Murder in the Choir (The Jazz Phillips Mystery Series) (29 page)

Kruger sensed my mood and asked about it. When I told him what I had been thinking, he nodded. “Law enforcement is getting that way, too. At least, it is in the Agency. The rule these days seems to be that politics comes first.” He grinned. “Of course, some of the lifers tell me it was worse under Hoover.”

“Well, then maybe we should do something radical, like solving this case like a regular crime,” I answered. “Let’s go talk to Slide Jones.”

The road between Nashville and Hot Springs is not the best in Arkansas, but we made good time and were there by ten thirty. I called ahead and asked the local officers to keep an eye on Slide’s car and to pick him up if he left home. I gave them half an hour to get in place before I called Slide and told him I was to talk on my way over to him. I told him I would be there soon and to wait for me. Even though I woke him up, he was polite and told me he would be there when I arrived.

Kruger smiled at me when I was done. “Very interesting,” he said. “Quite sneaky, too. Even if he goes out to buy a paper, you can claim he was running.”

I shrugged. “He’s probably too old a dog to fall for it, but who knows? He may try to run. It would simplify things if he did.”

“Yes, but would that satisfy, Jazz ?” Kruger murmured, surprising me. We had only been working together three days, and he had me pegged.

Slide Jones met us at the door, freshly shaved and dressed in dark slacks and a dress shirt with vest and tie. There was a delicious aroma of fresh coffee, and when he invited us in, he offered us some. “I’m afraid it is chicory,” he told us. “But if you can stand that, it’s not bad.”

That was an understatement. The coffee was excellent, ever though I don’t normally like chicory. Once we had sipped and made appreciative noises, Slide leaned back and smiled. “Well, gentlemen,” he said. “As good as the coffee may be, I don’t suppose you drove all the way over here to discuss chicory. Do I need to have my lawyer present?”

I decided to play it straight. “I have to tell you, Luther, you’re the most likely candidate we have.”

“Luther,” he said softly. “Thank you. Very few people call me that besides Albert Jones. So you’re here to build a case against me?”

“My preference would be to clear you,” I told him.

Slide laughed. “I bet you tell all the girls that. On the other hand, I may be able to help you do just that.” He reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. He was holding it between his thumb and a forefinger along one edge. “Please be careful handling that, if you will. I don’t want to destroy any finger prints you might find there.”

I pulled out a plastic case and opened it for him to drop the slip of paper. I looked at it once he had and saw it was a Texas lottery ticket. “I found that in my vest pocket after I talked with you,” he told us. “At the time it skipped my mind. I believe you’ll find it to be my winning lottery ticket.”

“You didn’t turn it in?” Kruger asked.

“No, the numbers were all wrong,” Slide laughed. “I swear, I could make a living telling people what numbers to not buy. Of course, the numbers that will matter to me on that ticket are all right.”

Kruger frowned and shook his head. “I don’t follow you.”

Slide smiled again. “Look at the date and time it was issued. I believe those numbers will clear me.”

Kruger looked and nodded. “Yeah, they might. How do we know you got this yourself and not from someone else?”

“Elementary, my dear Watson,” Slide told him. “When you run it for latent prints you should only find two sets. One will be mine and the other will be those of the store clerk. To my knowledge, no one else has touched it.”

I took the plastic bag, dated it, and put it in my pocket. I looked at Kruger. He shrugged, and Slide laughed. “Forgive my enjoyment, gentlemen. It’s not often one is able pull a rabbit out of the hat like that.”

“You do understand that this takes away any reason you might have to keep silent, don’t you?” I asked casually.

Slide nodded. “As it pertains to the murder, I agree. However, this does not give you license to fish other waters.”

“Fair enough,” I told him. “Why don’t you tell us about when you left Oak Grove? “ Slide started to object, but I held up a hand. “Suppose for a moment that Smiley was not the target. Suppose you were. Suppose someone mistook him for you. You looked enough alike to fool Luther Anne. Who might be out to kill you, Luther?”

The smile left his face. “Most of those people are dead now. The rest are in nursing homes or soon will be. The young ones have moved away. I don’t think you’ll find much there.”

“Do you owe them any loyalty?” Kruger asked. “They were out to kill you, weren’t they?”

Slide nodded. “Yes, and rightfully so. I’m afraid I cheated them rather badly. Were they honest people, I would feel awful about it. As it was, I took from them what they gained from the pain of others.”

“Sounds like a strong motive to me,” Kruger said.

“We reached an understanding,” Slide replied. “I documented quite a bit of dirt against several of them and made sure they knew exactly what I had. We reached a truce. They left me alone, and I stayed out of their territory. I was very careful not to cross their paths again.” He shook his head. “My, some of that’s been more than forty years ago.”

“I’d like to see your documentation,” Kruger said.

“That would be my death warrant. Even though the statute of limitations has long passed, it would embarrass some powerful people.” Slide pulled a pack of long, dark cigarettes out of his vest. “Would you gentlemen mind if I smoke.”

I could see Kruger start to object, but I jumped in quickly. “Of course not, Luther. It’s your house.”

“Yes, but you’re my guests.” Slide lit a cigarette and took a deep pull. “It’s a dreadful habit. The problem is, it’s one of the few vices I have left.” He smiled. “That and Louella.”

An idea began forming in my mind. I asked a couple of questions and Slide answered them at length, lighting another cigarette when he was done with the first. The information wasn’t new, but it confirmed what we had heard earlier.

“Tell me about when you were with the carnival,” I said. “How did you happen to end up with them?”

Slide smiled. “I knew them from the circuit. They used to come through from time to time, and I had done some business with them.” He shook his head. “I’m not going to be more specific than that. They moved around quite a bit over a large area, and that was useful to me.”

“So they were your suppliers,” Kruger said. I could have kicked him for the way he said it. There was no misunderstanding the contempt in his voice.

Slide did not respond in kind. “I am who I am, Agent Kruger,” he said so softly I had to strain to hear. “Not all of us are fortunate to be born white and in the Midwest. I was supporting myself and a rather large family, and I did what I thought I had to do. I might not make those same choices today, but I refuse to condemn myself. Some of my suppliers, as you call them, are your masters now. I don’t serve them any more. You do.”

A deep flush moved up Kruger’s neck, but he had the grace not to respond. “I see how your insurance could be embarrassing,” I said. “I don’t think we need to get into that. Tell me, what did Wilbur do at the carnival when he came to you for help?”

“Well, for a while, he helped me out at the shooting booth. He never had to work as a roustabout like I did when I first got there. He did n’t like the guns, but he had that beautiful smile, and that drew the ladies like a magnet. Not many of them cared to shoot, but their boyfriends did, and business was good while he was helping me. Then one of the musicians ended up in jail, and Wilbur started filling in as a vocalist. I think he saw the light then, so to speak, because the next thing he did was teach himself to play the guitar. He was far enough along by the time the circuit got to Baton Rouge to make his break and head to New Orleans.” He chuckled. “He never repaid me the three hundred dollars he borrowed to do it, either. Once he got famous, every time I showed up it was ‘Who you?’ It’s too bad that article writer didn’t talk to me, isn’t it? Not that he would dare publish what I had to say.”

“So you ran the shooting booth.” Tuner observed. “You must know your way around guns. Are you a good shot?”

“I was one of the best in Howard County,” Slide answered evenly. “And I do know my way around firearms. I’m always very careful with them, and I always have been, even before Goodie was shot. Had that rifle been in my hands, he would not have died.”

“So you held that against Luther Adams?” Kruger persisted.

“No,” Slide said quietly. “That was a terrible accident which should never have happened, but there was no fault in it. Nor did I punish Luther for it. Over the years, he punished himself far more than I ever could. I hope he’s at peace.”

I picked up my coffee cup and drained the last few drops. “I don’t suppose you have any more of this?” I asked. “It’s very good.”

“Of course,” Slide said, stubbing out his cigarette and getting to his feet. “I get to running on like an old man and become remiss in my hospitality. Agent Kruger?”

Kruger shook his head, and Smiley took his cup and mine and headed for the kitchen. When he was gone from the room, I reached for the ash tray and retrieved the last two butts. I replaced the ash tray and sealed the butts in a plastic evidence bag. Kruger looked at me curiously but said nothing.

Slide was back with our fresh coffee a moment later. “You know, I’m still curious who might want you out of the way,” I told Slide. “What about enemies you might have who were not connected to business.”

“You might not believe me, Jazz, but outside business, I have tried to live by the Golden Rule.” He smiled at Kruger’s frown. “I’m not claiming virtue so much as convenience, you understand. Treating others as one would like to be treated is a very practical way to live. One does not make unnecessary enemies. You’d be surprised how many people would sing my praises for what I have done for them in times of need. Again, I claim no virtue in it. I was simply making markers I could call in later.”

“How about jealous husbands or brothers of women scorned?”

He laughed. “That was more Wilbur’s game than mine. He was awful, but the poor dears put up with him. The magazine writer didn’t know this, but that was one of the main reasons Wilbur was invited to leave town. They could have worked out an acceptable detente, but one of the elders didn’t want that. He knew Wilbur’s reputation with the ladies.” He shook his head. “It is amazing how unfaithful husbands suspect their wives of infidelity, too. I’ve had my moments, but Louella is the closest thing to a married woman I’ve ever had.”

Suddenly, I understood this man. “You know, Luther, if word about any of this gets out, it might ruin your reputation.”

For the first time, there was something like fear in Slide’s eyes. It was not much, just a hint. “What on earth do you mean, Jazz?” he asked. His eyes told me he knew the answer already.

“I suspect that under all that bad-ass bullshit, there’s a decent soul. Am I wrong?” Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Kruger looking at me as if I had lost my mind.

Slide was quiet for a long moment. He lit another cigarette and cleared his throat. “Will there be anything else, gentlemen?” he asked. “I will need to leave soon if I’m to be on time for the funeral.”

I looked at Kruger and he looked troubled. He shook his head. “You need to be available until we talk to the clerk and check prints on the lottery ticket,” I told him.

“I hoped to attend Luther’s funeral this afternoon,” Slide said. “It would mean a lot to me. Albert asked me to deliver the eulogy.”

“All right,” I said. “But just go there and back. No side trips to Texarkana. “Are you all right with that? He nodded, reluctantly.

“Warning noted, though. I cannot imagine why anyone in their right mind would flee to Oklahoma,” Slide said. Then he frowned. “By the way, you may find Louella’s prints on the lottery ticket, too. Not that she bought it. She has a bad habit of going through my pockets when she thinks I am asleep.”
 

7. Day of Remembrance

Kruger was silent as we started our trip back to Nashville. I thought I knew what was on his mind, but I held my peace. Sure enough, I was right. When we were a couple of miles out of Hot Springs he spoke up.

“You really believe that, don’t you?” he asked.

“About Slide being a decent soul?” I asked. He nodded. “Yes, I do. Oddly enough, I understand Slide Jones in a way I never could Smiley.”

“Care to share your thoughts?” he asked.

“I will, but I’m not inviting argument,” I told him. “Discussion is invited, of course, even lively discussion, but not argument. You may not agree with my conclusions, but I ask you to respect them.”

“Fair enough,” he said.

“Despite what the psychologists say, my observation is that character can be changed. At least, it can change direction. The same traits may be there, but the way they’re expressed can be different. Where I have seen it happen most often is with alcoholics. People who are totally irresponsible become pillars of the community. I’ve also seen it happen with addicts and compulsive gamblers. They’re still the same basic people, but they respond to things differently. What I don’t understand is why it happens with some people and not with others.”

“You think this has happened with Slide?”

I nodded. “Slide is one of the best cons I’ve ever seen, so I may be wrong. I may be seeing what I want to see. From the evidence we have, he looks like the best candidate for our shooter. He’s one of the best shots around. He has plenty of motive, and if it weren’t for that lottery ticket, I would have brought him in and charged him. Even feeling the way I do.”

“That lottery ticket may fall apart as an alibi,” Kruger replied. “If the woman’s prints are on it, she could have bought it for him.”

I thought about that. “Yeah, but then we have conspiracy. Louella would have had to be in it with Slide. She would have needed to know when to buy the ticket, which sets up all kinds of complications. We need to check it out, but I’d lay odds the store clerk will say Slide bought the ticket. I don’t think he would be foolish enough to depend on Louella. He strikes me as crazy like a fox.”

Kruger thought about that. “I see your point, but I hope you’re wrong. We’re running out of suspects. I think Slide is our man. We have enough for a search warrant.”

“What would we be looking for?” I asked.

“The rifle. Ammunition. The commando knife. Something belonging to Luther Adams. Old love letters. Blood. Anything.” Kruger ticked these off on his fingers.

“I think the judge would call that a fishing expedition,” I said. “The first thing he will ask is if we have bullets to match with any gun we found, and we don’t. The crime team cannot even swear what caliber weapon was used. We think it was a .223, and that may be what the evidence suggests, but the rifle could have been .243 or a .257. The best we have is a weak circumstantial case.”

Kruger growled, but nodded. “Yeah, you’re right. This whole thing is starting to get to me. There are too many loose ends.” He shrugged. “There’s a lot of pressure from Lonnie, too. He wants it wrapped up by the day before yesterday.” He looked at me. “That’s what our meeting was about yesterday. That and other things.”