Miss Callaghan Comes to Grief

by James Hadley Chase

  Little Joe broke into a run. He knew the district very well, and by doubling down an alley and then a side street he reached the St. Louis very quickly.

  Raven would never let any of his mob come in through the front entrance. They all came in by the staff door. He knew that there’d be a lot of trouble from the hotel if Little Joe kept coming in and out in that suit of his.

  Little Joe rode up in the small elevator, very pleased with himself. How he dealt with that floosie would get around. The girls would think twice before coming out. He rapped on Raven’s door, and Maltz let him in.

  “Boss in?”

  Maltz nodded. “Yeah,” he said in a bored voice; “he’s playin’ with his toys.”

  Little Joe grinned. “I’ll get his mind on to somethin’ else,” he said, moving towards the big double doors at the end of the passage.

  “Not a chance. That guy’s very busy right now.”

  Little Joe opened the doors and stepped quietly into the big room.

  Raven had spread himself. The suite at the St. Louis was costing him plenty, but it did him a lot of good. It had increased his own confidence.

  He lay on the floor in a red silk dressing−gown. All around him was a complicated network of railway lines. Miniature stations, signals, buffers, engine−sheds and the like surrounded him. Trains, dragging long lines of carriages, flashed over points and rattled over the gleaming metal track. They disappeared beneath furniture, only to reappear again, running in an endless circle.

  He lay there, his hands on a master switch, controlling the current that sent the trains forward. A limp cigarette hung from his thin lips, and his eyes were cloudy and intent on the fast−moving little trains.

  “What is it?” he said suddenly. “One of these days you’re goin’ to collect a handful of slugs if yon sneak up on me like this.”

  Little Joe grinned nervously. “Sure, boss,” he said.

  Reluctantly Raven closed the switch, bringing the trains to a standstill. He rolled over a little on his side so that he could look at Joe. “Nice outfit, ain’t it?” he said with a proud smile.

  “Yeah.” Joe wasn’t very interested. “It’s all right.”

  Raven turned back again and set the trains in motion. “Well, what is it?”

  “A floosie on 7th Street was peddling. I gave her a little tonic.”

  Raven grunted. “You gotta watch those dames,” he said. “Another month an’ we’ll have it where we want it.”

  “Before that, boss,” Little Joe said, sitting on the arm of a big overstuffed chair. “The guys are yappin’ like hell now.”

  Raven directed a train to a station and threw the switch. He leant forward to uncouple it. “Always wanted an outfit like this when I was a lad,” he said. “I never got anythin’ when I was a kid.” His voice was suddenly very bitter.

  Joe didn’t say anything.

  Raven started a complicated move of shunting the train to the engine−house. Little Joe couldn’t understand why he didn’t just lift the train off the track and put it in the shed. He thought it would save a lot of time.

  “Well, what is it?” Raven repeated for the third time.

  “Spade’s bellyachin’.”

  “So what?”

  “He says we’re ruinin’ his taxi business.”

  Raven at last got the engine in the shed. “That’s too bad,” he said, stubbing out his cigarette in an ash−tray by his side. Then, as an afterthought, he said, “Are we?”

  “His taxis take the floosies to their joints,” Little Joe explained.

  Raven paused and thought. “I don’t want trouble with Spade,” he said at last. “He’s a tough egg, ain’t he?”

  “You bet he is,” Little Joe said.

  Raven began to unload some tiny milk churns on to the platform. “I’ll get Lefty to take care of him,” he said. “We ain’t had any shootin’ in the town yet, have we?”

  Little Joe looked worried. “Gee!” he said. “We don’t want to shoot Spade.”

  “Nice to hear your views,” Raven said, recoupling the line of trucks; “I’ll make a note of that.”

  Little Joe shifted uneasily. “You’re the boss,” he said hastily.

  “Sure.” Raven turned the switch and the trains began to move slowly along the track.

  Little Joe waited for a little while, and as Raven continued to ignore him he went out, closing the door softly behind him.

  Raven turned his head and looked at the closed door. A cold, far−away look came into his eyes. “So we don’t want to shoot Spade?” he said softly. “These guys are gettin’ soft.”

  2

  August 17th, 11.25 a.m.

  WHEN GRANTHAM rang the bell the negro doorman let him in.

  Grantham was looking old and tired. He asked for Carrie in a voice tight with nerves.

  Joe showed him into a little reception−room. “She’ll be right down, boss,” he said. His big eyes searched Grantham’s face questioningly, but Grantham turned away and felt for his cigarette−case.

  When Carrie came in she found him pacing up and down the room, smoking furiously. She shut the door.

  “What’s the matter?” she asked abruptly. She always liked to get straight to the point.

  Grantham motioned her to a chair. “Things ain’t goin’ right,” he said shortly. “I don’t know what the hell Raven’s playin’ at.”

  Carrie rested her big hands on her knees. “He’s a bad man,” she said. “It was wrong to let him take over.”

  Grantham threw away his cigarette impatiently. “Don’t go over that again!” he snapped. “I couldn’t stop him. He’s playin’ some deep game, and I don’t know what’s at the back of it.”

  Carrie shook her head. “One of his hoods threw vitriol over a hustler yesterday. All the girls are too scared to work. It’s crazy, Grantham. Most of the business is done on the streets. It’s only a certain class that come to the houses.”

  Grantham nodded. “We’re losin’ money,” he said. “I’m goin’ along right now to have it out with him.

  Before I see him I wanted to know about the Perminger girl. She all right?”

  Carrie smiled. “Sure she’s all right.”

  Grantham stroked his jaw with a hand that shook a little. “That dame may be very useful to us if Raven doesn’t behave,” he said. “You understand that, don’t you?”

  Carrie nodded.

  “Where is she?”

  “Upstairs. Do you want to see her?”

  Grantham hesitated, then he stood up. “No. It’s better not for me to see her yet. I’m relyin’ on you, Carrie.

  You’ve got to keep her the way we want herdon’t forget that.”

  “It’s all right.”

  “He hasn’t been here, has he?”

  “I haven’t seen him. Lefty’s been in. He looked the girls over and took all their names.”

  Grantham’s eyes snapped. “Did he see the Perminger dame?”

  Carrie nodded. “Sure. He went all over the house. He came in unexpected. I couldn’t get her out of the way.”

  “Did he speak to her?”

  “He spoke to them all.”

  “Did she behave all right?”

  “I was right behind her.” Carrie gave a cruel little smile. “He just thought she was one of the girls.”

  “You’re sure? She didn’t do or say anythin’ that’d give a guy like Lefty ideas?”

  “It was all right, I tell you,” Carrie said a little shortly.

  Grantham sighed. “I’m tippin’ you, Carrie. If Raven knew about this, he’d finish both of us.”

  Carrie shrugged a little. “Maybe it’d be better to get rid of her,” she said. “It’s a pity. She’s a nice bit of meat.”

  Grantham suddenly stiffened. “You ain’t usin’ her?”

  “Why not? She uses food, don’t she? I don’t have dead heads around here.”

  “You mean you’ve hired her out?”

  “Only to the guys who I can trust. She does
n’t know who’s a stranger or not. If she opens her mouth she’ll get another lickin’. You’d be surprised how she hates a lickin’.” Carrie laughed.

  Grantham shook his head. “I don’t like it,” he said.

  “I know what’s right,” Carrie returned. “She’s lost all her starch nowthat was the only way to make her lose it.”

  “All right, I’ll leave it to you,” Grantham said, opening the door. “I’ll go and see Raven.”

  When he had gone Carrie went upstairs. She went into the big reception−room, where the girls were getting ready for the evening’s work.

  Lulu was painting her nails. Julie and Andree were doing some limbering−up exercises. Fan, her face screwed up with concentration and the tip of her tongue protruding, was writing a letter. In the far corner of the room Sadie sat in a yellow wrap, reading the newspaper.

  They all looked up when Carrie came in. Fan sneered and returned to her letter. Carrie was aware of the long look of hatred that she got from Sadie. That didn’t worry her any.

  She said, “YouI want you.”

  Sadie put down the newspaper and got to her feet. Her face was now a hard, cold mask. “What is it?”

  “Come on out here. I want to talk to you.”

  They went out together. Sadie followed Carrie into her own little room.

  “You hate me, don’t you?” Carrie said with a little grin. “Well, that’s all right. But you’d hate the guy who got you here a damn sight more, wouldn’t you?”

  Sadie stood by the door. She didn’t say anything.

  Carrie said, “Do you know why you’re here?”

  Still Sadie didn’t say anything. Her eyes smouldered with bitter hatred for the mulatto.

  “You’ve seen too much,” Carrie told her. “You saw the guy who killed Mendetta.”

  Sadie flinched.

  “Yeah,” Carrie went on, “he’s a bad guy. He runs this house. One of these days, baby, you’re goin’ to get a chance of puttin’ that guy where you want him. That’ll make you happy, won’t it?”

  Sadie clenched her fists. “One of these days,” she said, “I’m goin’ to even the score out all round. You don’t think you can get away with this for ever. You’ve turned me into one of these women because I haven’t got the guts to fight you, but I’m not forgetting. Make no mistake about that.”

  Carrie laughed. “Go back to your room. You’ve got to work tonight.”

  Sadie went out silently.

  3

  August 17th, 10.30 p.m.

  LEFTY walked softly down the dark alley, his hands in his coat pockets, his hat drawn well over his eyes, and a cigarette glowed in the darkness, moving up and down as he shifted it in his mouth.

  Spade’s big garage ran half the block, and Lefty was walking down the alley that ran immediately behind it. As he came to a lighted window he threw his cigarette away. Stretching up, he took one quick look into the room, saw Spade sitting there checking a ledger, and grinned.

  He went on until he came to the back door and let himself in. He moved quietly down the dark passage.

  Faintly he could hear the crews in the garage washing the cabs down. He could hear the murmur of voices and an occasional laugh.

  He knocked gently on Spade’s office door and went in. Spade looked up sharply. His face cleared when he saw Lefty. “Come in,” he said. “Raven sent you?”

  Lefty shut the door softly. “Yeah,” he said. “You got a little trouble, ain’t you?”

  “Sit down. I’m glad you’ve come. It’s time we had a talk. Why didn’t Raven come himself?”

  “He’s busy,” Lefty said, still standing. “You know a lot, don’t you?”

  Spade shrugged. “You mean about Raven? Why, sure. It’s my job to know things. Raven’s been behind Grantham since Mendetta was bumped. I know that too.”

  Lefty nodded. “Bright boy,” he said. “What else do you know?”

  Spade reached for a pipe and began to load it. “I know, for some reason or other, Raven’s driven the girls off the streets. It ain’t that he wants a clean town. Raven ain’t that sort of a guy. He’s done it for something that’ll fill his pockets, but I don’t like it.”

  “Too bad,” Lefty said, and smiled mirthlessly.

  Spade struck a match and for a moment his big face was hidden behind blue smoke. “I want to know why,” he said.

  “You know a lot. Why don’t you find out?”

  “If you’re goin’ to take that angle, I will,” Spade snapped, his face darkening. “Listen, Lefty, this isn’t the way to take it. I’m willin’ to work with you boys, but I can’t let you ruin my trade. What the hell is all this about? Can’t you see you ain’t doin’ yourselves any good clearin’ the streets like this?”

  “Raven thinks it’s a grand idea.”

  “Well, I don’t. I’m tellin’ you it’s gotta stop.” Spade thumped his fist on the desk. “I thought you’d come along to talk business.”

  Lefty shook his head. “Nope, we can’t help you, buddy. The girls stay off the streets.”

  Spade nodded. “Okay,” he said. “Then you can’t blame me if it gets tough for you boys. I ain’t givin’ way on it. I can’t afford to. I’ll give you till next week. If the girls ain’t workin’ then I’ll have to start somethin’.”

  Lefty took a blunt−nose automatic from his pocket. “You’ll just be a big smell in the ground, buddy,” he said evenly. “Raven sends this with his love.”

  The automatic cracked once. Spade half rose from his chair. A big blot of blood suddenly appeared between his eyes. He spread out his hands and then fell forward over the desk.

  Lefty ran over to the window, threw it up and climbed into the dark alley. He ran very quickly to the car parked at the end of the alley. Maltz swung the door open for him and Little Joe started the car rolling. Long before Spade had been found the car was out of sight.

  Maltz said, “Did you get him?”

  “Sure. He went out like a light. Raven was right. He knew too much,” Lefty said.

  Little Joe said uneasily, “There’ll be a hell of a row about this.”

  “Aw, shut up!” Lefty snarled. “It’s time we got tough in this burg. I’ve been fed up just hangin’ around chasin’ dames off the street.”

  “Where the hell’s it goin’ to get us?” Little Joe said, heading towards the St. Louis Hotel. “Ain’t we got enough dough?”

  Maltz said very softly, “Turnin’ yellow, Joe?”

  Little Joe said hastily, “No. I was just wonderin’.”

  “Well, don’t wonder, then.”

  They drove the rest of the way in silence.

  Raven was waiting for them. His thin, wolfish face was hard and set as they came in. “Well?” he said.

  Lefty nodded. “It’s okay,” he said. “Nobody saw me.”

  Raven took a turn up and down the room. “We’re goin’ to get goin’ now,” he said. “Grantham’s been in.

  He’s yellin’ about bad business. I want you and Maltz to come with me. We’re goin’ to look Mendetta’s houses over.”

  Lefty nodded. “I’ve got the list of dames in each house,” he said. “Shall I bring it along?”

  “Of course.” Raven went to the door. “Let’s go.”

  In the car Lefty said, “Carrie’s house is the best one.”

  Raven nodded. “We’ll go there.”

  When they ran up the steps the negro Joe thought they were the cops. He rang the alarm bell. Carrie appeared on the scene, her eyes snapping with fury. When she saw Lefty she ran towards him. “What the hell’s this?” she said angrily. “Do you want to ruin my business?”

  Lefty pushed her on one side. “Keep your chest in place,” he said. “The big shot’s come to look the joint over.”

  Carrie turned quickly. She had never seen Raven, although she had heard a lot about him. She said, “You can’t come in here. I’ve got my customers to think of. The girls are busy.”

  Raven looked her up and down. “Clear all your
customers out,” he said shortly; “I want to look the girls over. Come on, jump to it.”

  Carrie said, “Like hell I will. You come in the morning.”

  Raven looked at Maltz, who swung his fist, hitting Carrie very hard on the side of her jaw. She went down in a heap on the floor.

  “You heard me the first time, nigger,” Raven said.

  Carrie got slowly to her feet. A livid mark showed on her yellow skin. She turned and went away slowly.

  Raven said, “The girls I select will be taken to Franky’s place. The other girls can pack up and get out. Do you understand that?”

  Maltz nodded. He went to the front door and signalled.

  A large van drew up to the kerb and four men got out. They stood waiting.

  It was early. There were only three clients in the house. They came downstairs, looking scared.

  Raven opened the door for them. “It’s all right,” he said with his crooked grin. “Just checkin’ up. You boys can get off home.”

  They looked at him furtively and left quickly. Carrie stood at the bottom of the stairs, waiting.

  Raven nodded at her. “Bring all your girls down here fast,” he said.

  Carrie went upstairs again. A few minutes later she came down, followed by seven lightly clad girls.

  Raven went into the reception−room. “Come in here,” he said.

  The girls all looked at Carrie, who was nearly speechless with rage. “Go on in. Didn’t you hear him?” she snarled.

  The girls went into the room and stood staring at Raven. Lulu fluffed up her hair. “Take me, darlin’,” she said. “I’ll show you some tricks.”

  The other girls giggled.

  Raven said, “Shut up!” Then he turned to Maltz. “Are they all here?”

  Maltz took out his list and checked the numbers. “One ain’t,” he said briefly.

  Raven looked over at Carrie. “I said all of them.”

  Carrie hesitated a moment, then went upstairs again. After a few minutes Sadie followed her down.

  Raven’s eyes lit up a little when he saw her. This one was good, he told himself. When he looked at her he saw her go suddenly very white and her step falter. Carrie took her arm and shoved her forward. She muttered something that Raven didn’t hear. He made a mental note to look into this. Sadie stood beside the other girls, her dark eyes big with fear, gazing steadily at Raven. It made him a little uncomfortable.