Slim suddenly spat in the fireplace.
“Talk!” he said in disgust. “That’s all you do. Talk!” He went over to the couch and lay down on it. He started to read the comics.
“That’s not so hot, Ma,” Eddie said. “I was expecting a split of two hundred grand.”
Ma laughed.
“I dare say you were.”
“What’s the split then?” Woppy asked looking anxious.
“Each of you is getting three hundred dollars,” Ma said, “and not a dollar more.”
“You kidding? Three hundred bucks?” Eddie said, his face turning red. “What is this?”
“That’s your spending money,” Ma said. “Each of you is entitled to one hundred thousand dollars, but you’re not getting it. I know you boys. If you got your hands on money that size, you’d make a splash that would put the Feds onto you in a week. You couldn’t resist throwing your money around. That’s the way most hoods get caught. They just can’t resist flashing their bankroll and the Feds know it.” She pointed her finger at Eddie. “What story would you tell the Feds if they asked you where you got all your sudden money from? Go on, tell me.”
Eddie started to say something, then stopped. He was quick to see Ma was talking sense.
“You’re right, Ma. This is a hell of a thing, isn’t it? I thought I was going to be rich.”
“Now I’ll tell you what’s going to happen to the money,” Ma said. “We’re going into business. For years now I’ve been wanting to go into business. You boys are going to handle it for me. I’m going to buy the Paradise Club. It’s on the market. We’ll redecorate it, get girls, a good band and we’ll make money. With half a million bucks, we’ll be able to turn the joint into something high class. I’m sick of running a small time gang. We’re moving into big time. From now on, we’re going to be in business. How do you like it?”
The four men relaxed. Slim was the only one who wasn’t listening. He continued to read the comics.
Doc said, “You certainly got a brain in that head of yours, Ma. I’m for it.”
“Me too,” Eddie said. “It’s a swell idea.”
“Suits me,” Flynn said.
“You going to have a restaurant, in the club, Ma?” Woppy asked. “Could I cook?”
Ma grinned.
“You can cook, Woppy. We each will own a fifth of the club’s profits. You’ll all be in the money and you’ll have a reason for being in the money.”
“Wait a minute,” Eddie said. “Suppose the Feds want to know how you financed the deal. What then?”
“That’s taken care of. Schulberg will say he lent me the money. That’s part of the deal.”
“You’ve certainly thought of everything,” Eddie said. “When do we start, Ma?”
“Right away,” Ma said. “The sooner the better. I’ll buy the club tomorrow.”
Flynn said, “And now there’s the girl to be got rid of. Have you talked to Doc about her yet? And where are we going to bury her?”
The genial atmosphere exploded into pieces. Ma stiffened. She went white and then red. Doc’s beaming smile slipped off his face. He looked as if he was going to faint. Slim dropped the newspaper and half sat up, his yellow eyes gleaming.
“Bury her?” Slim said. “What do you mean? Talk to Doc about what?” He swung his feet to the ground.
“Nothing,” Ma said quickly. She looked as if she could kill Flynn.
Eddie decided this was the opportunity for a showdown.
“Just what is going to happen to the girl, Ma?” he asked, edging away from Slim who had got to his feet.
Ma hesitated, but she realized this was no time to back down. Without looking at Slim, she said, “She’s got to go. She knows too much. When she’s asleep...”
“Ma!”
Slim’s voice, slightly high pitched, made them all look at him. He was glaring at his mother, his yellow eyes smouldering.
“What is it?” the old woman asked. She felt a chill of fear around her heart.
“She belongs to me,” Slim said, speaking slowly and distinctly. “No one touches her unless they want to reckon with me first. She belongs to me and I’m keeping her.”
“Look, Slim, don’t be foolish,” Ma said. She spoke with difficulty. Her mouth felt dry. “We can’t keep her. It’s too dangerous. She’s got to go.”
Slim suddenly kicked a chair out of his way. His knife jumped into his hand. Woppy and Doc hurriedly backed away from Ma, leaving her to face Slim alone. She stiffened as Slim began slowly to move towards her.
“Then you’ll reckon with me,” he said viciously. “Do you want me to cut your throat, you old cow? If you touch her — if anyone touches her — I’ll cut you to pieces!”
Eddie slid his gun into his hand. Ma saw the move.
“Put that gun up!” she said hoarsely. She was terrified Eddie was going to shoot her son.
Slim turned on Eddie who backed away.
“You hear me?” Slim screamed. “She’s mine! I’m keeping her! No one’s touching her!”
He stared around at each of them in turn, then he went out, slamming the door behind him.
There was a long pause. Ma was pale. She went slowly to her chair and sat down. She looked suddenly old.
Eddie and Flynn exchanged glances. Eddie shrugged and made for the door. Flynn followed him out of the room.
Woppy, sweating, sat on the couch and pretended to look at the comics. Doc poured himself a stiff drink. The silence in the room was painful.
Slim stood at the head of the stairs, listening. He grinned to himself. At last he had shown his power. He had scared them all. From now on, he was going to have his rightful place in the gang. Ma was going to take second place. He looked down the passage at Miss Blandish’s room. It was time he stopped sitting by her night after night. He must show her he wasn’t only master of his mother, but master of her too.
He started down the passage, his yellow eyes gleaming. He took the key out of the lock after unlocking the door. He went into the room and locked the door.
Miss Blandish watched him come across the room. She saw his new confidence and she guessed what it was to mean to her.
Shuddering, she shut her eyes.
Part three
Chapter fourteen
Across the frosted panel of the door ran the legend:
The lettering was in black and recently painted.
The door led into a small, well-furnished office with a desk, two lounging chairs, a good Oriental carpet and wall shelves full of law books recently acquired and never opened.
David Fenner lounged in the desk chair, his feet on the desk. He was staring blankly up at the ceiling. He had the air of a man with nothing to do and all the time in the world to do it in.
Fenner was a massively built man of thirty-three. He was dark, with an attractively ugly face and a pugnacious jaw of a man who likes to get his own way and generally does.
A door to the left of the desk led into the outer office. A wooden barrier divided this room. One side was reserved for waiting clients; the other side was the general office presided over by, Paula Dolan, an attractive girl with raven black wavy hair, large suggestive blue eyes and a figure that Fenner declared was the only asset of value in the newly established business.
Paula sat before an idle typewriter, thumbing through the pages of a lurid magazine called Love. From time to time, she yawned and her eyes continually strayed to the wall clock. The time was twenty minutes after three.
The buzzer sounded on her desk, making her start. She put down the magazine and walked into the inner office.