The Collection by Fredric Brown Read Free Book Online Page B

cause her to
assume that he was someone connected with show business who had a legitimate
reason for wanting to see her. "Are you decent?" he asked.
    "'Sta minute," she called back, and then, in just
a minute, "Okay."
    He entered and found her standing facing him, in a brightred
wrapper that beautifully set off her blue eyes and blond hair. He bowed and
introduced himself, then began to explain the details of the proposition he
wished to offer.
    He was prepared for initial reluctance or even refusal and
ready to become persuasive even, if necessary, to the extent of four figures,
which would certainly be more than her weekly take—possibly more than her monthly
take—in a burlesque house as small as this one. But instead of listening
reasonably, she was suddenly screaming at him like a virago, which was
insulting enough, but then she made the very serious mistake of taking a step
forward and slapping him across the face. Hard. It hurt.
    He lost his temper, retreated a step, took out his revolver
and shot her in the heart.
    Then he left the theater and took a taxi home to his apartment.
He had a few drinks to soothe his understandably ruffled nerves and went to
bed. He was sleeping soundly when, at a little after midnight, the police came
and arrested him for murder. He couldn ' t understand it.
     
     
    ***
     
    Mortimer Mearson, who was possibly if not certainly the best
criminal attorney in the city, returned to the clubhouse the next morning after
an early round of golf and found waiting for him a message requesting him to
call Judge Amanda Hayes at his earliest convenience. He called her at once.
    "Good morning, Your Honoress," he said.
"Something gives?"
    " Something gives, Morty. But if you ' re
free the rest of the morning and can drop around to my chambers, you ' ll
save me going into it over the telephone. "
    " I ' ll be with you within an hour, " he told her. And he was.
    "Good morning again, Your Judgeship," he said.
"Now please take a deep breath and tell me just what it is that
gives."
    " A case for you, if you want it. Succinctly,
a man was arrested for murder last night. He refuses to make a statement, any
statement, until he has consulted an attorney, and he doesn't have one. Says
he's never been in any legal trouble before and doesn't even know any
attorneys. Asked the chief to recommend one, and the chief passes the buck to
me on said recommendation."
    Mearson sighed. "Another free case. Well, I suppose
it's about time I took one again. Are you appointing me? "
    "Down, boy," said Judge Hayes. "Not a free
case at all. The gentleman in question isn't rich, but he's reasonably
well-heeled. A fairly well-known young man about town, bon vivant, what
have you, well able to afford any fee you wish to charge him, within reason.
Not that your fee will probably be within reason, but that's between you
and him, if he accepts you to represent him. "
    " And does this paragon of virtue—most obviously
innocent and maligned—have a name?"
    "He does, and you will be familiar with it if you read
the columnists. Lorenz Kane. "
    " The name registers. Most obviously innocent.
Uh—I didn ' t see the morning papers. Whom is he alleged to have
killed? And do you know any of the details? "
    " It ' s going to be a toughie,
Morty boy," the judge said. " I don ' t think
there ' s a prayer of a chance for him other than an insanity plea.
The victim was a Queenie Quinn—a stage name and no doubt a more valid one will
come to light—who was a stripper at the Majestic. Star of the show there. A
number of people saw Kane in the audience during her last number and saw him
leave right after it during the final number. The doorman identifies him and
admits having—ah—admitted him. The doorman knew him by sight and that's what
led the police to him. He passed the doorman again on his way out a few minutes
later. Meanwhile several people heard a shot. And a few minutes after the end
of the show, Miss Quinn was found dead, shot to