Chapter 5 Who is the murderer I

It was up to me, since it was my case and Bolton was merely helping, but he had many times asked for my opinion and it wouldn't hurt to reciprocate, so I stepped to the office door and said, "Darwin and Nelly Graham. Shall I-"

"Judy Mira cried, "She's here?"

I ignored her. "Shall I scoot with Miss Nest and leave them to you?

He closed his eyes. In three seconds he opened them. "I would say no. The decision is yours."

"Then we stick. I want to meet Nelly anyhow. Sit tight, Miss Nest. Never drop a simple basic lie until it drops you."

As I turned the bell rang again. I went to the front, put the chain bolt on, opened the door the two inches the chain allowed, and spoke through the crack. "Do you want me, Inspector?"

I want in. Open up."

"Glad to for you, but not for strangers. Who is the lady?"

"Her name is Nelly Graham. She's the owner and driver--"

"I want to see Clara Nest!" the lady said, meaning it. "Open the door"

I removed the chain, but didn't have to swing the door because she saved me the trouble. She came with it and darted down the hall. Seeing that Darwin, after her, would brush me, I stiffened to make the brush a bump, and he wobbled and lost a step, giving me time to shut the door and reach the office at his heels. When we entered Nelly was sitting on the arm of the red leather chair with her arm across Clara's shoulders, jabbering. Darwin grabbed her arm and barked at her, but she ignored him.

" and I said yes, the cab might have still been there in front when you left, but I was sure you wouldn't take it, and anyway"

Darwin yanked her up and around, as she came she swubg with her free hand and smacked him in the face. There was too much of him to be staggered by it, but the sound effect was fine. She jerked loose and glared at him. Her big grey, well spaced eyes were ideal for glaring. I had a feeling that I had seen her before, but I hadn't. It was just an old memory: a seventh-grafe classmate out in Ohio whom I had. Been impelled to kiss, and she had socked me on the ear with her arithmetic. She is now married, with five children.

"That's not advisable, Miss Graham," Darwin stated. "Striking a police officer." He moved, got a yellow chair, and swung it around. "Here. Sit down."

"I'll sit where I please." She perched again on the red leather arm. "Is it advisable for a police officer to manhandle a citizen? When I got a hack license I informed myself about laws. Am I under arrest?"

"No."

"Then don't touch me." Her head swung around. "You're Jake Bolton? You're even bigger." She didn't say bigger than what. "I'm Nelly Graham. Are you representing my friend Clara Nest?"

His eyes on her were half closed. "Representing is not the word, Miss Graham. I'm a detective, not a lawyer, Miss Nest has hired Mr. Coupe, and he has hired me as his assistant. You call her your friend. Are you her friend?"

"Yes. And I want to know. She left my place around half past seven, and about an hour later I went out to keep a date. I had left my cab out front and it wasn't there, but I supposed-"

"Hold it," Darwin snapped. He was on the yellow chair, and I was at my desk. "I'll do the talking"

She merely raised her voice. "I supposed a man from the garage had come and got it, I have that arrangement-"

"Shut up!" Darwin roared. "Or I'll shut you up!"

"How?" she asked.

It was a question. He had several choices: clamp his paw on her mouth, or pick her up and carry her out, or call in a couple of big strong men from out front, or hit her with a blunt instrument, or shoot her. All had drawbacks.

"Permit me," Bolton said. "I suggest, Mr. Darwin, that you have bungled it. The notion of suddenly confronting Miss Nest with Miss Graham was of course tempting, but your appraisal of Miss Graham's temperament was faulty. Now you're stuck. You won't get the contradictions you're after. Miss Nest would be a simpleton to supply particulars until she knows what Miss Graham has said. As you well know, that does not necessarily imply culpability for either of them."

Darwin rasped, "You're telling Miss Nest not to answer any questions."

"Am I? If so, unwittingly. Now, of course, you have made it plain. It would appear that you have only two alternatives: either let Mins Graham finish her account, or remove her."

"There's a third one I like better. I'll remove Miss Nest." Nest got op. "Come on, Miss Nest. I'm taking you down for questioning in connection with the murder of Nora Aiden."

"Is she under arrest?" Nelly demanded.

"No. But if she doesn't talk she will be. As a material witness."

"Can he do that, Mr. Bolton?"

"Yes"

"Without a warrant?"

"In the circumstances, yes."

"Come on, Miss Nest," Darwin growled.

I was sitting with my jaw set. Bolton would rather miss a meal than let Darwin or any other cop take a client of his from that office into custody, and over the years I had seen and heard him pull some fancy maneuvers to prevent it. But this was my client, and he wasn't batting an eye. I admit that it would have had to be something extra fancy, and it was up to me, not him, but I had split the fee with him. So I sat with my jaw set while Clara left the chair and Nelly jabbered and Darwin touched Clara's arm and they headed for the door. Then I came to, scribbled on my memo pad- formerly my memo pad-tore the sheet off, and made for the hall. Darwin had his hand on the knob

"Here's the phone number," I told her. "Twenty-four-hour service. Don't forget method three She took the slip, said, "I won't, and crossed the sill, with Darwin right behind. I noted that the food lights and the taxi were still there before I shut the door.

Back in the office, Bolton was leaning back with eyes closed and Nelly Graham was standing scowling at him. She switched the scowl to me and demanded, "Why don't you put him to bed?"

"Too heavy. How many people did you tell that Clara was going to drive your cab to her husband's house?

She eyed me, straight, for two breaths, then went to the red leather chair and sat. I took the yellow one, to be closer.

"I thought you were working for her," she said.

"I am."

"You don't sound like it. She didn't drive my cab."

I shook my head. "Come on down. Would I be working for her if she hadn't opened up? You told her yesterday that Watson had phoned you to call for him at eight o'clock today, and she asked you to let her go instead of you. She wanted to have a talk with him about a divorce. How many people did you tell about it?"

"Nobody. If she opened up, what's the rest of it?"

"Ask her when you see her. Did you kill Nora Aiden?"

From the flash in her eye she would have smacked me if I had been close enough. "Oh, for God's sake," she said. "Get a club, Drag me by the hair."

"Later maybe." I leaned to her. "Look, Miss Graham. Give your temperament a rest and use your brain. I am working for Clara Nest. I know exactly where she was and what she did, every minute, from seven o'clock this evening on, but I'm not going to tell you. Of course you know that the dead body of a woman named Nora Aiden was found in your cab, I am certain that Clara didn't kill her, but she is probably going to be charged. I am not certain that the murderer tried to get her tagged for it, but it looks like it. I would be a fathead to tell the murderer about her movements. Wouldn't I? Answer with your brain."

"Yes." She was meeting my eyes.

"Okay. Give me one good reason why I should cross you off. One you would accept if you were in my place. Clara has, naturally, but why should I?"

"Because there's not the slightest-" She stopped. "No. You don't know that. All right. But don't try twisting my arm. I know some tricks."

"I'll keep my distance if you will. Did you kill Nora Aiden?"

"No."

"Do you know who did?"

"No."

"Have you any suspicions? Any ideas?"

"Yes. Or I would have if I knew anything-where and when it happened. Did Nora come out to the cab with Darren Watson?"

"No. Watson didn't show up. Clara never saw him."

"But Nora came?"

"Not alive. When Clara saw her she was dead. In the cab."

"Then my idea is Darren. The sophisticated ape. You know, you're not any too bright. If I killed her in my own cab while Clara was driving it, I already know everything you do and more. Why not tell me?"

I looked at Bolton, who had opened his eyes off and on. He grunted. "You told her to use her brain," he muttered.

I returned to Nelly. "You certainly would know this: Clara got there before eight o'clock and parked in front. When Watson hadn't showed at eight-thirty she went to the house and spent ten minutes knocking and looking in windows. When she returned to the cab the dead body was in it. She never saw Watson."

"But my God." Her brows were up. She turned her hands over. "All she had to do was dump it out!"

"She hasn't got your temperament. She-"

"She drove here with it? To consult with you?"

"She might have done worse. In fact, she tried to. She phoned you, and got no answer. What's your idea about Watson?"

"He killed Phoebe."

"Then that's settled. Why?"

"I don't know. He tried to shake her and she hung on. Or she cheated on him. Or she had a bad cold and he was afraid he would catch it. He put the body in the cab to fix Clara. He hates her because she told him the truth about himself once."

"Did you know Nora well? Who and what was she?"

"Well enough. She was a widow at thirty, roaming around. I might have killed her, at that. About a year ago she started scattering remarks about me, and 1 broke her neck. Almost. She spent a week in a hospital."

"Did it cure her? I mean of remark-scattering?"

"Yes."

"We might as well finish with you. You told Mr. Bolton that Clara had left your place around half past seven and about an hour later you went out to keep a date. So you might have left at a quarter after eight."

"I might, but I didn't. I walked to Mitchell Hall on Fourteenth Street to make a speech at a cab drivers meeting, and I got there at five minutes to nine. After the meeting I walked back home, and two cops were there waiting for me. They were dumb enough to ask me first where my cab was, and I said I supposed it was in the garage. When they said no, it was parked an Thirty-fifth Street, and asked me to come and identify it, naturally I went. I also identified a dead body which they hadn't mentioned. Is that Inspector Darwin dumb?"

"No."

"I thought not. When he asked me if I knew Clara Nest of course I said yes, and when he asked when I last saw her I told him. Since I had no idea what had happened I thought that was safest, but I said I hadn't told her she could take the cab and I knew she wouldn't take it without asking me. Does that finish with me?"

"It's a good start. How well do you know Jordan Albert?"

That fazed her. Her mouth opened and she gawked with her big, brown, well-spaced eyes. "Are my ears working?" she demanded. "Did you say Jordan Albert?"

"That's right."

"Who let him in?"

"Clara mentioned him. How well do you know him?

"Too well. I dream about a lion standing on a rock about to spring at me, and I suspect it's him. If my subconscious is yearning for him it had better go soak its head, because first he's married and his wife has claws, and second, when he looks at Mira or hears her voice he has to lean against something to keep from trembling. Did she tell you that?"

"No. Who is he? What does he do?"

"Something in Wall Street, but he doesn't look it. Why did Clara mention him?"

"Because I made her. She phoned him last evening and told him she was going to drive your cab and why. She wanted to know what he thought of it. I want to know what motive he might have for killing Nora Aiden."