Protective Armor by Norman A Read online

  He slunk back in the alley and tried to drawer. There were faintly penciled numbers think. His tailor! There was another suit there in the wood. Barrow had opened the safe once now, waiting for him, in fact. It wasn’t either in his presence and consulted these numbers the modest, subdued tones he craved at the first, so he knew they were the combination.

  moment, but at least its description wasn’t on In a couple of minutes the steel door swung the teletype and the radio.

  back. Crane touched nothing except Barrow’s Hugging the shadows, he made his customer ledger which contained the complete way through the silent night streets. It took record of the pattern and cloth of every him almost an hour to cover the short distance purchaser and every suit for the year.

  but he had to duck and wait every time he saw It took an hour, but at the end of that a patrolman or a radio car.

  time Crane had stumbled upon two items

  Barrow’s shop was dark, naturally. He

  which were familiar. One was the name Jack scouted it thoroughly, to make sure Nolan Sutro, which belonged to a two-bit, but ugly hadn’t thought of putting any bloodhounds gunman of his acquaintance. The other was around it. Then he stepped into the doorway

  “Glen Urquhart” which now bore equally

  and rang the nightbell. The tailor slept in the unpleasant memories for him. Taken together apartment in back and it was worth the risk of they spelled a dirty tale.

  waking him.

  He copied Sutro’s address and spent

  He could hear the heavy ring of the

  the next twenty minutes trying on dark suits bell but no one stirred in the building. Could until he found one that fitted. Once or twice he Barrow be away? If so, he was sunk.

  was halted by a particularly dazzling design Without thinking, he tried the door. It which, in spite of his trouble, he could not swung open. His policeman’s instinct made help but pause to admire. However, he had him reach for his hip, then he remembered his little difficulty in resisting temptation and gun was back in Nolan’s office. He pushed the finally got into a dark blue. With an old felt door wide and stepped in.

  hat which had evidently belong to Barrow, he His nostrils tingled to the acrid bite of thought he was pretty well disguised.

  gunpowder. Moving as fast as he could, he The night was warm. Although it was

  groped his way past the clothing racks, sewing past two in the morning when Rainbow Crane machine and pressing device to the living left the tailor shop, the ubiquitous New Yorker quarters in the back. He found the light switch was still sitting on the front steps inhaling the and pressed it.

  second-hand air. Crane walked boldly down the middle of the sidewalk, no longer seeking HE WAS not surprised by what he found.

  shadows. No one noticed him, even a

  Barrow lay on the floor, shot through the chest patrolman whom he could have touched as he and quite dead. There was only a little blood.

  went by.

  The room had been torn apart ruthlessly.

  Sutro’s address turned out to be a

  Drawers of a desk were pulled out and frowzy fourth-rate hotel with unwashed dumped, papers, bills, receipts, scattered in windows and begrimed curtains. The clerk wild confusion, a steel cashbox smashed and slumbered at his desk. Without arousing him, its contents taken. There was a heavy steel Crane tiptoed by and walked up four flights to safe in a corner of the room, but it was closed.

  the room given in Barrow’s files.

  Marks on the door suggested that the murderer Through the flimsy door came the

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  7

  sound of peaceful snoring. Crane examined more.”

  the lock. It was of the type common to all Quick as a striking snake, his hand

  fourth-rate hotels. It could be opened by darted under the pillow. Crane saw the gun almost any skeleton key. Crane, a practical coming out. He merely dropped his penlight, man, possessed such a key and a moment later bunched his knuckles and struck. The blow he was sliding noiselessly into the warm, traveled about four inches. But it carried a odoriferous room.

  large measure of Crane’s worry and anger and Jack Sutro snored, grunted in his sleep.

  hate. It put a glaze on Sutro’s eyes, make his Crane let a tiny circle of light from his pencil teeth click like billiard balls.

  flash stab the room. It was untidy and littered.

  A closet door was ajar and the light revealed THE fingers that clutched the gun butt went empty hangers. But on the floor of the closet limp. Crane helped himself to the gun, stood was a bulging laundry bag. Crane opened it up with it in his fingers. He waited while and, for the first time since he had been Sutro shook some sense back into his skull.

  identified as a murderer, smiled broadly.

  “Get up,” Crane said thinly. He

  He turned on the bed lamp, saw Sutro

  gestured with the gun at the suit he had laid twitch and groan in the sudden light. out on a chair, a “Glen Urquhart” plaid of Considerably, he aided the waking process by gray, blue and tan squares with an overlay of sitting on Sutro’s stomach.

  bilious orange stripes and tastefully scattered

  “Oof! What—what—ugh, get off—

  dashes of green, yellow, red and blue. There hey!”

  were fawn colored doeskin slacks, brown and The man’s eyes snapped open. He white shoes and a snappy green felt hat. There stared incredulously into Crane’s menacing was even a tie—blazing yellow, with huge red glare, only two feet away.

  poppies generously clustered on the yellow

  “One yip and I’ll blow the top of your

  field.

  head off,” Crane promised in a nasty voice,

  “Put it on,” Crane said.

  shoving the end of the pencil flash under Sutro regarded the suit with horror,

  Sutro’s jaw. He knew that the man couldn’t which he strove at once to conceal.

  see what was in his hand at that angle.

  “Them? Why should I? They ain’t

  The mobster, a wiry, evil-faced runt,

  mine. I never seen them before. I don’t want licked suddenly dry lips.

  to go to no masquerade this time of night.”

  “Whaddaya want? Dough?”

  “You’ve been to a masquerade, Sutro.

  Crane shook his head.

  This is midnight for you—unmasking. Move

  “Don’t you recognize me, Sutro? I’m

  or I’ll knock you cold and dress you myself.”

  Rainbow Crane.”

  His voice told Sutro he wasn’t going to That registered, he knew, by the flicker stand for any more stalling. Cowed, but surly in Sutro’s eyes.

  and defiant, the gangster edged his skinny

  “Didn’t know you in that disguise,”

  shanks out of bed and dressed as slowly as he Sutro mumbled. “Whaddaya want with me?”

  dared. When he had finished Crane looked He sneered a little. “Your pals are hunting him over, sighed as he thought how much you. Want me to hide you?”

  better those beautiful patterns looked on

  “Don’t play dumb, Sutro. This is a

  himself and motioned to the door.

  pinch. For murder.”

  “Let’s go. And take some advice.

  “I’m laughing,” Sutro said. “You ain’t

  Don’t give me an excuse to blast your

  pinching nobody. You ain’t even a cop no backbone in two because I’d love it.” By way

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  8

  of emphasis he rammed the gun muzzle three

  “The

  killer—there goes the killer!”

  or four inches deep into Sutro’s back.

  Sutro’s head jerked, he gave an almost

  They went down the stairs and into the

  inarticulate snarl of fear and began to run. His lobby. The dozing night clerk looked up, evident panic produced a sudden co
urage in caught the full impact of Sutro’s clothes and the citizenry. Men sprang from front stoops choked. He was paralyzed, with his mouth and gave chase. The pursuit went down the open, unable to move or speak while they block, Sutro sprinting madly, the men giving paraded through the lobby and out the door.

  tongue like hounds after a fox.

  On the street, Crane flagged a night

  They caught him at the corner, dragged

  cruising taxicab and shoved his prisoner in.

  him down and were pounding him lustily

  “I’m almost sorry you didn’t make a

  when the first police whistle shrilled and the break, Sutro,” Crane said as they moved first patrolman raced up. Almost as though across town. “Just for Nick Barrow’s sake.

  staged, a patrol car flashed around the corner, Remember Nick Barrow, the tailor?”

  screamed to a stop and Inspector Nolan piled

  “I dunno what you’re talking about,”

  out.

  Sutro mumbled.

  “We got him!” the hunters chorused.

  “No? Listen, mug, I’ll give you a “Hey, we got your killer for you!”

  break. Spill the works on Denny Boulton and Nolan pushed through, hauled Sutro to

  I’ll take the frame off your neck, or at least his feet.

  make it a little looser.”

  “Wait a minute! Quiet, everybody!”

  “You’re outa your head,” Sutro

  The excited clamor died down.

  muttered.

  “Are you sure this is your man?”

  The cab slid into the curb a block from

  “Sure, that’s the rat!”

  the alley where Crane’s night adventure had

  “That’s him! I’d know that face

  begun. They disembarked, Sutro looking anywhere!”

  around him nervously and waited while the

  “Listen!” Nolan yelled. “You

  cab pulled away.

  identified a man at the police station tonight as

  “Last chance, Sutro,” Crane said. the killer. He escaped. Is this the same man!”

  “Will you talk?”

  “Sure, it’s the same man I”

  “You got nothing on me,” Sutro said.

  “What are you giving us, Inspector?

  Crane stared at him, sighed, shrugged

  Think we’re kids? Sure that’s the same guy!

  his shoulders.

  Could anybody miss up on that kisser?”

  “So it was a bluff and it didn’t work.

  Okay, Sutro, I’ve got nothing on you. Scram.”

  MEN in the crowd hooted scornfully. “See,

  “Are you kidding? You drag me all the

  Inspector?” Crane tapped Nolan on the

  way over here just to tell me that? You’re shoulder.

  nuts, copper.”

  The Inspector turned completely

  “Yeah.” Crane turned his back and around nervously.

  started to walk away.

  “You! Where’d you come from,

  Sutro wheeled and ran down the street,

  Rainbow?” Nolan’s voice was mild, friendly.

  looking eagerly for a cab. At the sound of his He even grinned at Crane. “I kind of expected feet, Crane came back, watching.

  to find you here.” Then he asked: “See what?”

  There was a yell, then a woman’s

  “It’s obvious. Your witness«s were

  scream.

  identifying a suit of clothes, not a man. They

  “There

  he

  is!”

  never really looked at me.”

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  9

  “That,” said Nolan grimly, “has now

  “This is not much of an apology,

  become obvious. And it’s your own fault, considering the way we treated you tonight, Rainbow. You would wear those clothes.” He but I think you’ll understand,” he said. “I’m turned his attention to the cringing gangster.

  sorry, Rainbow, but we couldn’t do it any

  “All right, Sutro, you’re in a nice spot. Got other way. The New York Police Department anything to say?”

  stands by its members. Our difficulty was the

  “Denny killed him!” Sutro gasped. mobsters behind the frame-up were alert and

  “Not me. Denny did it I tell you!”

  suspicious and we had to put them off guard.

  “Why?”

  The boys who acted that way toward you were

  “Denny and Huber were partners in a

  instructed by me. It’s lucky you escaped—it stickup. Huber went up the river and Denny fitted in with my plan. I wanted you to work was supposed to sit on the dough. He spent it under cover. After you got away, I sent out and he knew what Huber would do to him

  word you weren’t to be molested. One of the when he got out. So he fixed up this stunt for uniformed men recognized you, later, in the knocking off Huber.”

  blue suit, but he never let on. I hope it’s all

  “Simple,” Crane said. “Sutro went to

  right now.”

  my tailor. Barrow, and had him make up a suit Rainbow Crane grinned. “Sure, it’s

  just like mine. He waited for Denny to decoy okay, Inspector,” he said. “I even doped out Huber to this neighborhood, probably on a something like that after we pinched Sutro. I fake search for the hidden money. When they was wondering why everybody got so hostile got down here, one of them, probably Denny, after those mobsters pulled the frame-up.

  shot Huber. Then Sutro ran so that witnesses Thanks a lot. No apology is needed.” Then his would see him apparently escaping. Denny jaw hardened. “Hadn’t we better get over to waited for me in the courtyard where they Barrow’s. There’s another body waiting for knew I’d come through.

  us, back of the tailor shop.”

  “The shot I heard was to attract my

  Rainbow Crane showed up at precinct

  attention. It came after the actual murder but headquarters next morning in a suit which was masked from the people who had run for made the desk sergeant spill the ink and choke cover by now, in the backfiring of a truck—

  on his chewing tobacco.

  also a plant. They knew I’d make a perfect Inspector Nolan, looking up

  scapegoat because I had reason to hate innocently, with a glad greeting on his lips, Huber.”

  blanched and bit his lip in a stern struggle for

  “Denny done it!” Sutro babbled. “I

  control.

  only wore the suit to help him out. Denny

  “I was saving this for holidays,”

  killed Huber, not me!”

  Rainbow said, “but today’s a special

  “And you killed Nick Barrow,” Crane

  occasion.”

  said. “You killed him to get the record of

  “Crane,” said Nolan wearily. “Haven’t

  another suit like mine being made for you.

  you had enough? Look at the trouble those You got his bills, but you missed up on the suits got you into?”

  ledger in his safe. And that was a mistake

  “Trouble?” said Crane, lifting an

  that’s going to be a little expensive for you, eyebrow. “Why, Inspector, I figure just the Jackie boy.”

  opposite. It was the suit that got me out of After Sutro had been taken away, trouble. It was the best protection I ever had.

  Nolan faced Rainbow Crane with some Like a suit of armor.” He looked down at embarrassment.

  himself. “Barrow would have been proud of

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  this if he could see it.”

  Nolan’s desk. The red poppies blazed on their

  “What’s in the package?” Nolan asked,

  yellow field.

  trying to change the subject.

  Nolan rose from the chair, and


  “Present for you. Remember that tie I

  Rainbow Crane dashed to the door.

  was wearing? I decided to give it to you as a

  “Hey, sergeant!” he yelled. “Bring a

  memento of this case. Nicest tie I ever had,”

  glass of water! The Inspector’s having the he said regretfully.

  jitters! I think he wants to kill me!”

  He opened the box and laid the tie on