Dead Reckoning Page #4

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That's an idea.

The newspaper boys will go for that.

Kincaid would check

with Missing Persons...

... and find out I'd never been there

but I wasn't worrying about that.

I was thinking, now I won't have

to say goodbye to Johnny.

I remembered him in Berlin.

The crazy song he always sang.

I used to say,

"You drive me nuts with it." Yeah.

Why, I used to say to him...

Let's just say I remembered Johnny,

laughing, tough and lonesome.

Let's just say that.

But I knew all at once I had a job.

They don't give out the Congressional

Medal to guys wanted for murder...

... but he was gonna get it.

I was going after whoever

tried to gyp him out of it.

Why should anybody kill Johnny?

Because he hadn't shot Chandler

and maybe knew who did?

There was a photo in

the Gulf City Statesman.

Louis Ord,

a waiter at the Sanctuary Club.

He was a witness at

the Chandler inquest.

Maybe he wouldn't help,

but you gotta start somewhere.

And he'd be fine. Mr. Louis Ord

would be fine, just dandy.

I felt like a fight, Father.

I felt like a fight.

How many, sir?

You alone, friend?

I have a small table.

The bar is good enough, thanks.

It looked like feeding time

at the zoo.

All you needed was money to start with

and bicarbonate of soda to finish.

- What'll it be?

- Rye and water.

- Plain water?

- Yeah.

Here you are, sir.

- Come here, sweetheart.

- Yes, sir?

Didn't you used to be a waiter here?

Louis Ord, 45, single?

I seem to know your face,

but the name...

Remember a guy named Johnny?

In this business you meet

lots of Johnnies, sir.

You were a witness against this one.

He acted like a mine

had gone off under his feet.

I hadn't seen a guy look

that scared since jump training.

- Who are you?

- The name is Murdock.

- Capt. Murdock?

- How'd you know?

- Johnny's told me about you, captain.

- Skip the captain. Where is he?

He's been holed up at my place, until

two days ago. I ain't seen him since.

- Who else has he seen here?

- No one, that is, except her.

The Chandler doll?

What's she like?

She's tops.

With him, with everyone.

- When did he last see her?

- I don't know that.

Just before he left my place,

he gave me a letter for you.

What are you waiting for?

Give it to me.

- Come on. Where is it?

- Here.

- Hand it over. Give it to me.

- Go on and give it to him.

Not here.

Tomorrow morning at your hotel.

- I have that table for you, friend.

- I didn't want a table.

Sorry, sir. My mistake.

There was something about him I didn't

like. Maybe his calling me "friend."

Evening, Mrs. Chandler.

A Ramos gin fizz?

Nobody can make them the way you can.

Thank you...

...very much.

- Cinderella, with a husky voice.

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