The slight man gestured with one hand. “You seen me on the door when you went out right after we heard about Charley,” he said. “Wasn’t it all right for me to be on the door?”
“Sure.” Pedro was looking at Nick. “Sure — only I thought Nick was down in the basement or something — I didn’t know he’d gone out.”
The slight man shrugged and went out and closed the door.
Shane said evenly: “Nick had a hunch that Charley was going to Thelma’s. He didn’t follow Charley, but he jumped in a cab, probably, an went to her place. He didn’t find Charley — but he found Del Corey.”
Lorain Rigas put her hands down and looked up at Shane. Her face was drawn, white.
“That’s what Del went there for,” Shane went on — “expecting to find Charley. Del’s been making a big play for Thelma — an’ he knew about Charley and her — was cockeyed an’ burnt up an’ aimed to rub Charley.” Shane was watching Nick narrowly. “Thelma must’ve calmed Del down — Nick found them there...” Shane turned his eyes towards Lorain Rigas. “... And caved in Del’s head.”
Lorain Rigas stood up, screamed.
Pedro crossed to her swiftly, put one hand over her mouth, the other on her back, pushed her back down on the couch gently.
Shane said: “Then Nick beat the hell out of Thelma, made her admit that Charley had been in the woodpile, too, damn’ near killed her.”
He was looking at Nick again.