“I’ll buy that thing from you for fifteen grand,” Gleason said with a rush.
Duffy grinned into the ’phone. “I must be getting deaf,” he said. “It sounded like you said fifteen grand.”
Gleason was silent for a minute, then he said, “I can’t go higher than that. Fifteen grand.”
“What the hell kind of a cheap punk are you? Ain’t you aching to get that list back? The list is worth that much as State evidence.”
“Now listen,” Duffy could almost see Gleason squeezing the telephone with excitement, “I can’t lay my hands on any more dough. I’ll make you a fair offer. Fifteen grand and five per cent cut on the business.”
“Aw, use your head,” Duffy shifted forward in his chair a little. “I ain’t so dumb. What’s five per cent cut to a corpse? I wouldn’t trust you, Gleason, for a second. Once you had that list, you’d bust your guts to iron me out. No, it’s cash or nothing.”
Gleason said, “You goddam sonofabitch…
“Skip it. You don’t know what you’re up against. I’ve got another buyer in the market. You’re going to pay plenty for that list, or the other guy gets it.”
There was a heavy silence at the other end, and Duffy reached over for a cigarette. He had nothing to do, and plenty of time to do it in.
Then Gleason said, “That’s the way you’re going to play it, huh?”
“You got it. Ends against the middle. I ain’t in a hurry, but you’d better start revising your ideas.”
“You’re going to find yourself in a heap of trouble,” Gleason said. His voice was suddenly steady. He seemed no longer excited. “I’d play ball on the level, Duffy, or…”
“Listen, you yellow punk, you can’t throw a scare into me. I know just where I’ve got you. Start the bidding at fifteen grand if you like, but the price is going to the roof.” He dropped the receiver back on the prong and sat back.
Olga came out of the bedroom. She was still nude. “Are you handling this right?” she asked.
Duffy went over to her and put his hands round her back. “This is the way it’s going to go,” he said. “It’ll take a little time, but it’ll yield the most dough.”
She looked up into his face. “Can’t you trust him?”
Duffy shook his head. “It’s going to be tricky getting away with the dough,” he said, “but you watch me, we’ll beat ’em.”
She leant against him. “I didn’t care what happened, but I do now. I don’t want you to get into a jam after this.”
He led her back into the bedroom. “Put on a wrap,” he said, “I can’t think with you like that.”
He watched her undo the small case she had brought with her, and find a wrap, then he helped her put it on.
They went back into the sitting-room again. Olga lit a cigarette, drawing down the smoke and holding it. She said, “You’re hatching something, what is it?”
Duffy took from his inside pocket a little note-book and put it on the table. Then he brought out another book, identical with the first. He laid it beside the other.
Olga looked at them closely, then released a cloud of smoke down her nostrils. “A double-cross,” she said.
“You’ve got it.” Duffy drew up a chair and sat down. “I’m showing you how dough’s made.” He took out a fountain-pen and began to copy the list of names from the first book into the second.
She sat on the edge of the table and watched him.
“Someone’s going to get mighty sore about this,” she said at last.
Duffy didn’t look up. He went on writing, but he said, “We won’t be there to see ’em.”
When he had finished the list, he went back again to the beginning and studied the pages. “You know what these numbers stand for? Look, Max Hughson 5. Johnny Alvis 7. Trudie Irvine 4.”
She leant over his shoulder. “Payments,” she told him. “Hughson used to pay five thousand dollars a month for his dope and protection ”
“That’s plenty. Why protection?”
Olga swung her long legs. “That was Gleason’s way. These birds aren’t real hopheads. They just play at it. Gleason sold them the dope, then warned them that someone was on to them, and it would cost them so much to hush it up. He only had to put the screw on a little, scare them to hell, and show them that he could warn off all comers, to get himself put on their pension list.”
Duffy did sums, then he looked up. “This little book is worth five hundred grand to a cool million, if they all pay.”
Olga nodded. “When I was with Cattley and he was working it, they mostly did pay,” she said.
Duffy grinned. “It’s easy to make money, it you know how,” he said, getting to his feet. “Well, we’ll see what Morgan’s got to say.”
She slid off the table. “What are you doing with the books?” she asked.
“You shall have one and I’ll have the other.” He gave her the copy. “Be careful with that.”
She held the book in her hand for a moment, looking at him very hard, then she smiled and put the book in his hand.
“What’s this?”
She said, “I hoped you would do that. I just wanted to see if you trusted me. It’s screwy to keep this where it could be lifted. Keep it.”
He said, “Well, I’ll be goddamned.” But she looked so pleased that he took the book and put it with the other in his inside pocket.
She said, “You’re not going to Morgan alone. I’m coming with you.”
He thought for a moment, then he nodded. “Oke, but you stay outside in the bus. We’ll plant the lists at my bank on the way down.”
She ran into the bedroom to change. Duffy called to her. “I’ll get Morgan’s address from the
While he ’phoned, he vaguely heard her in the bathroom, and when he had got the address from the reporter’s room, he wandered in. She was standing under the cold shower, holding her face up to the tingling pin- points of water. Her eyes were closed, and she held her breasts cupped in her hands.
Duffy leant forward and turned the wheel on hard. The cold water struck her fiercely, and she ducked away, gasping. Duffy grabbed a towel and wrapped her in it.
“Get busy,” he said, “we ain’t got all day.”
She mopped her face, then stepped out of the bath. “Try it,” she said, “it’s nice.”
Duffy shook his head. “Later,” he said. “I’ve got the money itch.”
She took oft the rubber cap that protected her hair and threw it at him. The drops of water splashed his face. Duffy aimed a smack at her, then he jerked her to him and kissed her.
He thought, “We’re behaving like a couple of kids.”
She said, looking up at him, “Will you always be kind to me?”
He gripped her arms suddenly, hurting her. “Let’s go,” he said, “there’s work to be done.” And he left her, standing quite still, holding the towel round her, with a little bewildered look in her eyes.
CHAPTER X
DUFFY LEFT THE BUICK at the kerb and climbed the five flat steps to the front door. Morgan’s house was in a big way. Duffy was quite surprised. He expected something good, but this was a lot better than good.
The front door was a plate-glass affair, plastered with wrought iron. The bell had to be reached for and pulled down, like the plumbing in an old-fashioned toilet.
Duffy called back to Olga, who was sitting in the car, “Some joint.” He self-consciously jerked the bell-pull hard.
Clive opened the door.
