Jack Spade: Dream Detective

Chapter 11

Sonny then walks over to the window. “Boy, the rain sure is coming down hard now, and me with no coat and hat.”

“Take mine,” says Jack. “You can use the one in the closet.” Sonny walks to the closet, gets the coat, and starts for the door. “Here,” says Jack, “take my hat too,” as he throws it to him.

“Thanks, boss,” says Sonny.

He turns up the lapel and pulls the hat brim down over his head.

“You know, you look a lot like me dressed that way,” says Jack. Sonny is about the same height and weight as Jack.

“Well, I’m out of here,” he announces. “I’m going straight to bed and sleep for a week.”

“Okay,” replies Jack. “Take care, and good job!”

“You know me; I always do a good job,” replies Sonny, smiling.

Sonny is walking towards his car when two shots ring out. Sonny hunches over, falls back against the wall and crumbles down slowly until he hits the sidewalk with his legs spread straight out in front of him. As the bystanders begin to gather around him and the rain is still pounding down on him, Jack makes his way through the crowd. When he reaches Sonny, He was bleeding badly. Jack shouts, “Sonny.” Are you Okay?

“What happened?” Jack yells Sonny!

“I don’t know, kid. Whoever it was may have thought you were me.”

“Oh that’s just great,” replies Sonny. “Is that why you gave me your coat?” He seems to be keeping his sense of humor.

Jack tells the people to stand back. “Give him some room,” he shouts. It takes the police and ambulance about ten minutes to get to scene.

The cops are taking statements from anybody that might have seen something.

“What happened, Jack?” Lieutenant Kimble asks.

“I’m not sure, Peter,” replies Jack, with a blank expression on his face. As the ambulance speeds away, he looks over at Kimble. “I think they thought Sonny was me!”

“You mean it was Moreno?” says Kimble.

“No,” replies Jack, “I don’t think it was Moreno or Jefferson.”

“Well, who then?”

Jack looks around at the crowd. “Come on. Let’s go up to my office.” He motions for Kimble to follow.

“Well,” says Kimble, taking a seat, “who?” He is getting a little impatient.

Jack goes over to his desk. “I’m not sure. It could have been a lady named Jean

Peterson but,” he adds, “I can’t prove it.”

“Who is this Peterson?” replies Kimble.

“She’s a lady cheating on her husband. It’s a long story.”

“We got all night,” replies Kimble. He takes out his pad. “What’s her address?

We’ll check her out. Is there anything else you’re not telling me?”

”No,” replies Jack. He pauses. He thinks about giving him Willie Jones’ name but he decides not to. “No, that’s it, Peter,” he replies.

Kimble only stares at him with disapproval then asks, “Is Sonny going to make

it?”

“The paramedic was not sure,” replies Jack. “He’s got a pretty good chance of pulling through, I think.”

“That guy’s got nine lives,” replies Kimble.

“You

Might be right about that,” says Jack as they head downstairs to the street.

Jack gets into his car and goes to see Jennifer at her hotel room but he stops by the hospital first to see how Sonny is doing. When he gets there,

He cannot see him because he has just come out of surgery but the doctor tells him that he will be okay. “He has an 80 percent chance of a full recovery,” Doctor Anderson, a young wet-behind-the-ears kid, at least that’s what Jack is thinking, tells him.

“Okay, Doc,” he says. “If he needs anything, you just let me know.”

“I will, Mr. Spade,” he assures Jack as he rushes away to perform other duties.

Jack walks down to Sonny’s room, slowly opens the door and peeks in. He shivers a little; hospitals have always given him the creeps. The room is small, dark and scary.

There are all sorts of tubes running from Sonny into machines. It’s not a pretty sight. He looks down at Sonny, who is sleeping soundly, leans over to put his hand on his shoulder and whispers, “Hang in there, kid.” Then he leaves.

When he arrives at Jennifer’s, she is overwhelmed with joy to see him. “Are you all right, Jack? I was so worried for you,” she says as she opens the door. “

The radio said that someone was shot outside of your building! I was sure it was you.”

“No, it was Sonny,” replies Jack as he kisses Jennifer on her lips.

“I called your office but I didn’t get an answer,” she says. “Is he going to be okay? Do you know who shot him?”

“He’s going to be fine. As to who shot him, I’m not sure.”

Jennifer holds on to Jack while they move towards her couch then she says, “I have been calling your number all evening.”

“I’m sorry, baby. I didn’t have time to call you.” He throws his head back to rest on the back end of the couch and stares up at the ceiling.

“You want something to drink?”

He nods his head and watches her intensely as she goes over to her bar to fix him a gin and club soda. As she hands it to him, he takes it and then pulls her onto his lap and gives her a passionate kiss; the kind of kiss that makes a girl’s toes tingle.

Then they just hold each other until Jennifer falls asleep. Jack slowly

Gets to his feet with her in his arms. He takes her to the bedroom where he tenderly lays her down, takes off her shoes and then pulls the covers over her. While Jennifer is sleeping, Jack stands there, watching her, wondering if he is really doing the right thing, taking this woman as his wife!

At times she has not been truthful with me. He then says softly, “Oh hell, I’m not the most outstanding example myself,” as he smiles to himself. The phone is ringing in the living room. He answers it on the second ring. “

Hello.”

“Hello. Jennifer?” the voice on the other end asks.

“No, this is a friend of hers, Jack Spade!”

The person on the other end pauses then demands, “Where is Jennifer?” He seems angry!

“Who is this?” demands Jack.

The person seems to calm down some. “Oh, I’m sorry,” he says. “This is Jerry.” “Jerry who?” says Jack.

“Jerry Farnsworth,” he replies.

“Well,” says Jack, “she is sleeping right now, and I’m not going to wake her.”

“Oh, okay. Then could you

Please ask her to call me when she awakes? It’s very important.”

“Yeah, sure,” says Jack. “Good bye!” He slams the receiver down.

When it’s morning, Jack tells Jennifer of the phone call. “I didn’t know you knew

Jerry Farnsworth.”

The question seems to catch Jennifer a little off guard at first. She physically becomes a little uneasy then she settles down and replies, “Yes, he is a good friend of

Lauren’s. Why do you ask?”

“He called

Last night. He wants you to call him; he says it is very important.” Jack is the kind of man who is suspicious about everything. He can’t help it, he’s a private detective. He can’t help wondering if Jennifer is still keeping things from him. “You going to call him?” he asks

“Sure,” replies Jennifer.

“When?” says Jack.

“When I get the time,” snaps Jennifer back at him, getting a little angry with his interrogation. “You’re always questioning me.

I’ll call him when I want to call.”

Suddenly Jennifer did not sound like her usual sweet self and Jack began to feel like he was talking to a stranger. He didn’t recognize her. She seemed really cold and withdrawn. And Jack himself was getting a little irritated and uptight. The first time since meeting her, he felt like smacking her across her lips. But of course he doesn’t; above everything else, he is still a gentleman. But for the first time since they met, they separate in anger.

He slams the door shut as he leaves. Jennifer runs to t

He door and starts to open it to call him back. Instead she leaves it

Closed and just leans on the door, crying. Soon the telephone rings.

She hurries over to answer it, thinking that it is Jack but its Jerry. “Hello,

Jennifer.”

“Yes, what is it, Jerry?” she says, almost shouting into the receiver.

They talk for a few minutes. He wants to know if she had come in contact with Lauren. Jerry Farnsworth is really a shady character, you never know just what side of the street he is playing on. When Jennifer hangs up the phone, he reports back to the person who had asked him to call Jennifer in the first place. And that person was Moreno. As she hangs up, Jack comes back in.

Before he can say anything, she runs and jumps into his arms, and they just stand there holding each other. “I’m sorry, baby,” he says. “I guess it’s just the detective in me to be noisy.”

She looks at him. “I thought you said you weren’t a detective!” They smile at each other and kiss. Then she says, “Jerry just wanted to know if I knew where Lauren was.”

Jack puts Jennifer down. “Yeah, I guess I should have known that. I was just surprised that you knew him.”

They go back to the bedroom where Jennifer begins to get dressed. Jack sits down on the edge of the bed and begins to hum the melody from a movie he once saw.

“What’s the name of that song?” Jennifer asks from the bathroom.

“Oh, it’s, ah, ‘Somewhere over the rainbow’.”

“Oh yes, I remember that one.” Then she starts to sing. “Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high, there’s a land that I heard of once in a lullaby…somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue…”

“Your voice is so soothing.”

Jennifer stops her singing, peeps out of the bathroom door

And says, “If you think I’m good, you should...”

She suddenly stops herself

But Jack knew what she was going to say. Without saying anything about it, He goes over to her, gives her a kiss and tells her he has to leave.

Jack understands she lied about Lauren’s voice, but that was when she didn’t trust him. And right now he is thinking she just may have been a little ashamed of it.

At the Blue Cage, Jerry is in Moreno’s office. “Are you sure Jennifer does not know where Lauren is at?” inquires Moreno as he sits behind his desk, puffing on one of his cigars.

I’m positive, Mr. Moreno,” replies Jerry. “Can I have the money now,” as he eagerly holds out his hand.

Moreno sits there, smiling at him. “Sure, kid,” he says as he leans forward, opens up a desk drawer, counts out five hundred dollars and gives it to him. “A deal’s a deal.

Now don’t go spending that all in one place.”

Jerry grabs the money and hurries out the side door. He is in a hurry to put the money down on a bet for a horse he got a hot tip on. Among his many problems, he is a heavy gambler; horses, cards, fights, you name it.

Later that night −Tom Jefferson has asked Sam Deerfield to come up to his hotel room and of course he does because he thinks he has Jefferson under his thumb. At around midnight, he buzzes the door bell and Jefferson lets him in. “Come in, Mr. Deerfield. Thanks for coming,” he says, “Have a seat,” as he points to his couch. “Here have a cigar. They’re the best money can buy.”

“Thanks,” says Deerfield. He makes himself comfortable, sits back and starts puffing on his cigar. “So, what did you want to see me about, Mr. Jefferson?”

“Well,” says Jefferson, trying not to be nervous, “I needed you for something tonight.”

“Oh yeah? What?” replies Deerfield.

“But first, tell me again, why did you kill Joe Sawyer?”

“I told you before, it couldn’t be helped. He caught me red-handed.”

“So he caught you red-handed,” repeats Jefferson

“That’s right,” replies Deerfield, looking now a little uneasy.

Jefferson is extremely nervous. “And the police don’t suspect you at all?” he says.

“No,” replies Deerfield. “I had an airtight alibi.”

Jefferson sits down then jumps up again and asks Deerfield if he wants a drink.

“Yes,” he replies. “I’ll have one.” As Jefferson goes to his bar, Deerfield is so relaxed now. He has no idea what Jefferson has in mind for him. Jefferson hands him the drink then casually goes over to his

Record player, puts on a record and turns the volume all the way up. “What’s the matter with you?” asks Deerfield.

Jefferson then turns around, a gun shaking in his hand, and shoots Deerfield three times, twice in the heart. He goes over to him to make sure he is dead then turns off the record player. He takes Deerfield’s glasses off and says out loud, “You’re not so tough now, are you, big man? I guess I caught you red-handed too,” he says, grinning. He even whacks him once with the gun. He places Deerfield’s glasses on the marble table.

Jefferson believes he has it all planned. He will take the body out to his cabin and bury him there. It’s the perfect place; no one will ever find him there. Deerfield had no family to speak of; then a thought came to him. What about the police? They’d already brought him in for questioning but what if they wanted to ask more questions! “Well,” he says out loud, “I can’t worry about that now. I got to get rid of this body.” He checks Deerfield’s pockets for his keys. “Awe, here they are,” he says. “He is so large, I will need help.”

He thinks about calling Moreno. ”No,” he says, “That would take too long.” He walks back and forth, trying to think. “Yes,” he says. “I will call the front desk and ask for Bobby, the bell hop. He calls the front desk and requests Bobby by name to help him with a friend who has had too much to drink. As he prepares Deerfield, he puts a hat over his head and puts an old overcoat on him. He then has a cigarette while he is waiting for the bell hop. He sees Deerfield’s glasses on the table, quickly grabs them, and puts them in his own pocket. Pretty soon, the bell hop knocks at the door.

They go over to Deerfield and pick him up. “Boy,” Bobby mumbles, “this guy sure is heavy, Mr. Jefferson.

He looks dead to me. You sure he’s alive?” he says jokingly.

Jefferson laughs nervously back. “Why, sure he is alive,” he says as he tries to hide his fear. Once they get to Deerfield’s car, which is a black ‘47 Ford Lincoln OT, and put him in the back seat. “Okay. Here you are, Bobby.” He gives the bell hop a fifty dollar bill.

“Thank you, Mr. Jefferson,” says Bobby.

Then Jefferson hurries to the other side, jumps into the car and drives away to his cabin. When he gets out of the city, he speeds down the narrow roads. Even though it’s about 2 am, he is driving so fast he

Is pulled over by the state police.

It’s always a frustrating experience as you sit there waiting; you can imagine how Jefferson is feeling with a dead body in the back seat. As he sits there sweating like a pig, he thinks about the gun in his pocket. Should he use it again on the trooper? The trooper gets out of his cruiser and he slowly

Approaches the car. Jefferson is wondering what to do; his mind is racing like a locomotive. As he is still thinking, when the trooper is at the car.

Jefferson rolls down the window. “Yes, Officer?” he says nervously.

“You going to a fire, mister?” asks the trooper. “Let me see your driver’s license, sir.” Then he notices Deerfield in the back.

“Well, it’s not my car, Officer.”

“What’s wrong with him?” the trooper asks as he tries to get a better look.

“He had a little too much to drink,” replies Jefferson, “And I’m taking him home.

This is his car.”

The trooper looks back at Jefferson again. “What’s his name?” “Sam Deerfield,” says Jefferson, almost stammering.

“And who are you? You have any ID?”

“My name is Jack Spade.” He then gives the officer one of Jack’s ID cards. “You may know of me; sometimes I work with the police department.”

“Yes, I know the name.” He gives him back the card. “But I always thought you were a little younger.”

“Yes, I know. I always get that,” he says, trying to smile.

Then the trooper gives Deerfield a second look. “He looks in bad shape. Are you okay, sir?” The trooper then reaches back to open the back door. He is about check Deerfield out when there are two shots. The side window shatters and the trooper is hit.

He falls and crumples on the side railings of the car. One bullet had landed in his head.

Jefferson is in a panic. He sits there in the car, sweating from head to toe, trying to think but it is so hard. It starts to rain; every time the thunder strikes, his whole body trembles. He finally realizes he cannot sit here much longer, not with the trooper he has just shot, and probably killed, lying outside the car door. As he pulls off onto the road, the trooper slowly falls to the ground. He looks up in the rear view mirror at the trooper, and his heart almost stops. The trooper is not dead; he is crawling back to his cruiser.

Jefferson, in his confusion, does not know what to do. He just sits there, trembling.

He finally jumps out of the car. He watches the trooper slowly crawling and gasping for air, desperately trying to breathe. Jefferson is standing over him, slowly walking with him, trying to make up his mind whether to shoot him again. Then suddenly the trooper takes his last breath and dies.