Secrets & Lies by Raymond Benson Read Free Book Online Page A

8th—and three cops appeared, guns drawn.
    They had me hemmed in. It was the exact same thing that happened to me the night I’d caught my cold. Only this time I wasn’t able to duck into a dark doorway and hide. They had already seen me.
    Dear diary, my first thought was—
I wasn’t having fun anymore
.
    Throughout the three years of the Black Stiletto’s so-called career, it was always an invigorating, liberating sensation to step out on the streets in my outfit and take the city by storm. Tonight, though, I felt like a mouse in one of those laboratory mazes. And instead of a piece of cheese at the end of the tunnel, there was a hungry cat.
    Flashlight beams from both ends of the street jumped around, trying to put the bull’s-eye on me. I darted back and forth across 30th and then headed east toward 7th again. There were only two patrolmenchasing me from that direction, whereas there were three in the other. I took the path of least resistance. But this was also the path occupied by that really fast runner, the cop who thought he was doing the 100-yard dash for a medal.
    Looking back on what happened, all I can say is that there was no other way, dear diary. It was either do what I did or get caught.
    I attacked the policeman. He was just catching up to me, running like a bull, and I reacted spontaneously and instinctively, like a wild animal. Right after it happened, I regretted it and felt really bad. But honestly,
I had no choice
.
    The cops bearing flashlights couldn’t keep them trained on me, so all they got were glimpses of me running through them, back and forth. The guy running toward me, though, didn’t have one. I could see him, but he couldn’t see me. My eyesight is better in the dark than most people’s. So I charged and body blocked him, probably harder than I meant to. He
flew
as he emitted a loud, “Ooompf!” The cop crashed into the adjacent stoop, hitting the stone steps with a horrifying crack. Then he laid there motionless. Like a rag doll. I should have stayed to see if he was okay, but I didn’t. I kept running east. The other cop had a light, but he hadn’t caught me in it. I ran right past him on the opposite side of the street. When I got to the corner, I sped across 7th and kept going until I arrived in the East Village.
    Now I’m concerned about the policeman. I really do hope he’s okay, but oh my God, I think I killed him.
    J ANUARY 21, 1961
    The story was in all the newspapers. BLACK STILETTO ASSAULTS COP! My heart nearly stopped when I saw the headline. I read what it said and found out the patrolman was in the hospital. His injuries weren’t revealed, but he was expected to recover. I was relieved, but still sorry that I had to do it. I wish I could apologize to him somehow. What really disturbed me was the venom directed atthe Black Stiletto. She was being portrayed as a violent, dangerous criminal. The police commissioner pledged that catching the Black Stiletto was the NYPD’s number-one priority.
    Freddie could tell I was upset all day, but he didn’t say anything. I’m afraid he thinks it’s true—that the Black Stiletto
did
maliciously attack that cop—and I’m afraid he’s right.
    I’ll have to talk to him, if he’ll listen.

6
Martin
    T HE P RESENT
    I started the fourth diary and took a look at the trinkets that Mom had left in that strongbox Uncle Thomas gave me. I knew what the roll of film was. The Kennedy campaign button made sense. There were two more items the diaries hadn’t mentioned yet. One was a silver heart-shaped locket, the other a small gold key. I examined the locket again. There were three diamonds on it—one each on the two rounded tops of the heart, and the third down at the point. Inside the locket was space for a small photograph, but it was empty.
    Another mystery.
    I was as curious as ever to talk to Uncle Thomas again. I’d never pressed