Mike Goes to a Movie by Stuart Friedman Read online

  Mammoth Detective, May, 1943

  Mike Goes to a Movie

  by Stuart Friedman

  MIKE had a night off, so he took the wife to a show. It was bank night, and when the wheel of fortune turned Mike cashed in on a mystery that almost cost him his life...!

  OU forgot, I suppose,” Jill said.

  “Bank night,” she said. “We’re going

  Mike gazed at her innocently to a show. And of course we’re going to be

  “Y from outside a mouthful of pie. late.”

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  2

  “Well, now, I wouldn’t have been late

  Mike drank long of the last several

  had you told me whilst I was in my bath,” he drops of coffee in his mug and shoved to his said, eyeing her fondly. She stood in the feet.

  dining room doorway, wearing a new green

  “Young man,” he said, “the first thing

  hat. “What with changing my uniform and all, a good policeman learns—uh—he learns to

  you know. I told you what happened in that mind his mother. Now,” he said very quickly, fearful rain, didn’t I? There I was, catching

  “if y’ don’t behave while your mother and I my death of cold—”

  are gone, I’ll tell Mary not to send out for ice

  “You told me, Mike,” Jill said. “Finish

  cream.”

  your pie. The sergeant comes up in his car and Mike moved deftly past her, paused by

  says it looks bad for the department having a Mary and nuzzled the baby’s cheek a second.

  man directing traffic without a raincoat. Like He headed for the door and stepped out to wait the man didn’t have sense enough to get in out for Jill. He chuckled, pleased with himself for of the rain—”

  the fast handling of that situation. He set on

  “Then I told him, ‘Just scoot over,

  his uniform cap, touched cuff to the gleaming sarge, and I’ll get out of the rain.’ Oh, he’s a badge on his chest.

  bitter man, darling. But it’s like I say, when a Jill came out, carefully closing the

  man is denied the tender influence of home door behind her. She stood peering inside a and—”

  moment, nodded as Mary slid the chain lock The baby started yowling in the front

  in place.

  room and young Mike’s voice could be heard:

  “Oh, my,” Mike said, stepping to the

  “Over to the curb, you! Lemme see

  door. “Mary,” he called, “would you run up your driver’s license. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah!”

  and fetch my watch?” He looked at Jill,

  Big Mike’s eyes met Jill’s briefly, then opened his mouth.

  scooted back to the half-finished slab of apple

  “I know,” she said. “You forgot your

  pie. These kids. Jill disappeared and he could watch.”

  hear snatches of voices: young Mike’s shrill When the girl brought it, he strapped it counter-pointing Jill’s decisive words, then a on, slid a big paw about Jill’s arm. He grinned muffled whack! Mike winced. This was all his down at her as they started the walk to the fault, as he was about to learn once more.

  movie.

  They came back into the dining room,

  “Poor Jill. The world is hangin’ round

  a ferocious young Mike firm in Jill’s grasp.

  her neck. Chipper up. Bank night at the

  Mary, the girl from next door, settled against movies. A saucy new green bonnet, and all’s the door frame, the baby in her arms, cooing right with the world.”

  her to silence.

  “Mike!” she said, her eyes dancing up

  “The home,” Mike said defensively,

  at his. She let her fingers wander over the new

  “is where a man comes for peace and content.

  hat. “You noticed. Does it make me look

  A man comes to regain his strength from the younger?”

  strain of duty, so that he can go and face the

  “A babe in arms. You’re the finest of

  world again, renewed with fight for his wife my women, the very finest.”

  and kiddies.”

  “You big bluff,” Jill returned. “Are

  THEY were in sight of the bright marquee of you or are you not going to correct your son the neighborhood show when Mike’s hand

  for frightening the baby? Brandishing this went to his pocket. It came away, and he horrible wood gun you carved for him.”

  looked down at the top of Jill’s head.

  Mike Goes to a Movie

  3

  “Y’ wouldn’t be carrying any change,

  winning number went sixteen hundred dollars, darling?”

  unless the ticket holder were absent. In that

  “You forgot your money. I know. I

  case no one collected, and two hundred was wonder if I’d love you if you were grown,”

  added to the next week drawing. Mike began she said, handing him a dollar.

  to rummage, at first slowly, then with growing At the box office Mike became impatience.

  involved in an exchange of quips with the The round little man, Harry Birdwell,

  cashier. Jill towed him along firmly.

  the manager, stepped forward to center stage

  “You even forget you’ve got a wife

  and lifted his hands, a benign smirk on his when you see a pretty girl.”

  face. The sound began to ebb, then fall to a

  “Why, she’s just a child.”

  hush that was broken only by someone’s

  “That’s

  the

  trouble,” Jill whispered as

  nervous giggle somewhere in the rear.

  they entered the inner lobby. “So are you.”

  “Mike, what on earth?” Jill asked.

  The usher routed them into a pair of

  “But, no—don’t tell me—”

  center seats. Mike sprinkled the passage He shifted his bulk in the narrow seat and inward with whispered apologies. A cop had groped in a back pocket, his face red.

  to be extra polite and friendly or his neighbors

  “My ticket,” he said, wetting his lips.

  would take him unkindly. He had enough of

  “When I changed uniforms—”

  that on duty, directing traffic at the busiest

  “You forgot it,” Jill said dismally.

  intersection in town. Folks weren’t apt to

  “I’ll go get it,” he said. “I can run

  know that a traffic cop is human. It is only the home. I’ll be right back—” He began to

  sergeants and such who aren’t.

  plough toward the aisle. Birdwell, the

  Mike relaxed and let himself be manager, looked at him in pain, and a chorus absorbed by the picture. It was a very sad of guffaws broke out. Someone sent a

  picture. The girl in it was just like Jill. Except wisecrack as he hurried up the aisle.

  she was blonde and Jill was brunette and a MIKE had just reached the head of the aisle, mite plumper. When it was over Mike oblivious of the sea of laughing faces, when it suddenly blew his nose violently and began happened.

  twisting in his seat. He focused on Jill, All the lights in the big theater were

  touching a handkerchief gently to her eyes.

  suddenly blacked out.

  “Why, darling,” he whispered. “’Twas

  All the voice went out of the crowd,

  only a picture.”

  too, and for seconds the big neighborhood

  “Then why that foghorn ou
t of you,

  theater was as oppressively silent as a deserted Mike Wiggins?” she snapped. “Just a cold, no church. Then a woman slit the silence with a doubt.”

  nervous shriek. It was the snapping of a cord, He nodded and produced the and a confusion of voices welled up to a handkerchief again. Through the coming mighty hum. Above them came the excited attractions the crowd began shifting in yell from the stage. It was Birdwell, the anticipation. And then the house lights came manager.

  on and the packed crowd’s hum rose. From

  “Help—police—” The voice rose,

  the wings of the stage came a roundish, chopped off abruptly.

  affable little man, pushing before him a cart The ray of an usher’s light swung like

  mounted by a large barrel. The crowd’s a feeble gray finger from halfway down the excitement crescendoed. Bank Night! In the aisle toward the stage. A tableau as vague as barrel were all the ticket stubs, and with the the wisp of some forgotten dream came to life

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  on the stage for just an instant. Two eyes dimmed into unconsciousness.

  explosions snuffed out the scene. The whole thing was like the soundtrack of a nightmare MIKE came to on the couch in the theater in technicolor. The shots represented by angry manager’s office. Somebody had a glass to his yellow streaks in the black. And then, as lips. Mike got to an elbow, got hold of the though the film had broken, but the sound glass and tipped it up. He blew out his breath continued, the usher sobbed in pain and terror.

  loudly, smacked his lips.

  His flash broke with his fall.

  “That’s Mike Wiggins. Shoot him and

  Mike started toward the usher. He run him down and he comes to life at the wheeled at another thought, cut along the back smell of whiskey.” Jill’s relieved words sent toward the exit. The stage was on this side. It the others in the room into laughter.

  looked like a stick-up, and the bandits would

  “Hello, darling,” he grinned up at her.

  get away from the stage into the alley.

  Suddenly her lips were screwed tight,

  The instant he stepped into the alley he and her round little chin fluttered. “You big knew he was right.

  fool,” she said. “You big, crazy fool.”

  A pair of headlights shone dully. He

  “Why, they can’t hurt me, baby.” He

  set out toward them in a dead run. The lights started to swing to his feet. Mike set his teeth, suddenly blazed a brilliant white and the car’s wincing, felt his side. His uniform was in motor rose in a whine. Mike faltered, blind tatters from the glass. Jill pressed her from the powerful driving lights. The car handkerchief quickly to both eyes.

  plunged toward him along the narrow alley

  “I’ve called a cab for you, honey,” she

  and Mike felt his heart race. He flattened said.

  himself to the unyielding bricks as the

  “Why, no,” Mike said, starting through

  machine roared toward him.

  his pockets. “Got to make a report on this.”

  He knew they were going to run him

  He looked at the people in the room.

  down or crush him against the wall. The lights Birdwell, Hemp, the assistant manager,

  veered the fraction of an inch. They planned to standing rigidly to one side as though he had a come within scraping distance of the wall, and poker up his spine, staring unblinkingly at at their speed Mike knew he hadn’t a chance him. Mike grinned at Vee Tansey, the little getting to the other side.

  cashier. She was breathing rapidly, and a thin Mike Wiggins knew he was face to

  veil of perspiration glistened on her young face with death. And it was strange. The first face.

  terror vanished. Was this the way men felt

  “Seems I don’t have my notebook,”

  when they knew?

  Mike said, moving over to Birdwell’s desk.

  It wasn’t a matter for thinking. He just

  “I’ll just use this paper.”

  acted. He jumped, high as he could, and The door opened and a short, faultlessly twisted sideways. It saved him.

  attired man posed in the doorway at the head The side of his body struck the of a cluster of uniformed police. Mike nodded windshield glass. Then he felt himself flying at Lieutenant Leap.

  like a batted ball. His arms flew to cradle his

  “I’ll take over.” He turned back a

  head. He landed against the opposite wall, his moment. “Get those entrances covered.” Leap shoulder striking. Instinctively, he tried to came into the room, trailed by a bounce to his feet. His head turned toward the plainclothesman with shorthand pad. “Now, receding tail-light of the car, and he read off who’s who?”

  the numbers fast, kept repeating them as his

  “Wiggins,” Mike said. “Traffic.”

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  5

  “I’m the manager of this theater,”

  “I had the money,” Hemp, the

  Birdwell said. He took out a handkerchief, assistant, said. “In a strong box. Mr. Birdwell wiped soft hands nervously.

  carried the key.”

  “What happened to you, Wiggins?”

  Lieutenant Leap’s fanned fingers drew

  Lieutenant Leap inspected Mike distastefully, together, then spread again. He regarded the shrugged his shoulders inside his well-tailored stiff figure speculatively. Hemp was an intent, clothing.

  pale young man.

  “I ran into the alley as the thieves were

  “You’re

  who?”

  making their escape, and mighty near got run

  “Albert Hemp. Assistant manager and

  down.”

  bookkeeper,” he said, seeming to become

  “License?”

  even stiffer under the lieutenant’s gaze.

  “A224Z. Though I was near to death, I

  “When I got backstage I was attacked by a got it.”

  pair of masked men, who held me until the

  “M’m.”

  lights went out. Then they struck me on the

  “Th—” Birdwell’s mouth dropped, and

  head and seized the strong box.”

  he wiped his hands on the handkerchief,

  “You’re provided police protection,

  agitatedly. “That’s my car.”

  Birdwell,” Leap said. “How could all this

  “Getting this?” Leap shot a glance at

  happen?”

  the man with the shorthand pad, turned back

  “Police guard the aisles leading to the

  to Birdwell. “Description.”

  stage. There are heavy drapes and they

  “A gray coupe. It’s a 1942 Plymouth.

  couldn’t see what went on in back.”

  My wife picked it. She liked the white

  “They knock off the box office?”

  sidewall tires—”

  Vee Tansey, face white in the frame of

  “Sure.” Leap cut him off. “Get out the

  dark hair, nodded breathlessly.

  description. Tell one of those mugs to get it on

  “When the lights went out somebody

  the radio. Now, Birdwell, what happened’ held a gun in my back. I—I guess I just froze here tonight?”

  up, I was so scared,” she said, looking at him apologetically. “I didn’t know what to do. He LEAP moved to a seat in a highback chair, just scooped out all the money, and left.”

  cocked a brightly polished shoe across one

  “Didn’t hit you?”

  knee and pressed his palms together, fingers

  “Oh, no. He said: ‘Keep quiet if you

  fanned out.

  want to live.’ And—and I did.”

  “Well,” Birdwell said, pushing his

  Mike grinned fondly at her. “And no


  handkerchief in his pocket. “I went to the one would blame you for that. What time did stage at the usual time, attended by two ushers that happen, if you would know?”

  carrying the barrel with the Bank Night

  “Just exactly nine-one—”

  tickets. I went on stage, and waited for order, Leap’s eyes snapped at Mike and his

  then began to explain the rules—I do that underlip came out a fraction. “I’ll let you every week. You see Bank Night works like—

  know when I finish.”

  ”

  Jill glared at Leap.

  “I know about bank night.”

  “Thank you,” Mike said, nodded. “But

  “Well, the lights went out, and I was

  the little lady is mistaken about the time.

  struck and that’s all,” Birdwell finished Y’see, it was nine-five when the lights went huffily.

  out.”

  “Where was the dough?”

  “But, Mr. Wiggins,” Vee said, her

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  6

  head shaking, “I know. Because you see a nobody from the audience sneaks through.”

  man came and asked about when the show

  “And everything was in order?”

  would be out, and I looked at the box office

  “Yes

  sir.”

  clock to tell him. Then I checked with my

  “Who passed you to the stage after the

  watch.”

  picture ended?”

  “What time you got now? I got 9:32,”