The Blurred Truth

Floyd Bodie paced and looked out his office windows. Cold rain was washing the midnight city. Cars hurried by on the street below, tires hissing on wet pavement. A cop car appeared and he tensed ever so slightly, but it kept going. He relaxed and reorganized his thoughts. He had problems.

Problem number one was his latest client, Herman Kruger. He was dead. Earlier that evening, somebody had emptied a .38 revolver into Kruger's fat face after cramming a pillow over it. Problem number two was Lorraine Kruger, the kraut's trophy wife. Two days earlier, Kruger had hired Bodie to see if Lorraine was messing around. If the answer was yes, no two million dollar inheritance for Lorraine.

The cops found Bodie's own .38 at Kruger's penthouse; that was problem number three. Somebody had set Bodie up and his gut was telling him who did it. All the clues led to Lorraine. He found her driving to a swanky nightclub and a likely alibi. Bodie managed to run her off the road, hustle her into his car, and drive off before anybody saw a thing. She wasn't too broken up when she heard that her husband was kaput.

Bodie knew that his situation wasn't good. His client was dead, his gun was found at the scene, and he had just kidnapped a beautiful new widow. Yea, his lawyer might have a problem getting him out of this jam.

Lorraine was sitting bound and gagged in the middle of Bodie's office. She was wearing a silk dress with flora stockings and strappy high heels that showed off her pretty feet. Bodie had sat her down in a spare chair and tied her hands behind her back. He used her scarf to silence her busy mouth.

She pouted, apparently more annoyed than fretful. Bodie dug his lighter and cigarette case from his pockets and lit up. The lady grunted and eyed his smokes.

"You want one?" He asked half seriously.

"Mmmmp," Lorraine mewed.

"Okay, lady. But no screaming or any of that crap. Nobody's around here this time of night, so save your breath." He slipped the gag from her mouth.

Lorraine licked her lips and giggled. "I've never been kidnapped before. Or tied up," she said coyly. "Are you holding me for ransom?"

"That might be a problem, lady," Bodie retorted. "I don't think your husband's kids would pay up. I could feed you to the sharks for all they care. Hell, they'd pay me to do it."

"Probably would, the spoiled little bastards," Lorraine agreed. "You think I killed my husband, don't you?"

"Yep. You stole my spare piece last night when you tried to butter me up, wacked your hubby, and pinned it on me. Slick."

Lorraine sighed. "Floyd...I didn't have to kill Herman. He had a bad ticker; his doctor told me. His diet would have killed a goat. All I had to do was wait." The old chair creaked as she squirmed a bit and gave her soft hair a flip like she was getting more comfortable. Bodie guessed she was reminding him of her lush figure and what she had to offer, not that he needed reminding. "Somebody else killed him, Floyd. I'm betting on his ex-wife or one of his brats. They all hated him."

"Maybe," Bodie allowed. "Maybe..."

"I'm patient...when it comes to getting what I want."

"I'll bet you are, baby. I'll bet." Bodie got a cigarette out for her.

Lorraine batted her sparkling eyes, trying to look hurt. "You don't believe me, do you?"

"I never trust a dame. Don't matter if she's got nice legs."

Lorraine chuckled and crossed her lovely gams. "Oh, you think I have pretty legs? How sweet. Why did you grab me? Are you going to give me the third degree? Scare me? Rough me up? Make me confess? You know that's not going to work."

"I figured you might leave the country. I know about your lover boy and his plane; Mexico ain't that far away. You ain't going nowhere until I get the goods on you, baby."

Lorraine wriggled on her derriere. The chair creaked. "Now look, Bodie...you can't keep me tied up here forever. The police will find us. You know that. They'll rescue me, and I'll tell them all about how you kidnapped me and tied me up. And how you did, oh, awful, perverted things to me, you mean, mean man. You're not going to lay a hand on me. One bruise, that's it for you."

"You've got a point, lady. Any ideas? " He knelt down and offered her the cigarette, but she wasn't through with him.

"Let me go. I'll hide at my Aunt Martha's place. You find out who really killed Herman, and I'll pay you a lot. And I mean a lot." She leered at him. "I'll even throw in a bonus, my favorite private eye. Think about it."

Bodie took a long drag on his cigarette. "I'm thinking baby. I'm thinking."

Was the dame telling the truth or only a blurry version of it? Bodie knew he had to think fast. He put the cigarette between Lorraine's red lips and lit it up. She look a deep breath and savored it, blowing smoke his way.