The King is Dead (16 page)

‘Don't you worry,' Max'l said, grinning at his master. ‘I take care of him. After I eat.'

And he sat down and seized his fork.

‘Don't be more idiotic than nature made you, Max. When the time comes — midnight, did he say? — he'll be blind drunk and about as deadly as an angleworm.' King glanced at the heap in the corner. ‘That's the trouble with democracy, Queen. You're one of the intellectual, liberal, democratic world, aren't you? You never get anywhere. You stick your chin out and happily ask for another crack on the jaw. You poison yourselves into a coma with fancy talk, the way Judah poisons himself with alcohol. All you do is jabber, jabber, jabber while history shoots past you into the future.'

‘I think we had a little something to do with the orbit of history, Mr. Bendigo,' Ellery found himself saying, ‘not so very long ago.'

‘You mean I did,' chuckled the King, lowering himself into his chair again.

The servants leaped forward as he picked up his napkin. But he waved them away.

‘And you, Maxie. You leave Judah alone,' he said severely. ‘He's had a strenuous morning.
Max.'

The gorilla had leaped from his chair. Judah was stirring. There was blood on Judah's face.

‘Sit down.'

The gorilla sat down.

‘Here, Judah, let me help you —' began Inspector Queen.

Judah raised a hand. Something in the way he did it stopped the Inspector in his tracks.

Judah's brothers looked on, Abel grey as evening, King with no flicker of pity.

Judah crept out of the dining-room. They watched him go. His right leg took a long time getting out of the room. But finally it, too, disappeared.

‘Karla, my dear,' said King briskly. ‘Karla!'

‘Yes. Yes, Kane.'

‘I'll be at the Home Office all day and most of the evening — I'll have dinner there. You meet me at eleven at the Confidential Room.'

‘You mean to work tonight, Kane? In spite of —?' Karla stopped.

‘Certainly, darling.'

‘But Judah — his threats —'

‘He won't lift a pinkie when the time comes. Believe me, Karla. I know Judah … Yes, Queen? You were going to say something?'

Ellery cleared his throat. ‘I think, Mr. Bendigo, you tend to underestimate the intellectual, liberal democrat when aroused. I don't know why I say this — it's certainly nothing to me whether you live or die —'

‘Or maybe it is,' said King Bendigo, smiling.

Ellery stared at him. ‘All right, maybe it is. Maybe after what I've seen here I'd greet the news of your death with cheers. But not this way, Mr. Bendigo. I'm an anti-murder man from way back — was indoctrinated from childhood by the Bible and I happen to believe in democracy. They both teach the ethics of the means, Mr. Bendigo. And murder is the wrong means —'

‘You'd like to see me die, but you'll lay down your life to protect mine from violence.' King laughed. ‘That's what's wrong with you people! Could anything be more hopelessly asinine?'

‘You really believe that?'

‘Certainly.'

‘Then it would be a waste of your valuable time to discuss it.' And Ellery went on in the same painful way, ‘What I have been trying to say is that your brother Judah not only wants to kill you, Mr. Bendigo, he's made plans about it. So he must have some weapon in mind. Prepared. Does he own a gun?'

‘Oh, yes. Pretty good shot, too, even when scuppered. Judah practises sometimes for hours at a time. On a range target, of course,' the big man said dryly. ‘Nothing alive, you understand. Makes him sick. Judah couldn't kill a mouse — he's often said so. Don't be concerned about me, Queen —'

‘I'm not. I'm concerned about Judah.'

The black eyes narrowed. ‘I don't get that.'

Ellery said slowly, ‘If he gets blood on his hands, he's lost.'

‘Why, you're nothing but a psalm-singer,' King said impatiently. ‘You're through here. I'll have you flown out this morning.'

‘No!' Abel jumped up. He was still shaken. ‘No, King. I want the Queens here. You're not to send them away —'

‘Abel, I'm getting tired of this!'

‘I know you,' shouted Abel. ‘You'll put a gun in his hand and dare him to shoot! King, I know Judah, too. You're under-estimating him. Let the Queens stay. At least till tomorrow morning.'

‘Let Spring handle it.'

‘Not Spring, no. King, you've got to let me handle this my way!'

His brother scowled. But then he shrugged and said, ‘All right, I suppose I can put up with these long-faced democrats another day. Anything to stop this gabble! Now get out, the lot of you, and let me finish my breakfast.'

10

By written order of Abel Bendigo, the Queens were permitted that afternoon to inspect the Confidential Room. Colonel Spring himself, looking a wee bit flustered, unlocked the big steel door. The Colonel, the officer in charge of the household guards, and two armed guards went in with them and watched them as closely as if it were the bullion vault of Fort Knox.

It was a great empty-looking room painted hospital grey. There was only one door, the door through which they had entered. There were no windows at all, the walls themselves glowing with a constant, shadowless light. A frieze of solid-looking material ran around the walls near the high ceiling; this was a porous metal fabric invented by Bendigo engineers to take the place of conventional heating and air-conditioning vents and grilles. ‘It's a metallic substance that actually breathes,' explained Colonel Spring, ‘and does away with openings.' The air in the room was mild, sweet, and fresh.

No pictures, hangings, or decorations of any kind broke the blankness of the walls. The floor was of some springy material, solidly inlaid, that deadened sound. The ceiling was soundproofed.

In the exact centre of the Confidential Room stood a very large metal desk, with a leather swivel chair behind it. There was nothing on the desk but a telephone. A typewriter-desk, its electric typewriter exposed, faced the large desk; this one was equipped with an uncushioned metal chair. Solid banks of steel filing cases lined the walls to a height of five feet.

Above the door, and so in direct view of the occupant of the large desk, there was a functional clock. It consisted of two uncompromising gold hands and twelve unnumbered gold darts, and was embedded in the wall.

And there was nothing else in the room.

‘Who besides the Bendigo family, Colonel, uses this room?' asked Inspector Queen.

‘No one.'

Ellery said: ‘Does Judah Bendigo come in here often?'

Colonel Spring cocked a brow at the officer of the guard. The officer said: ‘Not often, sir. He may wander in for a few minutes sometimes, but he's never here very long.'

‘When was the last time Mr. Judah visited this room?'

‘I'd have to consult the records, sir.'

‘Consult them.'

The officer glanced at Colonel Spring. The Colonel nodded, and the officer went away. He returned shortly with a ledger.

‘About six weeks ago was the last time, sir. And a week before that, and three weeks before that.'

‘Would these records show if at those times he was in this room alone?'

‘Yes, sir.'

‘Was he?'

‘No, sir. He never comes in here when the room is unoccupied. He can't get in. No one can but Mr. King and Mr. Abel. They have the only two keys, aside from an emergency key kept in the guardroom in a wall safe. We have to open the room daily for the maids.'

‘The maids, I take it, clean up under the eye of the guards?'

‘And
the officer on duty, sir.'

The Queens wandered about the Confidential Room for a few minutes. Ellery tried a number of filing cases, but most of them were locked. The few that were not locked were empty. In one of the unlocked drawers he found a bottle of Segonzac cognac, and he sighed.

Ellery examined the steel door. It was impregnable.

When they left the room, Colonel Spring tried the door with his own hands and gave the key to the captain of the guard. The officer saluted and took the key to the guardroom.

‘Is there anything else I can do, gentlemen?' asked the Colonel rather plaintively, Ellery thought. ‘My orders are to put myself completely at your disposal.'

‘Just the matter of the air-conditioning unit, Colonel,' the Inspector said.

‘Oh, yes …'

Ellery left them and crossed the hall. He knocked on Judah Bendigo's door. There was no answer. He knocked again. There was still no answer. So he went in.

Max'l was straddling a chair the wrong way, his chin on his hairy hands. Only his eyes moved, following like a watchdog's the movements of Judah Bendigo's hands. An empty bottle of Segonzac lolled on Judah's desk. Judah was opening a fresh bottle. He had torn away the tax stamp and was just running the blade of a pocket-knife around the hard wax seal. He paid no attention to the troglodyte, and he did not look up when Ellery came in.

Ellery spent the rest of the day trying to save Judah Bendigo's soul. But Judah was doomed. He did not resist salvation; he shrugged it down. He was looking more like a corpse than ever — a corpse who had died of violence, for his cheek-bone was bruised, swollen, and purple from its encounter with the dining-room wall, and a split lip gave his mouth a sneering grin such as Ellery frequently saw at the morgue.

‘I'm not enjoying this, Ellery, really I'm not. I don't care for the idea of killing my brother any more than you do. But someone has to do the dirty job, and I'm tired of waiting for the Almighty.'

‘Once you shed his blood, how do you differ from King, Judah?'

‘I'm an executioner. Executioners are among the most respectable of public servants.'

‘Executioners do their work by sanction of law. Self-appointed executioners are simply murderers.'

‘Law? On Bendigo Island?' Judah permitted his ragged moustache to lift. ‘Oh, I admit the circumstances are unusual. But that's just the point. There are no sanctions I can evoke here except the decent opinions of mankind, as expressed in a handful of historic documents. The conscience of civilization has appointed me.'

At another time — toward dusk — Judah interrupted Ellery to say, simply, ‘You're wasting your breath. My mind is made up.'

It was at this point that it occurred to Ellery that Judah Bendigo was talking like a man who expects to consummate his crime.

‘Let me understand you, Judah. Granted the firmness of your resolve, hasn't it sunk home that you've been detected
in advance?
You don't think we're sitting by and letting you execute your plan, whatever it is? Max'l alone in this room with you would be enough to thwart whatever you have in mind. There's going to be no murder, Judah.' By this time Ellery was talking as if Judah were a child. ‘We simply can't allow it, you know.'

Judah sipped some cognac and smiled. ‘There's nothing you can do to stop me.'

‘Oh, come. I'll admit that a man bent on violence may sooner or later find an opening, no matter what precautions are taken. But we know the exact time and place —'

Judah waved a thin white hand. ‘It doesn't matter.'

‘What doesn't matter?'

‘That you know the time and place. If I cared whether you knew or not, I'd never have written the note.'

‘You'll do it in spite of the fact that we're forewarned?'

‘Oh, yes.'

‘At that time? In that place?' exclaimed Ellery.

‘Midnight tonight. The Confidential Room.'

Ellery looked at him. ‘So that's it. You have another plan entirely. This was all a red herring to foul up the trail.'

Judah seemed offended. ‘Nothing of the sort! I give you my word. That would spoil it. Don't you see that?'

‘No.'

Judah shrugged and tipped his bottle again.

‘Of course, none of this is really necessary,' Ellery said, ‘since you have my personal assurance you won't leave this room tonight and your brother King won't enter it. So I can afford to play games, Judah. Tell me this: You announced the time of the murder, we know the exact place — if you stick to your word about the time — so do you mind telling me by what means you intend to kill your brother?'

‘Don't mind at all,' said Judah. ‘I'm going to shoot him.'

‘With what?'

‘With one of my favourite guns.'

‘Nonsense,' said Ellery irritably. ‘My father and I have searched these rooms twice today, and neither of us is exactly a novice at this sort of thing. Including, if you'll recall, a very thorough body-search. There is no gun on these premises, and no ammunition of any kind.'

‘Sorry. There's a fully loaded gun right under your nose.'

‘Here? Now?'

‘It's not six feet from where you're standing.'

Ellery looked around rather wildly. But then he caught himself and grinned. ‘I must watch that trick of yours. It's unsettling.'

‘No trick. I mean it.'

Ellery stopped grinning. ‘I consider this downright nasty of you, Judah. Now, on the off-chance that you may be telling the truth, I've got to search the place all over again.'

‘I'll save you the trouble. I don't mind telling you where the gun is. It won't make any difference.'

It won't make any difference …
‘Where is it, Judah?' Ellery asked in a kindly voice.

‘In Max'l's pocket, where I slipped it when you started searching.'

Max'l jerked erect. He began to paw at his coat pocket. Ellery ran over, flung his hand aside, and explored the pocket himself. It was crowded with pieces of candy, nuts, and other objects Ellery's fingers could not identify; but among the sticky odds and ends there was a hard cold something. He drew it out.

Max'l glared at it.