Free (1988) The Golden Room by Irving Wallace Page B

deter Mayor Harrison’s investigation, Holmes decided.
    He thought about it some more. If Simon’s body could be found, and identified, the mayor would somehow learn about it. This would shock Harrison, and remind him that his effort to infiltrate the Everleigh Club had been of no avail. This might deter Harrison from risking another agent to expose the Club.
    Holmes stared down at the lifeless body. Finally, Holmes went to his knees and began to search Simon’s trousers and jacket. There was only a wallet stuffed with money and a pack of richly embossed calling-cards that plainly identified the man as Jack Simon, president of Quality Beer Company in St Louis. Obviously a fake — but it had been enough to gain Simon entrance to the Everleigh Club, and it would be enough to have the corpse brought sooner or later to the mayor’s attention.
    Instantly, Holmes’s mind was made up.
    No chute, no quicklime, no dismemberment, no cremation for Jack Simon.
    His corpse would be found whole, a victim of murder, but whole and identifiable.
    That surely would give Harrison pause and make the mayor quit his investigation.
    Dr Herman Holmes would then have the Everleigh Club to himself.
    He put his mind to the problem of disposing of the body.
    At three-twenty in the morning, Dr Holmes drove his new one-cylinder Packard touring car to the front door of the Castle. Even though the car was a bit conspicuous, it had the advantages of a roof, as well as separate back seats.
    Leaving the automobile, Holmes stood in the street and surveyed the neighbourhood. There was not a human being in sight. It was sleep time, the silent time of the night -perfect for his purpose.
    Going into the Castle, Holmes continued past his office to the sliding door of the death chamber, pushed the button, and went inside. The corpse lay sprawled on the floor. The body was thin, but it was dead weight; with an effort Holmes carried it out of the chamber and up the hallway to the front door. He propped the body half-seated against the pillar inside the front entrance, opened the door, and stepped outside.
    He looked around the area.
    No movement. No one anywhere.
    There would be minimum risk.
    With growing confidence, Holmes hoisted the body upwards, keeping it upright - if someone noticed, he could claim his companion was drunk - and pulled the body outside, to the rear of the Packard. The car had a tonneau entry from the rear, leading into the back seat. After pulling out this extra door, Holmes strained hard to lift the body higher, and
    with difficulty succeeded in stuffing the corpse inside the car. Quietly, Holmes closed the door.
    Wiping his brow, he once more cast his eyes about the neighbourhood to observe if there had been any witnesses. He could reassure himself there had been none.
    He went to the entrance to the Castle and locked the front door.
    Holmes hurried back to the Packard and climbed up, set-ding in behind the wheel. He started the car and sped off to the downtown Loop area.
    As he came closer to the hub of the city, he noticed a few isolated late-nighters here and there, but not enough to cause concern.
    After half an hour had passed, Holmes realized he was approaching the grey building that was the City Hall and also the main police station. He remembered the thickly wooded park in front of it, large and dense with foliage and trees. This was the place he was seeking.
    The wooded park, black except for a few scattered electric carbon arc lights, came into view. Holmes watched for one of the dirt paths into the park, and turned a sharp left at the first path he spotted. The candles in the car’s headlights illuminated his way as he drove deeper into the woods.
    At last he saw an opening, and turned right again for a short distance. Manoeuvring his car into the trees and bushes, be brought it to a halt. Stepping down from the driver’s seat, Holmes hastened to the rear. He opened the auxiliary door, reached in for the body, got a firm grip