Audrey said: “No.”
I smiled at her, tossed my gun through the open door, and heard it clatter to the floor. I walked out with my hands in the air.
A gun was rammed into my back. Four men were standing at the end of the corridor. Starkey was with them. The guy with the gun was a small, mean-faced gunsel, dressed in a shabby black suit. He snarled at me as I looked over my shoulder at him.
Starkey came up, his thin white face puzzled.
“Frisk him,” he said, his voice shrill and excited.
The gunsel ran hands over me and shook his head. “He’s okay,” he said, and stepped away from me. His gun covered me from a distance.
“I want to talk to you,” I said to Starkey. “Just you and me and the girl.”
Maybe he didn’t like the way I said it. Maybe he was just curious, but he walked into the room and I followed him. At the door he said: “Stick around and come in fast if this jerk starts anything.” Then he took the key out of the door and gave it to the gunsel.
We stood in the middle of the room, the door closed and we eyed each other.
Audrey waited near the bed. She was very tense, but curious. “Listen,” I said, “we’re going to do a deal. I’ve got your kid Edna.”
If a horse had kicked him in the face I couldn’t have hoped for a better effect.
We stared at each other for a long moment. His face had turned yellow and his eyes were wide and dull. Then he walked over to the bed and sat down.
“You shouldn’t have told me that,” he said, speaking at his feet. “That puts you in the worst goddam jam you’ve ever been in in your life.”
I found a cigarette and lit it. “Wake up,” I said gently. “You’re the guy who’s in a jam. You turn this girl loose or Edna’s for the high jump.”
He looked up. His eyes burned. “Where’ve you hidden her?”
“Somewhere safe,” I said, sitting on the table and blowing smoke at him.
“You’re going to talk,” he said viciously, “and you’re going to talk fast. I’ve got ways of making a rat like you loosen up.”
“What do you think I am?” I said. “If I don’t phone the guys who are looking after me in ten minutes they’ll take Edna apart. And let me tell you, it won’t be hard labour doing just that little thing.”
He stared at me and then he shifted his eyes. I could see I’d made myself clear on that point.
“Now listen,” I said, speaking fast, “you can’t sidestep this set-up. I want someone for Dixon’s killing. It’s going to be Jeff. Play it my way and it won’t hurt you. Start something I don’t like and I’ll throw you as well as Jeff to the wolves.”
“Dixon died of heart failure,” he said without any conviction.
“You’re still out of the picture,” I said, sliding off the table and going over to him. “I’m a peaceful guy until someone tramples on me. I’ve had enough of Cranville and I’m going to blow it sky-high. If you don’t like it, you’ll go up with the rest of them. I don’t give a damn. Dixon was knocked off by your stooge. He was acting on your orders. I’m not ready to take you yet. There’re other things you’ve got to do before I put a rope around your neck. So I’m making, Jeff the fall guy. Give him to Macey and your stock’ll go up in Cranville. If you don’t, then I’ll do it and fix it so they’ll all know you told Jeff to do it. Don’t think Macey’s the only guy in town with any power. The Federal Agents will jump in if I call Washington, and that’s just what I’m going to do if you don’t play. If you plan to rub me out, take another think. My mob’s got Edna, and they don’t go for skinny dames. They’ll pull her apart and host the parts to you if you try to get rough with me. That’s the way it goes and you’re going to like it.”
He looked like he was going to jump me, but I didn’t move. I just stared at him and after a moment he quieted down. “You’re crazy,” he said. “You can’t pull a fast, one like this on me.”
I looked at my watch. “Maybe I’d better call my mob,” I said thoughtfully. “It’s a little over ten minutes and I don’t want them to start something you’d be sorry about.”
He didn’t stop me when I picked up the telephone. There were little sweat beads on his top lip and he was looking sick.
I dialled. Reg came on the line.
“I’m with Starkey now,” I said. “He’s going to play. Don’t touch that dame until I ring you again. I’ll be through in another fifteen minutes. If you don’t hear from me cut her goddam ears off and send ’em to this punk,” and I hung up.
We looked at each other and I could see he was licked.
“Come on,” I said. “You and me and the girlfriend are going over to see Macey. You’re going to tell Macey how Jeff killed Dixon and I’m going to give him the photograph.” I turned to Audrey. “Come on, sweetheart, you and we’ll soon be home.”
I went to the door with her and opened it. “Come on,” I said to Starkey.
He stood up, jerked his hat over his eyes, hesitated and then walked to the door.
“You go first, pal,” I said. “just in case your boyfriends speak out of turn.”
We walked down the passage, past the four men, who stared at Starkey curiously, and down the stairs. Starkey didn’t say anything until he reached the lobby of the poolroom. Then he paused, turned and said: “Maybe we could do a deal.”
I eyed him. “We are doing one now,” I reminded him.
“Keep the twist and I’ll give you two grand. You hand Edna over and forget about Dixon.”
I shook my head.
“Five grand,” he said tersely.
Again I shook my head. “We’ll keep to the original idea,” I said. “I want to square things for Dixon... he wasn’t a bad old guy.”
Starkey hesitated and then shrugged. “You’ll be sorry for this,” he said half under his breath, and we went on to the street door.
“We’ll wait here,” I said, putting my hand on Audrey’s arm, “while you organize a cab.”
He didn’t see anything wrong in that and opened the door. As he stepped into the street I shoved Audrey hard to the right, away from the door. Gunfire crashed from the darkness outside and yellow flashes lit the night.
There was a door nearby. I opened it, pushed Audrey into an empty office and closed the door.
More gunfire came from the street. There was also a lot of noise of shouting and pounding feet in the building.
“What’s happening?” Audrey said, white-faced and scared.
“I think we’ve lost our little friend,” I said, crossing the room to another door. I opened it, looked cautiously into the now deserted poolroom. “Come on. Let’s get out of here.”
Taking her hand, I ran with her across the large, smoke-laden room, twisting between the brilliantly lighted billiard tables to a window that looked on to the vacant lot at the back of the building. I opened the window and stepped on to the fire escape. Audrey joined me and together we pelted down the iron staircase.
More shots were coming from the front of the building and police whistles and sirens were sounding.
We ran across the weed-grown lot, hoisted ourselves over the five-foot fence and kept on until we neared the street. Moving cautiously, we edged from the mouth of the alley. There was a big crowd in front of the poolroom. Police cars were parked on the opposite side of the street and I could see a number of cops trying to force their way through the crowd.
A taxi came round the corner near where the crowd was and drove towards us. I stepped off the sidewalk and waved.
“Palace Hotel,” I said, opening the door. “What’s the excitement, bud?”
The driver glanced back at the crowd and his lip curled. “A couple of guys got shot,” he said indifferently. “I don’t know what’s come over this burg.”
I handed Audrey into the cab.