MODELS FOR MURDER Page 3
line, and I hung up slowly. The girl, watching
office. I couldn’t find your home phone in the
my face, seemed to sense that something was
book.”
the matter. “Mr. Gardner . . . what is it?”
“It’s unlisted,” I told her. “Have you any
“Nothing,” I told her, slowly, reaching
idea who killed Jimmy? You know he’s across and pressing the buzzer which would dead?”
summon Henry Graylord. “Just someone with
She nodded. “I saw a paper in the subway.
the wrong number.”
They killed him of course.”
“They?” I stared at her.
ENRY GRAYLORD came in. His eyes,
“The men behind Bobo,” she said. “They
Hwhen he saw the girl, widened a little,
threw acid in Jane’s face. They whipped Katie
then narrowed critically. He was a good man
and they’ll kill me—”
and he knew as much about the business as I
“Oh no they won’t,” I told her confidently.
did. I sensed his excitement although he
PRIVATE DETECTIVE STORIES
10
maintained his poker-face, and I knew that I
going to start now.”
hadn’t been wrong about Mary. It takes
“I don’t want you to. There’s nothing in
something to make a good model, more than
the world I hate as much as a yes-man.”
looks and shape and the ability to walk right.
He nodded. “Okay, in your own line,
In actresses you’d call it personality, the
you’re a big shot. You know important people,
ability to sell yourself, to sell the thing you’re and they’re your friends. But doesn’t it occur
wearing or advertising. This girl had it. Even
to you that the men behind this little game
through her fear it reached out and gripped
aren’t impressed by who you are or who you
you.
know? A gun is a great leveler, and a beating
“This is the girl Jimmy Wabash was will kill any man.”
talking about.” I explained.
“Well . . .”
He looked at her with renewed interest.
“So you don’t want the girls working out
“The one the police are hunting?”
of this agency to be subjected to rough
I nodded. “This is my manager, Henry
treatment just because you’re trying to prove
Graylord. He runs the place when I’m not
to a bunch of crooks that Austin Gardner isn’t
around. In fact he almost runs it when I am.”
afraid of them.”
Graylord smiled. “He’s too modest, Miss
He was right. I hadn’t thought of it from
Ingersoll. Austin is the spark plug. Without
that angle. I turned toward the girl. “All right, him we merely limp along.”
honey. You go out of town. The question is
I said: “Let’s skip the compliments. Miss
where to send you.”
Ingersoll doesn’t want to go to the police.
She just looked at me as if not being able
She’s afraid that if she talks, the other girls to find words, and I went on. “Where do you
will get into trouble. I don’t know what to do
come from?”
with her.”
“Here. I was born in Long Island City.”
Henry was silent, considering. “Why not
“Send her to Hollywood,” Henry
send her out of town? It’s certain that she
suggested. “I’ve got a friend out there who has won’t be safe as long as she stays here. a small agency. He might take her on. There Whoever killed Jimmy isn’t going to want her
isn’t much work on the coast but—”
around.”
“Okay,” I said. “Give me this guy’s name
I said, “That’s okay, but I don’t want to
and address. Better call him on the phone,
send her out of town. I want to keep her here.
then see if you can get reservations for
There’s a place for her in this agency and—”
Chicago. There may be a cancellation.”
Graylord nodded. “I know what you
“What are you going to do?”
mean.” His eyes were still studying the girl
“Take her down and get her things,” I said.
thoughtfully. “But look at it this way, Austin.
I’m not going to leave her alone for a moment
It wouldn’t be fair to our other girls. before she gets out of town. Come on, honey.
Supposing these men, whoever they are, find
What’s your address?”
out that she’s working here. Don’t you think
they’re going to start something with our other CHAPTER IV
models?”
I stared at him. “They wouldn’t dare.”
Tough-Stuff Ivor
He shrugged. “Still playing that Gardner
Agency tune? Look, Austin. I’ve been with
HE apartment was an old-fashioned
you two years. I think I’ve always worked for
Twalkup whose halls held smells of
the best interests of the agency and I’ve never cooking, long forgotten. Mary Ingersoll said,
before hesitated to tell you the truth. I’m not
“I don’t know how to thank you for what
MODELS FOR MURDER
11
you’re doing, but I can’t go.”
said in a husky voice:
“Can’t go?” I stared at her. We were
“Baby, you all right? I was worried. You
standing in the small entry. To our right were
all right?”
the rows of brass-bound mail boxes with the
“I’m all right,” Mary told her. “This is Mr.
apartment holders’ names on them.
Gardner. He helped me.”
“Can’t go,” she repeated. “I can’t leave
“Thanks,” said the big girl, not even
Jane.”
looking at me. “If there’s anything. . .”
“Jane? Who’s Jane?”
“You can get your clothes packed,” I told
“The girl I live with. You know, I her. “You and Mary are getting out of here,”
mentioned her. She used to be a model. She’s
She looked at me, startled, then her twisted
the one that they threw acid at.”
mouth hardened. “Oh no you don’t. No one’s
“Take her along,” I said.
running us out of this town. They tried it once
“But the money. It would cost—”
with acid, but I’m too tough. I’ll stay and I’ll
“Forget the cost,” I said. “Look at it this
get even with them. . . .” Her voice trembled a way. If I hadn’t gone down to Ivor’s and
little but it wasn’t from fear. I don’t think that started that fight with Bobo maybe none of
this girl knew what fear was. She’d gone
this would have happened, maybe Jimmy through enough to make the average woman wouldn’t be dead, maybe—”
quit, but there was no quitting in her.
She said, quickly, “It isn’t right for you to
“You don’t understand,” Mary told her
blame yourself. The thing has been going on
hastily. “Mr. Gardner isn’t running us out of
for months. I was caught in it, the rest of the town. He’s sending us because he doesn’t
girls were caught. Jimmy Wabash got mixed
think it’s safe for us to stay. He was a friend up because he was trying to help me.”
of Jimmy Wabash. You remember Wabash,
“Still,” I said, “I’m going to get you out of
the little man with the funny nose.” She turned town, and I’m going to break this thing up if I quickly to me. “This is Jane Walters,” she
can. Come on.” I turned and led the way up
said. “The girl I was telling you about. She
the stairs.
wants to stay in New York. She wants to get
The girl who opened the door was even with the men who . . . who—”
surprisingly tall. I could see that she was
Jane said without trace of emotion, “Who
perfectly proportioned and for a big girl would fixes my face this way. And I’ll get even. I’ll make an excellent model—but her face! . . . I
find out sometime who is behind Bobo and—”
found that I had to steel myself when I looked
She was interrupted by the sound of the
at it.
buzzer, and both girls looked - at each other,
She had been beautiful once. Not as startled. Mary said in a hushed tone, “They beautiful as Mary Ingersoll, but far above the
know I’m home. They . . .”
average as looks went. She wasn’t now. The
acid had not only burned the skin, it had
ANE turned without a word, walked across
J
caused the muscles to contract, making her
the room to the couch and drew a small
mouth draw up at one corner and making one
pearl-handled gun from its hiding place
eye squint.
among the tumbled pillows.
I steadied myself and managed a smile as
“I hope it is.” Her mouth was a grim,
Mary introduced us. But the big girl showed
crooked line. “I just hope it is. This is the
no interest in me. She caught Mary by the
break I’ve been waiting for, the—”
shoulders, holding her away so that she could
Both had forgotten me. I said, “Put that
look her over carefully, then she pulled the
gun away. Let me handle this.”
smaller girl against her, clasping her tight, and
“No.” Her voice was flat, final. “If it’s
PRIVATE DETECTIVE STORIES
12
them, I’ll handle it myself.” She tucked the
girl was strong, the man was handling her with
gun into the loose sleeve of the dressing-gown
surprising ease. It flashed through my mind
she wore. “Go into the bedroom and stay there
that I’d have to revise my ideas in regard to
unless you want to get shot too. This is my
Ivor. He looked soft, but apparently he wasn’t.
show and I aim to handle it alone.
Mary was down on hands and knees,
I went into the bedroom. I knew how she
trying to get the gun which had slid under a
felt, but I didn’t mean to stay out of it, not if 1
chair. I jumped across the room, caught Jane’s
were needed.
arm and, pulling her out of the way, swung for
I hadn’t long to wait, for I heard the outer
Ivor’s jaw.
door open and heard a voice I recognized. It
But he had seen me, wrenched free with a
was Clinton Ivor, the manufacturer for whom
startled cry, turned and dived through the
the girl had modeled.
partly open door. I went after him and saw
He came in and his voice was angry. him go down the stairs in wild leaps which I
“What do you mean, Mary, not showing up
could not equal without falling.
this morning? What do you mean, getting
By the time I reached the building
mixed up in a murder and having the police
entrance he was gone.
come to question me?”
Slowly I reclimbed the stairs to find the
“Leave her alone,” said Jane.
girls waiting in the hall. Jane had regained her
“And you keep out of it.” I couldn’t see
gun and was standing, ready.
him but I judged that the little lavender-shirted
“Did you catch the perfumed rat?”
man had swung to face Jane. “You never did
I shook my head and she said under her
know enough to mind your own business. It
breath: “Why didn’t I shoot him!”
got you in trouble once. Maybe you haven’t
I said, “You think he’s behind all this?”
had enough trouble.”
The girls looked at each other, startled.
Jane’s laugh was not a nice thing to hear.
Jane started to shake her head, then stopped.
“There’s nothing that you or Bobo or anyone
“Why, I—it never occurred to me before. I
else can do to hurt me now. I’ve been hurt as
always thought about him taking orders from
much as it’s in the power of any man to hurt
Bobo, but, well, they were always pretty
me. Now, let her alone.”
friendly. Some of the other manufacturers
“I should fire you, Mary.” Apparently Ivor
tried to put up a fight, but Ivor never did. I
had chosen to ignore Jane. “But I’m soft-
always thought it was because he lacked the
hearted. I’ll take you back if you get these
guts, but now that you mention it . . .”
silly notions out of your head.”
I glanced at my watch and was surprised
“She isn’t working for you,” Jane told
to find that it was after five. “Listen, you girls him.
get your stuff together. Stay in the apartment
“Oh, but she is. I’ll see that she doesn’t
and don’t open the door for anyone but me. If
model for anyone else. I’ll see Bobo. He’ll
someone tries to break in, don’t hesitate to use take care of her. He’s sore at her anyhow.”
that gun of Jane’s.”
“She isn’t working in New York,” said
“Don’t worry,” the big girl told me.
Jane. “Now, get out of here before I throw you
Mary didn’t say anything. She just
out.”
stretched a hand to my arm, drew herself up
“Why you—!” I heard the sound of a slap,
on tiptoe and kissed me on the cheek. “You’re
then a scuffle, and I ripped open the door.
about the nicest person I’ve ever met.”
Apparently Jane had tried to pull her gun and
Ivor had knocked it from her hand. They were
CHAPTER V
struggling close to the door and although the
MODELS FOR MURDER
13
No Break for Bobo
cheap chiseler like you says the word, you’d
better turn yourself in to the psychopathic
T WAS getting dark as I left the building
ward at Bellevue.”
an
I d looked for a cab. There was none, and I
He moved his big head slowly from side to
started to walk across town toward the side. “Don’t think I didn’t warn you.” His subway. I didn’t see Bobo until he stepped out
small eyes glittered redly in the half light.
of the doorway and blocked my passage. “You’re just like that mugg Jimmy Wabash. I There was a strip of tape along one cheek and
tried to tell him to stay away from the dame,
his features had a battered, bluish look.
but he was always around, taking pictures,
“Wait a minute, Mac.”
always taking pictures. And you ain’t such a
I was startled, and I think afraid. I’ve
big shot, Gardner. Your agency will go on
never known much about fear, but I felt it
after you die, just like anything else.” He
tugging at me now. I looked up and down the
swung on his heel again and walked away up
street, quickly, in search of help. There were
the street, leaving me staring after him.
people on the street, but none close to us, and This time I did not follow.
none paying any attention.
Instead I turned and walked rapidly toward
I faced Bobo then, knowing I was in for it.
the subway, headed for my office.
There was no question that the man could lick
me. He was more brute than he was human, a
HE switchboard girl and Henry Graylord
throwback to the days when man was little
Twere the only occupants when I arrived.
better than an animal. I thought of Jimmy
Henry glanced at his watch. “Where have
Wabash’s shattered body and shuddered. Still,
you been? I was just about to pull out.”
he wasn’t going to get me without a fight.
“What about those train reservations?” I
But I got the surprise of my life. Maybe
asked him.
Bobo was stiff and sore from the beating he
“Nothing for tonight. The best I could do
had taken on the preceding afternoon. Maybe
was tomorrow afternoon. The girls will just
he figured that now wasn’t the place or time,
have to wait.”
for he said:
I shrugged and, turning, led the way into
“Look, Mac. This is just a little warning,
my private office. He followed. “Have any
see. You’re planning to send those dames out
trouble?”
of town . . . oh, never mind how I know. Well,
“No real trouble,” I said. “That guy Ivor
that’s okay. They’re troublemakers and I’d
showed up at the girls’ apartment muttering
just as soon they weren’t around, but get smart threats. I started to throw him out but he got
and take a powder yourself. This town ain’t
away before I could get my fingers on him.