stock to these people. It was never thrown on to the open market. You know how Richmond stood in society. He'd only have to go around and drop a hint or two, and the lot was over-subscribed.” He paused to take a long pull at his glass. “If anything turns up now to reopen an investigation into Richmond's death there's goin' to be a lot of trouble for those stockholders.”
I didn't hurry him. This was news to me, and I wasn't sure where it was getting me. “How come?” I said.
Ackie turned his eyes on me. “Even my boss has got stock in the business,” he said. “He's told us boys to lay off. We don't know, but we've got a good idea that the Mackenzie Fabric Corporation is a blind, and another racket is goin' on behind the scenes that pays the big divs. The guys who've got their dough in there don't want to know anythin'—they're scared sick that some smart monkey like you'll come along an' blow the lid off.”
I got to my feet. “What's the racket?”
Ackie shrugged. “Gawd knows. Could be anythin'. The point is that so many of the big shots have got their dough in the business that it's mighty dangerous to start anything.”
“Vessi was the mug?”
Ackie nodded. “Sure Vessi was the mug. Some guy didn't like his rake-off, so he plugs Richmond. This guy was connected with the firm. They couldn't prosecute him without blowin' the gaff, so they find a fall-guy. Vessi gets the killin' pushed on to him. That's the story, Bud—now forget it, will you?”
I said: “Who's Lu Spencer?”
Ackie shot me a quick look. “Spencer was Richmond's right hand. He's the guy who's taken over now Richmond's dead.”
“Lu Spencer was the guy who killed Richmond, huh?”
Ackie's face went blank. “I wouldn't know that,” he said, a sudden caution in his voice.
“Okay, Mo,” I said, “you've given me the dope. Thanks a lot.”
Ackie got to his feet. “You ain't goin' to start any trouble?” he asked. There was a glint in his eye that told me he was hoping I would.
“Suppose we don't go into that?” I returned. “Whatever happens, I'll play this carefully. Didn't they say that Richmond was playing around with Vessi's girl, and that's why Vessi knocked him off?”
Ackie nodded. “Yeah,” he said, “that was the angle.”
“Who was she, Mo?”
Ackie frowned. “She was a French moll,” he said slowly. “They kept her covered up at the trial. Andree somethin' or other... they call her Blondie on her beat.”
I scratched my head. “She a professional dame?” I asked, surprised.
“Vessi liked them to keep themselves, you know.”
“I guess I want to meet this dame,' I said, I might get an angle....”
“I don't know where she hangs out, but she goes into the Hotcha Bar most nights.”
I patted him on the back. “Here, Bud, take the rye, I said, turning back to the table. “I guess you've earned it.”
Ackie sneered. “Come to, bum,” he said, “I got that already. An' say, who's the guy that's putting up ten grand for this story to be blown up?”
I pushed him to the door. “It's my big Aunty Belle,” I said, shoving him into the dark corridor.
“Yeah?” he said. “You mean your big Aunt Fanny, don'tcher?”
I shut the door behind him.
When I was sure that he had gone, I went to the cupboard and took out another bottle of rye, stripped off the tissue paper and pulled the cork. I took the bottle into the other room and sat on the bed. I undressed slowly, giving my mind some exercise. When I was ready, I fetched a glass and some ginger seltzer and got into bed.
This all wanted thinking about. It seemed to me that I'd got a job on. That didn't worry me, but I liked to see where I was heading.
Right now, I wasn't doing too badly. I was selling articles where and when I liked. Editors liked my stuff and paid fancy rates for it. I'd got a nice little apartment, and enough booze to keep me oiled for twenty-four hours a day.
I leant forward and took a poke at the rye.
Suppose I did start something, and there was an investigation? If the Mackenzie-whatever-they-called-it turned out a ramp, then there was going to be a bad smell around, and I would be the cause of it. Maybe the newspapers would warn me off... maybe I'd lose everything I'd got... just for ten grand. Looked at from that angle, it wasn't even interesting.
I put the glass back on the little table by my bed and lit a cigarette. When I got into bed with a load of grief like this, I always thought it would be swell to have some hot-looking dame right beside me to listen to my beef and give me an angle to work on.
A woman can be a lot of comfort, and the more I thought about it, the lower I got. 'I was just getting in a pretty bad shape when the telephone snapped me out of my pipe-dream.
As I reached for the 'phone, I looked over at the clock. It was just after two.
“Yeah?” I said, wondering who the hell it was.
“Is that Nick Mason?”
