for some seconds.
“What the devil…” Bradley began, blood rising to his face.
“Take it easy,” I said, reached out and poked at the sheets with my finger. Only blank sheets: nothing else.
Bradley dug his thumb into the bell-push and kept it there.
Maybe the clerk scented trouble because he came in fast.
“What’s this?” Bradley said. “What are you playing at?”
The clerk gaped at the blank sheets.
“I don’t know, sir,” he said, changing colour. “The file was fastened when I took it from your out-tray.”
Bradley breathed heavily, started to say something, changed his mind and waved a hand to the door.
“Get out,” he said.
The clerk went.
There was a pause, then Bradley said, “This could cost me my job. The cram must have switched the papers.”
“You mean he’s taken the contents of the file and left that as a dummy?”
Bradley nodded.
“Must have done. There was a photograph and a description and our progress report when I gave it to him.”
“No copies?”
He shook his head.
I thought for a moment.
“The fella who asked for the file,” I said, “was he tall, dark, powerful; a sort of movie-star type?”
Bradley stared at him.
“Yeah. Do you know him?”
“I’ve seen him.”
“Where?”
“Do you want those papers back?”
“Of course I do. What do you mean?”
I stood up.
“Give me until nine o’clock tomorrow,” I said. “I’ll either have them for you or the man who took them. I’m working on something, Bradley. Something I don’t want Brandon mixed up in. You don’t have to report this until the morning, do you?”
“What are you talking about?” Bradley demanded.
“I’ll have the papers or the man by tomorrow morning, if you sit tight and keep your mouth shut,” I said, and made for the door.
“Hey! Come back!” Bradley said, starting to his feet.
But I didn’t go back. I ran down the four flights of stairs to the front entrance where Kerman was waiting for me in the Buick.
V
There were four of us: Mike Finnegan, Kerman, myself and a worried looking little guy wearing a black, greasy, slouch hat, no coat, a dirty shirt and soiled white ducks. We sat in the back room of Delmonico’s bar, a bottle of Scotch and four glasses on the table, and a lot of tobacco smoke cluttering up the air.
The little guy in the greasy hat was Joe Dexter. He owned a haulage business, and ran freight to the ships anchored in the harbour. Finnegan claimed he was a friend of his, but by the way he was acting you wouldn’t have known it.
I had put my proposition to him, and he was sitting staring at me as if he thought I was crazy.
“Sorry, mister,” he said at last. “I couldn’t do it. It’d ruin my business.”
Kerman was lolling in his chair, a cigarette hanging from his lips, his eyes closed. He opened one eye as he said, “Who cares about a business? You want to relax, brother. There’re more things in life than a business.”
Dexter licked his lips, scowled at Kerman and squirmed in his chair. He turned pleadingly to Mike.
“I can’t do it,” he said; “not a thing like this. The Dream Ship is one of my best customers.”
“She won’t be for much longer,” I said. “Cash in while the going’s good. You’ll make a hundred bucks on this deal.”
“A hundred bucks!” Dexter’s face twisted into a sneer. “Sherrill pays me more than that every month: regular money. I’m not doing it.”
I motioned to Mike to take it easy. He was straining forward, making a growling noise in his throat.
“Look,” I said to Dexter, “all we want you to do is to deliver this case of supplies to the ship tonight. Do that, and you’ll get a hundred. What’s scaring you?”
“And you’re going to travel inside the case,” Dexter said. “To hell with that for an idea. No one’s allowed on that ship without a permit. If they catch you—and they will —they’ll know I had something to do with it. The least Sherrill would do would be to shut down my account.
He’s likely to send someone over to crack my skull. I’m not doing it.”
As I refilled the glasses I glanced at my wrist-watch. It was half-past seven. Time was
moving.
“Listen, Joe,” Mike said, leaning forward, “this guy’s a friend of mine, see? He wants to get aboard that ship. If he wants to get aboard, he’s going to get aboard, see? Sherrill ain’t the only guy who can crack a skull. Do you do the job or do I have to get tough?”
Kerman pulled out his Colt .45 and laid it on the table.
“And when he’s through with you. I’ll start,” he said.
Dexter eyed the Colt and flinched away from Mike’s concentrated glare.
“You guys can’t threaten me,” he said feebly.
“We can try,” Kerman said calmly. “Give you ten seconds before we start something.”
“Don’t crowd the fella,” I said, and took from my wallet ten ten-dollar bills. I spread them out on the table and pushed them towards Dexter. “Come on, take your money and let’s get moving. Sherrill’s washed up. The cops will move in by tomorrow. Cash in while the going’s good.”
Dexter hesitated, then picked up the notes, and rustled them between dirty fingers.
“I wouldn’t do it for anyone else,” he said to Mike.
We finished our drinks, pushed back our chairs and went out on to the water-front. It was a hot-still night, with a hint of rain in the sky. Way out on the horizon I could see the lights of the Dream Ship.
We tramped down an alley to Dexter’s warehouse. It was in darkness. As he unlocked and pushed open the door the smell of tar, oil, damp clothes and rubber came out to greet us. The warehouse was big and cluttered up with cases and coils of rope and bundles tied up in tarred paper, waiting to be delivered to the ships at anchor beyond the harbour. In the middle of the floor was a five-foot square packing-case.
“That’s it,” Dexter said gloomily.
We got busy unpacking the case.
“I want a hammer and a chisel,” I told Dexter.
While he was getting the tools, Kerman said, “You’re sure this is the thing to do?”
I nodded.
“With any luck I’ll have nearly half an hour on board before they expect me to arrive. I can do a lot in that time. When you and Mike come alongside at nine o’clock I’ll start something to give you a chance to board her. After that, it’s each man for himself.”
Dexter came over with the tools.
“Careful how you nail me up,” I said to Kerman. “I want to get out fast.”
Mike waved Dexter away.
“We’ll see to this, pally. Just sit over there and behave.”
