Van Roche was waiting as Conrad entered his office. “Did you get him?” Van Roche asked.
“I’ve got him,” Conrad said, and walked over to his desk and sat down. “He’s up on the tenth floor with a couple of guards taking care of him. What are you looking so excited about?”
“Abe Gollowitz is talking to the D.A. He’s got a writ for Miss Coleman’s release.”
Conrad stiffened.
“You kidding?”
Van Roche shook his head.
“He blew in about ten minutes ago. The D.A.’s stalling him until you got back. He’s demanding to see Miss Coleman.”
Conrad got to his feet.
“I’d better see the D.A.”
He walked along the passage to the D.A.’s office, tapped and pushed open the door.
Forest sat behind his desk, his hands folded on his blotter. He looked up as Conrad came in, lifted his shoulders in a resigned shrug and waved a hand towards Gollowitz who was sitting by the desk, his round swarthy face bland.
“I was just telling the D.A. that I want to see Miss Coleman,” Gollowitz said as Conrad shut the door and came across to the desk.
“Why?” Conrad asked curtly.
“She is being unlawfully detained here, and I happen to be her legal representative: that’s why.”
“Well, well, that’s news,” Conrad said. “Does she know of her extraordinary good fortune? After all, I should have thought you had more important work to do than to bother about a penniless movie extra.”
Gollowitz chuckled.
“As the legal representative of the Norgate Union I take under my care any of its members, and Miss Coleman happens to be a member.”
“Yeah, I should have thought of that,” Conrad said, and glanced over at Forest.
“He wants to see her right now,” Forest said.
“And no one can stop me seeing her,” Gollowitz said smoothly. “I don’t have to tell you that.” He got up and leaning forward tapped a paper lying on Forest’s desk. “You’re satisfied with this, aren’t you?”
“I guess so,” Forest said, shrugging. He looked over at Conrad. “You’d better ask Miss Coleman if she wants to see Mr. Gollowitz. We’ll wait.”
Conrad nodded and went out of the office. He was sure Frances would want to see Gollowitz, and he stood for a moment thinking. He could warn her, but was she in the mood to listen to warnings? Did she realize the danger she was in? Once Gollowitz got her away from the D.A.’s office, she would disappear. He was sure of that.
He returned to his office.
“Get me six photographs of any of our customers,” he said to Van Roche, “and include in the six a picture of Maurer.”
Van Roche went to the files, and after a minute or so handed Conrad six halfplate prints.
“I want you to come up with me,” Conrad said. “When I give you the tip, bring Weiner into Miss Coleman’s room. Okay?”
Van Roche looked startled.
“What’s the idea?”
“You’ll see. We haven’t much time. Come on, let’s get upstairs.”
They rode up in the elevator to the tenth floor.
“Stick with Weiner until I send for you,” Conrad said, and walked quickly down the passage to Frances’s door.
Jackson and Norris, still at their posts outside the door, gave him bored nods as he rapped. The door was opened by Madge. There was an exasperated expression on her face.
“Is she being difficult?” Conrad asked, keeping his voice down.
“I’ll say she is.”
Conrad nodded and walked into the inner room. He was aware of a feeling of suppressed excitement to see Frances again, even after only a few hours.
She was looking out of the window. The nurse got to her feet and went out silently when she saw Conrad.
“I hope you’re feeling better now, Miss Coleman,” Conrad said.
She turned quickly. Her eyes were angry and she came across the room to face Conrad.
“I want to go home!” she said fiercely. “You have no right to keep me here!”
“I know,” Conrad said mildly. He thought how animated she looked in her anger. Not like Janey’s anger. There was nothing spiteful about this girl, “And I’m sorry about it, Miss Coleman. We don’t think it’s safe for you to leave just yet.”
“I’m the judge of that!”
“Are you?” He smiled at her, hoping to win a smile from her, but she remained straight-faced and angry, staring at him. “Look, sit down, won’t you? If after what I’m going to tell you you still want to go home, then I’ll have to let you go. I can’t hold you here against your will.”
Her anger began to fade, but her eyes were suspicious.
“I don’t want to listen. I just want to go right now.”
“I wish you would try to be reasonable. We’re only thinking of your own safety. Why do you imagine that gunman tried to kill you? Have you thought of that?”
He saw uncertainty chase suspicion out of her eyes.
“He — he must have been mad.”
“Do you really think so?” Conrad sat down. “Sit down for a moment. I won’t keep you long.”
She hesitated, then sat down, her fists tight clenched on her knees.
“You’re still quite sure you didn’t see anyone when you were at Miss Arnot’s place?” Conrad asked, taking the six photographs from his pocket.
He saw her face tighten.
“I’ve already said I didn’t see anyone. If you’re going to start all that over again…”
“Please be patient with me. Would you look at these photographs and tell me if you recognize any of the faces?”
He handed her the photographs and she took them reluctantly. She shuffled through them, and when she came to Maurer’s photograph he saw her stiffen. She dropped the photographs as if they had become red hot and jumped to her feet.
“I’m not going to have any more of this!” she cried, her face pale."I insist on going home!”
Conrad bent down and picked up the photographs. He didn’t let her see his excitement. He was sure now she had seen Maurer at Dead End. Why else should she have reacted like this?
He held Maurer’s photograph out to her.
“Do you know who this is?”
She didn’t look at the photograph.
“I don’t know any of them.”
“Have you ever heard of Jack Maurer?”
“Of course; he’s a racketeer,” Frances said, turning away. “I’m not interested in him, and I’m not interested in any of the others.”
“I want to tell you about Maurer,” Conrad said, studying the photograph. “He’s quite a character. I’d say he was the most powerful man in the State right now. When he was fifteen he became a bodyguard to Jake Moritti. Before he was sixteen he had been arrested three times for homicide, but each time he made sure no witness lived to give evidence against him. When Moritti ceased to be a power, Maurer joined Zetti. Over a period of ten years he was responsible for thirty murders; mainly gang slavings. When Zetti went to jail, Maurer teamed up with Big Joe Bernstien. A little later he became one of the head men of the Crime Syndicate. You’ve heard about the Syndicate, haven’t you? Their organization spreads over the whole of the country. It is divided into territories and Maurer got California. He has been the racket boss of California now for ten years, and it is remarkable what he has done in that time. He has taken over all the main labour groups. Every member of these unions pays him dues for which he gives them nothing in return, and they’re too blind and stupid to realize it. He has taken over the Shylocking business. Do you know what that is? It’s one of the greatest profit-making rackets in the country. For every five dollars borrowed, the borrower has to pay back six dollars, and the period is for one week. It works out at 120 per cent in forty-two days. If the borrower fails to pay up on time, two of
Mauler’s men call on him, and they give him a schlammin. If you don’t know what that is, I’ll tell you. A schlammin is a beating, given with a lead pipe wrapped in newspaper. If the borrower still can’t pay after a schlammin, then the debt’s written off and the borrower gets a bullet in the back.”
Conrad paused to look at Frances, but she had turned her back on him and was looking out of the window.
“Maurer has also taken over the wire service,” he went on, “without which no bookmaker dare operate, and for the privilege of using this service every bookmaker in the State has to kick in with a weekly payment or else. He has now control of the gambling concessions in the district, and that alone brings him in fifty-five thousand dollars a month.”
Frances turned suddenly.
“Why are you telling me all this? I’m not interested, and I don’t want to hear any more!”
“Since Maurer’s reign began here, there have been over three hundred murders,” Conrad continued, as if she hadn’t spoken. “We have had only ten convictions, and in each case the convicted men were known to be working for Maurer. Maurer himself is known to have murdered thirty-three people, but that was before he became the boss. Now he gives orders from a safe distance. We have never been able to slap a murder charge on him. But on the 9th of this month he slipped up. For the first time in fifteen years he killed with his own hands. It was he who killed June Arnot who was his mistress and who was cheating him. We have no proof as yet that he did kill her, but we have very strong circumstantial evidence that he did do it. We have only to place him on the scene of the murder and at the time of the murder to convict him and rid California of the most dangerous, murderous, powerful gangster of this or any other century.” He leaned forward and pointed at her. “I believe you saw him leave or arrive at Dead End. With your evidence I can successfuly prosecute him. It’s your duty, Miss Coleman, to give evidence against him, and I’m asking you to do it!”
Frances backed away. Her face was now as white as a fresh fall of snow, and her big eyes looked like holes in a sheet.
“I didn’t see him! I keep telling you! And I’m not going to give evidence!”
Conrad stared at her for a long moment, then he shrugged.
“Is that your last word?”
“Yes! Now I’m going home!”
“Well, I can’t stop you. I’ve told you the kind of man Maurer is. He thinks as I
do that you saw him. He knows a word from you will wreck a kingdom worth several millions of dollars a year. Do you imagine he’ll take the risk that you didn’t see him? Do you imagine a man like that will let you live for five minutes if he can get at you? Two of his men have already tried to wipe you out, and you’re lucky they failed. They won’t fail next time if you leave our protection!”
“I don’t believe you. You’re trying to frighten me! I didn’t see anything, and I’m going home!”
Conrad restrained his temper with difficulty.
“Miss Coleman, I beg you to think about this. We can protect you. There’s nothing to be frightened about. Are you frightened of Maurer? Tell me why you don’t want to stay here for a few days?”
“I have no intention of staying and I don’t want your protection,” she said angrily. “I think you’re just saying these things to frighten me into giving evidence, and I’m not going to do it!”
Conrad went to the door.
“Madge, will you phone down to the D.A. and tell him Gollowitz can come up?”
Madge stared at him, her eyes alarmed.
“Gollowitz? You’re not letting…?”
“Will you please do as I tell you!” Conrad snapped. He turned back to Frances. “There’s a lawyer downstairs asking for you. He has a writ for your release. We can’t hold you against the writ, but if you refuse to go with him, he can’t make you. It’s up to you.”
Frances met his eyes defiantly.
“I shall certainly go with him!”
Conrad walked up to her.
“Listen, you little fool! Why do you imagine a lawyer should go to the trouble of taking out a writ for you? He’s Maurer’s lawyer! That’s why.”
“How do I know Bunty Lloyd hasn’t sent him?” she demanded. “You want me to stay here, don’t you? I don’t believe anything you’re saying!”
A tap came on the door and Madge looked in.
“Mr. Gollowitz.”
Gollowitz came in, a smooth smile on his dark face.
“Miss Coleman?”
Frances faced him, her eyes searching his face.
“Yes.”
“I’m a lawyer, and I represent the Norgate Union. The secretary of the union called me and told me you were detained here. The District Attorney tells me he has no reason to hold you any longer. Are you willing to come with me?”
Frances hesitated for a moment. There was something about Gollowitz that made her nervous.
“I don’t want to go with you, thank you,” she said. “I just want to go home.”
Gollowitz chuckled.
“Of course. I simply meant that I would escort you as far as the entrance. If you would communicate with the secretary of your union and tell him I have arranged for your release I should be obliged.”
Conrad moved quietly to the door and beckoned to Madge.
“Tell Van to bring Weiner in here,” he whispered.
As he turned back he heard Frances say, “Can I leave here at once?”
“Of course,” Gollowitz said.
“Just a moment,” Conrad broke in. “While you’re here, Mr. Gollowitz, you might be interested to go bail for another of our customers. Come in, Weiner.”
Van Roche threw open the door and gave Pete a hard shove so he entered the room with an unbalanced rush. When he saw Gollowitz, he jumped back as if he had seen a snake.
Gollowitz had been too busy getting the writ for Frances’s release to find out what had happened to Pete. Seigel had assured him he would get Pete, and seeing Pete so unexpectedly completely threw him off balance. His fat face turned livid, and he took a step towards Pete, his lips drawn off his teeth in a snarl of fury.
“Leave me alone!” Pete exclaimed, and backed away.
Too late, Gollowitz realized he had given himself away. He twisted his face into a forced bland smile, but he saw the look of horror on Frances’s face.
“Don’t you want to take Weiner along with you as well as Miss Coleman?” Conrad asked quietly. “I doubt if he’ll come, but at least you can ask him.”
His eyes glittering with rage, Gollowitz turned to Frances.
“Come along, Miss Coleman. I’ll get you a cab.”
“Don’t go with him!” Pete shouted. “He belongs to the organization. Stay here where you are safe! Don’t go with him!”
Gollowitz put out his hand and laid it gently on Frances’s arm.
“I don’t know who this fellow is, but he sounds crazy to me,” he said. “Let’s go, Miss Coleman.”
Frances shuddered and jumped back.
“No! I’m going to stay here. I don’t want to go with you. I won’t go with you!”
“I’m afraid you are being rather a foolish young woman, Miss Coleman,” Gollowitz said. The silent threat in those black eyes turned Frances cold. “Are you coming with me or aren’t you?”
“Oh, tell him to go!” Frances cried, and sat down on the couch, hiding her face in her hands. “Please tell him to go!”
Gollowitz looked at Pete, then he walked quietly from the room.
No one moved as he crossed the outer room. They watched him open the door, step into the passage and close the door behind him.
He left behind him an atmosphere charged with threatening danger.