Chapter V
A FRAMED SUICIDE
THE smoke from a cigarette circled in the air above the head of a young woman. She chuckled to herself as she laid the newspaper on the table in front of her. The sunshine that filtered through the window highlighted the main story of the Bobrick murder.
She stood and straightened her silk bathrobe. She flicked the end of her cigarette before extinguishing it.
"Oh, Jessie, Jessie. How will you work your way out of this one?" She asked aloud to no one in particular. "You always were so easily manipulated." She smiled to herself.
A light knock at her door interrupted her silent victory. She strode across the floor and opened the door.
"Douglas." It was out of surprise.
"You're surprised to see me, Tracy?"
"This early in the morning?" She paused. "Yes."
"You see the papers?"
Tracy grabbed Doug by the collar and yanked him into her apartment. "You idiot!" She hissed. "You tryin' to get the dope spilled on me?!"
"N-n-no, ma'am." He stuttered.
She pushed him away. "Bulls crawl all over this place from time to time. I don't need them on my back."
Doug, still shaking from his encounter with Tracy's wrath, slowly straightened his shirt. "Yes, ma'am."
"You've kept to the plan, right?"
"Yeah, I have. Kill Bobrick, frame the girl. Keep quiet."
Tracy grinned and leaned suggestively into Doug's face. "Good." She straightened. "You're a good man. You've been a plus to the company."
"Th-thank you, ma'am." He smiled nervously.
"I may have misjudged you, Doug."
"Misjudge?" He started to get nervous.
"You wouldn't spill the dope. I was kinda worried you'd give me the slip."
"Oh, I wouldn't double-cross you, Tracy."
"Smart man. Smart man. But too smart."
"Huh?"
She pulled a pistol out of the front of her robe. "You're getting to wise for me, Doug."
"But - " His sentence was cut off when Tracy squeezed the trigger. She screamed as she placed the gun in his hand, making it look like he committed suicide.
In the few seconds that spanned between the gunshot and the first person to arrive at the scene, Tracy had managed to force herself into tears and a panic.
A neighbor took her aside, as to comfort her while another called the police.
TRACY was sipping a cup of coffee, her hands still shaking, when the police started to question her.
"Did you have any kind of relationship with the man, Miss?"
She nodded. "She was my fiancée."
"Did he give any reason for suicide?"
She shrugged. "He said something about his business going under."
"And then he shot himself."
She nodded.
"Looks like a suicide case, pure and simple, Malone."
The Inspector nodded. He looked over at Tracy who was staring over her cup in a dazed fashion. "Will you be alright, Miss?"
"Yes, Inspector. I was planning on putting it off. He cared more about that confounded business than me anyway."
Malone and Cardona nodded in understanding.
Doug's body was removed and the neighbors slowly left. Tracy grinned evilly when she shut the door after the last person left. She had successfully completed the major part of her plan. She was well on her way to success.
A FRAMED SUICIDE
THE smoke from a cigarette circled in the air above the head of a young woman. She chuckled to herself as she laid the newspaper on the table in front of her. The sunshine that filtered through the window highlighted the main story of the Bobrick murder.
She stood and straightened her silk bathrobe. She flicked the end of her cigarette before extinguishing it.
"Oh, Jessie, Jessie. How will you work your way out of this one?" She asked aloud to no one in particular. "You always were so easily manipulated." She smiled to herself.
A light knock at her door interrupted her silent victory. She strode across the floor and opened the door.
"Douglas." It was out of surprise.
"You're surprised to see me, Tracy?"
"This early in the morning?" She paused. "Yes."
"You see the papers?"
Tracy grabbed Doug by the collar and yanked him into her apartment. "You idiot!" She hissed. "You tryin' to get the dope spilled on me?!"
"N-n-no, ma'am." He stuttered.
She pushed him away. "Bulls crawl all over this place from time to time. I don't need them on my back."
Doug, still shaking from his encounter with Tracy's wrath, slowly straightened his shirt. "Yes, ma'am."
"You've kept to the plan, right?"
"Yeah, I have. Kill Bobrick, frame the girl. Keep quiet."
Tracy grinned and leaned suggestively into Doug's face. "Good." She straightened. "You're a good man. You've been a plus to the company."
"Th-thank you, ma'am." He smiled nervously.
"I may have misjudged you, Doug."
"Misjudge?" He started to get nervous.
"You wouldn't spill the dope. I was kinda worried you'd give me the slip."
"Oh, I wouldn't double-cross you, Tracy."
"Smart man. Smart man. But too smart."
"Huh?"
She pulled a pistol out of the front of her robe. "You're getting to wise for me, Doug."
"But - " His sentence was cut off when Tracy squeezed the trigger. She screamed as she placed the gun in his hand, making it look like he committed suicide.
In the few seconds that spanned between the gunshot and the first person to arrive at the scene, Tracy had managed to force herself into tears and a panic.
A neighbor took her aside, as to comfort her while another called the police.
TRACY was sipping a cup of coffee, her hands still shaking, when the police started to question her.
"Did you have any kind of relationship with the man, Miss?"
She nodded. "She was my fiancée."
"Did he give any reason for suicide?"
She shrugged. "He said something about his business going under."
"And then he shot himself."
She nodded.
"Looks like a suicide case, pure and simple, Malone."
The Inspector nodded. He looked over at Tracy who was staring over her cup in a dazed fashion. "Will you be alright, Miss?"
"Yes, Inspector. I was planning on putting it off. He cared more about that confounded business than me anyway."
Malone and Cardona nodded in understanding.
Doug's body was removed and the neighbors slowly left. Tracy grinned evilly when she shut the door after the last person left. She had successfully completed the major part of her plan. She was well on her way to success.