A Mortal Terror by James R. Benn Read Free Book Online

wore his field jacket buttoned up, probably against the breeze that seemed to run through the high-ceilinged room. He scratched absently at his chin, appearing to be lost in thought.
    “Sergeant Cole?”
    “Jesus!” His eyes widened in surprise as he took a step back, then recovered. “Sorry, Lieutenant, I guess I didn’t notice you walk up.”
    “You are Sergeant Cole, CID?”
    “Yes sir, I am. You must be Lieutenant Boyle? Major Kearns said to expect you.” Cole sounded worried, as if I were here to fire him. His eyes darted about the room.
    “That’s me. What have you got here, Sergeant?” I pointed to the cards on the desk, but kept my eyes on Cole. He was jumpy, and I had to wonder if he was hiding something, or hiding from someone.
    “Do you know the details of the case, Lieutenant? How the bodies were found, with playing cards?”
    “Ten and jack of hearts,” I said. “I read the files.”
    “These are the originals,” he said, opening a drawer and taking out a small manila envelope. “No fingerprints, and they seem brand new.”
    I slid the cards out onto my palm and studied them, lifting each by the edge. They were crisp and clean all right. No soft edges from repeated shuffles, no bend in them at all. The backs were red, the usual swirling vines pattern that you never paid much attention to. I put them back and handed the envelope to Cole.
    “Trying to match them?”
    “Yes sir. As you can see, it’s a common deck. I was able to buy the same kind, with blue or red backs, at the post exchange in Naples, and get them for free at the Red Cross center or at the hospital.”
    “The same hospital where Captain Galante was stationed?”
    “Yes, the 32nd Station Hospital. Why do you ask?”
    “How long have you been in CID, Sergeant?” I asked as I took a seat. He lit a cigarette and sat, taking his time with the answer, fiddling with his lighter.
    “I’m fairly new. About a month.”
    “Were you an MP before?”
    “No.”
    “Cop before the war?”
    “No.”
    “Fair to say then that you’ve got a lot to learn. Let’s start with this: Asking why I want to know something is a waste of time. An investigator needs to know everything about a case, everything that has the slightest connection. You never know when something is going to fit in later on. So explore every angle. Don’t ask why, because I don’t know why. By the time we know that, the investigation will almost be over. Make sense?”
    “Yes sir, it does.”
    “You have any problem working with me on this, Sergeant Cole?”
    “No sir.”
    “How about your commanding officer?”
    “Captain Bartlett, sir. He’s in Naples, working on a black market case. He said to cooperate with you.” Cole looked at the doorway, as if he expected Bartlett to return and check on him.
    “Okay, good.” It sounded like Bartlett was not eager to dive into this one. He was giving me a rookie and leaving it in my hands. If I failed, it was all on me. If not, as soon as I was gone he’d claim the credit. Cole seemed oblivious. “What else do you have?”
    “Not much, sir. Landry was well liked by his men. No trouble from that quarter. He took good care of them, if you know what I mean.”
    “Unlike some other officers?”
    “I don’t mean any offense, sir.”
    “Don’t worry, Cole, I’m not all that big on officers above lieutenant myself,” I said with a smile that was meant to put him at ease.
    “Some officers, you know, they look out for themselves first.”
    “So I’ve heard. What about sergeants?”
    “Harder to get away with it,” Cole said. “Everyone sees what a sergeant does. His men, his superior officers. If he screws up, it makes his lieutenant look bad, then his captain, and before too long he’s in big trouble.”
    “Landry’s sergeants are a good bunch?”
    “Sure. Steady guys, you know?”
    “Any of them make Landry look bad? Did he make life miserable for any of them?”
    “Lieutenant Landry wasn’t like that.