‘it was nine teen years ago,’ Kathy went on. ‘A guy up north named Sol Leander bought the pearls for his wife just two of them. They cost two hundred grand.
‘How can you wear something as big as a football?’ I asked.
‘I see you don’t know a lot about pearls,’ Kathy said. ‘It’s not just how big they are. Well, they’re worth more now, and the insurance company is still offering a reward of twenty-five grand for them.’
‘Ah, I get it,’ I said. ‘Somebody stole them.’
‘Now you’re using your head. It was a mail-car robbery. A guy hid on the train, got into the mail car and shot the clerk. Then he took all the valuable mail and got away. But when they caught him later in Canada, they didn’t get any of the stuff. They sent him to Leavenworth prison for life, but they never proved he got the pearls.’
‘If it’s going to be a long story, let’s have a drink.’
‘I never drink before sunset,’ Kathy said. She watched me get my little flat bottle out, then went on, ‘His name was Sype – Wally Sype. He did it alone. And he never said anything about the sturff that he took. After fifteen years they offered him a pardom, but he had to tell them where the sturff was. So he gave them everything – except the pearls.’
‘Where was it?’ I asked. ‘In his that?’
‘Listen, this isn’t just a funny story, Carmady,’ Kathy said. ‘I’ve got a lead to those pearls.’
I shut my mouth with my hand and looked serious.
‘Sype said he never had the pearls, and I guess they believed him, because he got the pardon. But the pearls were on the train, and they were never seen again.
‘Just once in Leavenworth prison Sype had too much to drink and started talking. The guy that he told was a little man called Peeler Mardo. Sype said he’d he’d hidden the pearls somewhere in Idaho.’
I sat forward a little.
‘Getting interested, eh?’ Kathy said. ‘Well, listen to this. Peeler Mardo rents a room in my room in my house and he drinks too much and he talks in his sleep.’
I sat back and sighed. ‘Oh Kathy,’ I said. ‘For a moment I was planning how to spend that reward money.’
Kathy looked coldly at me. Then her face changed. ‘All right,’ she said, a little hopelessly. ‘Maybe it’s a crazy idea. It was a long time ago, and a lot of people have looked for those pearls. But he’s a nice little guy, and I believe him. He knows where Sype is.’
‘Did he say all this in his sleep?’
‘Of course not. But you know me. An old policewoman’s got ears. I guessed he was an ex-con, and sometimes I stopped outside his door and listened to him talking to himself. When I’d heard enough, I made him tell me the rest. He wants help to get that insurance money.’
I sat forward again. ‘So where’s Sype?’
Kathy smiled. ‘He refused to tell me that, or the name that Sype’s using now. But it’s somewhere up north, near Olympia, Washington. Peeler saw him there, and he says Sype didn’t see him.’
I lit another cigarette and had another little drink.
‘OK,’ I said. ‘Will he talk to me? I guess he wants help with talking to the insurance company. After, of course, he goes to see Sype, and Sype just puts the pearls straight into his hand and walks away. Is that it?’
Kathy sighed. ‘Yes, he’ll talk to you,’ she said. ‘But he’s really frightened about something. Will you go and see him?’
‘Sure – if that’s what you want.’
Kathy took her keys out of her bag and wrote her address on a piece of paper. She stood up slowly.
‘I live in one side of the house, and Peeler has a room in the other side. There’s a door between the two sides, with the key on my side. If he won’t come to the door, you can get in that way.’
‘OK,’ I said. I blew smoke at the ceiling and looked at her.
Kathy walked towards the door, stopped, and came back. She looked down at the floor.
‘This is Peeler’s business, really,’ she said. ‘And yours now. But if I could have a grand or two waiting when Johnny came out, then maybe-‘
‘Maybe you really could keep him honest,’ I said. ‘It’s a dream, Kathy. It’s all a dream. But if it isn’t, you get a third, with Peeler and me.’
Kathy opened her mouth in surprise, then stared hard at the window, to stop herself from from crying. She went towards the door, turned and came back again.
‘That isn’t all,’ she said. ‘It’s the old guy – Sype. He did fifteen years in prison. That’s a long time. Doesn’t it make you feel bad?’
I shook my head. ‘He stole the pearls, didn’t he? He killed a man. What does he do now?’
‘His wife has money,’ Kathy said. ‘He spend all his time with his goldfish.’
‘Goldfish?’ I said. ‘To hell with him.’
Kathy went out of the door.
‘it was nine teen years ago,’ Kathy went on. ‘A guy up north named Sol Leander bought the pearls for his wife just two of them. They cost two hundred grand.
‘How can you wear something as big as a football?’ I asked.
‘I see you don’t know a lot about pearls,’ Kathy said. ‘It’s not just how big they are. Well, they’re worth more now, and the insurance company is still offering a reward of twenty-five grand for them.’
‘Ah, I get it,’ I said. ‘Somebody stole them.’
‘Now you’re using your head. It was a mail-car robbery. A guy hid on the train, got into the mail car and shot the clerk. Then he took all the valuable mail and got away. But when they caught him later in Canada, they didn’t get any of the stuff. They sent him to Leavenworth prison for life, but they never proved he got the pearls.’
‘If it’s going to be a long story, let’s have a drink.’
‘I never drink before sunset,’ Kathy said. She watched me get my little flat bottle out, then went on, ‘His name was Sype – Wally Sype. He did it alone. And he never said anything about the sturff that he took. After fifteen years they offered him a pardom, but he had to tell them where the sturff was. So he gave them everything – except the pearls.’
‘Where was it?’ I asked. ‘In his that?’
‘Listen, this isn’t just a funny story, Carmady,’ Kathy said. ‘I’ve got a lead to those pearls.’
I shut my mouth with my hand and looked serious.
‘Sype said he never had the pearls, and I guess they believed him, because he got the pardon. But the pearls were on the train, and they were never seen again.
‘Just once in Leavenworth prison Sype had too much to drink and started talking. The guy that he told was a little man called Peeler Mardo. Sype said he’d he’d hidden the pearls somewhere in Idaho.’
I sat forward a little.
‘Getting interested, eh?’ Kathy said. ‘Well, listen to this. Peeler Mardo rents a room in my room in my house and he drinks too much and he talks in his sleep.’
I sat back and sighed. ‘Oh Kathy,’ I said. ‘For a moment I was planning how to spend that reward money.’
Kathy looked coldly at me. Then her face changed. ‘All right,’ she said, a little hopelessly. ‘Maybe it’s a crazy idea. It was a long time ago, and a lot of people have looked for those pearls. But he’s a nice little guy, and I believe him. He knows where Sype is.’
‘Did he say all this in his sleep?’
‘Of course not. But you know me. An old policewoman’s got ears. I guessed he was an ex-con, and sometimes I stopped outside his door and listened to him talking to himself. When I’d heard enough, I made him tell me the rest. He wants help to get that insurance money.’
I sat forward again. ‘So where’s Sype?’
Kathy smiled. ‘He refused to tell me that, or the name that Sype’s using now. But it’s somewhere up north, near Olympia, Washington. Peeler saw him there, and he says Sype didn’t see him.’
I lit another cigarette and had another little drink.
‘OK,’ I said. ‘Will he talk to me? I guess he wants help with talking to the insurance company. After, of course, he goes to see Sype, and Sype just puts the pearls straight into his hand and walks away. Is that it?’
Kathy sighed. ‘Yes, he’ll talk to you,’ she said. ‘But he’s really frightened about something. Will you go and see him?’
‘Sure – if that’s what you want.’
Kathy took her keys out of her bag and wrote her address on a piece of paper. She stood up slowly.
‘I live in one side of the house, and Peeler has a room in the other side. There’s a door between the two sides, with the key on my side. If he won’t come to the door, you can get in that way.’
‘OK,’ I said. I blew smoke at the ceiling and looked at her.
Kathy walked towards the door, stopped, and came back. She looked down at the floor.
‘This is Peeler’s business, really,’ she said. ‘And yours now. But if I could have a grand or two waiting when Johnny came out, then maybe-‘
‘Maybe you really could keep him honest,’ I said. ‘It’s a dream, Kathy. It’s all a dream. But if it isn’t, you get a third, with Peeler and me.’
Kathy opened her mouth in surprise, then stared hard at the window, to stop herself from from crying. She went towards the door, turned and came back again.
‘That isn’t all,’ she said. ‘It’s the old guy – Sype. He did fifteen years in prison. That’s a long time. Doesn’t it make you feel bad?’
I shook my head. ‘He stole the pearls, didn’t he? He killed a man. What does he do now?’
‘His wife has money,’ Kathy said. ‘He spend all his time with his goldfish.’
‘Goldfish?’ I said. ‘To hell with him.’
Kathy went out of the door.
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