He was out of sight when I picked myself up.
That's the last I saw of him."
"How did you know it was Geiger he shot?" I asked gruffly.
Brody shrugged.
"I figure it was, but I can be wrong.
When I had the plate developed and saw what was on it, I was pretty damn sure. And when Geiger didn't come down to the store this morning and didn't answer his phone I was plenty sure.
So I figure it's a good time to move his books out and make a quick touch on the Sternwoods for travel money and blow for a while."
I nodded.
"That seems reasonable.
Maybe you didn't murder anybody at that.
Where did you hide Geiger's body?"
He jumped his eyebrows.
Then he grinned.
"Nix, nix. Skip it.
You think I'd go back there and handle him, not knowing when a couple carloads of law would come tearing around the corner?
Nix."
"Somebody hid the body," I said.
Brody shrugged.
The grin stayed on his face.
He didn't believe me.
While he was still not believing me the door buzzer started to ring again.
Brody stood up sharply, hard-eyed.
He glanced over at his guns on the desk.
"So she's back again," he growled.
"If she is, she doesn't have her guns!' I comforted him. "Don't you have any other friends?"
"Just about one," he growled. "I got enough of this puss in the corner game."
He marched to the desk and took the Colt. He held it down at his side and went to the door.
He put his left hand to the knob and twisted it and opened the door a foot and leaned into the opening, holding the gun tight against his thigh.
A voice said: "Brody?"
Brody said something I didn't hear.
The two quick reports were muffled.
The gun must have been pressed tight against Brody's body.
He tilted forward against the door and the weight of his body pushed it shut with a bang. He slid down the wood.
His feet pushed the carpet away behind him. His left hand dropped off the knob and the arm slapped the floor with a thud. His head was wedged against the door.
He didn't move. The Colt clung to his right hand.
I jumped across the room and rolled him enough to get the door open and crowd through.
A woman peered out of a door almost opposite. Her face was full of fright and she pointed along the hall with a clawlike hand.
I raced down the hall and heard thumping feet going down the tile steps and went down after the sound.
At the lobby level the front door was closing itself quietly and running feet slapped the sidewalk outside.
I made the door before it was shut, clawed it open again and charged out.
A tall hatless figure in a leather jerkin was running diagonally across the street between the parked cars.
The figure turned and flame spurted from it.
Two heavy hammers hit the stucco wall beside me.
The figure ran on, dodged between two cars, vanished.
A man came up beside me and barked:
"What happened?"
"Shooting going on," I said.
"Jesus!" He scuttled into the apartment house.
I walked quickly down the sidewalk to my car and got in and started it. I pulled out from the curb and drove down the hill, not fast.
No other car started up on the other side of the street.