Say Yes to Murder, Todhunter Ballard [affordable ebook reader .TXT] 📗

The house which Mary Morris had built so lovingly was dark and still. There was a sense of emptiness about it as if the house realized that the lady who had built it was forever gone.

Lennox parked the coupe in the driveway and said to Strong, “No use in waking the neighborhood. I’ll go around to the maid’s window. You wait here. She’s more apt to talk if I’m alone.”

He left the car and hurried around the drive to the window, pressing close to the copper netting of the screen and calling her name softly so as not to rouse the neighbors.

“Rita, Rita, wake up.”

There was motion in the dark bedroom. Lennox thought it was the maid. The scream shocked him, followed as it was by the sound of the quick struck blow.

He tore the copper mesh apart with his hands. Never afterwards could he remember exactly how he had managed to crash his way through, the window, but he went diving head foremost, calling Strong’s name as he flung himself forward.

The room was filled with confused sound. A woman was being hysterical in a quiet sort of way. Lennox dragged himself up from the floor where his dive had carried him as a shadowy figure charged through the darkness.

His groping fingers closed on the rough fabric of the man’s coat and they went down together, rolling over. Hot breath came in sharp gasps against the side of Lennox’ face like the staccato explosions from a steam engine. The man had a gun, which he was trying to press against Lennox’ side.

Bill’s fingers closed about the other’s wrist and twisted it away. The effort took all his strength, and exhaustion turned the darkness into a reddish hue. He knew that he could not last long, that his grip was already slipping, but the assailant gave up first. He dropped the gun from fingers made nerveless by Bill’s grasp and released the hold he had on Lennox. The sudden change broke Lennox’ grip.

The man wrenched his wrist free, rolled over, and struggled to his feet. Lennox made a grab for him in the darkness and missed. He heard the hard heels pound across the bare floor, heard the bedroom door slam and the running steps as his late opponent charged along the hall.

He struggled painfully up to his knees. His lungs felt as if they were being slowly squeezed by a heavy iron band. His groping hand felt along the floor until his fingertips touched the cool metal of the gun. He picked it up, and suddenly he felt better.

The lights stopped jumping before his eyes, and it was easier to breathe. He came to his feet, felt across the room to the hall door, and opened it. When he did, a motor sounded and a car ground down the block in screaming second. He knew the man had escaped. Then he felt along the wall until his fingers found the toggle switch, and he kicked it up, flooding the room with light.

The maid stared up at him from the tousled bed. Her round eyes were fright-ridden, and a thin stream of blood oozed from a cut on her forehead.

“Rita,” he said. “Rita, don’t you know me? It’s Bill Lennox.” He started toward her and stopped when she cowered away. “It’s Lennox from the studio,” he said softly.

She was so near hysteria that her mind wasn’t functioning properly. She clutched the covers up around her frail shoulders as if they were to serve as a bulwark against the danger that had been threatening her.

“It’s all right.”

“Oh! Mr. Lennox!” she managed to say before the convulsive sobs wracked her small body again.

Her bony fingers closed on his arm and bit deep in his flesh with strength intensified by terror. “I…” she began. “He…. he would have killed me.”

“Who?”

She was having difficulty controlling her voice. “I don’t know. I waked and he was bending over the bed. I thought for a moment that I must be dreaming, then when I felt his fingers at my throat… then I knew I wasn’t.” She shuddered.

“And then,” she managed to whisper, “you called my name at the window. I screamed and he struck me. The blow would have killed me, I think, but I managed to twist sideways. It didn’t hit square.”

He gave her time to fill her lungs with two convulsive breaths before he said: “And why, Rita? Why did he attack you? You know, don’t you, Rita? You know something you didn’t tell us this afternoon.”

She nodded unwillingly. “Yes, I know.”

“What do you know?” Impatience had crept into his voice. “Is it that Jean Jeffries gave that sleeping medicine to her grandmother?”

The maid gasped at him: “You know, too!”

He nodded slowly. “I was certain of it, but I had no proof.”

“I saw her,” Rita said, and sounded like a hypnotized parrot. “I came in and saw her beside the bed. It was while the nurse was out. And she knew I saw her, and she also knew I wouldn’t speak.”

“Why didn’t you?”

The maid recovered enough to show surprise. “Because Mary wouldn’t have wanted me to. Mary would rather have died than have anything happen to the girl. Don’t you see? I couldn’t break faith with Mary, even though I knew Jean had murdered her.”

Lennox couldn’t understand, but he realized that Rita was not normal. Her twisted sense of loyalty was such that she would have felt she was betraying the old actress’ trust if she had accused the girl.

“I’m glad you know now,” she told him. “I didn’t tell—I didn’t break faith. And yet, Jean will be punished. You’ll see that she gets punished?”

“Yes,” Lennox told her gravely. “I’ll do that, but I’ll have to hurry, Rita. I can’t stay here, and I hate to leave you by yourself.”

“I’m all right now.” The color had come back to her wrinkled cheeks.

She nodded weakly. He found a gun and gave it to her, more for the confidence it might inspire than because he thought that she might use it effectively. Then he turned and moved toward the door, wondering where Strong was, why he had not charged into the house to help.

The old piano-player was beside the coupe. He said, “That guy sure tore out of the house. His car was around the corner.”

Lennox looked at him sharply. “Did you get a good look at him?”

Strong nodded. “Yeah, one of Kreach’s men. Is the maid all right?” Lennox said that she was.

“And she told you about the girl?” Strong’s voice was eager.

Lennox nodded.

“Then let’s hurry.” Strong turned and climbed into the coupe. After a moment, Lennox followed him.

2.

Dawn made a gray streak in the east as the coupe turned into the street beside the apartment and Lennox found a place to park.

Strong was on the sidewalk before he could get the car locked, and already moving toward the alley at the rear. Lennox followed, catching up with the man at the corner of the building.

“You’re sure that she’s here?”

Strong nodded. “I told you, didn’t I. Come on, hurry.” He led the way down the three steps to the basement entrance and pushed open the heavy fire door.

A single bulb burned faintly in the concrete passage making the place unreal and ghostlike. Strong seemed to know where he was going. He paused before a closed door and knocked. He was forced to knock