The Postman Always Rings Twice - James M. Cain [20]
"Judge, I don't get you."
"Yes you do. I've seen her, Chambers, and I can guess why you did it. She was in my office yesterday, and she had a black eye, and was pretty well banged up, but even with that she looked pretty good. For something like that, plenty of guys have said goodbye to the road, rambling feet or not."
"Anyhow they rambled. No, judge, you're wrong."
"They didn't ramble long. It's too good, Chambers. Here's an automobile accident that yesterday was a dead open-andshut case of manslaughter, and today it's just evaporated into nothing at all. Every place I touch it, up pops a witness to tell me something, and when I fit all they have to say together, I haven't got any case. Come on, Chambers. You and that woman murdered this Greek, and the sooner you own up to it the better it'll be for you."
There wasn't any grin creeping over my face then, I'm here to tell you. I could feel my lips getting numb, and I tried to speak, but nothing would come out of my mouth.
"Well, why don't you say something?"
"You're coming at me. You're coming at me for something pretty bad. I don't know anything to say, judge."
"You were gabby enough a few minutes ago, when you were handing me that stuff about the truth being all that would get you out of this. Why can't you talk now?"
"You got me all mixed up."
"All right, we'll take it one thing at a time, so you won't be mixed up. In the first place, you've been sleeping with that woman, haven't you?"
"Nothing like it."
"How about the week Papadakis was in the hospital? Where did you sleep then?"
"In my own room."
"And she slept in hers? Come on, I've seen her, I tell you. I'd have been in there if I had to kick the door down and hang for rape. So would you. So _were_ you."
"I never even thought of it."
"How about all those trips you took with her to Hasselman's Market in Glendale? What did you do with her on the way back?"
"Nick told me to go on those trips himself."
"I didn't ask you who told you to go. I asked you what you did."
I was so groggy I had to do something about it quick. All I could think of was to get sore. "All right, suppose we did. We didn't, but you say we did, and we'll let it go at that. Well, if it was all that easy, what would we be knocking him off for? Holy smoke, judge, I hear tell of guys that would commit murder for what you say I was getting, when they weren't getting it, but I never hear tell of a guy that would commit murder for it when he already had it."
"No? Well I'll tell you what you were knocking him off for. A piece of property out there, for one thing, that Papadakis paid $14,000 for, cash on the nail. And for that other little Christmas present you and she thought you would get on the boat with, and see what the wild waves looked like. _That little $10,000 accident policy that Papadakis carried on his life_."
I could still see his face, but all around it was getting black and I was trying to keep myself from keeling over in bed. Next thing, he was holding a glass of water to my mouth. "Have a drink. You'll feel better."
I drank some of it. I had to.
"Chambers, I think this is the last murder you'll have a hand in for some time, but if you ever try another, for God's sake leave insurance companies out of it. They'll spend five times as much as Los Angeles County will let me put into a case. They've got detectives five times as good as any I'll be able to hire. They know their stuff A to izzard, and they're right on your tail now. It means money to them. That's where you and she made your big mistake."
"Judge, I hope Christ may kill me, I never heard of an insurance policy until just this minute."
"You turned white as a sheet."
"Wouldn't you?"
"Well, how about getting me on your side, right from the start? How about a full confession, a quick plea of guilty, and I'll do what I can for you with the court?