“Hi,” Eddie said, coming over and sitting down. “What’s cooking?”
Woppy signaled to the barman to bring another glass.
“Plenty,” Woppy said. “Have you seen the papers?”
“Nothing in them,” Eddie said. He nodded to the barman as he set the glass on the table. He poured himself a drink.
“You wait for the evening edition. Remember the punk who collects dirt for Gossip? Heinie? He’s shot his mouth off to the cops.”
“What’s the idea? Since when has he been an informer?”
“The insurance people are offering a reward for the necklace. I guess Heinie wants the dough. He’s told the cops Bailey was interested in the necklace. They’ve turned over the town but they can’t find Bailey so they’re saying he and Riley pulled the snatch. Good for us, huh?”
Eddie grinned.
“I’ll say.”
“The Feds have taken over. They’ve seen Blandish. The town’s lousy with cops. You’d better watch out they don’t catch you with your rod.”
“I left it at home. I’m phoning Blandish right now and then I’m blowing. You’d better come with me.”
“Okay.” As Eddie got to his feet, Woppy asked, “How’s the redhead? Boy! Wouldn’t I like to get close to that one!”
“Better not,” Eddie said. “Ma’s on the warpath. She says to lay off the girclass="underline" got quite steamed up about it.”
Woppy pulled a face.
“There are times when Ma gives me a pain. What’s the good of having a doll like that in the house if you can’t make use of her?”
“The answer to that one is a million bucks,” Eddie said, grinning. He crossed over to the telephone booth but from the sign on the door, it was out of order. There was a booth in a drugstore across the way. He left the cigar store and paused on the edge of the curb for a gap in the traffic. While he waited, he noticed a girl standing by a nearby bus stop. She immediately attracted his attention: every good-looking girl did. She was a tall, cool-looking blonde with a figure that made him look twice. She had a pert prettiness that appealed to Eddie. He studied her face for a brief moment. Her make-up was good. Her mouth was a trifle large, but Eddie didn’t mind that. He liked the sexy look she had and the sophisticated way she wore her yellow summery dress.
Some dish, he thought I wouldn’t mind being shipwrecked with her.
He crossed the road and entered the drugstore. He shut himself in the telephone booth. Then hanging a handkerchief over the mouthpiece of the telephone to muffle the sound of his voice, he dialed the number he had got from Miss Blandish and waited.
He didn’t have to wait long. A voice said, “Hello? This is John Blandish talking. Who is it, please?”
“Listen carefully, pal,” Eddie said, making his voice hard and tough. “We’ve got your daughter. If you want her back, call off the cops. We want a million dollars for her. Get the money together in used bills, no bill larger than a hundred and put the money in a white suitcase. You’ll get delivery instructions tomorrow. Got all that?”
“Yes.” Blandish’s voice was strained and anxious. “Is she all right?”
“She’s fine and she’ll remain fine just so long as you do what you’re told. If you try anything smart she’s in for a bad time and when I say bad, I mean bad. I don’t have to draw you a blue-print. You can imagine what’ll happen to her before we rub her out. It’s up to you, pal. She’ll be okay just as long as you do what we tell you. If you don’t, you’ll get her back very soiled and very dead!” He slammed down the receiver arid walked quickly out of the drugstore, grinning to himself.
Across the road, as he again waited for a gap in the traffic, he saw the blonde girl still waiting at the bus stop. She glanced at him and then away. Eddie fingered his tie. He thought it was too bad he had to report back to Ma. He crossed the road and again looked at the girl, ready to smile at her, but she wasn’t looking at him. He moved to the cigar store and paused to look back. The girl was coming towards him. He stood waiting. She didn’t look at him. As she passed close to him, a white card fluttered out of her hand and fell at his feet. She neither paused nor looked at him. He stared after her, watching the sensuous movement of her hips, then he picked up the card. On it was scribbled: 243, Palace Hotel, West.
He pushed his hat to the back of his head, surprised. He hadn’t taken the girl for a hooker. He was vaguely disappointed. He looked after her and was in time to see her get into a taxi. He watched the taxi drive away, then he slipped the card under the strap of his wrist watch. Maybe when he had a little more time, he thought, entering the cigar store, he’d call on her.
“All fixed,” he said to Woppy. “Let’s get out of here.”
Woppy finished his drink, paid the barman and the two men walked down the street to where Eddie had parked the Buick. A Ford had just pulled into a parking space across the road. Two powerfully built men were in the car. Both of them were staring at Eddie and Woppy.
“Feds,” Woppy said without moving his lips.
Eddie unlocked the Buick. He could feel cold sweat on his face. They got into the car. Both of them took tremendous care to seem casual. The two men in the Ford still watched them. Eddie started the car and drove into the stream of traffic.
“Don’t look back,” he warned Woppy.
After a few minutes, they relaxed.
“Those punks give me the shakes,” Eddie said. “The less I have to do with them, the better my blood pressure.”
“You can say that again,” Woppy said with feeling. “This town’s crawling with them.”
They arrived back as Flynn was getting out of a battered Dodge. The three men went into Ma’s room.
“Okay?” she asked Flynn.
“Yeah. No trouble at all,” he said. “No one was around. I didn’t even have to get out of the car. He came out to fill my tank; when he had filled it, I let him have it. Nothing to it.”
Ma nodded. She looked at Eddie.
“I told him,” Eddie said. “I didn’t give him a chance to talk back, but he knows what to expect if he starts anything smart. The town’s full of Feds, Ma. The heat’s on good.” He tossed the newspaper onto the table. “Nothing in that we don’t already know. Heinie’s been to the cops. He’s told them Bailey was asking questions about the necklace. The cops are hunting for him and Riley.”
“I reckoned that would happen,” Ma said with her wolfish grin. “So long as they don’t dig up those stiffs, we’ll be in the clear. This is working out right.”
“When the girl’s returned,” Eddie said seriously, “we’ll be in trouble. She’ll talk.”
Ma stared at him.
“What makes you think she’s going to be returned?”
“Yeah.” Eddie shook his head. He glanced at Woppy who grimaced. “Seems a hell of a waste of a woman.”
“To hell with her!” Flynn broke in savagely. “We’ve got to think of ourselves.”
“Who’s going to do it?” Eddie said. “Not me!”
“Nor me,” Woppy said.
“Doc will give her a shot in the arm when she’s asleep,” Ma said. “If he won’t, I will.”
“When?” Flynn asked.
“When I’m good and ready,” Ma snapped. “You leave me to worry about that.”
Eddie sat down and poured himself a drink.
“Say, Ma, let’s have another look at the necklace. I didn’t get a chance to look at it properly.”
“It’s in the safe,” Ma lied. “Some other time.” To change the subject, she asked, “Why don’t one of you lazy slobs get dinner ready?”
Woppy got to his feet.
“Oh, hell! Spaghetti again!” Eddie groaned. “Hey, Flynn, can’t you cook?”
Flynn grinned.
“As good as you,” he said.
Eddie lifted his shoulders in despair.
“What we want around here is a woman.”
“And that’s what you’re not going to have,” Ma said coldly, “Get going, Woppy. I want my dinner.”
Eddie had taken the card he had picked up from under his watch strap. He read the address again. He thought of the girl. He decided he’d call on her that night. He turned the card and noticed for the first time there was a message written on it.
He read the message, then with a startled curse, he jumped to his feet. Written in a feminine hand were the words: What have you done with Frankie Riley?