the bar. The restaurant is through the bar at the back. I’ll sit with my back to the wall. If he starts anything in there, we’ll have him. If he doesn’t, I’ll walk from the restaurant to the Gaumont cinema. If still nothing happens, I’ll walk on to Mike’s bar at the back of the Florian. From there I’ll walk back to the hotel.’

Creed was making notes as I talked.

‘It’d be better if you walked from here to the hotel,’ he said. ‘Taxis can get lost in the traffic. We don’t want to lose sight of you, but at the same time, we don’t want this guy to know we’re following you. It’s got to be a trap, Sladen, if it is going to work at all. You’ll be on your own. Peters is a dead shot, but he’ll have to keep out of sight. This could be tricky; you might get hurt.’

I suddenly realized I was sticking my neck out recklessly, and perhaps Bernie wasn’t such a dope as I thought he was. But it was too late now to pull back.

‘Just so long as Peters wings him before he starts anything, I’m not grumbling,’ I said.

‘Peters won’t be the only one,’ Creed said grimly. ‘I’ve got forty men on the job. They’ll be covering every twenty yards of the route. You won’t know them. Some of them will be in cars; some got up as loafers, some will be hidden. If this punk starts something, he’ll wonder what’s hit him.’

‘Fine,’ I said, immensely relieved. ‘In about a couple of hours, it should be dark enough.’

‘I’ll go and fix the details. You take it easy,’ Creed said.

I spent the next two hours playing gin rummy with Bernie.

Bernie said it was customary to play cards with a condemned man, and although cards bored him, he felt it his duty to try to take my mind off the immediate future. He wasn’t much of a card player, and I pretty soon won three dollars off him.

‘This dough might not be of any use to you, Chet,’ he said when I asked him to pay up. ‘I’ll give you an I.O.U. if you like.’

‘I’ll take cash,’ I said, holding out my hand. ‘My estate might not be able to collect from you, Bernie.’

He handed over the money.

‘Talking about your estate, Chet,’ he said, ‘have you made a will?’

Peters came in.

‘You all set?’ he asked. ‘We’re ready when you are.’

I got to my feet.

‘So long, Bernie,’ I said. ‘I’ve left everything to you if I don’t come back.’

‘Honest?’ Bernie asked, his face brightening. ‘Your television set too?’

‘Yes, even my television set, you vulture!’

‘Let’s go,’ Peters said, grinning.

We went down the corridor to where Creed was waiting.

‘I’ve got it all fixed,’ he said. ‘You won’t be out of sight of my men for the whole walk. Keep in the middle of the sidewalk and keep to your schedule, then you should be all right.’

‘I hope so,’ I said, looking beyond him through the open door into the street. ‘Well, so long.’

Peters said, ‘I’ll give you sixty seconds, then I’ll come after you.’

I nodded and walked through the entrance, down the steps on to the dark, lonely street. I put my hand on the gun butt in my pocket and felt a little more courageous.

‘Don’t shoot me in the excitement,’ I said as Peters came to the door.

He laughed.

‘You worry too much. I’ll take care of you.’

He sounded a trifle too confident. I wished now I had thought up a safer idea to catch this gunman.

‘Watch it,’ I said and, feeling naked and pretty scared, I started to walk along the badly lit street, keeping a tight grip on the gun butt.