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Ninety Days Inside The Empire: A Novel by William Appleman Williams

The Admiral Loses More Than a Few Good Men

Page 113

"You are a little slow, Marsh. I have been expecting you for at least a week."

"Busy finding out whether I had anything worth your time, William."

"So I take it you do."

"I know who did it."

Henson had a lopsided grin. "You and me and about five thousand others."

"Very helpful."

"You got any evidence?"

"The victim can identify the voices. I checked him out on that; and he can probably recognize the sounds of the place they did it if you get him into it. You?"

"None. There are three cars they could have used, but none of them gave us anything. Nothing. Course, they might have used one of their own, but I doubt that. The rest is hearsay in the bars and on the street. You know that no jury of their peers is going to believe this particular victim. Sorry, Marsh, I feel for you and him, but sympathy is the best I can offer."

"Maybe not quite."

Henson stood, lit a cigarette, flipped the match out of an open window, then walked around the desk and sat on a corner.

"All right. Given what you told me, I think I follow you. Very tricky. It would help if that Admiral leaned on me a bit in public."

"He won't. I tried him already."

Henson shrugged. "I'll think on it."

"Burton and Crown owe the Navy one on the Richie Dillon business."

Henson flipped the cigarette out the window and lit another one. That match went out the window.

"I appreciate we're on the same side, and you probably know that Burton called me. But I still need that Admiral. Burton won't move till the Navy goes public."

Marsh stood up, kicked at the desk and then closed his eyes at the pain.

-- That goddamn coward.

"Bluff it."

Henson came off the desk and gave Marsh a gentle squeeze on the shoulder.

"Sir, are you suborning this Court?"

They both laughed.

"No, Your Honor. I apologize to The Court. I just got a bit carried away seeking a crumb of justice."

"I'll think on it, Marsh."

Two days later one of Henson's assistants called Marsh.

"Mr. Harland, we would like to have Lieutenant Wye come down here a little after noon tomorrow. Alone. Will you arrange that, please? Back door."

"He'll be there. Alone."

Marsh told Cat to have Run-Run take him to the Court House and then leave; explained about the back door, and let it go at that.

The next Sunday after church, Cat walked over to Marsh. The Judge shook his head.

"I don't want to know. I'm sure you were told not to talk about it."

They moved along in the sun for perhaps a hundred feet.

"True, but you levelled with me about the Mexican business and I owe you one. I waited around in a tiny little room for an hour or so. Then they did pretty much what you did in the car, only with a set of earphones on my head in this room. Then I waited around some more till finally they came and blindfolded me and took me into what turned out to be the jail and asked me about various noises. Then they had me write it down and I signed it.

"There's Susan. I'll see you. Thanks, Marsh."