law."

"What were you doing atHelen's?"

"She asked me to come. Hell, I wentthere as a good Samaritan. She called me at the motel in Santa Monica andpractically begged me to come and spend the night. It wasn't my beautiful blueeyes. She was frightened, she wanted company."

"What time did she call you?"

"Around seven or seven-thirty. I wasjust coming in from getting something to eat." He dropped his shoulders."Listen, you know all this, you got it from Bradshaw, didn't you? What areyou trying to do, trap me into a mistake?"

"It's an idea. What sort of a mistakedid you have in mind?"

He shook his head, and went on shaking itas he spoke. "I didn't have anything particular in mind. I mean, I can'tafford to make any mistakes."

"You already made the big one, whenyou ran."

"I know. I panicked." He shookhis head some more. "There she was with a bullet hole in her skull andthere I was a natural setup for a patsy. I heard you fellows coming, and Ipanicked. You've got to believe me."

They always said that. "Why do I have to believeyou?"

"Because I'm telling the truth. I'm innocent as alittle child."

"That's pretty innocent."

"I didn't mean in general, I meant inthis particular situation. I went a long way out of my way to give Helen ahelping hand. It doesn't make sense I'd go there to knock her off. I liked thegirl. She and I had a lot in common."

I didn't know if this was a compliment toeither of them. Bert Haggerty had described his ex-wife as corrupt. The man infront of me was a dubious character. Behind the mask of his good looks heseemed dilapidated, as if he'd painfully bumped down several steps in thesocial scale. In spite of this, I half-believed his story. I would never morethan half-believe anything he said.

"What did you and Helen have incommon?"

He gave me a quick sharp up-from-underlook. This wasn't the usual line of questioning. He thought about his answer."Sports. Dancing. Fun and games. We had some real fun times, I mean it. Ialmost died when I found her the other night."

"How did you happen to meether?"

"You know all this," he saidimpatiently. "You're working for Bradshaw, aren't you?"

"Put it this way: Bradshaw and I areon the same side." I wanted to know why Roy Bradshaw loomed so large inFoley's mind, but other questions had priority. "Now why don't you humorme and tell me how you knew Helen?"

"It's simple enough." He jabbedhis thumb downward like a decadent emperor decreeing death. "She rentedthe downstairs apartment when she was putting in her six weeks this summer. Sheand my sister hit it off, and eventually I got into the act. The three of usused to go places together."

"In Sally's car?"

"I had my own car then—sixty-twoGalaxie five hundred," he said earnestly. "This was back in Augustbefore I lost my job and couldn't keep up with the payments."

"How did you happen to lose your job?"

"That wouldn't interest you. It had nothing to dowith Helen Haggerty, nothing whatever."

His overinsistence on the point made me suspicious."What were you working at?"

"I said you wouldn't be interested."

"I can easily find out where you were working.You might as well tell me."

He said with his eyes down: "I was inthe cashier's cage at the Solitaire in Stateline. I guess I made one mistaketoo many." He looked at his strong square fumbling hands.

"So you were looking for work in LosAngeles?"

"Correcto." He seemed relievedto get away from the subject of his job and why he lost it. "I didn't makea connection, but I've got to get out of this place."

"Why?"

He scratched his hair. "I can't go onliving on my sister. It cuts me, being on the ding. I'm going down to L.A.again and have another look around."

"Let's get back to the first time. You say Helencalled you at your motel Friday night. How did she know you were there?"

"I already called her earlier in the week."

"What for?"

"The usual. I mean, I thought wecould get together, have some fun." He kept talking about having fun buthe looked as if he hadn't had any for years. "Helen already had a datethat night, Wednesday night. As a matter of fact she had a date with Bradshaw.They were going to some concert. She said she'd call me back another time.Which she did, Friday night."

"What did she say on thetelephone?"

"That somebody threatened to killher, and she was scared, I never heard her talk like that before. She said thatshe had nobody to turn to but me. And I got there too late." There seemedto be grief in him, but even this was ambiguous, as if he felt defrauded byHelen's death.

"Were Helen and Bradshaw close?"

© Alexander Sviyash, 2009