The Leather Duke

Johnny looked coolly at the detective, then drew his money from his pocket. He extracted a hundred dollar bill, put the rest of the money back, then smoothed out the hundred dollar bill and held it up. During the entire process Wiggins’ eyes remained glued on the bill.

“Exhibit A,” said Johnny, “a hale and hearty hundred dollar bill.”

“Very pretty.”

“Isn’t it? Now, what can I buy with it?”

“You can buy one good private detective for four days, or two men for two days.”

“What else will it buy?”

Wiggins continued to stare at the bill and began to wheeze. “Nothing.”

“You’re sure of that, Wiggins? Because in just thirty seconds I’m going to put this back into my pocket and it’ll stay there.”

“What do you want?” Wiggins cried.

“One word. Just one little word. The name of the person who hired you to shadow me.”

“I... I can’t tell you that,” groaned Wiggins. Then he reached forward, grabbed up a pencil and scrawled on a slip of paper. “I can’t tell you, but...” He deliberately swung his swivel chair around, so that his back was to Johnny.

Johnny leaned forward and glanced at the piece of paper on which was written a single word: Wendland.

“I’ll be damned!” exclaimed Johnny. “I didn’t think he had it in him.” He dropped the hundred dollar bill on the desk.

Wiggins swiveled back, passed a fat hand over his desk and the hundred dollar bill disappeared. Johnny looked at him thoughtfully, then went through the business of taking another hundred dollar bill from his pocket.

“Now, to the business we started to discuss before — Al Piper...”

“You still want that?”

“Yes. Send a man down to Piper’s neighborhood. Have him talk to Mrs. Piper, the neighbors. Find out everything there is to know about his personal life, how he got along with his wife, the neighbors. Have a second man work the neighborhood taverns, the grocers, any place he might have traded. I don’t want to know how many bottles of whiskey he bought — I’m interested in the people he might have talked to in places like that; strangers he picked arguments with, while drunk. Especially the past twelve days.”

“We can do that, all right,” said Wiggins. He looked at the hundred dollar bill in Johnny’s hands. “Two men, for two days?”

“No, they can get all that in one day — two men, for one day each. A third man to check up on one Carmella Vitali, who lives in the vicinity of Oak and Milton.”

“Check. He’s a prime suspect. Who else?”

Johnny thought a moment, then screwing up his face, said: “Harry Towner.”

“The leather man?”

“The Duke, himself.”

“It’s none of my business how you spend your money,” said Wiggins, “but I’ve been reading up on this case. I hardly think it likely that a man like Towner would have anything in common with this Piper fellow.”

“Piper worked for Towner,” Johnny said, “and so did everyone connected with this case.”

Wiggins frowned. “What do you want us to find out about Towner? It isn’t easy to check up on a man like that.”

“I know, but on the other hand, he’s practically a public figure. The newspapers undoubtedly have a great deal of information on him in their files. I’m not a Chicagoan; things you people know about him, I don’t. I’d like to get a sketch of his career — business, as well as personal.”

“Well, that we can do.”

“Good, get your men busy. Let’s see, it’s four o’clock now; I’m paying you for four good men until four o’clock tomorrow afternoon. We’ll see then about continuing.”

“You want reports before tomorrow?”

“Yes. I’ll call in. You have night telephone service, I suppose?”

“Oh yes. Granite 3-1127. My operators are supposed to report every hour if they can. But where can we reach you if something important develops?”

“The Lakeside Athletic Club. Leave a message if I’m not there.”

Johnny handed Wiggins the other hundred dollar bill and prepared to leave. “You’re sure now that this isn’t inimical to Fred Wendland’s interests?”

“Wendland?” asked Wiggins. “Who’s Wendland?”

“All right,” said Johnny, “you haven’t said a word to me.”

Wiggins smiled weakly and Johnny left the office. Down on the street, he walked to the black Chevrolet. Begley, the Wiggins operator, regarded him sourly. “Things have changed, Begley. Better call Wiggins for new instructions.”

Begley shrugged, but made no reply.

“I’m going to the Lakeside Athletic Club,” said Johnny. “I’ll be inside for quite awhile so you’ll have time to telephone. On second thought, why don’t you give me a lift over to Michigan Avenue?”

“Beat it,” snarled Begley.

“Unsociable guy,” said Johnny and walked off.

He went to Madison and turned east. A few minutes later, he entered the Athletic Club. “Fletcher’s the name,” he said, to the doorman. “My friend, Elliott Towner, said he was leaving a guest card here for me...”

“Oh, yes, the office phoned a few minutes ago. For Mr. Fletcher and Mr. Cragg, all the privileges of the club.”

“That’s right, Mr. Cragg will arrive about five-thirty. You can send him right up.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Johnny entered the lobby of the club and saw a regular hotel desk, on the right. He stepped up to it.