no money, they’ll do it for seventy-five or fifty or even nothing.”
She was watching him curiously. “No. I didn’t know that. It sounds — well — humanitarian. It doesn’t sound possible in this day and age.”
“It’s humanitarian — and it’s business, too, like I said. However, very few people will accept a free funeral. They almost always insist on paying something. Just to save their pride.”
“I didn’t know that,” Kevin mused.
“And you’ll admit it’s a hell of a topic for our first evening together,” he concluded brusquely.
“Well, it isn’t exactly our first evening.”
“I refuse to count the one at the police station.”
She pulled her green shoulders back in a litttle stretch. “Did Mr. Clapp miss me today? Did you bulldoze him properly?”
“Oh, he agreed that you were better off in your bedroom than in his office.”
“What did you talk about? Is there anything you can tell me?” She asked the question like an eager little girl. She leaned across the table toward him.
Walter James shrugged his slim shoulders. “There isn’t much to tell. Clapp would rather not believe there’s a good-sized dope ring breathing down his neck, but I’ll give you odds that right now the vice squad is hauling in every known addict and breaking into every weed parlor north of the border. He’s not ready to take my word for anything — of course, I haven’t anything conclusive to show him — but he isn’t taking any chances. Clapp’s a smart cop.”
“I like him,” Kevin said warmly.
“I like all smart operators — including cops.”
“I can’t get over it — I feel like I’m living in a mystery story. I wonder who shot at me? I hope it was somebody interesting.” Her eyes bubbled across the table at her companion.
Walter James laughed. “Anybody with a gun is interesting — believe me. And of course, there’s the same old question: were they throwing bullets at your ear or mine? We’ve pretty well established the only reason the mystery man would be gunning for you.”
He happened to be looking at the girl as he spoke. Her face stiffened, then quickly resumed a look of interest. He reached over and pressed the back of her hand with his forefinger.
“Kevin,” he said gently. She didn’t look at him. “You’ll have to tell somebody sooner or later. I hope I’ll be the one you’ll trust. You see, Clapp doesn’t completely believe the reason you gave him for being at the Grand Theater.”
Kevin turned toward him defiantly. “Oh, you’re so darn smart!”
Walter James withdrew his hand. “I don’t know what you have to tell. The way things stand right now, I don’t want to know until you’re ready. I don’t think there’ll be any more attacks if we’re careful. There was a cop wandering around your house all night and all day today — so you needn’t worry about that. I don’t think he’s with us now because I told Clapp to keep a tail off me. Besides, a cop in a bar stands out like a monument — they’re so leery of drinking on duty, it makes them conspicuous.”
Her fingers touched his briefly. “I’m sorry,” Kevin said. Her eyes had a glisten that reflected the bar lights. “Later. I’ll tell you a little later. Not now, Walter.”
“And, conceding that there is a dope mob operating from this town, just what was the Filipino’s connection? He wasn’t the leader type. He might have been a distributor, but he wasn’t carrying reefers — which is about all they trust the distributors with. He might have been a quick go-between that they kept a close eye on — that would explain that box of straight marijuana. But if this deal stretches clear back to Atlanta, the box doesn’t fit. It wasn’t big enough. In a cross-country racket, you have to ship a pretty good-size quantity at a time. That builds the profit and cuts down the risk. You can’t ship hundreds and hundreds of separate quinine boxes full.”
“What would a worthwhile
She was watching him curiously. “No. I didn’t know that. It sounds — well — humanitarian. It doesn’t sound possible in this day and age.”
“It’s humanitarian — and it’s business, too, like I said. However, very few people will accept a free funeral. They almost always insist on paying something. Just to save their pride.”
“I didn’t know that,” Kevin mused.
“And you’ll admit it’s a hell of a topic for our first evening together,” he concluded brusquely.
“Well, it isn’t exactly our first evening.”
“I refuse to count the one at the police station.”
She pulled her green shoulders back in a litttle stretch. “Did Mr. Clapp miss me today? Did you bulldoze him properly?”
“Oh, he agreed that you were better off in your bedroom than in his office.”
“What did you talk about? Is there anything you can tell me?” She asked the question like an eager little girl. She leaned across the table toward him.
Walter James shrugged his slim shoulders. “There isn’t much to tell. Clapp would rather not believe there’s a good-sized dope ring breathing down his neck, but I’ll give you odds that right now the vice squad is hauling in every known addict and breaking into every weed parlor north of the border. He’s not ready to take my word for anything — of course, I haven’t anything conclusive to show him — but he isn’t taking any chances. Clapp’s a smart cop.”
“I like him,” Kevin said warmly.
“I like all smart operators — including cops.”
“I can’t get over it — I feel like I’m living in a mystery story. I wonder who shot at me? I hope it was somebody interesting.” Her eyes bubbled across the table at her companion.
Walter James laughed. “Anybody with a gun is interesting — believe me. And of course, there’s the same old question: were they throwing bullets at your ear or mine? We’ve pretty well established the only reason the mystery man would be gunning for you.”
He happened to be looking at the girl as he spoke. Her face stiffened, then quickly resumed a look of interest. He reached over and pressed the back of her hand with his forefinger.
“Kevin,” he said gently. She didn’t look at him. “You’ll have to tell somebody sooner or later. I hope I’ll be the one you’ll trust. You see, Clapp doesn’t completely believe the reason you gave him for being at the Grand Theater.”
Kevin turned toward him defiantly. “Oh, you’re so darn smart!”
Walter James withdrew his hand. “I don’t know what you have to tell. The way things stand right now, I don’t want to know until you’re ready. I don’t think there’ll be any more attacks if we’re careful. There was a cop wandering around your house all night and all day today — so you needn’t worry about that. I don’t think he’s with us now because I told Clapp to keep a tail off me. Besides, a cop in a bar stands out like a monument — they’re so leery of drinking on duty, it makes them conspicuous.”
Her fingers touched his briefly. “I’m sorry,” Kevin said. Her eyes had a glisten that reflected the bar lights. “Later. I’ll tell you a little later. Not now, Walter.”
“And, conceding that there is a dope mob operating from this town, just what was the Filipino’s connection? He wasn’t the leader type. He might have been a distributor, but he wasn’t carrying reefers — which is about all they trust the distributors with. He might have been a quick go-between that they kept a close eye on — that would explain that box of straight marijuana. But if this deal stretches clear back to Atlanta, the box doesn’t fit. It wasn’t big enough. In a cross-country racket, you have to ship a pretty good-size quantity at a time. That builds the profit and cuts down the risk. You can’t ship hundreds and hundreds of separate quinine boxes full.”
“What would a worthwhile
Similar Books
