I got to my feet and began to wander around the room. “I’d like you to expand on that,” I said.
“She was very fond of Vessi,” Mardi told me. “Really fond of him. Sarah is the type who likes them rough, and Vessi meant a lot to her. When he was executed she nearly went out of her mind. I had to work for two days right in the house, so I should know. She drove us all haywire. You have no idea. I think she hates Lu.”
I sat on the bed. “You’ve opened the door,” I said. “As you say, it fits. She wants to get Lu on trial. That evens things up with Vessi and it gets rid of him. She couldn’t come out in the open and accuse Lu of knocking Richmond off. The Vessi angle would come out in court and it wouldn’t be nice for her. So she hides behind a telephone, and makes me the goat.”
Mardi nodded. “Yes,” she said, “I think that’s what it all means.”
I thought some more. “It would have been easy for her to know what was going on,” I said. “All the things she knew to tell me over the ’phone came from keeping her ears open and listening in to Lu’s talk with his boys. I dare say she had ample opportunity of doing that. Then again she’s rich, I take it, and ten grand would have been peanut money for her to get rid of Lu.”
Mardi stubbed out her cigarette. “She’s crazy about the men. She’s running Curtis now. He’s working for Lu, as you know, and I guess he told her all she wanted to know.”
I suddenly thought of Kennedy. Was he an old flame of hers? I guessed I was getting near to the truth.
“Well,” I said, “this is going to get her nowhere. I’m through, so she can whistle for another goat.”
Mardi fixed her big eyes on me. “You don’t know Sarah Spencer,” she said quietly. “I’m scared. She won’t let you go as easily as that.”
I grinned at her. “Don’t you worry your head,” I said. “No dame’s goin’ to rush me into somethin’ I ain’t keen about.”