“Come on,” Flaggerty snarled to the guards, and turned, then he turned back, walked to the coffin and threw off the lid. He stared down at the dead woman, his eyes narrowed, his lips grimacing. He made a gesture of rage, stamped out.
The door slammed.
I wiped my face, tried to recover my breath.
“Take it easy,” I said to Maxison. “This is only the half of it.”
I grabbed a screw-driver and screwed down the lid of the coffin. I had just finished when the door opened again and Clancy, the guard, came in. His face was red with suppressed excitement.
“Whatja know, fellas?” he said. “That guy Cain’s gate-crashed the jail. He’s snatched his floozie.”
“You don’t say,” I returned, wiping my face and hands on a towel. “Got him yet?”
Clancy shook his head. “He can’t get away. Flaggerty’s out of his mind. He’s going through the jail with a tooth comb.” He gaped at me. “What the hell’s happened to your face?”
“One of the guards thought I was Cain,” I said. “He pushed me around before Flaggerty stopped him.”
“They’re sure crazy,” Clancy said. “I’ve never seen so many nuts under one roof. Well, they’ll catch Cain. He can’t get out.”