For a minute or so, I stayed where I was, under Dov’s body, trying to catch my breath and get my heart to slow down. Then I let go of the revolver, rolled Dov off me, and stood up shakily. My shoulder hurt, but I found that I could move my arm freely. Wincing, I shucked off my coat and peered at the wound. The bullet had grazed the skin, leaving a red furrow of blood. It would hurt for a while, but it would heal.
Blood, mine and Dov’s, soaked my shirt. My pants and shoes were gray with dust. My legs felt weak, rubbery. Leaning with one hand on the printing press, I minced over to where Gregor lay.
A large hole gaped in his chest. His head was a disfigured mess of blood and torn tissue, the bullet having entered his mouth at an upward angle, gone through his brain, and punched its way out of the top of his skull. You could still recognize him, though. Both of his eyes were intact.
I lowered my chin to my chest, eyes shut, breathing slowly. It was over. I had avenged Nathan’s death. I had repaid my debt. And survived.
Then came the voice.
“Hold it right there. Don’t move.”
I lifted my head and opened my eyes. For the third time that day, I had a gun aimed at me.
34
Two guns, actually. One held by Officer Elkin, the other by Inspector Leibowitz.
I raised my hands quickly, splaying my fingers to show I was unarmed. I didn’t want to give them—Leibowitz in particular—any excuse to shoot me.
Leibowitz’s bulging eyes went to each of the three bodies in turn. He shook his head gravely.
“Mr. Lapid, you’re in even bigger trouble than I thought. What the hell happened here?”
You know it all, you dirty bastard. But I told it as if he didn’t. Maybe if I played it as if I were ignorant of his corruption, I might make it out of there alive. I’d settle with him later.
I explained the partnership between Gregor, Dov, Nathan, and Tadeusz; the scheme with the horse meat; the way Nathan went behind Gregor’s and Dov’s backs with the fake dollars Tadeusz had made for him and how that gave Gregor and Dov the motive to kill him. I described the gunfight that had taken place in the workshop and showed Leibowitz and Elkin the half-finished food labels on Tadeusz’s desk.
“If you look around enough, you’ll find some evidence of the currency forgery.”
“How did you learn about it?”
“I’m a detective, remember?”
Leibowitz gave a thin smile. “A little more detail if that’s not too much trouble.”
I told them about being hired by Mrs. Wasserman to get her money back, about finding Nathan in the company of Gregor and Dov, and how I’d concluded that they were the ones behind his murder. I did not tell them about Tamara Granot, Zalman Alphon, Iris Rosenfeld, or the two men Tova Wasserman had sent to kill me.
“Tova Wasserman is dead,” Leibowitz said.
I nodded. “Gregor and Dov killed her. They wanted no one left alive who knew about the forged dollars. That’s also why they ransacked my apartment.”
“Why didn’t you tell us all you knew the night of the murder?”
“Nathan Frankel saved my life once, during the war in Europe. I owed him a debt. And I didn’t think I could trust you guys to exert yourselves once you learned that he was a criminal. Also, I didn’t want to get Mrs. Wasserman in trouble with the law.”
“I’m sure she thanks you for that,” Leibowitz remarked, with enough acid in his voice to burn a hole through steel. With his free hand, he rifled through Tadeusz’s papers. The other hand still clutched the gun. It was no longer aimed at me but at the floor. Elkin, however, had his trained on my chest.
“A talented guy,” Leibowitz said, holding up one of Tadeusz’s drawings. “A great painter. These would have fooled me.” He turned to Elkin. “A good plan, wouldn’t you say?”
Elkin looked nervous. Beads of sweat dotted his brow. He didn’t appear comfortable with the gun. He kept his eyes on me as he nodded.
Leibowitz looked again at the papers. “Yes. A good plan. It would have worked, too. They would have made a bundle. And if Frankel hadn’t gotten greedy, they’d have gotten away with it without anyone knowing.” There was a note of admiration in his voice. I wanted to clobber him.
Instead, I asked, “You didn’t know they were in business together?”
Leibowitz gestured at Dov and Gregor. “We knew about these two. We’ve been looking for them, raided their apartments yesterday. They weren’t there. We couldn’t find them.”
They probably got early warning from you, I thought.
Leibowitz pointed at Tadeusz. “We didn’t know about him. I bet he didn’t even have a record.” He gave me an inscrutable look. “Lucky for you he stepped in when he did.”
I felt a stab of guilt and did my best not to show it. My veins throbbed with unadulterated hatred toward Leibowitz. I kept that hidden as well. I said, “I don’t think Gregor was aware of how close Tadeusz felt toward Nathan. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have talked so freely in front of him. If you didn’t know about Tadeusz, what made you come here?”
“An anonymous tip,” Leibowitz said. “Some guy called and said we’d find Gregor and Dov here. He didn’t mention you.”
He doesn’t exist, I thought. Never has. You invented him.
“You came alone? Just the two of you?”
“Don’t worry. Backup should be here any minute.” His sloping forehead creased in a frown. To Elkin he said, “Go radio in, see what’s keeping them.”
Elkin blinked in surprise. He motioned at me with his gun. “What about him?”
“It’s okay. He won’t try anything. Not while I have a gun and he doesn’t.”
Still Elkin hesitated, but when Leibowitz repeated his order, he reluctantly lowered his gun, turned, and walked off toward the door.
Leibowitz had his pistol up, a sleek model, a .38 caliber. He’s going to shoot me the instant the door closes after Elkin, I thought. He’ll say he didn’t have a choice, I rushed him, tried to grab his gun. I have to make a move. But he wasn’t looking at me. He was staring at the bodies. The door of the workshop opened and banged shut. Leibowitz gave a small shake of his head.
“I should never have let you out of that cell,” he said. “You’ve certainly made a mess of things. I’m surprised Elkin didn’t throw up or faint. These poor bastards look much worse than Frankel did.”
He was right. They did. Dov with his ruined eye and Gregor with his blown-up head. There was brain matter on the floor beside Gregor’s body. Not the sort of sight a man with a weak stomach could withstand.
Something stirred in my mind. A hazy suspicion. Then it solidified to a perfect, mind-boggling clarity.
“It’s Elkin,” I muttered.
“How’s that?”
“Elkin’s dirty. He’s their partner.”
Leibowitz smirked. “Nice try.”
“No, listen,” I said, urgency tightening my voice. “Listen. Gregor told me they had a police contact, someone who was on their payroll. When I said it was you, he and Dov both laughed.”
“Me? I—”
“You were the obvious choice. Why would you let me go otherwise? But it’s not you. It’s Elkin.”
“Quit your nonsense. Whatever you’re trying to pull, it won’t work.”
“They knew I wouldn’t be in the apartment. That’s why they searched it when they did. Someone told them I was in police custody. It was either you or Elkin. And remember how he reacted when he saw Nathan’s body? Like he was going to throw up. But he sees these three and no reaction whatsoever. He wasn’t sick, but surprised. He had been searching for Nathan, too, but Gregor and Dov hadn’t gotten word to him that they’d already found him.”