Blonde Bait for the Murder Master

He looked up as I strolled over. I dug out a ten, folded it the long way and perched it, like a little tent, on top of his meat case.

“What you want?” he asked.

“Nothing. That’s a present.”

He reached over and took it, snapped it between his fingers and put it in the cash register. “Been getting free money all day. Got a ten from another fella real early tonight.”

A ten. And Billy had said fifty. “You remember him?”

“Sure. Face like a pantry rat and a little yella bow tie.”

“That’s him. He been back in?”

“Nope. Haven’t seen him since.”

“I thought he might have come in to call a cab or something.”

“Nope. Say, old Gulbie's pretty popular tonight. First that ratty looking one come out to see him and then a woman.”

“What!”

“Sure. Damn fine looking woman too. Got off the bus right across the street there and come in here and asked me how to find him. Told her it was about a mile up the road and she’d have to watch sharp or she’d miss the path.”

“How long ago was that?”

“Hour and a half, maybe two hours. Yes, she made a phone call first and talked so low I couldn’t hear a thing and then she asked me about Gulbie and away she went. Told me not to tell anybody she’d been here. Then she gave me five dollars. You gave me ten.” He chuckled. “Been a good day, all right. I figured you wanted to know about her.”

“What made you think that?”

“Well now, don’t get sore. But you and that ratty fella and that girl. You all got the same look. Kind of shifty look.”

I glanced at my watch. Ten fifteen. I slammed the door as I left. Behind me he pulled down the door shade and clicked out some of the overhead lights.

Looking up the road toward Gulbie’s, I saw headlights which seemed to pull away from the shoulder on his side. They came booming down on me, taking up more than their half of the road. I jolted over onto the shoulder, with a smack of shocks against frame and was so busy that I couldn’t even try to look into the other car. Maybe it had been my imagination that it had seemed to leave Gulbie’s place.

It was then that I seemed to hear Anna’s voice, cool in my ear. “If this thing goes sour, I might as well move right in with your friend Gulbie.”

Of course! That’s what she had said. And things had gone sour, and, hoping I’d remember she’d gone there. A good place to wait for protection — better than going directly to one of the unknown backers — if there were more than one.

Cautiously I drove by Gulbie’s, parked two hundred yards beyond, finding the ground firm enough to get it well off the road and over behind a line of brush.

No cars were coming from either direction.

I got out onto the asphalt and ran. As I neared the shack I saw the first tongues of flame shoot up into the night air. I scrambled down the bank. Spreading from the broken lantern, the flames had crept up one wall and had burst through the flimsy roof.

Gulbie was sprawled awkwardly on the floor, his pebbled red face cradled on one arm. The black rubber overshoes were bubbling near the flames and smoke was rising from them. The room was empty except for Gulbie. Shielding my eyes from the heat with my forearm, I ran in, got hold of Gulbie’s limp wrist and dragged him out. As soon as he was outside the door, I got under the armpits and hauled him a good twenty-five feet from the roaring, crackling flames.

His body felt warm, but I thought that it might be from the flames. I believed him to be dead until he moaned. Then I saw the welt over his ear, the fresh blood on his cheek. I slapped his face and shook him.

He opened his eyes then, squinted at the flames and cursed weakly.

“What the hell happened?” I demanded.

“I don’t know. I can’t remember.”

I shook him again. “Remember, damn you!”

He sat up and moaned. “I came back here... let me see. You brung me back. Then some young fella comes in and talks and he hit me, right here on the chin. I think that’s right. When I come to, the whole inside of the place is tore up and what’s left of the money is gone.” He covered his eyes. “I can’t think. I can’t remember.”

“Try hard, Gulbie.”

“Well I’m cleaning up the mess he made, he comes back and asks me where I hid the money. He has a stick and he’s going to hit me again. He’s a mean one. Then the woman comes, I think.”

“What did she look like?”

“Yellow hair. Black dress, I think. She yelled at the young fellow and he yelled at her. They talk about things I can’t understand. He says something about a double-crossing woman. Then he hits her.”

“What!”

“He hits her a good one, right across the temple. She falls down hard and he laughs and runs out. I sat there and looked at her and all of a sudden it come over me what happen to me if anybody comes and finds her there. You know what they’d think and suppose she should die or something. She doesn’t seem to be breathing so good. I’m remembering it better now, Jake.”

“Keep going.”