JК
The Case of the Velvet Claws :: Гарднер Эрл Стенли
Страница: 101 из 149What the hell’s eating you?”
“The police don’t know it yet,” said Mason, “but that gun is the one that killed George Belter last night.”
Locke recoiled as though he had been struck a blow. His milkchocolate eyes were wide and wild. The glint of the perspiration on his forehead was quite evident now.
“So that’s the kind of a dirty damn frameup this is, is it?”
“Now, wait a minute, Locke,” Mason cautioned. “Don’t fly off the handle. I could have gone to the police with this thing, but I didn’t. I’m just working it my own way. I’m going to give you the breaks.”
“It’ll take more than you and a Jew pawnbroker, to frame anything like that on me,” Locke snarled. “Just for this I’m going to blow the lid off!”
Mason’s voice remained calm and patient. “Well, let’s go out where we can talk a bit. I want to talk where we won’t have any witnesses.”
“You just steered me in here on a frameup. That’s what I get for going with you. Now you can go to hell!”
“I steered you in here so Sol could take a good look at you,” Mason told him. “That’s all. He told me that he’d know the man if he ever saw him again. I had to be sure.”
Locke backed toward the door.
“What a sweet frameup this is,” he said. “If you’d gone to the cops with a story like that, they’d have made you put me in a line of men, and seen whether or not this kike could have picked me out of the line. But you didn’t do that. You brought me in here. How do I know that you haven’t slipped this fellow some money to pull this stunt?”
Mason laughed.
“If you want to go down to police headquarters and get in a line of men, I’ll take you down there. And I guess Sol can pick you out,” he said.
“Of course he can, now that you’ve put the finger on me.”
“Well,” Mason said, “we’re not getting anywhere with this. Come on, let’s go outside.”
He took Locke’s arm and piloted him through the door.
In the street, Locke turned to him savagely, and said, “I’m finished with you. I’m not saying a damned word. I’m going back to the office, and you can go to hell!”
“That wouldn’t be a very wise course of procedure, Locke,” Mason said, holding Locke’s arm. “You see, I’ve got a motive for the crime, opportunity, and everything.”
“Yes?” sneered Locke. “What’s your motive? I’m interested in that.”
“You have been embezzling funds from the Extraordinary Expense Account,” said Mason, “and you were afraid of discovery.
“The police don’t know it yet,” said Mason, “but that gun is the one that killed George Belter last night.”
Locke recoiled as though he had been struck a blow. His milkchocolate eyes were wide and wild. The glint of the perspiration on his forehead was quite evident now.
“So that’s the kind of a dirty damn frameup this is, is it?”
“Now, wait a minute, Locke,” Mason cautioned. “Don’t fly off the handle. I could have gone to the police with this thing, but I didn’t. I’m just working it my own way. I’m going to give you the breaks.”
“It’ll take more than you and a Jew pawnbroker, to frame anything like that on me,” Locke snarled. “Just for this I’m going to blow the lid off!”
Mason’s voice remained calm and patient. “Well, let’s go out where we can talk a bit. I want to talk where we won’t have any witnesses.”
“You just steered me in here on a frameup. That’s what I get for going with you. Now you can go to hell!”
“I steered you in here so Sol could take a good look at you,” Mason told him. “That’s all. He told me that he’d know the man if he ever saw him again. I had to be sure.”
Locke backed toward the door.
“What a sweet frameup this is,” he said. “If you’d gone to the cops with a story like that, they’d have made you put me in a line of men, and seen whether or not this kike could have picked me out of the line. But you didn’t do that. You brought me in here. How do I know that you haven’t slipped this fellow some money to pull this stunt?”
Mason laughed.
“If you want to go down to police headquarters and get in a line of men, I’ll take you down there. And I guess Sol can pick you out,” he said.
“Of course he can, now that you’ve put the finger on me.”
“Well,” Mason said, “we’re not getting anywhere with this. Come on, let’s go outside.”
He took Locke’s arm and piloted him through the door.
In the street, Locke turned to him savagely, and said, “I’m finished with you. I’m not saying a damned word. I’m going back to the office, and you can go to hell!”
“That wouldn’t be a very wise course of procedure, Locke,” Mason said, holding Locke’s arm. “You see, I’ve got a motive for the crime, opportunity, and everything.”
“Yes?” sneered Locke. “What’s your motive? I’m interested in that.”
“You have been embezzling funds from the Extraordinary Expense Account,” said Mason, “and you were afraid of discovery.