johnny settled back as best he could in the chair in the interrogation room at the station house, where grogan and morelli had left him.
he tried to think beautiful thoughts.
fnally grogan came back. “you still here? you got no place better to be?” he asked johnny, and laughed at his own joke.
johnny did not pretend to laugh, and grogan sat down across from him. “all right, o’rourke, spill it.”
“about what?”
“everything you know about the late colonel mappington.”
“whoever he might be.”
“don’t play dumb, o’rourke. you are dumb enough already. mappington , the gentleman you wee visiting at the grenada towers when he was so sadly inconvenienced by a couple of slugs in his miserable carcass.”
“he didn’t call himself mappington, or colonel. he called himself professor sturdivant.”
“you don’t say so.”
“i do say so. what was he, the first person who ever used two different names?”
grogan shrugged. “he rented the place as mappington. we didn’t find any papers on him. or anything else except a little cash. ”
“no, but you found the slugs in him. and you have had time to check they did not come from my gun. not to mention that you shot the guy who did kill him. so what are you holding me for?”
“no need to get testy. why don’t you tell me what you do know about this guy , whoever he was?”
“nothing. he said his name was professor sturdivant, he might have a job for me. i went to see him, but before he could tell me anything - you know the rest.”
“he write to you? you got a letter or anything from him?”
“no, he called me on the phone.”
“you took the call yourself?”
“yeah, i just happened to be in the office.”
“just like he just happened to get bumped off before he could tell you anything.”
johnny yawned. “i guess i’m a guy that things just happen to happen to.”
“and a guy the commissioner and the chief of police are just happening to get awful sick of.”
“i can’t help that. maybe the governor will get sick of me next. or the president of the united states. or the pope. come on, grogan, you know you got nothing on me. “
grogan gave johnny a tired attempt at a glare. “all right, o’rourke. you can go. oh, one more thing.”
“yeah?”
“the guy that shot mappington. that i shot. you sure you never saw him before?”
“positive,”
“all right, but if we get a line on him, we might get in touch with you.”
“you know where to find me.”
“until then.” grogan got up and johnny followed him out of the interrogation room.
“you know your way out of this place,” grogan said, and disappeared.
when johnny got out on the street a light rain was falling, and it was foggy. he started walking.
when he got three blocks from the station, he heard a voice calling him.
a woman’s voice.
“mister o’rourke! you have to help me.”
slim woke up. he was lying fully dressed on the bed in the motel room. the copy of i ask of you the truth had fallen out of his hand on to the floor.
he decided to get undressed and get some real sleep. he might have a long day tomorrow.
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