Free Judge Me Not by John D. MacDonald Page B

“That same sort of idea has been growing in the back of my mind. Her call to me came through the switchboard here, the call where she said she had something hot to tell me.”
    “That could be it.”
    “Her name wasn’t used.”
    “Nevertheless, if the girl on the board at that time recognized the voice and reported it, that girl will be a little queasy right now. It’s something to work on. Look, Morrow. I’m your lawyer. It’s a confidential relationship. The more I know, the more I can help. I want to be awful damn certain you didn’t kill her.”
    “I didn’t.”
    “Is there anything I should know, then?”
    Teed got up and walked to the windows. He looked out on the parking lot, at the office-building windows across the way. He came back to his chair and sat down. With an effort he kept his voice steady. He told Rogale every detail of the previous evening.
    After he finished Rogale let the silence grow for long minutes. He bounced out of the chair, walked over to the wall and drove his fist against it.
    “Mother of God!” he said. “
Sangre de Cristo!
Of all the fatuous idiots in the wide world, I have to offer my services to the clown prince.”
    “Now, listen, Rogale! Maybe my reaction wasn’t too bright, but …”
    “Shut up! Let me think. Mortimer Snerd masks, yet. Imported talent. Guys who probably hit town Sunday and are gone now.” He held out his hand. “Give me the key to that camp.”
    Teed meekly took the key off his ring and handed it over. “What are you going to do?”
    “Clean up after you. Rinse your diapers. What do you think?”
    “I checked it pretty carefully, Rogale.”
    Armando heaved a great sigh and sat down. “Look. So help me, I believe you. I believe that it happened exactly the way you said it did, and only the fates kept Seward from barging in while you were still snoring. So, let’s be practical. There’s maybe five hundred nice clean fingerprints out there. Hers. Even if you tried to remove them, you wouldn’t know where to look. Inside of the bathroom medicine cabinet. Thumbprint on the underside of the john lever. Maybe I’ll just go out and burn the son of a bitch down. Arson, added to all my other crimes. Look, you got a girl you can take out there?”
    “What do you mean?”
    “If they don’t pick you up this afternoon, you get yourself a girl and get out there. Play house. Settle down. I’ll be through by then. She better be a girl with nothing to hide, a girl who doesn’t care if the cops lift her prints. The more stuff she leaves around, the better. Lipstick, panties, hair on the hairbrush. You got one, or have I got to rent you one?”
    “It seems pretty cold-blooded.”
    “So is the way they electrocute a man. If they cut you when they shave your leg, they even put iodine on it. It’s as cold-blooded as can be.”
    “You don’t have to try to scare me, Rogale. I’m already scared.”
    “Can you get a girl?”
    “On that short notice, no.”
    “Stay here. I’ll use an outside phone. I’ll be back.”
    Rogale was back in fifteen minutes. He said, “This is a line of business I never thought I’d be in. A good thing I got contacts. It will cost you a hundred bucks. She’ll be in the cocktail lounge at the Hotel Deron at five o’clock, ready to take off. Look in the booths on the left for a tall girl. They told me she has brown hair and her name is Miss Heddon.”
    “Is she pretty?”
    Armando looked at his watch. “I better get going. You should care if she looks like a hop frog, Morrow. Don’t get her out there until about six-thirty. That’ll give me time.”
    After Rogale had left, leaving Teed feeling dazed, he went out and cashed a check. When he got back Miss Anderson said that a Captain Leighton had phoned, and had left a number to call.
    Leighton said, “You get a little reprieve, Morrow. Two kids who know you because you played catch with them one Saturday afternoon happened to notice the guy who left the car. They say