The Burglar in the Closet - By Lawrence Block Page 0,46
She’d said the number was unlisted. I tried Information and sure enough, there was no listing for her. I dialed the number again as I remembered it and got no answer, and then I looked up and dialed the number of Craig’s office and while it rang I asked myself why I was wasting my time, and before I could answer myself she picked up the phone.
She said, “Oh, thank God! I’ve been trying your number for hours.”
“I haven’t been home.”
“I know. Listen, everything’s going crazy. Craig’s out of jail. They released him.”
“I know.”
“What he did, he gave them your name, told them you probably took Crystal’s jewels or something like that. He sort of glossed over what he told them.”
“I’ll just bet he did.”
“That’s why those policemen came up this morning. They must have known he was going to be released and they wanted to talk to me before he did. I guess. Plus they were looking for you. I told them what you said to tell them, at least I tried to get it all right. I was nervous.”
“I can imagine.”
“It’s good you were at the boxing matches and can prove it. I think they’re trying to frame you for murder.”
I swallowed. “Yeah,” I said. “It’s lucky I’ve got an alibi.”
“Craig says they’ll be looking for witnesses who saw you in Crystal’s neighborhood the night she was killed. But how are they going to find anybody since you weren’t there? I told him he was awful to do what he did but he said his lawyer told him it was the only way to get out of that cell.”
“Carson Verrill.”
“Yes, he said the other man wasn’t doing him any good at all.”
“Well, thank God for old Carson Verrill.”
“He’s not old. And I’m not very thankful for him, to tell you the truth.”
“Neither am I, Jillian.”
“Because I think the whole thing was really rotten all the way down the line. I mean, here you were trying to do him a favor and now look what he’s done in return. I tried to tell him you were after the real killer and I don’t even think he paid any attention to what I was saying. He was over at my apartment and we had a fight about it and he wound up storming out. Actually he didn’t storm exactly. Actually I asked him to leave.”
“I see.”
“Because I think it stinks, Bernie.”
“So do I, Jillian.”
“And I came here because I wanted to look in the files, but so far all I’ve done is waste time. There’s no patient anywhere in the files named Grabow.”
“Well, I found Grabow. He may be a hell of a painter but he can’t run worth a damn.”
“If you’ve learned Knobby’s name I’ll look him up right now. I didn’t happen to see anybody listed as working at Spyder’s Parlor. That’s the name of the place, isn’t it?”
“Uh-huh.”
“But I didn’t look at all the cards. I also was looking for people named John and then checking to see if they were lawyers, but that’s really beginning to seem hopeless.”
“Forget it,” I said. “That’s not how this is going to get solved anyway. Look, I want to check Knobby, and there are a couple of other things I ought to see about. Where are you going to be tonight?”
“My place, I guess. Why?”
“Will you be alone?”
“As far as I know. Craig won’t be coming over, if that’s what you mean. Not if I have anything to say about it.”
“How about if I come over?”
A pause, neither pensive nor evasive. Call it provocative. “That sounds nice,” she said. “What time?”
“I don’t know.”
“You won’t be, uh—?”
“Drunk? I’m staying away from olive oil tonight.”
“I think you should stay away from Frankie while you’re at it.”
“Sounds like a good idea. I don’t know what time I’ll be over because I don’t know how much time everything else is going to take. Should I call first? Yeah, I’ll call first. I lost the card with your number on it. Let me get a pen. Here we go. What’s your number?”
“Rhinelander seven, eighteen oh two.”
“One year before the Louisiana Purchase. That’s what I dialed but there was no answer. Oh, of course there wasn’t, you were at the office. In fact you still are, aren’t you?”
“Bernie—”
“I’m a little crazy but I’m told I have nerves of steel and that’s something. It looks as though I’m going to need them, too. I’ll call you.”
“Bernie? Be careful.”
CHAPTER
Fourteen
“Jeez, if it ain’t my old buddy,” Dennis said. “Saturday