One Reward Too Many By Harold Francis Sorensen Read online

  Mammoth Detective, May, 1946

  The double-cross is a thing yon don’t expect in your own family circle!

  ARRIETT told me we were broke

  “You know Hugo Apernik, I guess,”

  again; even without being a surprise,

  Kinchel said, motioning me to a chair.

  H it was bad news. And she wanted “Sure,” I nodded, “he’s the best op money today. Harriett’s ambition was to be a working for Standard Detection. I’ve seen him radio commentator; trying to get to be one, her several times.”

  way, was costing us a mint. I left the

  “Well, we want to give him a complete

  apartment in a hurry, feeling again that I’d had check,” Kinchel announced. “Even to how

  the usual breakfast: my ears had worked more often he changes his pajamas.”

  than my jaws. I was so moody I forgot to

  “One op checking on another?” I

  humble myself to our doorman.

  asked. “Our agency investigating Standard’s The moment I arrived at work, they

  man?”

  said Kinchel wanted to see me. He was in his

  “It goes back to the McConnell who

  private little office, lighting his first cigar of founded Standard Detection.” The smoke

  the day.

  cloud was beginning to form around Kinchel’s

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  2

  head and shoulders, it would be there all day, about what has been done so far. Anyway, the thickening. “You know how a bank has an

  file makes our men write what they learn,

  examiner come in and check everything? instead of trying to remember it, and in Well, every so often Standard fine-combs one writing, it lasts longer, and anyone can get the of its men to make sure the ideals of the outfit benefit of it.

  aren’t suffering. We have the job; we’re I opened the binder to Apernik’s photo; his supposed to feel honored, I guess.”

  head and shoulders were enough to indicate he

  “Okay. Who do you want me to put on

  is a big man, handsome in a reserved,

  it?”

  unfriendly fashion. I know I was never able to

  “Who do you think is our best man?”

  get friendly with him, and he is a man I would

  “Frankly, all our best men are away,” I

  like to talk shop with. All I got out of the file said. “Leggett’s—”

  that I didn’t know, was his home address,

  “You always have a best,” Kinchel

  7911 Grasslawn Drive. I entered it in my

  interrupted. “You start with good, better, best.

  notebook. Frankly, I considered an

  When best is gone, better is best; then good investigation of Apernik foolish, which meant becomes best. And when good is gone, the

  I would have to goad myself.

  stinko is the best.”

  I went out and walked a couple of

  “Now I know you mean for me to take

  blocks to a hotel where I know the girl at the the job,” I replied, getting up.

  switchboard. I told her what I wanted, and she

  “Only, of course, if it won’t interfere

  was agreeable. She phoned Standard

  with your hobby,” Kinchel noted.

  Detection, and asked to speak to Apernik.

  “Maybe you think that’s funny,” I They said he was not in, and she asked when snapped. “But if it wasn’t for the rewards I he would be. They didn’t know, and they

  earn in my spare time, I couldn’t afford to asked for her name and what she wanted. She work for you.”

  said she’d phone later, and broke the

  He eased the cigar out of his mouth.

  connection. I thanked her, and went out.

  “Who could you afford to work for?” I

  After

  some

  thinking, I decided to start

  felt as if my feet suddenly went flat. “What with the place where Apernik lived. A

  kind of remark is that?” I demanded. He directory informed me that Grasslawn Drive grunted. I knew there was no chance of was in a place called Vernon Village. I walked borrowing still more money from him, not

  all the way over to where I could get a bus right now, anyway.

  directly out there, stopping only for coffee.

  “Any special dope on Apernik?”

  This Vernon Village, I discovered as

  “No,” he grumbled, “they want us to

  soon as I stepped off the bus, was a semi-

  start cold and see what we dig out.”

  suburban development; going into it was like I nodded and went outside.

  leaving the world behind. I found Grasslawn Drive after I’d had a lot of dogs bark at me for WE KEEP a file on the ops working for other no reason except that they had nothing else to agencies, which was originally my idea. There do. Then I found 7911; it was like the others, a is never any telling when a job will take one one-floor small house with a peaked roof; the of our men across the trail of an op from

  houses differed mostly in the colors of the another outfit, and it’s good to know roofs and the imitation shutters; Apernik’s had something about these other dicks, more a red roof and shutters. All the houses had especially when some agency drops a case and open ground all around them; mostly, flowers we get it and want to form our opinion of

  grew all over the place, but Apernik’s house

  One Reward Too Many

  3

  was surrounded by closely cropped grass.

  needed for comfort, convenience and utility.

  The windows were all shut, the Venetian He had a home here. The whole place was blinds down and closed. I figured he was not nicely clean, and cosy. There is nothing that at home, and since he was a bachelor, that

  alienates me the way untidiness and

  ought to leave the house empty. The porch and unconcern do; to leave things where you drop entrance were at the side of the house, and I them, allow the ashtrays to fill and spill over, went up. I opened the screen door and while I and ignore the dust. I jerked my mind away

  knocked on the wooden door, my left hand

  from my apartment, before my mind could

  tried the knob and found the door locked. I start going round and round with the old,

  waited, not for a reply, but for any indication useless arguments.

  that there was anyone in the vicinity. Some I went after Apernik, into the kitchen.

  place, children yelled at play, dogs barked in He put a light under a glass pot of coffee, and every direction, but right here where I was, brought out a coffee cake. We sat in the

  only insects buzzed.

  dinette. I thought the cake was a wooden

  imitation after I’d nearly broken a tooth on it, AT THE back of the house there was a lawn

  but when I followed his example and soaked

  mower, a rake, a covered coalbin, and a short the cake in coffee, it tasted real good.

  clothesline. The back screen door was hooked,

  “You got anything to say?” he

  I saw. There was a hole in the screening near demanded.

  the hook, but it had been patched over. I went

  “I’ll let you do the talking.” I munched the round by the other side of the house, soggy cake.

  completing my circuit. While I stood

  His big gray eyes glared at me, it

  considering how I would get in, the first seemed as if his mouth would stay shut; opportune night, I sen
sed that someone had

  finally I knew he had decided to talk a little.

  come up behind me. I whirled, and looked up

  “Get out of town, and don’t come

  into Apernik’s face; it wore a grouchy, hostile back,” he said.

  expression. Perhaps that made me more than

  “That involves inconvenience,” I let

  usually aware of his size, the spread of his him see my wise grin, “for which I would

  shoulders and the thickness of his wrists.

  have to be recompensed.”

  “Hello, Slate,” he grunted. “Come on

  “You’re asking me for money?” he

  in,” he added, and went up on the porch,

  shouted, caught himself, made it, “You mean pulling out keys.

  money could fix it?”

  I tingled; of course I still had to make

  I think I must be one of the few who

  sure that this meeting was not an accident, but have seen Apernik surprised, and possibly the my hunch told me it wasn’t. Which meant that only one who has seen him shocked.

  Apernik had snapped me up so fast because he Remember, this Apernik has been around, and was watching his back trail, and when a man into many things. Seeing him so disturbed,

  is doing that, he has done something, and

  made me ashamed.

  wants to see if consequences are following

  “That was my way of finding out if

  him.

  there’s money involved in whatever you’re

  Inside he opened the blinds, and my

  hiding,” I said.

  first impression was that his place was

  pitifully poor. I immediately changed that. It HE HAD no expression to fit what he was

  looked as if Apernik had bought unmatched,

  feeling, but he felt plenty, I saw that. He quit secondhand stuff, but he had everything he

  cold. He started to take the saucers and bowls

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  4

  from which we’d drunk our coffee, but I

  “Okay.” I hung up.

  stopped him.

  The afternoon humidity was settling

  “I don’t know where I stand with you,

  like a suffocating blanket, and I missed a bus.

  Apernik,” I said. “It was indirectly, but still it I stood half an hour in the sun till another was because of you, that I met Harriett. I was came, then I had to ride a street car too, to get snooping around on one of your cases, just to to police headquarters.

  see how in the world you’d done it,” I think I The old building had a black floor with

  blushed as I admitted this, “and I ran into fresh wood streaks, the way a wooden floor

  Harriett who was around because she was a

  gets when it is washed with too much water, newspaperwoman in those days, and because

  and never dries. The old scrubwater and the you were making tracks in her direction then. I woodrot were part of the stink in the building, don’t know if you’re one of the guys who hate a building I never liked.

  me because Harriett married me—”

  “I don’t,” he interrupted emphatically.

  ZUCKER fingered two lesser detectives out of

  “Okay.” I took a breath. “We’re down

  his office when I entered, and motioned me to to subsoil. I’m saying I don’t care what you a chair. He was a hairy, moist man, on whom did. Anybody can slip, even you, I guess. If desk-work was beginning to show in the form you did, I’ll do anything I can to help you of a paunch and a sort of philosophical

  cover it up. Any man would do that for the top dejection.

  man in his own profession.”

  “I’m here,” I said, starting to wipe my

  His wide mouth pulled up into a sneery

  face and then thrusting the handkerchief back grin. He took the saucers and bowls into the into my pocket because it was none too clean kitchen; water ran. I knew it was no use. I a handkerchief. “What now?”

  took my hat, said so long loudly, and left.

  “Quite a bit,” Zucker said heavily.

  I walked out of Vernon Village and up

  “Beginning with Handsome Dan Grogan. It’s

  the street to the bus stop. There was no bus in just five months since you discovered him

  sight. I went in a drug store and phoned living in the same apartment house you do, Kinchel.

  and killed him. You got the fifteen hundred

  “Can you find out from Standard what

  dollar reward you were after.”

  cases Apernik has been working on?” I knew

  “I like the way you tell it,” I said. “I

  Kinchel would ask why. I went on to tell him.

  entered his apartment thinking he was out,

  “My hunch is that he worked himself into one only he wasn’t. He had three clear shots at me of those corners where he’s protecting a before I shot back and was lucky enough to woman.”

  kill him. But what about it? You writing a

  “I told you Standard wants us to work

  history book?”

  on it cold,” Kinchel retorted. “They won’t

  “A couple of months after that,”

  give out a lead because we might make Zucker went on, rubbing the stubbly big cheek something of it just to save ourselves work.”

  of his moist face, “you were after Marty

  He cleared his throat. “But never mind that.

  Hudson, to get another reward, five hundred Right now, go over to police headquarters and dollars. You almost got Hudson, but you

  see Zucker. He was asking for you.”

  didn’t. Neither did anyone else. And then, just

  “I’m not going out of my way—”

  last month, there was another one, Harvey

  “I promised Zucker you would come

  Teachman, also five hundred dollars. Same as see him right away as fast as I could pass you Hudson, Teachman got away at the last

  the word,” Kinchel cut in.

  minute.”

  One Reward Too Many

  5

  “I’m after anyone within easy “If we can, we’re going to get you. If Hudson distance,” I said, “who has a reward on him. I or Teachman is ever caught, and talks, it

  need the money.”

  might be too bad for you. Take it all in all, it

  “That’s right.” Zucker struck his desk.

  might be a good time for you to pack and

  “You’re spending a lot of money for a guy

  move.”

  making fifty a week.”

  This was the second time today I’d

  “Sure,” I nodded, “I’ve been spending

  heard that.

  anybody’s money I could get my hands on.”

  “Up to now,” Zucker was saying, “I’ve

  It sounded funny after I’d said it talked strictly business. But I’m going to stick because of the look on his face. It seemed like my neck out, and say that for a guy who’s

  a long time till he said, “That’s it. Whose been married about six months, you’re not

  money have you been getting your hands on?”

  giving that wife of yours a good break. A girl Our eyes met, but I couldn’t see very

  doesn’t marry a man to have him turn bad.”

  far into his; he wouldn’t let me.

  He ran both big hands over his thick black

  “Handsome Dan Grogan was known to

  hair. “Maybe you made her think you earn

  have twelve hundred dollars at least,” Zucker more money than you do. Couldn’t you tell

  went on, “but after you shot him, only two

  her the truth?”

  dollars sixty-two cents was found on him.”

  “This desk job is giving you too much

  “There was a lot of talk at
the time,” I

  time to think.” Our eyes met again, I saw into acknowledged. “I thought it was ribbing. his this time, and I knew we agreed about that, Everyone agreed I would never have at least.

  overlooked the two dollars. Why bring all this

  “Look, the cops couldn’t do it, but you

  up all of a sudden?”

  could. You found three men in five months

  “It was ribbing, then,” Zucker stated.

  that we couldn’t put our hands on.”

  “And this is not all of a sudden, it’s been

  “I didn’t find Grogan,” I muttered. “I

  growing. Look, Grogan was worth fifteen was looking for him but the way he was hundred, dead or alive. We got him dead, and disguised I’m not sure I’d ever spotted him.

  minus twelve hundred dollars. Hudson and

  But my wife remembered him from when she

  Teachman were worth five hundred, alive. We was on a newspaper, and Grogan was a small

  didn’t get either one. Each of them must have racketeer not wanted by the law. As for

  had money. You’ve been spending over your

  Hudson, I just asked all the questions I could head.”

  think of, of everybody I could find. Then I

  “Instead of turning Hudson and figured the circumstances, opportunity, and Teachman in for five hundred each,” I said, “I his character into it, and after some trial and let them buy their way out. Why wasn’t error, I located him. He was wanted alive, so I anything said before?”

  sent for cops to come get him. Only he was

  “Mostly because you got a lot of gone. Exactly the same with Teachman.”

  friends,” Zucker sighed. “The records passed