Wheels (58 page)

"Sensible or not," Smokey growled, "you
’
ll likely start something you
can't stop, and af terwards wish you'd done it some other way
.”

"Wh at other way
.”

"Like letting me go in there to begin. To represent you. Like my talking
to the chief again. Like seeing what I can work out
.”

Wondering why he had not asked before, Adam queried, "Why did the police
call you
.”

"The chief knows me," Smokey said. "We're friends. He knows I know you
.”

He forbore to tell Adam what he had already learned-that chances were
good the store where the shoplifting had occurred would settle for
payment of what had been taken and would not press charges; also, that
Chief Arenson was aware the case might be sensitive locally, and
therefore a favorable disposition might be arranged, depending on the
co-operation and discretion of all concerned.
"I'm out of my depth," Adam said. "If you
think you can do something, go ahead. Do you want me to come with you
.”

Smokey sat still. His bands were on the car's steering wheel, his face
expressionless.
"Well," Adam said, "can you do something or not
.”

"Yes," Smokey acknowledged, "I guess I could
.”

"Then what are we waiting for
.”

"The price," Smokey said softly. "There's a price for everything, Adam.
You, of all people, should know that
.”

"If we're discussing bribery
"Don't even mention bribery! Here or in there
.”

Smokey gestured toward
police headquarters. "And remember this: Wilbur Arenson's a reasonable
guy. But if you offered him anything, he'd throw the book at your wife.
You, too
.”

"I didn't intend to
.”

Adam looked puzzled. "If it isn't that, then what
. .
.”

"You son-of-a-bitch
.”

Smokey shouted the words; his hands, gripping the
steering wheel, were white. "You're putting me out of business, remember?
Or is it so unimportant you've forgotten? One month, you said. One month
before your sister puts her stock in my business on the block. A month
before you turn that sneak's notebook of yours over to your company sales
brass
.”

Adam said stiffly, "We have an agreement. It has nothing to do with this
.”

"You're da
mn right it has to do with this!
If you want your wife out of
this mess without her name, and yours, smeared all over Michigan, you'd
best do some fast rethinking
.”

"It might be better if you explained what kind
.”

"I'm offering a deal," Smokey said. "It it needs explaining, you're not
half as smart as I think
.”

Adam allowed the contempt he felt to ex
press itself in his voice. "I suppose I get the picture. Let me see if I
have it right. You are prepared to be an intermediary, using your friendship
with the chief of police to try to free my wife and have any charges
dropped. In return, I'm suppose
d to tell my sister not to dispo
se of her
investment i
n your business and then ign
ore what I know about dishonesty in
the way you run it
.”

Smokey growled. "You're pretty free with that word dishonesty. Maybe you
should remember you got some in the family
.”

Adam ignored the remark. "Do I, or do I not, have the proposition right
.”

"You're smart after all. You got it right
.”

"Then the answer's no. Under no, cir
cumstances would I change the advice
I intend to give my sister. I'd be using her interests to help myself
.”

Smokey said quickly, "That means, then, you might consider the part about
the company
.”

"I didn't say that
.”

"You didn't not say it either
.”

Adam was silent. Within the car the only sounds were a purr from the
idling motor and the air-conditioning hum.
Smokey said, "I'll take the half of the deal. Never mind Teresa. I'll
settle for you not snitching
in the company
.”

He paused, then expanded, "I
'll. not even ask for that
black notebook of yours. Just that you don't use it
.”

Still Adam failed to answer.
"You might
say," Smokey said, "you're choo
sing between the company and
your wife. B
e interesting to see who you put first
.”

Bitterly, Adam answered, "You know I've no choice
.”

He was aware that Smokey had tricke
d
him, as had happened before in
the dealership when Smokey demanded twice as much
as he wanted
, then settled for what he had wanted to
begin
with. It was
a hoary dealer's gambit, then as now.
But this time, Adam r
eminded himself, Erica had to be
though
t of,
There was no other way.
Or was there? Even at this moment he was tempted to dispense with
Smokey's help, to go to the police alone, learn what he could of what
still seemed
an unreal situation,
then discover what, if anything
,
could be arranged. But it was a risk. The fact -as: Smokey did know
Chief Arenson, and equa
ll
y ob
vious was that Smokey knew his way
around this kind of situation, which Adam did not. When Adam had said
a few minutes ago, "I'm ou
t of my depth," it was true.
But he knew he had acted against his own moral sc
ruples
and had
compromised with conscienc
e, "W
hether for Erica's sake or not. He sus
pected gloom
ily it would not be the last time, and that personally, as
well as in his work, he would make
more
compromises as time went on.
Sm
okey, for his part, was concealing a bubbling cheerfulness within.
On the day, only a short tim
e ago, when Adam had threatened to expose
him and Smokey won a month's reprieve, he had been convinced something
would turn up. He had remained con
vinced. Now, it seemed, he had b
een
right.
"Adam," Sm
okey said. He stubbed out his cigar, trying hard not to
laugh. "Let's go get your missus out of the pokey
.”

Formalities were honored, the rituals observed.
In Adam's presence, Chief Arenson lectured Erica sternly. "Mrs.
Trenton, if ever this happens again, the full force of the law will be
applied. Do you clearly understand that
.”

Erica's lips formed a barely audible, 'Yes
.”

.
She and Adam were in separate chairs, facing the chief who was behind his
desk. Despite the sternness, Chie
f Arenson appeared more like a b
anker
than a policeman. Being seated emphasized his shortness; an overhead light
beamed on his balding head.
No one else was in the room. Smokey Stephensen, who had arranged this
meeting and its outcome, was waiting in the corridor outside.
Adam had been here with the chief when Erica was brought in, escorted by
a policewoman.
Adam went toward Erica, his arms outstretched. She seemed surprised to see
him. "I didn't tell them to call you, Adam. I didn't want you involved
.”

Her voice was strained and nervous.
He said, as he held her, "That's what a husband's for, isn't it
.”

At a nod from the chief, the policewoman left. After a moment, at the
chief's suggestion, they all sat down.
"Mr. Trenton, in case you should have the idea there has been any
misunderstanding in this matter, I believe you should read this
.”

Chief
Arenson passed a paper across his desk to Adam. It was a photocopy of
Erica's signed statement in which she admitted guilt.
The chief waited while Adam read it, then asked Erica, "In your husband's
presence, Mrs. Trenton, I now ask you: Were you offered any inducement to
make that statement, or was any force or coercion of any kind employed
.”

Erica shook her head.
"You are saying, then, that the statement was entirely voluntary
.”

"Yes
.”

Erica avoided Adam's eyes.
"Do you have any complaint, either about your treatment here or concerning
the officers who arrested you
.”

Again, Erica shook her head.
"Aloud, please. I want your husband to hear
.”

"No," Erica said. "No, I don't
have any complaint
.”

"Mrs. Trenton," the chief said, "I'd like to ask you one other question.
You don't have to answer, but it would be helpful to me if you did, and
perhaps to your husband, too. I also promise that whatever the answer,
nothing will happen as a result of
it
.”

Erica waited.
"Have you ever stolen before, Mrs. Trenton? I mean recently, in the same
kind of circumstances as today
.”

Erica hesitated. Then she said softly, "Yes
.”

"How many times
.”

Adam pointed out, "You said one question and she answered it
.”

Chief Arenson sighed. "All right. Let it go
.”

Adam was aware of Erica glancing his way gratefully, then wondered if he
had been wrong to intercede. Perhaps it might have been better if
everything came out, since the chief had already promised immunity. Then
Adam thought: The place for more revelations was in private, between
himself and Erica.
If Erica chose to tell him. There seemed no certainty she would.
Even now, Adam had no idea how they were going to handle this when he and
Erica got home. How did you handle the f act that your wife was a thief?
He had a sudden flash of anger: How could Erica do this to him?
It was then that Chief Arenson delivered his stern lecture to Erica, which
she acknowledged.
The chief continued: "In this single special instance, because of your
husband's standing in the community and the unfortunate effect which a
prosecution would have on both of you, the
store concerned has been persuaded not to press charges and I have decided
to take no further action
.”

Adam said, "We know it was your initiative, Chief, and we're grateful
.”

Chief Arenson inclined his head in acknowledgment. "There are advantages
sometimes, Mr. Trenton, in having a local suburban police force instead
of a big metropolitan one. I can tell you that if this had occurred
downtown, with the city police involved, the outcome would have been
very different
.”

"If ever the question comes up, my wife and I will be among the
strongest advocates of keeping a local force
.”

The chief made no acknowledgment. Politicking, he thought, should not
become too obvious, even though it was good to have gained two more
supporters of local autonomy. One day, if this man Trenton was going as
high as predicted, he might prove a strong ally. The chief liked being
a chief. He intended to do all he could to remain one until retirement,
not become a precinct captain-as would happen under a metro force-taking
orders from downtown.
He nodded, but did not stand-no sense in overdoing things-as the
Trentons went out.
Smokey Stephensen was no longer in the corridor, but waiting in his car
outside. He got out as Adam and Erica emerged from police headquarters.
It was now dark. The rain had stopped.
While Adam waited as Smokey approached, Erica went on alone to where
Adam's car was parked. They had arranged to leave Erica's convertible
in the police garage overnight and pick it up tomorrow.
"We owe you some thanks," Adam told Smokey. "My wife doesn't feel up to
it now, but she'll tell you herself later
.”