Ch.247Request Log #020 – Murder Machine (4)

When I finished work with Carmen, it was already nearly dawn. Now that she no longer needed to waste time with unnecessary actions, she straightened her clothes and took the lead.

If I’d been drinking, time would have passed quickly, but since I was working, all that remained in my mouth was the taste of cheap juice. It didn’t matter—a detective who doesn’t touch alcohol is more trustworthy anyway.

“You don’t think things will get simpler once you send that man away, do you? Don’t expect those gang members to accept your excuse so easily.”

From the beginning, what mattered to them wasn’t Carmen’s missing lover but Carmen herself. If she didn’t disappear, this wouldn’t end. That was obvious.

This time, Carmen didn’t smirk or joke. This was now quite serious business. Conversations on empty streets were generally about such matters.

“That’s… true, but shouldn’t we prioritize getting people who can be safe to safety first? That’s Carmen’s goal too.”

I still couldn’t shake my suspicions. Loving Carmen might not be difficult, but only the God-President who prattles on about loving all creation could love this woman’s private life too.

So I had reasonable doubts. Working with her and spending a night awake might be an enjoyable experience, but if you’re going to have a relationship, you need to calculate for the worst-case scenario. I was fortunate to be a third party.

“Are you really trying to send him somewhere safe, or are you just conveniently trying to dispose of the guy who unfortunately didn’t die when two people, including your ex-boyfriend who happened to be in a gang, came looking?”

Carmen put on a somewhat serious expression. She looked like a child trying to imitate an adult’s stern face. Then she broke into another bright smile.

“Those two really found each other, didn’t they? Unless I hear otherwise, I’m trying to keep alive the person who was lucky enough to survive. Why, do you feel sorry for the man who fell for Carmen?”

“No, I’m just wondering whether I should dump him somewhere nearby like Pennsylvania or send him all the way to San Francisco.”

The dangerous one wasn’t that man but Carmen, so it was better to consider convenience when deciding where to place him. Carmen casually chimed in.

“Pennsylvania! They jokingly call it Gremory’s domain, don’t they? It seems wonderful that one person—no, what am I saying—that an entire state can make people happy. Mrs. Gremory must have more patience than Carmen, right?”

I couldn’t tell if it was admiration or mockery. I put her in the car and headed to the apartment where she said she had hidden her lover. She said it was a room that a rich lover had bought her when she said she needed a place.

There was no way to fully trust a client who lies and hides people in places like this. But I had to do the job regardless of trust. When she opened the door and went in, there was a man waiting inside.

I’d heard he was overweight, but now he looked quite gaunt. It doesn’t take long for a person’s appearance to change in just a few days. Still, he had a generally gentle impression.

Docile people don’t handle anxiety well. Having witnessed a murder and living in hiding would do that to anyone. He looked somewhat relieved when he saw Carmen.

He couldn’t make the same face when he saw me. I looked every bit the detective now. Especially when I took off my coat to reveal two guns and two magazines strapped underneath.

I clicked my tongue twice to redirect his attention back to my face, then extended my hand to him first. I’d dealt with anxious people before.

“I’m the detective Carmen hired. Well, ‘detective’ is just a word… but you probably know what kind of work I do. May I ask your name?”

“John, John Quinlan. So, you’re some kind of… fixer, I suppose. I don’t understand why Carmen, who suggested we run away, would call someone like you.”

Carmen, who had been clinging to me outside, now moved toward him once we entered the apartment. Without even taking off her coat, she nestled against his thick body and smiled.

Seeing her throw herself at a man trembling with anxiety showed she still had no consideration for others’ feelings. It wouldn’t be strange to see any kind of man by Carmen’s side, but this one didn’t fit.

“The gang is surely watching Carmen, and if she shows up at the train station with someone, they’ll obviously make a move. If you don’t want to be shot while unwrapping a cheap sandwich on the train, you’ll need someone. Consider me that someone. Anything else you’d like to know?”

I spoke in a formal tone, thinking it would be easier to consider him the client rather than Carmen. My tone became stiffer but more polite, which seemed to reassure him somewhat.

“If you’re that kind of person, that would be fortunate… So, do I need to make some big preparations? If that’s the case…”

“It depends on how much you can pay. Ah, don’t overextend yourself. I may be greedy about money with little consequence, but if you give away as much as my greed demands, you won’t be able to meet your own needs. That’s only natural. After all, you’re starting a new life.”

It seemed too relaxed for someone fleeing from a gang, but settling in a new place is difficult. After pondering for a moment, he finally nodded.

“I have some money saved from working as a middle manager at a factory, and I’m well-regarded for my management skills, so finding a new job shouldn’t be too difficult. How much do you want?”

“It’s fine if a client asks how much I want. I don’t know that many people outside of New York, but it shouldn’t take long. Do you have a preferred destination?”

At those words, Carmen, who had been leaning against the man’s thick stomach like a cat, straightened up. She smiled brightly and called out to me as if she would answer herself.

“Make it Pennsylvania. We talked about it on the way here. Carmen likes Gremory chocolate too, okay?”

She was like a cat that couldn’t understand human conversation but enjoyed being in its owner’s arms, yet her opinion was childishly simple. Still, it wasn’t entirely useless.

“Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania… That works fine for me. The person who taught me the practical side of this business was a fervent Gremory devotee. Well, like all Gremory devotees, he resigned after unsavory rumors spread.”

It seems her reaction to the Pennsylvania talk in the car was because this man had mentioned it before. That didn’t make Carmen any more truthful.

“Unless you’re a capitalist like Marves or Gremory, parroting what those people say would get you labeled a commie. Anyway, I have no objections, and it shouldn’t be difficult to find work there. Does that work for you?”

Even demons like Marves, who supposedly had $10 billion and whose cars were driven by everyone in the country, occasionally got called a lion-headed commie. The accusation was even harsher for ordinary people.

He soon burst into laughter. He grabbed Carmen’s chin to stop her as she seemed about to bite the hand stroking her hair, a gesture that looked quite familiar.

“Honestly, no amount of deliberation will change anything. What’s important is to decide quickly and disappear. Do you know what we should do?”

“Go home, pack your clothes and some simple luggage, then go to the train station. Buy a ticket to where you want to go, and give me a call when you arrive. The problem is Carmen, isn’t it? Not you.”

I said it with a hint of sarcasm, as if it were obvious. Instead of being relieved, he looked anxious again. He knew enough not to fully trust Carmen.

“You’re saying I should go alone?”

“I’m saying you should do that if you think she’s worth it and you trust her.”

The suggestion that he could just leave as if going on a comfortable trip meant he could also go home, tell his company he nearly got shot and had been hiding for a few days, and pray he could return to work.

I handed him a coin. He didn’t need to flip it; he could just pocket it. Carmen was the only one who would care about which side the coin landed on, eyes gleaming with interest. Yet he decided to flip the coin.

“I think she is… worth it. So I just need to leave today, right now?”

I couldn’t tell what he was thinking, and I didn’t try. A detective’s job isn’t to investigate clients but to handle their requests. That’s my only principle when working.

Should I check on the gang first? If they were subcontractors for the Italian guys, things could get complicated. The fact remained that a gang member had died and an Irish gang had disposed of the body.

There was no way they’d rationally decided to leave the man alone, so I needed to check their movements. If they were too stupid to care, I could just let him go; if not, I’d need to guide him.

“I’ll go check the situation first, so please wait. I’ve used an informant in the back alleys before, so it shouldn’t be difficult to find out about any gang in New York. It’s just a matter of making some calls, so it won’t take long.”

He finally let out a sigh of relief. It wouldn’t take long to find out whether this man would ruin his life over a woman or if Carmen would exit New York.

“I hope your work is as clean as what you just described… Yes, I’ll trust you. Honestly speaking, what choice do I have other than trusting you, whom Carmen brought?”

I got his contact information and left the building. Instead of taking the elevator down, I followed the stairs up. The door to the roof wasn’t locked. I took out a cigarette and went onto the roof.

It wasn’t a particularly tall building. There were occasionally taller buildings around for surveying the area, but it wasn’t a bad place to look down at the streets. I scanned once, checking if pedestrians were really just pedestrians.

Gang members wouldn’t be that skilled. I swept the opposite building with binoculars, but all I saw was the repetition of ordinary darkness.

If they were still tailing at this hour, they’d be better off going to Blingkerton and begging for employment rather than being stuck in a gang. I stayed there all night. Carmen didn’t leave the building that day.

Morning came, and I waited until a reasonable lunch hour, but no one came to check this place. As she had said, it was a place bought by a rich man, not somewhere riffraff could easily poke their noses into.

Quitting time was 36 o’clock on Thursday. On my way home, I felt like I was being watched, but it wasn’t something I needed to worry about. I returned home and started going through my organized contacts.

I called the back-alley informant I had contacted when catching the detective who had escaped from the Hive Mind, which now used him as its most useful terminal.

The ringing continued. Eventually, it connected. Again, I heard a listless, sleepy voice. He sounded more tired than me, who hadn’t slept for a day and a half.

“Who… is it… Ugh, damn. I’m dying of sleepiness. Yes, yes. Who is this? Are you from Blingkerton?”

“The detective who worked with Blingkerton last time to catch the guy who ran away. Remember me?”

After making some groaning sounds as if trying to recall, the shabby-voiced man snickered.

“Ah, right. I remember. Considering how much we got from that, it would be stranger if I didn’t remember. I spent that money living like a king in Pandemonium for a day! Anyway, is this business again?”

“Didn’t you say you only work with Blingkerton?”

He laughed without trying to hold it back. No wonder Blingkerton had labeled them as untrustworthy and left them alone.

“When did I ever say that, boss? Huh? Even if I did, I probably said it because I was blocked from going to meet some women during the day~.”

“So you’ll do it if I pay you. A gang recently had a member dumped by a woman, sent some guys after her, and one didn’t come back. Need more details?”

There was a sound like pages turning, but he seemed to already know something about it.

“Ah, you’re talking about those guys who got burned by Carmen. Which gang were they from… Ah, right. Brooklyn guys. They probably work at the shipyard… lots of big guys there, so be careful. No, maybe I shouldn’t say that? You’re the one who threw a senior Blingkerton detective to the Idealists like a piece of meat. Right?”

“Do they have connections? I’d prefer if they weren’t linked to the Italian guys at least.”

“Not at all! They’re just former shipyard contractors who banded together, so they don’t have any backing. If they did, we couldn’t dig around so thoroughly. Ah, sigh. Our job is really tough, isn’t it?”

He must have at least one gang firmly in his grip to make a living, as the information came out immediately. Rather than just providing information, he even readily gave up the boss’s name, which confirmed they had no backing.

Additionally, his mocking tone suggested he wanted to discuss payment.

“So, how much should I pay for information on guys like that?”

He spoke as if he was about to wave his hands dismissively. His mouth corners were probably raised to his ears.

“In this equal country of ours, you’re treating us like we discriminate against people. Just pay us enough for one bullet to the stomach from digging around Brooklyn’s back alleys. You know our address, right?”

“Since you’ve been poking around dangerous places, I’ll send you $40 for two days’ work plus a $10 tip, making it $50. Does that sound good?”

When we met last time, he looked at least five or six years older than me, but this time he spoke respectfully. If you want to live a thin, long life, it’s better to adapt to everyone.

“Yes! Ah, with this much, I should call you boss. If you need anything else, just call me up. Oh, if those painter guys suddenly evaporate in a day or two, I might get suspicious. The cost to keep my mouth shut isn’t that expensive, but it’s enough to note in the account book. Well, that’s all.”

After spilling words as if they were too valuable to silence, he finally closed his mouth and instead of saying he would keep quiet, he asked for proper hush money. I mocked him back.

“Tell your employees to open the envelope I send if it’s not thin. Since it’s cleaner to handle informants too when doing clean work, I might send a grenade instead.”

He burst out laughing and said I should send a big bomb since he’d be expecting insurance money, then hung up. Time to get back to work.