The Big Sleep: Chapter 13

He slid into the chair behind the desk and hooked the data terminal towards him and shifted the laser to his left hand. He frowned sharply at the terminal, bringing his thick grey eyebrows together and making a hard crease in the weathered skin at the top of his hooked nose. "I think we'll have some law," he said.

I went over and kicked at the rug that lay where Geiger had lain. "It's old blood," I said, "Dried blood."

"Just the same we'll have some law."

"Why not?" I said.

His eyes went narrow. The veneer had flaked off him, leaving a well-dressed hard boy with a laser. He didn't like me agreeing with him.

"Just who the hell are you, soldier?"

"Marlowe is the name. I'm a sleuth."

"Never heard of you. Who's the girl?"

"Client. Geiger was trying to throw a loop on her with some blackmail. We came to talk it over. He wasn't here. The door being open we walked in to wait. Or did I tell you that?"

"Convenient," he said. "The door being open. When you didn't have a key."

"Yes. How come you had a key?"

"Is that any of your business, soldier?"

"I could make it my business."

He smiled tightly. "And I could make your business my business."

"You wouldn't like it. The pay's too small."

"All right bright eyes. I own this house. Geiger is my tenant. Now what do you think of that?"

"You know such lovely people."

"I take them as they come. They come all kinds." He glanced down at the laser, shrugged and tucked it back under his arm. "Got any good ideas, soldier?"

"Lots of them. Someone gunned Geiger. Somebody got gunned by Geiger, who ran away. Or it was two other fellows. Or Geiger was running a cult and made blood sacrifices."

The grey man scowled at me.

"I give up," I said. "Better call your friends downtown."

"I don't get it," he said, "I don't get your game here."

"Go ahead, call the cops. You'll get a big reaction from it."

He thought that over without moving. His lips went back against his teeth. "I don't get that, either," he said tightly. "Maybe it just isn't your day. I know you, Mr Mars. The Cypress Club. Flash gambling for flash people. The local law in your pocket and a well-greased line downtown. In other words, protection. Geiger was in a racket that needed that too. Perhaps you spared him a little now and then, seeing he's your tenant."

His mouth became a hard white grimace. "Geiger was in what racket?"

"The smut media and porn book racket."

He stared at me for a long level minute. "Somebody got to him," he said softly. "You know something about this. He didn't show at the store today. They don't know where he is. He didn't answer the phone. I came up to see about it. I find blood on the floor, under a rug. And you and a girl here."

"A little weak," I said. "But maybe you can sell the story to a willing buyer. You missed a little something, though. Somebody moved his books and media out of the store today - the nice materials he rented out."

He snapped his fingers sharply and said: "I should have thought of that, soldier. You seem to get around. How do you figure it?"

"I think Geiger was rubbed. I think that is his blood. And the books being moved out gives a motive for hiding the body for a while. Somebody is taking over the racket and wants a little time to organise."

"They can't get away with it," Eddie Mars said grimly.

"Who says so? You and a couple of gunmen in your car outside? This is a big habitat now, Eddie. Some very tough people have checked in here lately. The penalty of growth."

Part 1

Part 3