Free Murder Is Suggested by Frances and Richard Lockridge Page B

it was late, and that I had an interesting psychological point about his delay—and I’ll be damned if he didn’t sound as if the point did interest him. I said we couldn’t promise anything, and he said he realized that. I said the chances were he was just throwing his money away—”
    â€œI’m sure you were highly ethical,” Bill Weigand said. “So—you took the case. And, as you expected, it was cold and you didn’t get anything. Right?”
    â€œFor God’s sake, captain,” Flanagan said. “You’re in the business. You know how the cookie crumbles. If you think we didn’t work on it—but hell. The girl dead. The people they ran into dead. Nobody at the party they’d been at could remember which of them was driving. The girl got thrown out, but so did Finch.”
    â€œYou didn’t get anything?”
    â€œNothing to pin anything on. Finch had been drinking a good bit. The girl hadn’t. He thought pretty well of himself as a driver and he hadn’t had the Jag long. Sort of a new toy, which makes you wonder. But he says—”
    â€œYou did go to him?”
    â€œLook,” Flanagan said. “I told you we worked on it. The professor didn’t say anything about not going to Finch. Sure we went to him.”
    â€œAs insurance investigators, I suppose?”
    â€œWell—” Flanagan said. “It could be he thought that. Only—the insurance boys had already been around. Nothing we could do about that. So, it could be he thought somebody else was nosing around about it. Since he seems to be a pretty bright boy. You play golf, captain?”
    â€œNo.”
    â€œOught to. It’s a great game.”
    â€œI’m sure,” Bill said. “He said it was the girl driving, of course?”
    â€œSure. Said just before they started out he decided maybe he’d had one more than he needed and asked her if she’d take over. If you drink, don’t drive. All very—law abiding. Says he was half asleep when it happened and doesn’t know how it happened, except maybe she dozed off too. Says she was a good driver, but not used to a Jag, and maybe that was it. Says he plain doesn’t know. Acts all broken up about it. I’ll give him that.”
    â€œOr—scared?”
    Flanagan pulled his lower lip again over his upper lip.
    â€œHave it your own way, captain,” he said. “Oh—I read you. Have it your own way.”
    â€œYou reported this to the professor?”
    â€œSure—he was paying us. I said we were sorry and advised him not to waste any more money. Told him I didn’t think we’d ever get anything that would stand up. And—”
    He paused.
    â€œThat’s all,” he said.
    â€œExcept one thing,” Bill said. “You were on this yourself?” Flanagan nodded. “You’ve been around,” Bill said. “What did you think yourself?”
    â€œOff the record?”
    â€œOff the record.”
    â€œBecause I wouldn’t want to slander anybody.”
    â€œBecause you wouldn’t want to slander anybody.”
    â€œO.K.,” Flanagan said. “I think he was lying like hell, captain. I think he was driving and had had one too many and—well, could be he dozed off. And when he found out the girl was dead and he wasn’t, and that nothing could hurt her more than she was hurt—well. You can see what he might have done, can’t you?”
    â€œYes,” Bill said.
    â€œWithout liking it,” Flanagan said. “I don’t say it makes him the All-American boy.”
    â€œNo,” Bill said. “You didn’t tell him who was hiring you?” Flanagan looked hurt, and shook his head. “But he might have guessed?”
    â€œNow how the hell would I know about that?” Flanagan said. He looked at Bill Weigand. He had surprisingly shrewd eyes. “I said he seems pretty