“In the cosmetics business, maybe, the customer doesn’t get caught in the middle?”
“Gimme another drink,” I said.
He gave me another drink and felt so good about his argument he decided to humor me.
“All right, I grant you. I run a little joint with a jukebox in it and there’s labor trouble in front of the door, with fisticuffs and so on. That’s no good, I grant you.”
“Fisticuffs,” I said and took a swallow. “I like that, fisticuffs.”
“All right. You know what I mean. What you don’t know, what you don’t think of, I mean, is that all this is going to last maybe two, three days. Like I said in the beginning. Now here’s how. You…”
“Just a minute.”
First of all, I thought that his whole plan stunk and secondly, I didn’t like it. It stunk because it was just a move on the surface. I didn’t like it-I was hoping that part wouldn’t come up, between Lippit and me.
“You got a goon’s point of view,” I said to Lippit. “A guy leans on you and you lean back.”
“Harder.”
“Yuh. Goon’s point of view. What I think about all this I’ve explained to you. That I’m sure Benotti’s got money behind him, that he’s well-connected. He’s no independent He’s been sent in to take over where the syndicate missed a trick.”
“All right, there’s money. And if he’s so well connected, how come they sent a jerk like Benotti?”
“Because they think you’re a jerk.”
“What?”
“They must. You been running this racket pretty nice and friendly.”
“I know,” he said. “I know. Like a jerk.”
“And now more so. Any muscle you’ll show, Benotti will show.”
Lippit just laughed. It had been the wrong argument and Lippit just laughed and wouldn’t even discuss it I waited till he was done and then I tried to make a little more sense.
“You got this slap-dash plan now, Walter, and I grant you that it’s pretty hefty slap-dash and proves how mad you are and what you can do about it. But aside from the way you feel about Benotti and his mosquito tactics…”
“Mosquito? You mean to just brush…”
“Yes, mosquito. You said yourself you’re going to take care of it in maybe two, three days. So how big is it?”
“Listen, St. Louis…”
“Let me finish, Walter. I’m now talking long range.”
“To hell with that long-winded talk.”
“I’m talking to save you grief.”
“Any kind of grief they care to throw…”
“I’m talking money.”
“All right,” he said. “Talk.”
“You got this set-up. You rent out and service machines. I grant you, it’s pretty well sewed up and with your mosquito…”
“Stop using that word, Jack.”
“And with your bomber tactics you’ll even get that set-up down pat for a long time.”
“What else?”
“Walter. Take a drink and let me finish, will you?”
He took a drink and I tried again.
“So you got a franchise on putting all the little wires back in order when a music box stops making music, and meanwhile you collect all the quarters and dimes-which comes to a heap-as long as your servicing includes putting the discs in the machines, taking out the old ones, putting the new hits in, and so on and so on.”
“As long as? What’s this about as long as?”
“The records go this way: manufacturer, jobber, jukebox operator. You got the operators sewed up. They use your machines and they buy your service. You get the discs from the jobber, and the jobber gets his from the factory.”
“And you got this sly proposition,” he said, “I should buy the manufacturer and skip the jobber, huh?” He leaned over the table and said, “Go to sleep, Jack. It’s your bedtime, Jack.”
“I will.” I got up, for the effect of it, and then I said, “But I’m not so asleep, Lippit, that I’d dream up a dumb deal like you just mentioned.”
“Now, wait a minute. I wasn’t serious.”
“But I was.”
“What did you say, boy wonder?”
“You grab the jobber. You buy in, you buy him out, you maybe think of a better trick. You can’t horse with the manufacturer because he’s too big and he isn’t in town, but you grab the jobber and you got two links of the chain, to put yourself solid, and to tie up Benotti.”
He said, “Hmm,” or something like that, and then he poured down the rest of his drink.
“Meanwhile,” he said, “we got this other thing to do.”
“Walter. Listen to me.”
“I did.”
“But did you hear what I said?”
“Yeah. Not bad. Now let’s get back. Tomorrow, first thing, you set up the goon squads the way I was telling you. The thing over at Hough and Daly, I’ll give that to Folsom. He can…”
“Walter, I been trying to tell you…”
“Sit down,” he said. “Just sit and now you listen.”
I tried once more, though I didn’t promise myself very much. Lippit didn’t like stalling and that’s all I was doing now.
“You hit a place like Hough and Daly, Walter, you know what kind of stink that can make? You know how many guys depend on that outfit? Do you know that every radio, TV, electronics, recording outfit in town…”
“You sound like you own a piece in all of them, Jack, instead of working for me. You working for me, Jack, or you just drinking my liquor and sitting there bending my ear as if you knew what you were doing?”
“All right,” I said. “Forget it,” and I hoped he would. It would make my problem simpler and it would mean less to him when I tried for the little bit, for the one little thing where he might give in without giving me trouble.
“Let Folsom do the goon job,” I said. “He should like that.”
“And you do the raid on Hough and Daly?”
“Why do you keep saying Hough and Daly? You mean Benotti’s equipment place, don’t you?”
“You kept saying Hough and Daly, Jack, and I don’t care which you call it as long as you know the job. I want Benotti’s operation to end up like a cripple, understand? If that means going next door and hitting Hough and Daly too, then hit ‘em. Main thing I’m after…”
“Sure, I know.”
He looked at me, wondering about my irritation, but then he just shrugged.
“Your bedtime,” he said. “Beat it.”
I did. Walter Lippit was not running a democracy.
Chapter 7
I drove home-an upstairs apartment with large windows-sat down on the bed and looked at the telephone.
Much too late to do any calling. But much to do. And getting that wrecking job away from Folsom, getting to do that delicate thing by myself, was just part of the problem. What the problem came down to, if Benotti’s repair place got wrecked proper, I would lose money.
