Never Love a Stranger (54 page)

I moved towards a chair and sat down. “What are you going to do?” he asked.

“Finish your hand.” I picked it up—not a bad hand either: Straight flush in spades.

Chapter Sixteen
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I
WATCHED
Moishe walk towards the exit. At the door he turned and half waved his hand to me in a sort of farewell. I watched him a moment, then nodded. He turned and walked out.

I looked at the two hoods, Flix was beginning to show a little interest in things. He picked up his head.

I looked at him. “How long you been with Fennelli?” I asked. “I don’t know the guy,” was his answer.

“Who told you to pick up Moscowits then?”

“A guy slipped me five C’s on a street corner and fingered him for me.”

I scoffed at that. “Don’t give me that crap! A geister like you don’t work without a cover.”

He didn’t answer.

“Who got you out on that gun charge?” “My lawyer,” he answered.

We sat there silently for a while, just staring at one another. Flix was stewing something over in his mind. I knew by watching him that it wouldn’t take long in breaking out. All I had to do was wait for it.

It came sooner than I thought.

A flame seemed to burn bright in his eyes. “Why’d yuh kill my sister?” he asked.

I smiled and could see he didn’t like that. I smiled, anyway. “I didn’t kill her. I didn’t know she was your sister. And if she was your sister, why did you drag her into that racket?”

He didn’t answer.

“I didn’t kill your sister,” I continued, “but I know who did. Maybe we can swap some dope?”

He knew what I meant. He thought about that a few minutes. “Maybe we can,” he finally answered.

I leaned forward. This was beginning to look promising. “Well?” I asked, “start talking.”

He opened his mouth, but a creak from the front door stopped him. He turned his head on one side and listened.

I was listening too. I heard voices from the door. I stepped back from the light and drew my gun. The gun was nice and warm and cosy in my hand. I held my finger to my lips. The voices came closer.

I saw who it was: Fennelli, Riordan and Taylor. All they needed was a few more men and they would have a quorum. They were talking as they came up. They entered the room.

Flix had turned his face to them; the other guy still sat in the chair. He didn’t know what the hell to do he was so scared.

Fennelli still didn’t see me; I was well behind the light. “Moishe,” he said.

I stepped around the light in front of him. I still held the gun in my hand. “Moishe had to go out of town,” I said. “I’m sitting in for him.”

Silk didn’t bat an eyelash. “Geeze, Frank, I’m glad to see you! I’ve been trying to locate you all afternoon. Moishe was trying to give us the slip.”

I smiled. It was almost funny. “So you were going to stop him for me?” My voice was cold.

“Yeah,” he answered.

“And you brought a couple of the boys over to see him when you couldn’t get ahold of me?”

“That’s right, Frank.”

That was malarkey from away back! He had the guy since last night, and I saw him just this morning. If he wanted to level he had plenty of time to do it. I stood there silently.

He began to shift a little. His eyes wandered around the room.

I just kept looking at him. Suddenly I did something I had wanted to do for weeks. I reversed the gat in my hands and swiped him across the face with it. He went down to his hands and knees, his hands fumbling in the armpits of his coat.

I waited until he got his gun in his hand before I kicked it out. He was looking up at me, his face white. I ignored him and walked over and picked up his gun and dropped it in my pocket.

I walked around the table and sat down in the chair and looked over at Taylor and Riordan. “How do you two figure on this?”

Taylor answered. “We don’t know anything about it, Frank. Silk just told us he had something for us to see.”

I looked at them. They seemed to be straight enough. “Sit down,” I said, waving my gun at them. “We got things to talk about.”

They sat down. I looked down at Silk. He was still on the floor. “You, too!” I said. He got off the floor and sat down in a chair.

Flix was standing behind Fennelli. I looked at the two of them. “Flix was going to tell me something when you boys came in.”

Flix didn’t talk.

I leaned forward and stared at him. “I told you I knew who killed your kid sister. Only one other person besides you and myself knew about what happened that night you set me up for the frame. That was Fennelli. I went to his place right after it happened and told him the story. He promised to keep an eye open for the gees that did it.” I paused for a moment. “I don’t have to tell any more, do I?”

Flix stared at me savagely. His eyes were smouldering in the light. Suddenly he reached down and placed his hands around Fennelli’s neck and began to choke him.

Silk’s hands struggled vainly trying to pry Flix’s fingers from his throat. I sat there quietly watching. Silk’s face turned red, and as his struggles lessened, his face began to turn blue.

I decided Flix had gone far enough. I didn’t want him to kill the guy, just educate him

a little. “O.K., Flix,” I said, “that’s enough.” Flix kept right on with his job.

I raised the gun and pointed it at Flix’s face. “I said enough, Flix,” I spoke gently.

Flix dropped his hands and stood there tensely. Silk slumped forward on the table: he was out cold.

I spoke to Taylor. “Get Silk some water.”

Taylor got up and went around to a water cooler, took a little paper cup from the rack, and brought it over to Silk. He stood there looking foolishly at me.

I looked at Taylor and grinned. I got out of my seat and went over to the cooler. I hoisted the whole water bottle out of the cabinet and went over to Silk and dumped half of it on him.

He came to when the water hit him. He made some unintelligible noises with his mouth, but his throat was too sore for him to speak. His clothes were dripping wet, but he was sitting up.

I put the water bottle on the floor beside me and spoke quietly. “I want you boys to listen carefully. I gave Moishe the O.K. to quit. When you guys reach his age, which you won’t if you don’t play it straight with me, you can quit too. It’ll be your privilege then. Until that time just remember who’s boss.”

I looked at them. They didn’t answer. I spoke again. “Now beat it and take Silk with yuh and get him to a doctor. I don’t want him catchin’ cold or anything.”

The punk that had been with Flix was the first out the door. The others followed a few seconds later—that is, all except Flix.

He stood there watching me. “What do you want?” I asked.

He smiled suddenly. There wasn’t much warmth in it, but there was respect. “You’re a hard guy,” he said.

“Hard guys come a dime a dozen,” I answered. “Not the way you come,” he said.

I looked at him. He was fishing for something—I wondered what. I didn’t answer. If he wanted something let him ask.

He did. “I’m lookin’ for opportunity,” he said.

I tossed his gun across the table to him. He caught it and slipped it into his pocket and watched me.

I was thinking rapidly. The time had come for me to put a guy like that to good use. There were too many things going on to be smart about. I spoke slowly. “I need a guy who doesn’t blow his topper in a corner, who doesn’t let personal things affect his action.”

“I’m a worker,” he said, “not a hop-head. I do what I’m told; that’s my stock in trade.”

I began to smile. This would give Silk something to think about. “You got a job,” I said.

For two centuries a week I had me a bodyguard.

Chapter Seventeen
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T
HE
next morning I called Joe Price. When he answered the phone I began talking. “Look, Joe,” I said, “I was all snarled up when you called yesterday, and want you to go over that deal you were telling me about.”

He repeated the proposition.

I listened carefully. It sounded all right to me. “Do you have to be around there for a while?” I asked.

“I should be,” he answered. “Why, is anything wrong?”

“No,” I said, “but there’s something I want you to do, and I’d like you to get back here right away.”

“I’ll be in on Sunday,” he answered. Good boy! He didn’t ask questions.

“O.K.,” I told him. “Come up to the hotel as soon as you get in.” I put the phone down and pressed the buzzer.

Miss Walsh answered. “Send Powell in,” I said.

Flix came in the door. It was the first time he had ever been in the office. He looked around, and I could see he was impressed with the layout. I told him to sit down.

I grinned at him, “How’re yuh feelin’?”

His face was a little swollen, but he smiled back at me. “Not too bad.”

He sat back quietly while I told him what I wanted. From now on everyone that was going to see me would have to see him first, at the office and at the house. I arranged with the hotel to give him the room next to my apartment and to send everyone up to him first, even after checking with me. At the office he would sit at a desk in Miss Walsh’s office, which was right outside my door.

When I finished I asked him if he had any questions. He had none, so I sent him out. I leaned back in my chair for a moment, thinking. If I knew Silk his next try would be to bump me off. There wouldn’t be anything half-hearted about it, either. The only way for me to keep alive was to be one step ahead of him—or have him bumped. And I didn’t want to do that. I had much better plans for the son-of-a-bitch.

I leaned forward and dialled Ruth’s number on the private phone. She answered: “Hello.”

“Hello, darling,” I replied.

“I had to call you,” I said, quickly. “I wanted to hear your voice.”

Her laugh came rippling over the phone. “I wanted to speak to you, too. I wanted you to repeat what you said last night. I just can’t believe you mean it.”

“I mean it, baby,” I said. “I love you. Did you get my flowers?” I had sent her a corsage of orchids that morning.

“Yes,” she answered. “They were lovely.”

A few more words and we hung up. I felt good and pitched into the work on my desk, humming.

That evening I went over to see her. I imagine Flix got pretty cold waiting downstairs in the car for me until two o’clock in the morning, but he didn’t say anything when I finally showed up.

Sunday morning at eleven Joe Price showed up. He looked at me questioningly when he first saw Flix. I told Flix I didn’t need him, and when he left the room I brought Price up to date on what had happened.

He whistled. “I see what you meant when you said you were all tied up. What do you want me to do?”

I let him have both barrels. “I want to pull out. This isn’t going to last much longer, and I have other plans. Do you think you could rig the books and records so that my name comes off everything except the door?”

He thought for a moment, then he nodded. “How long would it take?”

“A few weeks of night and day work,” he answered. “But we’d have to set somebody else’s name up on it or it wouldn’t look kosher.”

“I got that all figured,” I said. “We’ll use Fennelli.”

“I don’t get it.” He was puzzled. “How does Fennelli figure in on this? I thought he was out to get you.”

“He still is.” I smiled. “But he wants the business too. Well, I’m going to give it to him.

Only he doesn’t know it yet.”

“O.K.,” he said. “It’s a little too much for me to follow, but I’ll do it. When do you want me to start?”

“Today,” I said, “after we eat breakfast.”

I dropped Joe Price off at the office to give him a chance to look things over. Then I drove over to Ruth’s place and picked her up.

“How about a drive in the country?” I suggested.

She nodded and went for her hat and coat. I wondered what she would say when she saw Flix. I would have to explain that to her without worrying her too much. But we spent a swell day, anyway.

We drove up to Bear Mountain and had dinner at the inn, strolled around the place, then drove leisurely back to town.

It was June 10th before Joe came into my office rubbing his hand with obvious satisfaction. I looked up at him. “Well,” I asked, “how’s it going?”

He smiled down at me. “It’s finished, all done.”

“Good!” I said. “Now hop a plane out to the plant and get busy out there. I want you to buy a house for me and have it furnished by the beginning of next month. I’m going to move in then.”

“Hell, Frankie,” he said, “a thing like that takes more time than doctoring a set of books!”

“Get the best interior decorator in the section on the job. The house doesn’t have to be too large; about six rooms will be enough. Pay whatever you think necessary to have it done. Get someone out there on the job and be back here by the day after tomorrow. I’ll need you.”

“O.K., Frank,” he said, starting for the door. “But don’t you want to look at the books before I go?”

I got out of my seat and walked around towards him. “Do I have to?” I asked. “The less I know about them the better right now. Besides, I don’t know a damn thing about them, if you say they’re O.K., they’re O.K.”

“I did what you wanted,” he said.

“That’s good enough for me.” I smiled. “Now—on your way, pal! There’s no time to lose. I got to get busy.”

I turned and went back to the desk. Joe was at the door now and I looked over at him. “Thanks, Joe,” I said.

He smiled and went out.

I picked up the phone and called Jerry Cowan.

Chapter Eighteen
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A
FTER
my call went through about two secretaries, Jerry finally got on the phone. “Jerry,” I said, “this is Frank Kane. Are you free this afternoon? I want to see you.” “Come over here,” he answered.

“I can’t go to your office, but this is important and I want to see you alone.” “Where can we meet?” he asked.

“I’ll pick you up on the Jersey side of the George Washington Bridge at four o’clock this afternoon. Plan to have dinner with me because what I’ve got to say will take a little time.”