Chapter 3 Simple Justice
It was two in the afternoon when I got home and they were waiting for me.
'You Marlowe? We want to talk to you.' This one was grey-blond and
looked hard. His partner was tall, handsome and just looked nasty. They both
had watching-and-waiting eyes. They showed me their badges.
'Sergeant Green, Central Homicide. This is Detective Dayton.'
I went on up and unlocked the door. You don't shake hands with the police.
They sat in the living room and Green did the talking.
'Man named Terry Lennox. You know him, right?'
'We have a drink together once in a while. He lives in Encino, married
money. I've never been there.'
'When did you last see him?'
The section of the police department which investigates murders.
I filled my pipe. 'This is where I ask you what it's all about and you tell me
that you ask the questions, right?'
'That's right. So you just answer them.'
I don't know, I guess I was tired. Maybe I felt a little guilty. 'I don't have to
say anything.'
Dayton spoke up. 'Answer the questions, Marlowe. Just co-operate. It's
healthier.'
Right away I didn't like him. His voice was a hard don't- fool-with-me
voice. I went to the book shelf and took down the big state law book. I held it
out to him. 'Find me the part that says I have to answer your questions. There's
no such law.'
'Sit down,' Green said impatiently. 'Lennox's wife has been murdered. Ugly
job. Murderer used something blunt. Must have hit her more than a dozen times.
Husband is missing. We find your telephone number in his desk, marked with
today's date. She'd been seeing other men. We found that out, too.'
'Terry Lennox wouldn't do anything like that. He's known about the other
men for a long time.'
'He's not going to tell us anything, Sergeant,' Dayton said. 'He's read that
law book. He thinks the law lives in the book. Don't you, Marlowe?'
I said nothing. I wasn't going to help him.
'Stand up,' he said.
I started to get up. I was half way up when he hit me. I sat back down and
shook my head. Dayton was smiling; Green was looking away.
'Let's try again,' Dayton suggested. I didn't move or speak. If I stood up,
he'd hit me again. But if he hit me again, I'd hurt him. He couldn't hit me hard
enough to stop me from hurting him next time.
'That was stupid,' Green said to Dayton. 'That's just what he wanted. A
good reason for not talking.'
I nodded. 'Terry Lennox is my friend. Maybe you have enough evidence. In
court, I'll answer questions. But not here. Not now. You're not a bad guy, Green.