The Men From the Boys

by Ed Lacy

  She shook her head. “It won't mean nothing unless you buy it, even if it comes from the dime store. Let me pet back to Agnes—she's jittery. Hey, who's the scouts we got here with short pants?”

  “Couple of health nuts. They ain't got a buck between them, so leave them alone. Don't work too hard, honey.”

  I put the keys back on the office rack, went to my room. I set the alarm for seven in the morning, took another shower, and went to bed. I felt good, like my old self. I wondered if I was being overcautious, but then I didn't want my boy Smith to find out I didn't know a thing, and lay off me. Although Lande would be bait any time I wanted Bob to come running—if it was Bob. Only it had to be him, and he'd do that little favor for me. I wanted a cigarette and a shot, decided to hell with it, dropped off into a deep sleep.

  About a half hour later the phone buzzed and I had to jerk myself up a thousand yards of good sleep before I managed to sit up, growl, “What the hell you want?”

  Dewey said, “A guy just registered.”

  “So what?”

  “You off your noggin, Marty? Didn't you tell me to let you know if anybody registered?”

  “All right, all right, this a new customer?”

  “Never saw him before. Well dressed.”

  “Where is he?”

  “Room 431. Name is Al Berger. In from Stamford City. No baggage and paid in advance, of course.”

  I dressed, wore my gun, and went up and knocked on 431. A young guy, lean build, opened the door—the type that could be anything. He had his coat and tie off, and his white shirt was damp with sweat. There was a shadow of a line running across his chest—the kind of indentation the strap from a shoulder holster could make. He looked me over coolly, asked, “What do you want?”

  “I'm the house dick—want to be sure everything is okay,” I said, pushing the door open, spinning him around and bending his arm up behind his back before he knew what the play was.

  He sort of yelled, “What the hell is this?” He was so damn scared I knew I'd made a wrong move. But I had to bluff it out or he could sue the Grover, although I didn't know why I should care, so I snapped, “Got a license to carry a gun?”

  “What gun?”

  “That's a holster crease across your shirt.”

  “A what? I... oh, for... that's from the strap of my gadget case. It's on the bed.”

  I glanced over at the bed and there was one of those leather bags camera nuts sport their gear in. I gave him a quick frisk, let him go. He rubbed his arm for a second, then pulled out his wallet, showed me a card in some photographers' society, then an announcement that the society was meeting in New York City.

  “Sorry, Mr. Berger, I made a mistake. But we run a respectable hotel and I have to...”

  “I know how respectable—a girl solicited me in the hallway a few minutes ago!”

  “I'll correct that. You see, you look like a guy that caused trouble here once before. No harm done. I apologize, Mr. Berger,” I said, crawfishing out of the room.

  Kenny took me down to the main floor. I wondered what in hell I was so jumpy about—even if it was Bob, he would only be mildly curious about me. But if he was tailing me ...

  The door to my room was ajar and I couldn't remember if I'd left it closed or not. I sure was losing my touch. I stood there for a moment wondering if I should take my gun out—I was only in this to stop a slug. But I'd talked myself into getting Bob Smith at the same time, if I could.

  I took the gun out of the holster, put it in my pocket as I inched the door open. Harold was sitting on my bed, smoking a pipe and reading the morning paper. I asked, “What you doing in my room?”

  He didn't look up, merely nodded as he muttered, “Your door was open, Marty. I knew you wouldn't be in the sack so early. Not yet midnight.”

  I closed the door. He kept on reading the paper. Harold didn't look like a pimp, although “few look like the movie version; the greasy joker with an evil handsome face. I always figured all pimps as part queer.

  Harold didn't even go for sharp clothes. He was a fat, thick-necked guy who looked like a longshoreman. He was wearing a crumpled white sport shirt and cheap slacks, blue canvas shoes. The only thing queer about him was his long dark hair which he kept wet and carefully brushed, every hair in place. Of course Harold was also queer for expensive cars.

  I walked over to the bed and he folded the paper, started in with, “Marty, we got us a sweet little racket here, quiet and hidden away. Everybody is taken care of—be silly for any of us to spoil it or...”

  “Barbara call you?”

  “That Barbara acting up? Giving you any trouble? King called me. He was upset.”

  “Tell him to lay off me. Also tell your mudkickers to stop soliciting in the hallways. Kenny and Dewey get them enough business. And quit socking Barbara—black eyes don't look good in the romance racket. Now, get out, I'm sleepy.”

  “No rush, Marty old man, we haven't talked for a...”

  “Where do you get off, old-manning me?” I said, hooking him in the belly with my right. I may have lost my touch, but my punch was still there—Harold shot off the other side of the bed, landed on his head, and did a clumsy somersault before he spread out on the carpet. His fat mouth was fish-spread, fighting for air. I was waiting for him to sit up so I could clip him again—for Barbara—but I decided that would only make the jerk beat her more. I had a better idea.

  Taking the scissors from the bathroom, I cut off as much of his hair as I could, a chunk here, a chunk there, while he moaned, “No...! Aw, Marty.... No!” I didn't know which was hurting him more, his belly or the sight of the hair on the floor.

  “Harold, it's easier on-your puss and my hands than if I belted you around. Now, stay the hell out of my room, out of my way.” I dragged him up by one shoulder, dumped him in the hallway, locked the door. Making sure the alarm was set, I undressed and dropped off into a fine sleep.

  I didn't need any alarm to get me up at seven—I was up before that, coughing and sneezing, running a temperature, with the worst damn summer cold I ever had.

  My head was stuffed, and my eyes and nose running. Between sneezes, as I dressed, I got down a fine hooker of rye and almost laughed—my gut felt fine and my mouth was sweet—so I was probably dying of pneumonia!

  It was dawn outside and Sam wasn't open yet. The streets were almost deserted, only a few cars parked, and I slowly walked my sniffles over to Hamilton Square. I bought some paper handkerchiefs and a box of cough drops in a cigar store, certain I wasn't being followed. I had some Java, eggs and bacon, then took a cab over to the middle of Twelfth Street. I got out and walked slowly toward Fifth Avenue. The street was asleep. No car nor man followed me. I got another cabbie, had him take me up to Twenty-third Street, then downtown. I took a plant behind some parked trailers, watching Lande's place, eating the box of cough drops and wiping my nose every few minutes.

  I was still there at nine—not sure Lande would show. I bought some oranges from a guy with a pushcart and felt better. My fever seemed gone and except for my running nose, I felt pretty good.

  At a quarter to ten an old station wagon parked in front of the meat store and Lande got out. He was halfway across the sidewalk when he saw the hole in his door. He ran into the store.

  Exactly eleven minutes later he rushed out and looked up and down the street—for a cop—then dashed back into the store. A few minutes later a radio car came screaming to a stop and two cops jumped out.

  I walked away, stopped for a hot dog and bottle of soda, then went up to Sam's. I felt a little foolish. I'd been certain Lande wouldn't call the cops.

  I wondered what I'd done with the cereal—for I felt I was acting like a junior G-man with a box-top badge.

  Five

  Sam gave me penicillin tablets and a slug of medicine that tasted like stale Scotch. “That will knock it out, Marty. If it doesn't, see a doctor. You got yourself a real cold. I... uh... trust you've been careful with those sleeping pills.”r />
  “Threw them away. You're right, Sam, why mess with that stuff.”

  The relief almost oozed over Sam's heavy face. “That was smart. Go back to the hotel and get some sleep. Best thing for a cold. You look awful sad.”

  “I don't feel exactly overbright,” I said.

  He started gabbing about a fight he'd watched on TV the night before. I didn't listen, for in the back of my head I had this feeling something was out of place.

  “... There's this big muscle-bound dope with his knees buckling. Instead of staying away, what does he do but come in. Wham! He's clipped again by the right and it's all over. I'm telling you, Marty, pugs today don't know their business.”

  “Yeah, it's always easier to know what to do when you're outside the ring,” I told him. “I remember...” All of a sudden I felt good—Lande had played it the way I figured, after all! The damn cold must have had me groggy—it was eleven minutes before he came out of the shop, looked for a cop. Then he went back in and phoned the police. That meant he'd called somebody else first, had been told to call the cops.

  It fitted—I was still in business—even if I didn't know what business.

  “As you were saying ...?”

  “Nothing, except sometimes it's tough to think in the clinches. I'll see you, Sam.”

  I was in business but still in the dark about the link between the syndicate and a small-timer like Lande. I went back to see the driver again. He was packing a truck, told me to wait a few minutes. He was wearing what looked like a motorcycle racer's lined leather hat, only it was too big for him and he looked like the comic in an old burlesque.

  He was busy taking slabs of fat out of the freezer and when he finished he said, “I got about ten minutes for talk,” and pulled off the hat, ran a comb through his thick hair. He looked at the comb, said, “Lousy hat is dirty.”

  “Hot for a hat,” I said, wiping my nose.

  He laughed. “I feel for you. Nothing as uncomfortable as a summer cold. And the freezer is the place to get one. Stay in there for a few minutes without a hat and you'll get yourself a hell of a cold. Some of the brain juices freeze.”

  “Stop it. You mean you shake your noggin and hear the icicles rattle?”

  “I sure do mean it,” this Lou said. “Guys that work in the freezer keep every part of them covered, including a muffler over their faces. Let me take you in, show you how cold it is.”

  “I believe you. What they need a freezer for? Special meats that won't keep in the icebox?” I asked, and I had a fair idea what the link was—the punks must have been reading too many detective yarns. This was an old gimmick, although I'd never heard of it being actually used except in the movies and books.

  “Look, you buy a case of turkeys or a side of beef, whatever it is, it don't move. After a few days in the icebox the meat starts getting 'slick'—a little slimy. It's about a day from turning. You toss it in the freezer, keep it till you get a call for turkeys.”

  “Freezing make them any better?”

  “No better, no worse. Soon as they thaw out they're as good as they were when you put them in. We keep them covered in bags so the skin won't get a freezer burn. Before they had freezers, the butchers were forced to buy carefully or throw out...”

  “All right, Lou,” I cut in, “I'll never be in the meat business. Tell me, has Willie been around to see you since we last talked?”

  Franconi shook his head. “Should he have?”

  “Yes and no. I'll level with you, Lou. I been fishing and not coming up with anything. Looks like my hunch has worn thin.”

  “Like I told you, Willie hasn't the iron to be crooked. How's the cop that was slugged?”

  “He'll live. Do any ship stewards buy supplies from Lande? He's right on the water front.”

  Lou grinned. “Mister, you ain't even warm. Supplying ships is real big business. Willie would give both arms to be able to get in that.”

  “Lande have any sailor friends? Maybe from the old country, dropping in to visit him?”

  “Willie had no time for any friends. What's all this salt air about?”

  “Like I said, fishing. I thought Willie might be mixed up in a dope deal.”

  “Pal, you're way off base.”

  “How do you know—for sure? He could have a hundred grand worth of heroin in a box smaller than a canned ham.”

  “It ain't like that, mister. Aside from Willie not going in for phony deals, I'm with him all morning, part of the afternoon. And every other night I sweep and mop down the joint—ain't a spot in the shop I ain't cleaned. I even help him with the books. He couldn't hide anything from me. I'm like a partner, except for the dough. If I ever hit a horse or a number I'm going to suggest to Willie we become real partners.”

  “Suggest it to his wife—Willie may not be around too long. What about the wife—any boy friends?”

  “You ain't ever seen Bebe, or you wouldn't ask that. All spread and a yard wide. Lucky she has Willie.”

  “Well, thanks, Lou. Remember, keep your mouth shut about our little talks.”

  “They couldn't beat a word out of me.”

  “Don't be too sure of that. That's why I want you not to tell anybody about our talks. Maybe I'll see you again.”

  “My wife gives the kid a lot of brown sugar in warm milk for a cold—try it. How did you get yours?”

  “It was so hot last night I stuck my head in the ice-cube tray,” I cornballed, walking up the street. I hadn't gone a hundred yards when I got that old feeling I was being followed, like a hound dog striking a scent. This street was a cinch for a shadow. It was full of cars and trucks and people.

  I dropped into a candy store, phoned Bill Ash. After we said it was a hell of a hot day and I found out how Lawrence was—he was up and around in a wheel chair—Bill said, “Got something in your mouth—voice sounds funny.”

  “All I got in my mouth is a lousy cold. Bill, will you humor an ancient cop and put a tail on a Lou Franconi? He's Lande's driver and working now at the Bay Meat Company, a wholesale outfit. And do it fast.”

  “Is it okay if I ask why?”

  “I'm sure somebody is tailing me, and like a clown I just led the tail to Franconi. We did a lot of talking out on the sidewalk. He's a nice kid and I don't want to see him slugged. Only need a man on him for a day or two.”

  “Still playing cop, Marty?”

  “Aha, and the game's getting interesting.”

  “I got something that should interest you. Your buddy Lande's shop was broken into last night. You playing burglar too?”

  “Why should I bust into his store? Too hot to eat meat. Anyway, he was only taken for a canned ham and a tongue. Bill, you going to put a man on the kid—right now?”

  “Okay, but it seems like a wild goose... How did you know only a ham and a tongue was lifted? Marty, I want to see you damn quick! You're not here in ten minutes I'll bring you in!”

  “You're slow this morning, Sherlock Holmes. I was waiting for you to make that sharp deduction. Frankly, I was surprised Lande went to the cops—almost upset all of my bright deductions. Don't forget a man on Franconi, and make it fast because he's starting on a delivery route.”

  “I want to see you right away!”

  “On my way up. I'm serious, Bill. Put a man on the kid.”

  “For the love of tears, I said I would. Now drag your rusty up here on the double.”

  “At the moment my rusty is higher off the ground than yours. I'll be up in a few minutes.”

  I walked slowly to the station house, considering going out to Jones Beach for a dip and some surf casting. Except for fishing I was never an outdoor man, but with only a day or two left, there were a lot of “last” things I ought to do. Still it was a relief to know I'd never have to do a damn thing again.

  Bill looked worse than poorly; all the dapperness had fallen away. As I sat down he began, “Marty, I warned you to stop acting like a goddam tin hero. Breaking into ...”

  “Stop it, Bill. No one
knows about it.”

  “I know about it!”

  “Then forget it. What did Lande lose—a busted door glass, a couple of pounds of meat. He's probably insured. Relax, Bill, you look tired.”

  Bill rubbed his chin. “I've never been so tired—can't go for two or three days steady any longer. Thought I'd get some rest last night, but the girl was sick with her virus and you know how up in the air Margie gets when there's sickness. Tell me, Humphrey Bogart, what did you find in that store besides meat?”

  “Nothing but a cold.”