I sighed and mashed my cigarette out in the ashtray. “All right, I’ll sign my own death warrant. My name’s Lisbon, Kissy Lisbon.”
Ruger looked up from his magazine. “Kissy?”
“Yeah, Kissy.”
“What kind of name is Kissy?”
“What kind of name is Johannes? It’s a name.”
He snorted and went back to reading. A little furrow dented Gottlieb’s forehead, just above the bridge of his nose. “That name means nothing to me. Vhy vere you in Shultz’s house?”
“I’m looking for his fiancée.”
“Vhy? Who is she to you? Vhy do you vant to find her?”
“I have my reasons.”
“Vhich are?”
“My own.”
He sighed. “Alvays you answer questions with answers that are not answers!”
“Yeah, it’s a nasty habit I have. Do you know Kendall?”
“I haff met her, yes.”
My fingers clenched into fists. “Oh, good. Where is she?”
He quirked his mouth into a little smile. “I like you, Fräulein Lisbon, and I vould like you to stay alive so that ve may avoid answering each other’s questions in the future.”
“Awfully nice of you.”
“I need your help to keep you alive. Can that be arranged?”
“Sure, pal.”
“Good. Vhy did you go to see Wexler?”
I rolled my eyes and sighed deeply. “Look, I didn’t go to see Wexler specifically, I just wanted to cash in a marker that I found by Shultz’s body. Folding green is hard to come by, so I take what I can get, where I can get it. I figured Shultz didn’t need it anymore.”
Gottlieb leaned forward, pulled off his spectacles and rubbed his eyes. “Mein Gott! That marker vass a forgery, a plant!”
“So Wexler told me. I bled him for the cash anyway.” I smiled as I patted my jacket pocket.
He placed his lenses back on his face. “That is vhy they followed you. That is vhy they shot at you.”
I frowned. “Huh? For the marker?”
“Richter’s men vere in the room. They had orders to grab the person who tried to cash that marker. They obviously saw you giving the marker to Wexler.”
The expression on Gottlieb’s face would’ve been right at home at a funeral, except that along with sorrow, it showed just a little panic. It made me chuckle. “This thief Wexler mentioned, he must have made off with the mint. How much did he take?”
Gottlieb’s eyeballs slid toward Ruger, who looked up from Black Mask with a jerk. Gottlieb licked his lips slowly, methodically. “Wexler mentioned the thief? What exactly did he say?”
“Only that a thief had been stealing from the Bund. How much did they get away with?” I leaned forward and gave the ashtray a shake, settling the butts and making room for more. My eyes moved from there to Gottlieb. “Well? How much?”
He swallowed hard and licked his lips again. “It’s hard to say for sure, but the damage done vill almost certainly topple the Bund in Cincinnati. Maybe even nationally.”
“Wow.” I stood up and walked around the room, poking here and there amongst the bric-a-brac that passed for decor. “So, how do you boys fit in? Are you the thieves? Was the cash stowed in Hirsch’s safe?”
Gottlieb mashed his cigar in the ashtray. “No. There vass no cash in the safe, only papers.”
“Too bad.” I sat in the chair again and stared right at Gottlieb. “I want to talk to Heloise Kendall. Take me to her.”
“I cannot.”
“Why?”
“Herr Shultz is no more. It is her desire to go away and start over.”
“I want to talk to her before she goes. Will you let me do that?”
He stroked his mustache. “I vill pass your request to her. If she vants to speak to you, she vill. If not, she von’t. Is that fair?”
“Looks like it’ll have to do. How will I get in touch with you?”
He looked toward Ruger for a moment. “You may telephone this room. I vill either be here, or Herr Ruger vill haff a message for you.”
I clapped my hands and rubbed them together. “Well, boys. It looks like it’s time to go!” I gave Norman’s foot a kick and he snorted himself awake. “Come on, Norman. Time to go.”
He rubbed his eyes. “Can we order breakfast first?”
“No.”
Ruger stood. “Give me a moment, and I’ll drive you home.”
I shook my head. “No thanks, Ruger. I’ve had enough of your driving tonight. We’ll take a cab.” He looked offended and sat down to scowl at his magazine again.
Gottlieb rose and escorted us to the door. “Fräulein Lisbon, I hope we are parting as friends?”
“Of course.” I threw him a smile that said otherwise.
“I haff some advice for you Fräulein. Take a vacation, perhaps a long trip to the mountains. That sounds lovely, yes?”
I stuck a cigarette between my lips. “I might take you up on that offer.”
A wide grin spread beneath his lip-whiskers. “I am pleased to hear that. Very pleased indeed.”
“I’ll start packing right after I find Heloise Kendall.” I stuck a match and held it to the tip of the cigarette.
He leaned forward until his face almost touched the cigarette. “I told you I vould try. I haff told you that you are not safe in the city. If you ignore my advice and get yourself killed, it vill not be on my conscience.” We stepped through the door and he locked it behind us.
The operator took us to the ground floor without saying anything, and we left the Aristocrat. It was almost six in the morning, but not a single cab could be found, so we walked.
Norman yawned. “What did you find out?”
“Quite a bit.”
“Good. When are we having breakfast?”
I flipped my cigarette butt at him. “Is that all you think about?”
He rubbed his belly and made a pitiable face. “I’m a just a poor starving boy. Feed me, Kissy.”
That made me laugh, so we stopped at the first open diner we found. I looked over my shoulder for a second as we were going through the door, then pushed Norman through. We took a seat in a secluded corner where there were no windows and we could talk without being overheard.
Norman looked around the room and shook his head. “Why did we sit all the way back here? The waitress’ll never bring us fresh coffee.”
“We have a lot to talk about. And somebody is following us.”
Chapter Twelve
Norman scarfed down his ham and eggs like a man possessed. I watched him with a mixture of awe and disgust. “Ever try chewing?”
“Nope. I heard it’s bad for the digestion.”
“Your stomach must be solid iron.”
“Yeah, it’s great.” He shot a glance around the room. “How much did you lift from that kraut’s desk?”
“Wexler?”
“Yeah.” He shoveled the last of his scrambled eggs into his mouth and swallowed them whole. “You just picked it up and put it in your pocket like it was your own money. He didn’t say a word to stop you.”
“You noticed that too?”
“Yeah.” He slurped his coffee.
“It doesn’t make sense, does it?” I nibbled at my toast.
“None of this mess makes sense to me.”
“Gottlieb said that the thief Wexler mentioned had stolen enough money to bankrupt the Bund in Cincinnati, possibly every chapter in America.”
“So?”
“So if they were hurting for money that badly, why didn’t Wexler stop me from pocketing his cash?”
“Probably because he’s afraid of you.”
“He’s not afraid of me.” I puffed out smoke and considered that. “But Wexler is afraid, that much is true. You could see it on his fat face, but why is he afraid?”
“Well, you pretended to be Weber’s daughter and Weber is a big shot in the Bund, right?”
“Yeah, but Weber’s daughter isn’t Weber himself. And Weber’s in New York.
Could Weber be so powerful that he could have Wexler bumped off so far from New York?” I shook my head. “Seems unlikely.”
“Let me see the money you got. I want to count it.”
I took it out of my pocket and tossed both bundles to him. “Have at it.” I crushed my cigarette out in the graveyard. “I think Wexler is afraid of Richter. Especially since he doesn’t know where Richter is. Richter is squatting right here in Cincy, not so far away as Weber. I think Gottlieb is afraid of Richter too.”
Norman looked up from the cash in his lap. “Do you have any idea how much money is here?”
I shrugged. “A couple of hundred bucks?”
“A thousand!” His voice, as usual carried through the room.
My hand fell from my mouth to the table, almost dropping my smoke. “A grand?”
His grin couldn’t have been broader without the top of his head falling off. “Yep!”
I scooped the cash of the table and secreted it in my pocket. I took a drag and frowned at the tabletop.
“What’s the matter Kissy? Aren’t you happy? That’s a lot of money!”
“Yeah, it’s a bundle, and Wexler didn’t blink when I took it.”
“So?”
“So, it makes me think they aren’t hurting for cash at all. That party looked pretty swanky too, they paid for a band and that tomato singer.”
He nodded. “Yeah, all that couldn’t have been cheap.”
“So, Gottlieb lied to me. The Bund isn’t bankrupt.”
Norman laughed. “So, he lied. Does that surprise you?”
“A little. At the party he warned me about Richter’s men. He’s playing a deep game, and I can’t decide which side he’s on.”
“Which side are we on?”
I peered at him over the rim of my coffee cup. “Our side.”
“That’s what he’d say too.”
That startled me, and I almost remembered why I kept Norman around. “Every now and then you surprise me by saying something intelligent.”
If he’d had a tail, it’d have wagged itself right off. “Thanks, Kissy!”
“You’re right, Gottlieb’s playing his own game, just like we are. He also lied about Kendall.”
“Kendall?”
“I think she’s in it with him. Some of the cigarette butts in the ashtray had lipstick on them.”
“So what? Maybe Gottlieb’s got himself a girlfriend.”
I wrinkled my nose. “Gottlieb doesn’t live there. He didn’t have the keys. He had to knock on the door so Ruger could let him in. I looked around; a woman lives in that room, not a man. I also noticed that he didn’t seem surprised when I brought up Kendall’s name. He knows her well enough to know she’s leaving town. I don’t know how, but he does, and for some reason he doesn’t want her talking to me.”
“Ruger had the keys, so maybe he lives there with a woman. After all, lipstick doesn’t prove that Kendall lives there.”
“True, but Gottlieb knows too much about her intentions. No, he knows her. I’m willing to bet that was her lipstick in the ashtray. She might have even been in the bedroom while we were there.”
“Maybe she’s dating the midget.” He laughed at his own joke.
That made me frown. “Maybe you are.” I snapped my fingers. “Gives me an idea though.”
“Huh?”
“That guy was talking about getting a car. I think we need a car. I want to go see Nicky today.” I glanced at the clock on the wall. “He’ll be open in a few minutes.”
Norman plunked down his mug. “No. Kissy, no.”
I laughed at his obvious discomfort. “Why not? He’s open on Sundays, and we need a car; Nicky can get us one.”
“I don’t care. We can get a car someplace else. Besides, he said he wouldn’t lend us a car anymore, after you crashed up the last one.”
“I didn’t crash it. It only had a few scratches on it.”
“And a bashed in fender.”
“Yeah, and that.”
“And two flat tires.”
“Shut up, Norman. Besides, I don’t want to borrow a car. I want to buy one.” I patted the pocket where Wexler’s money slept.
He made a face. “Fine, just not Nicky. Please?”
“Why not?”
“You know why. He ... he likes me.”
I fought to keep my laughter bottled up. “That’s why we’re going to him. We might get a better deal if you flirt a little.”
His voice rose. “I’m not flirting with him!” The few people in the diner leaned to see us and Norman’s face took on a cheery crimson that finally broke my control and I belted out a belly laugh, loudly and without restraint. Good to let Norman know what it feels like to be on the receiving end of a big mouth.
I stood up and shrugged into my jacket and seated my hat. “It’s settled. We’ll go there now, before I fall over.”
When we got outside I scanned the street for our tail, but I didn’t see him. The bustle on the street had increased as folks made their way to breakfast or church, which I figured made him hard to spot. It would make us hard to follow as well. I hailed a cab and we took off.
Norman pouted in sulky silence during the ride to ‘Nicholas Orlando Automobile Sales and Service’ not far from the river. We barely stepped out of the cab before Nicky’s slicked back black hair and enormous toothy grin came lilting out to meet us. “Kissy! So sweet to see you!” He pulled me into a hug and planted a kiss on my cheek. “And Norman, all dressed up and so handsome!” Norman moved just a heartbeat too slow, and Nicky caught him in an embrace and gave him a kiss on the cheek as well. “You’re both looking well!”
I made a show of looking him up and down. “Still using motor oil in your hair, I see.”
“Still buying your suits off the rack, I see.” He pursed his lips together and gave me a sly, sideways glance, and we both burst into laughter. “Come in, come in! We need to catch up!”
He ushered us across the lot and into the brick building that served as his office. He sat in a swivel chair behind a cluttered desk, Norman and I sat in stout wooden chairs opposite him. He slid a French cigarette into a long ebony holder and lit it. “Now, darlings, what can I do for you?” He puffed out a blue jet of smoke and winked at Norman.
“I need a car, Nicky.”
His smile fell onto his desk. “I was afraid of that. Look, Kissy, I love you like a sister, but ...”
I interrupted him. “I want to buy a car, Nicky. Buy.”
He leaned back and crossed his legs. “Oh. I see.”
“I have cash.”
He brightened. “Indeed?” His teeth reappeared. “My, my, my, my, my. We have been prospering.”
I leaned forward and picked a lighter off the desk. “I have money, but I want a deal.” I lit my smoke and inhaled tobacco.
“Of course, sweetness, would I do less for you?” He sucked on his cigarette and shot me an oily grin.
“Nicky, you know what I mean. I want a good deal.”
“How good of a deal?” His lips fell over his teeth again.
“Behind the garage good.”
He puffed in silence for a moment, then suddenly stood up. “Oh, what the hell. Let’s go see what we have.” He led us through the back door and around the garage where his attendants changed oil and greased axles. Four cars sat in a row, all gleaming with fresh paint.
I walked around them slowly. “Where did they come from?”
“Indianapolis, I think. They’ve all been repainted. Untraceable, I assure you.”
Norman frowned and pointed to a little white convertible. “Isn’t that a Crosley?”
Nicky put his arm over Norman’s shoulders and led him toward the car. “Absolutely! You have an eye for cars, Normie!”
He looked at me with trapped, pleading eyes. I puckered my lips and jabbed my head toward Nicky. Norman’s eyes bulged, but then Nicky opened the Crosley’s door and shoved Norman into the driver’s seat. “Built right here in Cincinnati, so nobody will think
it strange to see one here.” He plunked down in the passenger seat and sat smiling at Norman.
A green Chrysler sedan caught my eye. “This one run okay?”
“Like eggs in coffee, sweetness.” He grinned and patted Norman’s knee. Norman gave a jerk and scrambled to get out of the Crosley. Nicky, still grinning like a loon, came to stand next to me. He fished a ring of keys out of his pocket and handed one to me. “Fire it up.”
I slid behind the wheel and started the engine. It roared to life and idled smoothly. Nicky leaned in and brought his teeth with him. “What do you think, darling?”
“How much?”
He started to rub his chin.
“I mean how much did you pay for it, Nicky?”
He stood up and heaved a great, exasperated sigh in my direction. “$250.”
“Fine. I’ll give you $300.”
He closed his eyes and rubbed little circles into his temples. “That’s a ‘41 Chrysler Royal, Kissy. I can get a grand outta her.”
“Yeah, but you paid $250 for her, and I’m gonna pay you $300 for her.”
He jerked his thumb toward the Crosley. “I’ll sell you that one for $300.”
“Nah, I want this one.” I shut off the engine and pulled they key out of the ignition. “I like the color. Do we have a deal, Nicky?”
I could see the ‘no’ lurking behind his lips, but he suddenly laughed and slapped his hand on top of the car. “You’ll be the death of me, Kissy Lisbon!” He started for the office again. “Come inside and we’ll fill out the paperwork. Coming, Normie?”
Norman crammed his hands into his pockets. “No, uh, I’ll wait out here.”
Nicky blew him a kiss and we went inside. He sat at his desk and lit another cigarette. He took a puff and shook his head. “I see Norman still thinks I’m making woo at him.”
“He’s terrified of you.”
Nicky laughed through smoke. “Oh, sweet Norman. Haven’t you told him he’s not my type?”
“I didn’t want to break his heart.”
We laughed together.
He dug through a file cabinet and brought out a sheaf of paper. “Okay, who are you this week? Or do you just want me to put ‘Kissy Lisbon’ on the paperwork?”
“Put Eva Weber on it.”
“Eva Weber? Who’s that?”
“Just a name.”
Big Shots and Bullet Holes Page 9