Tiger By The Tail

He became aware of a man and woman ahead of him. The woman held a car door open. He thought he recognized her in the half light, and paused to look more intently.

"If you're going to behave like a goddamn dummy, I'm going back," the woman said in a shrill, angry voice. She sounded drunk to O'Brien.

"We've got to be sensible, Gloria," the man said anxiously. "Your husband may be coming out. Can't we wait until he's gone?"

"I'm damned if I'm going to wait," the woman said, and got into the back seat of the car. "Are you coming?"

The man got in beside her and shut the car door. O'Brien saw the woman throw her arms around him and pull him to her, and he made a little grimace. Commissioner Howard's young wife and some punk, he thought. Well, the old fool shouldn't have married a girl half his age.

He went on towards the club house.

He found Commissioner Howard and Motley on the verandah.

Motler was saying impatiently, "For the love of Mike, let the girl alone. She's enjoying herself somewhere. If we're going, let's go."

"Leaving already?" O'Brien said, coming out of the darkness.

"Hello, there," Motley said, turning. "I have news for you. Donovan's cracked the Carson case!"

O'Brien lifted his eyebrows.

"That's quick work."

"Yeah. I've always said if Donovan was given a case worth a damn, he would show what he was made of. In the next hour or so he will make an arrest."

"Who did it, then?"

"Kenway Holland, a young bank clerk. It's an open and shut case. We have enough evidence to put him in the chair three times over."

"But you haven't arrested him yet?"

"My men are at his house now. He may have lost his nerve and skipped, but it's just a matter of time before we get him."

"That's damned good work," O'Brien said without any enthusiasm. He looked over at Howard. "You'll let me have the report and see the evidence?"

"You'll get the papers tomorrow morning," Howard said curtly. He looked worried, and having seen what his wife was up to, O'Brien wasn't surprised. "You'll excuse us. I want to get back to headquarters. Now we have got so far I don't want any slip-up."

"I keep telling you we can leave it to Donovan to handle," Motley said impatiently.

"I'm going back, even if you aren't," Howard snapped, and nodding to O'Brien he went down the steps and towards the parking lot.

"Your sister is amusing herself with a guy in a car," O'Brien said softly. "Watch the Commissioner doesn't spot her."

Motley swore under his breath.

"I'll break that little bitch's neck one of these days," he said. "Why the hell can't she wait until Howard has left?" He went off hurriedly after the Commissioner.

O'Brien stroked his jaw thoughtfully. Just like that numbskull Donovan to find the wrong man, he thought. What was the evidence they were talking about? They seemed pretty certain that they had enough on this guy to convict him.

He leaned against the verandah rail while he thought about Johnny. If this Holland guy was caught and convicted, it would let Johnny out, but sooner or later he would get into more trouble. Now he had him under lock and key it would be flying in the face of providence not to be rid of him.

He watched Howard and Motley drive out of the parking lot, then, his mind now made up, he went down the steps towards his car.

II

Before going to his office, Adams looked into the charge room.

"Anything new?" he asked the desk sergeant, who stiffened to attention at the sight of him.

"The Commissioner and the Captain are on their way over, sir," the sergeant said. "This guy Holland hasn't been picked up yet. We have a couple of men and Detective Duncan waiting for him at his house. Sergeant Donovan has just come in and is waiting for the Commissioner."

Adams grunted.

"I'll be in my office if the Commissioner wants me," he said. "Nothing else?"

"Nothing that'd interest you, sir. Paradise Louie is in trouble. He was picked up ten minutes ago on a vacant lot on West Street. Someone has

given him the treatment. O'Sullivan, who found him, reports he isn't likely to live. He's had a beating, and whoever beat him hit him a little too hard."

Adams remembered what Darcy had told him. Paradise Louie had told Johnny where he cold find Fay Carson and now he had been beaten up. A coincidence?

"Where is he?" he asked sharply.

"Ward Six, County hospital," the sergeant told him.

"Tell the Commissioner if he wants me I'll be back in an hour," Adams said, and went quickly back to his car.

He got over to the County hospital in five minutes.

"Manchini ?" the house surgeon said when Adams asked him if he could talk to Louie. "Not much hope for him. He has an abnormally thin skull. Someone hit him with a bicycle chain. I doubt if he'll last the night."

"Is he conscious?"

"No, but he might come round at any moment. One of your men is with him. You can go up if you want to. There's nothing more we can do for him."

Paradise Louie lay in bed, his bruised and broken face swathed in bandages. Detective Watson sat glumly at his side. He got up hurriedly when he saw Adams, nearly upsetting his chair.