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The Case of the Velvet Claws :: Гарднер Эрл Стенли
Страница: 82 из 149But I don’t want you to get in the position where they build up a case against you, while you’re trying to shield Burke.”
She started to pace the floor, twisting her handkerchief in her fingers.
“Oh, my God!” she said. “Oh, my God! Oh, my God!”
“I don’t know whether or not it’s ever occurred to you,” he said, “but there’s a penalty for being an accessory after the fact, or for compounding a felony. Now, we don’t either one of us want to get in that position. What we want to do is to find out who did this thing, and find it out before the police do. I don’t want them to frame a murder charge on you, and I don’t want them to frame one on me. If Burke is guilty, the thing to do is to get in touch with Burke, and get him to surrender himself, and rush the case through to a trial before the District Attorney’s office can get too much evidence. I’m going to take steps to see that Locke keeps quiet, and call off this blackmail article in Spicy Bits.”
She stared at him for a moment, and then asked, “How are you going to do that?”
He smiled at her. “In this game,” he said, “I’m the one that has to know everything. The less you know, the less you stand a chance of telling.”
“You can trust me. I can keep a secret,” she told him.
“You’re a good liar,” he said judiciously, “if that’s what you mean. But this is once where you won’t have to lie, because you won’t know what’s going on.”
“But Burke didn’t do it,” she insisted.
He frowned at her.
“Now listen,” he said, “that’s the reason I wanted to get in touch with you. If Burke didn’t do it, who did?”
She shifted her eyes. “I told you some man had a conference with my husband. I don’t know who he was. I thought it was you. It sounded like your voice.”
He got to his feet, and his face darkened.
“Listen,” he said, “if you go trying that kind of a game on me, I’ll throw you to the wolves. You’ve tried that game once. That’s enough.”
She started to cry and sobbed. “I cccan’t help it. You asked me. There’s nobody listening. I ttttold you who it wwwas. I heard your vvvoice. I won’t tttell the pppolice, not even if they tttorture me!”
He took her by the shoulders and slammed her down on the bed. He pulled her hands from her face and stared at her eyes. There was no trace of tears in them.
“Now listen,” he said, “you didn’t hear my voice, because I wasn’t there at all.
She started to pace the floor, twisting her handkerchief in her fingers.
“Oh, my God!” she said. “Oh, my God! Oh, my God!”
“I don’t know whether or not it’s ever occurred to you,” he said, “but there’s a penalty for being an accessory after the fact, or for compounding a felony. Now, we don’t either one of us want to get in that position. What we want to do is to find out who did this thing, and find it out before the police do. I don’t want them to frame a murder charge on you, and I don’t want them to frame one on me. If Burke is guilty, the thing to do is to get in touch with Burke, and get him to surrender himself, and rush the case through to a trial before the District Attorney’s office can get too much evidence. I’m going to take steps to see that Locke keeps quiet, and call off this blackmail article in Spicy Bits.”
She stared at him for a moment, and then asked, “How are you going to do that?”
He smiled at her. “In this game,” he said, “I’m the one that has to know everything. The less you know, the less you stand a chance of telling.”
“You can trust me. I can keep a secret,” she told him.
“You’re a good liar,” he said judiciously, “if that’s what you mean. But this is once where you won’t have to lie, because you won’t know what’s going on.”
“But Burke didn’t do it,” she insisted.
He frowned at her.
“Now listen,” he said, “that’s the reason I wanted to get in touch with you. If Burke didn’t do it, who did?”
She shifted her eyes. “I told you some man had a conference with my husband. I don’t know who he was. I thought it was you. It sounded like your voice.”
He got to his feet, and his face darkened.
“Listen,” he said, “if you go trying that kind of a game on me, I’ll throw you to the wolves. You’ve tried that game once. That’s enough.”
She started to cry and sobbed. “I cccan’t help it. You asked me. There’s nobody listening. I ttttold you who it wwwas. I heard your vvvoice. I won’t tttell the pppolice, not even if they tttorture me!”
He took her by the shoulders and slammed her down on the bed. He pulled her hands from her face and stared at her eyes. There was no trace of tears in them.
“Now listen,” he said, “you didn’t hear my voice, because I wasn’t there at all.