The tension that had been building between them seemed to have been dispersed like air from a punctured balloon. He relaxed his constricted muscles feeling that, regardless of whatever else Jim had done, he had nothing to fear from him-not now.
“I’d be interested in knowing how you got mixed up in such a business, if you want to talk about it,” he told him.
Jim smiled grimly. “It’s a long and quite unremarkable story.”
“I’ve got time. And besides, I think I’m entitled to an explanation.”
“Because of Marie, you mean?” A look of infinite sadness lengthened the shadows of his face. “You may not believe this, but.her death is the only thing I feel sorry for in the whole, ugly mess. Bentley, Stanhope and the rest of them-even Claude-only got what they deserved. Marie.deserved better. I wish she had lived so I could have given it to her.”
“Are you saying you were really in love with her?”
“Yes, Does that surprise you?”
It did. Even knowing what he did, it still seemed incongruous that the cultured, art-loving, gourmet restaurateur would have fallen genuinely in love with the Marie he remembered.
“I wouldn’t have thought she was your type,” he replied.
“Type has nothing to do with it. Before you met, if you and Elise had been asked to describe the type of person you could fall in love with, I doubt that either of you would have described anyone remotely resembling one another.”
“You may be right, but let’s leave Elise out of this.”
He shrugged. “As you wish. I merely wanted to point out that the two of you are not as unique as you might imagine. People fall in love for a variety of reasons, most of which have nothing to do with their suitability for one another.”
It was the kind of clever, amusing generalization that the cynics of the world found so acceptable and repeatable, and caused him to doubt Jim’s sincerity.
“Was she in love with you?”
He took a moment to think about it. “I believe she was, although she fought like hell against it. She had a strong sense of duty and loyalty to you and Cassandra, despite also feeling that she had been betrayed by both of you. I suppose it was the same sort of loyalty that impelled Sally to warn her about Bentley’s threat to you. It must run in the family.”
So he did know Sally-or at least, who she was.
“How did it start?”
Jim extinguished his cigarette. “The same way-and for the same reasons-that most such things start. Two lonely people finding someone to communicate with, and confide in.”
“You must have met a lot of lonely women in your business. What was so special about Marie?”
“That’s true. Lonely women-disappointed women-frustrated women-women who drink too much and talk too much, and hope for a sympathetic shoulder to cry on-or a comforting bed to crawl in to-are almost a plague to a restaurant owner. They come in and sit at the bar, hoping to meet a man, and become bitterly resentful at the slightest hint that anybody has recognized their true purpose-and highly indignant if they’re approached with anything less than the greatest courtesy and deference-or by the wrong man. Or, even worse, if they’re not approached at all, and the hours drag by, and they’re faced with the prospect that nothing is going to happen to change their lonely, disappointed, frustrated lives. Then, invariably, they either become drunkenly lachrymose, or slovenly desperate, or both.”
It was difficult to reconcile the compassion in his voice with the bitterness of his words. “Inevitably, there had been occasions when I let my sympathies out-weigh my better judgment, and became involved with one of them. But, for the most part, they were only brief, meaningless escapades. Marie was different. There was a quality of.innocence about her that appealed to me. Oh, I could see that she drank too much and that her disillusionment had made her.. .bitter.. .and morose-but she was not like the others. On the rare occasions that she came into ‘The Sanctuary’ alone, it was apparent that she was not looking for anything other than the solace of a few drinks and her own thoughts. Naturally, we talked, but it never amounted to more than an exchange of the usual pleasantries. I felt sorry for her, but that was all I felt, for a long time. Then, I gradually began to recognize that there were other qualities that I had been overlooking. She was shy, but not afraid-reserved, but not uninterested-reticent, but not unintelligent.”
It was a shock to realize that Jim had been fooled in the same way, and by the same traits of character that had led him to marry her. Or, had they both only seen what they wanted to see-a compliant, unassuming, undemanding woman who could be easily dominated-and deceived? He had not set out to deceive her, but obviously had, in her mind. Jim, on the other hand, deceived her from the moment he met her, and would have had to keep on doing so indefinitely. He wondered how long it would have taken her to become aware of his deception-or for Jim to realize how mistaken he was about the qualities in her he professed to admire.
“Still, I was reluctant to make the first move,” Jim continued. “Initially, because she did not appear receptive; and then, when I began to think she might be, I didn’t know how she’d react if she knew what I was involved in.”
“Did you ever tell her?”
He looked shocked. “Of course not! Do you take me for a fool? She never knew anything about it.. .until the end, that is.”
“I’d rather start at the beginning, if it’s all the same to you.”
“The beginning.” He looked oddly wistful. “How.where.when does anything begin? In my parents’ bed, just as it did in yours-although I’m not going to insult your intelligence with any of the usual, social-conscience excuses of a broken home, or a ghetto environment, or lack of educational opportunities. On the contrary, I was the only child of very compatible and well-adjusted parents. Even during the worst years of the depression, my father’s income was sufficient to provide the necessities, and even a few of the luxuries. We had a comfortable home, in a quiet, stable neighborhood, in a pleasant town containing good schools and excellent recreational facilities. I cannot recall ever-feeling deprived, or doted upon, for that matter. I was adequately loved when I was good, and properly chastised when I was not. But, as I matured, I gradually became aware that there were two basic ways to achieve one’s goals in life. The first-and the one that had been chosen by my father in attaining, and maintaining, his own middle-class niche-was through diligence, perseverance and honesty. The other-and, obviously, the easiest and most successful-was by deceit, hypocrisy and guile.” His tone did not indicate that he recognized any distinction between the merits of the two methods. “I chose the second and, until now, have never had cause to regret it.”
It was a smugly arrogant comment that cried out for an indignant response. But he managed to smother the urge to make one and prompted him to continue.
“How did you actually get started in the drug smuggling trade?” he asked.
“I had managed to establish a few err.worthwhile contacts through the black market operation while I was still in service,” he resumed without hesitation. He seemed completely relaxed now. Not as if he were making a confession, but was simply taking advantage of a long-awaited opportunity to tell someone how he had achieved his ambition. “Poor Claude. I really felt sorry for him, but he was such a willing scapegoat that it would have been a shame to let his sacrifice be in vain. As things turned out though, it was the most sensible thing he could have done. It left me free to testify in his behalf and; as a result, he received the minimum sentence. When he was sent back to the States, I really thought I had seen the last of him and no one was more surprised when he walked into ‘The Sanctuary’ six years ago. But, I’m getting ahead of myself.”
He paused to light another cigarette, and then continued talking easily and lucidly, emphasizing his words with small, graceful gestures of his large, carefully manicured hands. “As I’ve told you previously, after I resigned my commission, I stayed in Europe. What I didn’t tell you was that, in addition to actively pursuing my first love, cookery, I was also serving an apprenticeship and establishing my credentials among the err.less savory elements of society. The two are quite complimentary, you know. The restaurant business has always provided a perfect cover for the most illicit enterprises. Even today, you’d be amazed if you knew how many of the world’s finest restaurants are under the direct control of the criminal element of the country in which they’re located. But, that’s another subject entirely. Suffice to say that my desire to found and operate a restaurant of quality and distinction also provided a direct channel to the people I needed to further my other ambitions.”
“Everything I told you about those years-the traveling-the various cities and places that I worked in-was essentially true. The drug trade is one of the most highly organized and strictly controlled cartels in the world. I had no intention of being relegated to the position of a penny-ante pusher, and it took years of careful preparation and cultivation-and, of proving myself in ways that.would be best left unsaid-before I was accepted among the top echelons of the organized crime families.” It was as if he were describing a call to the priesthood. He remembered telling Elise how he had admired Jim’s dedication for knowing what he wanted, and going after it-and felt slightly nauseous. “Even then, after I returned to the States,” he continued, “I still encountered organizational and territorial problems-first in
New York, and then in San Francisco. My attempts to establish myself in those cities were, err.. .discouraged-although I was given an opportunity to demonstrate the feasibility of my plan of operation in San Francisco. But, like New York, the territory was already adequately covered and I was.. .err.. .advised to look elsewhere for a suitable base of operations. After a thorough investigation, I determined that this area-Glen Park and it environs-offered the greatest potential and; since it was also considered an open territory; I sold the place in San Francisco and made plans for ‘The Sanctuary’.”
Except for a hint of cynicism when he explained the problems he had encountered in New York and San Francisco, his voice and manner still did not contain any awareness or concern for the illegality of his ambitions, or for the effect they had finally had on the lives of any of his cohorts-or even, Marie. It was apparent that he was completely amoral on the subject.
“It didn’t take long to recruit the organization needed to put my plan in operation. Bentley was first, revealing his greed and venality when he tried to hold me up on my licenses. It was a simple matter to persuade him to join in the, err.more lucrative importing business instead. The two deputies were already engaged with him in various money-grubbing schemes and his knowledge of Stanhope’s and Grossman’s affairs proved exceptionally helpful. But, despite a few preliminary contacts with people who were in a position to provide the necessary cooperation; I was having difficulty in finding someone who could control the distribution of the drugs once they were brought into the country. I must say, that Claude’s appearance on the scene at that precise moment seemed a particularly fortuitous coincidence-especially when I learned that he was in such an excellent position to lend his assistance.”
“And, with his past record, could be so easily coerced into joining you,” he interrupted to remark.
Jim grimaced ruefully. “Yes. I must admit he was rather reluctant. Apparently, he had been a ‘good and faithful’ servant to his employer. But, of course, they had no knowledge of his previous difficulties and-as I pointed out to Claude-would undoubtedly have proved very intolerant if they had found out about them.”
He was losing patience and becoming sickened by the soft, unemotional, unfeeling tones with which Jim recounted his heinous machinations and the cold-blooded methods he had employed to carry them out. Besides, he was more interested in other aspects of his behavior.
“All right, Jim. There’s no need for you to give me chapter and verse for what happened after that. You may be surprised to know that the FBI has accumulated a complete record of all the shipments and had Closter and the truckstops under surveillance. It was only a matter of time before they uncovered the whole operation and everyone connected with it.”
Jim made a negligent motion with the hand holding the cigarette. “I suppose it was inevitable. Even the FBI can’t be fooled forever. But it may surprise you to learn that I was planning to retire soon anyhow. There are rivalries and jealousies that develop from time to time, that have a tendency to make life.difficult-even dangerous-in such a business. I had begun to recognize the signs among certain of my err.contemporaries. It was also evident that the increasing demand for the drugs was putting a strain on the organization. Claude was becoming increasingly nervous-Bentley was getting greedier and harder to control-and the two deputies were getting more careless and daring in their handling of the hijackings. I had already sent enough money out of the country to live comfortably for a very long time-and I already had taken steps to establish a new identity, if necessary. I was really only waiting for Marie to make up her mind to come with me.”
“How long had you been waiting?”
Jim’s grin was sardonically twisted. “That is what you’re really interested in, isn’t it? You really don’t give a damn about the rest of it. The smuggling, hijacking, murder, prostitution and the other things might arouse your moral indignation, but it’s Marie’s.infidelity that is the gut issue that brought you here tonight.”
It was not true, as he had proved; even at the risk of his life; before he even knew for sure or with whom-she had been unfaithful. But, it would be pointless to try to refute his contention-and, anyway, perhaps Jim was closer to the truth than he cared to admit even to himself.
“All right. I’ll concede that,” he told him. “How long had it been going on?”
Jim regarded him speculatively for a moment. “All this talking is making me thirsty,” he said. “I think I’ll make myself a drink. Care to join me?”
It was apparent that Jim was testing him-to see if; despite the suppressed but undeniable antagonism that simmered beneath the surface of their conversation; he could continue to maintain his composure while being told of his late wife’s adulterous conduct. He was not sure whether he could or not, but he did not want to upset the strangely relaxed and conciliatory atmosphere that had seemingly inspired Jim’s garrulousness.
“I don’t mind if I do,” he replied. “I’ll have the usual.”
Jim nodded and, rising from his chair, crossed the room to where a highly polished, Orientally-decorated liquor cabinet stood against the wall. He kept his eyes fixed on the massive back and shoulders, and heard the clink of the ice in the glasses and the faint gurgling of the liquor being poured on top. It seemed unlikely-having told him as much as he had and with no appearance of being anxious to terminate the interview-that Jim would now choose this moment to put something in his drink, fatal or otherwise. Still, he carefully watched the motions of his hands and arms and felt satisfied-and relieved-when he did not observe any unusual movement.
After replacing the bottles and reclosing the cabinet, Jim retraced his steps and handed him his drink before resuming his place in the chair. Any remaining suspicion that Jim might have put something in his drink disappeared as he briefly swished the warm, pungent liquor around in his mouth before swallowing. Jim looked down into his glass, pensively swirling the contents, before raising it to his lips and drinking all of it in one gulp. There was a finality-an irrevocability-about it that was immediately apparent. Jim had not drugged his drink-he had drugged his own!
“Jim! For God’s sake! What have you done?”
He started to get up but Jim reached in the left-hand pocket of his robe and brought out a small, flat, nickel-plated automatic. It looked like a toy in his huge hand, but the hole in the muzzle was darkly ominous and pointed straight at him.
“It’s all right, Mark. Sit down,” Jim ordered. “It acts slowly, but painlessly. There should be enough time for me to tell you what you want to know.”
“But.why? Why do it? You don’t even know what Closter’s confession contains. Besides.. .no matter what you’ve done-there’s no death penalty any more.. .not in this state. You might get no worse than a few years in jail.”
“That would be worse than a death penalty for a man like me,” he responded. “I did.. .what I did, so I could afford to surround myself with as much beauty as possible. A jail cell would be anathema to me and I’d only wind up doing the same thing sooner or later. But.if I’m going to die.. .I’d rather it was here, among friends..” He made a sweeping gesture with his right arm to indicate the contents of the room. It was also an explanation for the inhuman cold-bloodedness of the manner and means that he had used to acquire his possessions. The inanimate objects that lined the walls and shelves-the unseeing eyes that stared out from the pictures and statuary-provided him more comfort and pleasure than he had ever found in the people he had come in contact with in the real world. And-despite his protestations of love for her-Marie probably would have suffered the same or a worse fate than all the others he had used in his relentless drive to get what he wanted. And-for the first time he thought that maybe, just maybe, she was better off dead, after all.
“All right, Jim. If that’s the way you want it, I won’t try to stop you-not with that thing pointed at me, at least.”
“That’s very sensible, Mark,” he replied. “Now, relax and enjoy your drink. I assure you there’s nothing in it but the good whiskey you always prefer.”
He realized he still held the glass in his hand and, automatically, brought it to his mouth and took a large swallow.
“How much time have you got?” he asked him.
Jim glanced at his watch. “Oh.. .maybe half an hour or so. It should be enough, if we don’t waste any more of it. Don’t let this bother you”-he made a slight motion with the hand holding the gun-”I have no intention of using it unless you try to prevent me from completing the final chapter of my life.”
“It’s your life. If this is the way you want to end it, go ahead. But, I wish you would reconsider before it’s too late.”
“It’s already too late. It was too late as soon as I knew Marie was dead. That’s why I didn’t bother to try to carry out the plans I had made with her, and why I’m not trying to escape now. There’s no point to it. I couldn’t live the way I would want to-free to enjoy the beauty of life, and to share it with her.” The words were spoken with tender sincerity, but lacked conviction-like someone trying to recall a half-forgotten dream.
“You haven’t answered my question. How long had it been going on?”
“Only a few months. It really began when we ran into each other-quite by accident-in the Plainville shopping center, and discovered a mutual attraction neither of us realized existed before then.”
“Why did she decide to stay with you after receiving the warning about me from Sally?”
Jim grinned. “Ahh.so that’s what’s really troubling you. Well, quite frankly, she stayed because I told her the truth-that you were with another woman.”
“How could you have known that?” he demanded.
“George-the waiter who had served you and Elise the night before-overheard you arranging to meet her the next day. He’s been with me a long time, and has proved very useful in picking up little tidbits of information that prove to be helpful from time to time. I’ll admit it was rather.deceitful, shall we say.for me to let Marie believe that there was more between you and Elise than was true-at the time. However, I really didn’t have to embellish the truth. She was already jealous of Elise; even though she had never met her; because of Cassandra. The thought that you were with her at a time when she was so concerned for your safety, was more than enough to convince her to come with me.”
It seemed too pat-too simple an answer. A few innocent words, overheard, distorted and misinterpreted? Surely there must have been some other more meaningful, more compelling, explanation for her decision, and her death. And yet, how innocent had he been? He had wanted-longed-to see Elise again, regardless of whether she could tell him more about the accident, or not. If; without realizing it; he had betrayed the desire and attraction he had felt for her, he could hardly blame George, or Jim, and, least of all, Marie, for recognizing it, and using it to justify their own actions.
He took another swallow of his drink extinguishing his anger with the chilled liquor. “Why didn’t you leave right away, then,” he asked.
Jim seemed puzzled, and somewhat disappointed, by his lack of reaction. “Marie wanted to, but it wasn’t that easy. She needed a passport, for one thing. I had err.access to channels that could procure one for her without the usual red tape, but it would still take a couple of days. Besides, I didn’t want to make the kind of.precipitate departure that might have aroused the suspicions of certain of my, err.associates. Even though you were making something of a nuisance of yourself-as you had two years earlier-the situation still seemed.controllable. I hoped to keep the organization intact and turn it-and ‘The Sanctuary’ over to.someone who had already indicated a desire to take over both. However, I failed to anticipate Claude’s foolhardiness in following the truck and taking pictures of Flynn and Bucheck in the act of hijacking it-and then trying to use them to-sever our association.”
“You killed him, didn’t you?”
Jim’s penetrating gaze seemed to flicker, briefly, like a candle in a draft from an opened door-then steadied and burned brightly once again.
“I suppose this is rather in the nature of a death-bed confession, isn’t it?” he said with a bemused look of regret and sadness. “Yes, I killed him. He left me no choice.”
“What did he want?”
“A full confession from me and exoneration for himself in the death of the truck driver-plus a release from any further involvement in the operation. It was, of course, an impossible demand-even though he claimed he would only use the confession as a last resort. Aside from the fact that it would not have provided him with the immunity he seemed to think it would, his possession of it would have given him effective control over my life-and a virtual veto over the plans I was making at the time. It was an utterly unrealistic and unacceptable ultimatum. I tried to reason with him, but he remained adamant.” He paused, and his thoughts seemed to turn inward. The outer edges of his lids drooped over the corners of his eyes deepening the shadows under his thick brows. “I was sorry to have to do it. I reallyliked Claude, and I was grateful for what he had done. But.. “
“Where was Marie while you were-with Closter?”
Whatever he had taken was beginning to have its effect. He had trouble focusing and his speech-always so polished and distinct-was slightly slurred. But the hand holding the gun was steady and unwavering.
“Here.asleep. After she calmed down-naturally, she was pretty.. .perturbed ‘bout you and Elise-we hadda few drinks. Then, well.we.” Jim shrugged, looking mildly chagrin.
“Don’t let it bother you,” he told him. “It’s much too late for me to play the part of the outraged husband.”—but, incongruously, he suddenly recalled; the last time he had been here several months previously, following a game of golf; Jim showing him a ‘tanning spa’ he had just had installed in his basement-and he knew where Marie had gotten her sunburn.
Jim nodded, as if in agreement. “Well.afterwards, we had something to eat and I put a couple of sleeping pills in her coffee. Claude had called me before she got here, so I knew I was gonna’ have to leave her for awhile, and I wanted to be sure she’d still be here when I got back. She never even knew I went out.”
“What about the next day? Were you together all the time?”
“Yes. She didn’t want me to leave her, so I called George and told him I wouldn’t be in. She was more insistent than ever on leaving right away, so I made reservations on a flight to Mexico City for that night. I figured I could handle things from there, through George, almost as well as I could by being here. Besides, with Claude’s death complicating matters, it wouldn’t have been possible to.int’rest anyone else in taking over the operation for awhile. I thought that Marie could get her passport, and her divorce, while we were in Mexico and; after a couple of months; I’d be able to find a buyer and then we’d be free to do whatever we wanted.”
“What about her clothes and luggage? She never went back to the house for either.”
“I know. She said she didn’t want anything you had ever given her. She had a few things here that I had bought her and that was all she wanted to take.”
“You apparently did a good job of convincing her that I was cheating on her.”
He looked aggrieved. “I didn’t have to. She was convinced of it even before you met Elise. Elise only served to give reality to the figments of her imagination. She just couldn’t believe you were still.. .faithful to her.”
“And I had trouble believing just the opposite about her,” he told him.
Jim nodded. It was difficult to tell now if it was in agreement or because he was getting drowsier. His forehead was wet and wrinkled with the effort of holding his eyes open and he had slumped deeper in his chair. He seemed to be physically shrinking, but his grip on the gun had not slackened.
“I can unnerstan’ why,” Jim replied, his diction coarsening. “From the first time I saw you together, I knew your marriage was a failure. But, I could never figure out why, until I found out about her aversion to sex. No.that’s not accurate. I should say her aversion to pregnancy. She really wasn’t averse to sex at all. In fact, after she became convinced of your.infidel’ty she turned quite aggressive and err.. .adventurous.”
He thought he probably should feel some sense of outrage.indignation.anger.humiliation.or some other appropriate emotional response to Jim’s provocative references to Marie’s belatedly discovered sexuality. But, instead, he felt only a profound sorrow for the both of them.for the waste they had made of their lives and the certain knowledge of the futility of their plans if she had lived to help him carry them out.’
“Wasn’t she afraid that you would make her pregnant?” he asked.
Jim smiled. “I couldn’t. I hadda vasectomy twenny years ago after damn near being forced to marry a little fraulein who let herself get pregnant. Fortunately, she made it unnecessary by killing herself. But, I didn’t want to take a chance of it happening again. Marie didn’t believe it at first, but I showed her the doctor’s bill, which I had kept for just that reason.”
His sorrow turned to pity. For her, because it was now obvious that she had been even more grossly deceived by Jim than she ever had been in their marriage-and for him, because he had deceived himself into believing that together they could have achieved some measure of that grand, illusive, eternal and universal dream called happiness. For-in the final analysis-it had not been jealousy or a sense of betrayal or a desire for revenge or, least of all, love that had driven her into Jim’s arms-but the simple, almost inane, knowledge that he could not make her pregnant. And realizing that this was one of the answers that he had been willing to jeopardize his future with Elise to discover, he felt cheated and disgusted-and wished that Jim would finish his death scene, so he could get up and leave and go back to her. But, there was at least one other answer he still needed to complete the puzzle of Marie’s life.
“Why didn’t you leave for Mexico as you planned to?”
For a moment, Jim seemed to be having trouble remembering. He frowned in concentration and, for the first time, the gun wavered and almost slipped from his grasp. But, with an effort, he pulled himself erect and back from the edge of the abyss.
“The flight was canceled.because of the weather. I rebooked us for the morning flight.but we never made it.as you know.”
“Why not?”
“Bentley called.to tell me about your run-in with Flynn.at the lodge.and Stanhope’s suicide.” His breathing was becoming labored and a filmy glaze covered his eyes. “Marie.was getting dressed.and I had just stepped out of the shower. I picked up the.ex-tension.in the bath. I.didn’t know it.but she had already picked up the one.in the bedroom. She must have thought I didn’t hear the phone ring. Bentley blurted out.what had happened.before I could shut him up. He said you were.on your way home.and that he.and Bucheck.were going over there.to take care of you.once and for all.” He paused, his face twisted with a mixture of regret and frustration at the memory of Bentley’s intemperate and ill-advised phone call. “That’s when I realized that.Marie was on the line. She made a sound.like a smothered scream.and hung up. Bentley didn’t seem to hear her. He was still raving.about what he was.going to do to you.when I hung up on him. But.it was already too late. Marie was gone. I heard her.running down the stairs and out the door. I couldn’t go after her.right away.because I was still naked. By the time.I got some clothes on.she had gotten her car.out of the garage.and was on her way home. I followed.as soon as I could.hoping we’d both get there before you. But.when I turned into your street.. .I saw Bentley and Bucheck.run out of the house.. .and drive away. Then I saw your neighbor.Adamson.come out and start to run.across the street. I.didn’t know what had happened.. .but I knew it was too late.. .for explanations. I turned around and came back here.” Jim’s head drooped forward, his facial muscles slack, lips quivering. The hand holding the gun went limp and it slipped from his fingers, falling with a dull thud to the thickly carpeted floor. He let it lay, straining to hear the now barely audible words of the dying man. “I.started to pack. I.didn’t know whether.to leave or not. I thought.if Marie.. .that she.. .maybe she would.. .understand.. .and still come with me. Then.. .I turned on.. .the radio.. .and heard the news.” He managed to lift his head. “There.. .didn’t seem to be.. .any reason.. .to leave.. .after that.”
The sudden, but softly melodious chiming of the doorbell was like a fire alarm in the ensuing silence. It startled both of them and brought Jim back, once more, to a semblance of his normal, urbane self. He grinned sardonically.
“I presume that the finger pressing my bell at this ungodly hour.. .could only be attached.. .to the long arm of the law. Would you mind.. .letting them in? I seem to be.. .rather tired.. .at the moment.”
As he stood up to go answer the insistent chiming of the bell, Jim’s head again dropped forward onto his chest, and the huge frame seemed suddenly deflated. He was not dead-not yet. But, it was evident he soon would be, and there was nothing anyone could do now to prevent it. He had lived-and would die-the way he wanted-and his retribution would be beyond the reach of the world that he had both defied and defiled. But, perhaps it was just as well, since his world no longer countenanced the kind of cruel and unusual punishment that he, in his self-execution, had inflicted on himself. It was even conceivable; in the protect-the-guilty atmosphere of the current judicial process; that Closter’s confession would have been ruled inadmissible and, with the circumstantial nature of the other evidence, he might have evaded any penalty for his sins and transgressions. It was a prospect too frightening to contemplate, and he felt suddenly grateful to him for administering his own justice-and for leaving him alive to appreciate it.