Read Online The Criminal by Jim Thompson - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Jim Thompson
Tags: Fiction, General, Mystery & Detective, Crime, Detective and Mystery Stories, Political, Hard-Boiled
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to sit down, and then I brought my fist down on my desk as hard as I could.
He jumped like he was shot out of a gun.
"What kind of crap is this?" I yelled. "What the hell kind of city editor are you? You get a prize story dumped in your lap, and just because I'm not around to write it for you, you louse it up! I'm through, get me? You think you can wander around in your goddamned sleep, and let me take the ass-eatings I'll-"
"Now, look," he said. "See here, Don-Mr. Skysmith. I don't-"
The phone rang.
"Excuse me, Mack," I said; picking it up. "Yes? Skysmith speaking."
"Don"-it was the Captain again-"I don't like to make any suggestions concerning your personnel, but…"
"Yes, sir?" I said. "I'm always delighted to have your suggestions on anything, Captain."
"That operator who handled my call a while ago; she struck me as being a very intelligent young woman. I hope she isn't transferred to the night shift."
"No, sir," I said. "She won't be."
I'd put her on early swing. Drag her ass out of bed at three in the morning. That girdle full of mud she thought was an ass.
"I'd like her to stay on her present shift. Oh, yes, and you might give her a five-dollar raise… if, of course, that's agreeable with you."
"Yes, sir," I said. "I'll take care of it right away."
I wouldn't give her five inches if she was the last goddamned woman on earth. I'd cut her pay five bucks, and blame it on the business office. Say that I sent the raise through and they screwed it up.
"She may feel a little shy, Don, about expressing her appreciation. You tell her that I'll be very glad to get a note from her-that I'll be looking forward to it."
"Yes, sir," I said.
The lousy, filthy, bastardly, son-of-a-
7
WILLIAM WILLIS
It was obvious, as I stepped through the door, that Skysmith had gotten it from the Captain, and Dudley had gotten it from Skysmith. It was also obvious, since I had been summoned, that one William Willis was about to be handed a package.
Dudley gave me his very best glare, developed after long years of practice on freshman copy boys. Skysmith stared at me with a mixture of sadness and sternness.
That Skysmith slays me. Always making like a character out of The Front Page , always tossing his weight around and getting nothing but his ass out of joint. I never could figure out what the Captain saw in him. Not that he's a bad guy, you understand. Just a fathead who came up too fast.
I gave him, Skysmith, a pleasant good morning. I winked and grinned at Dudley. He harrumphed, getting slobber on his chin in the process. He brushed it away, quickly, adding another five-hundred watts to the glare.
"Putting you on a story," he barked. "Think you know how to handle one?"
"We-el, I don't know about that," I said. "A story, eh? Isn't that a little unusual to have a reporter do a story?"
"Now, goddam you," he said. "You keep on pulling that smart sarcastic crap and-"
"Just a moment," I held up my hand. "One moment, Mr. Dudley. I would like to quote you the Guild-Star contract as it pertains to the use of obscene and profane language by Star supervisory employees when addressing-"
"Stuff your goddamned contract!" He turned to Skysmith, pointing a trembling finger at me. "Don, you've got to do something about this character! He's destroying morale. I can't say anything-give an order to anyone- without him-"
He choked up, slobbering on his chin again, and I obligingly continued for him: he couldn't raise hell with someone just because he felt like raising hell. He couldn't fire anyone except for cause. He hadn't been able to since I'd organized the Star chapter of the Guild and become its shop steward.
"All right, Bill," Skysmith said. "We're all familiar with the contract provisions, so let's just drop the subject, huh? And, Mack, you lay off of Bill, too. Goddammit"- he scrubbed his forehead-"this is a newspaper, not a kindergarten. Honest to Christ, I don't know what the hell's wrong with some of you birds! All you can
He jumped like he was shot out of a gun.
"What kind of crap is this?" I yelled. "What the hell kind of city editor are you? You get a prize story dumped in your lap, and just because I'm not around to write it for you, you louse it up! I'm through, get me? You think you can wander around in your goddamned sleep, and let me take the ass-eatings I'll-"
"Now, look," he said. "See here, Don-Mr. Skysmith. I don't-"
The phone rang.
"Excuse me, Mack," I said; picking it up. "Yes? Skysmith speaking."
"Don"-it was the Captain again-"I don't like to make any suggestions concerning your personnel, but…"
"Yes, sir?" I said. "I'm always delighted to have your suggestions on anything, Captain."
"That operator who handled my call a while ago; she struck me as being a very intelligent young woman. I hope she isn't transferred to the night shift."
"No, sir," I said. "She won't be."
I'd put her on early swing. Drag her ass out of bed at three in the morning. That girdle full of mud she thought was an ass.
"I'd like her to stay on her present shift. Oh, yes, and you might give her a five-dollar raise… if, of course, that's agreeable with you."
"Yes, sir," I said. "I'll take care of it right away."
I wouldn't give her five inches if she was the last goddamned woman on earth. I'd cut her pay five bucks, and blame it on the business office. Say that I sent the raise through and they screwed it up.
"She may feel a little shy, Don, about expressing her appreciation. You tell her that I'll be very glad to get a note from her-that I'll be looking forward to it."
"Yes, sir," I said.
The lousy, filthy, bastardly, son-of-a-
7
WILLIAM WILLIS
It was obvious, as I stepped through the door, that Skysmith had gotten it from the Captain, and Dudley had gotten it from Skysmith. It was also obvious, since I had been summoned, that one William Willis was about to be handed a package.
Dudley gave me his very best glare, developed after long years of practice on freshman copy boys. Skysmith stared at me with a mixture of sadness and sternness.
That Skysmith slays me. Always making like a character out of The Front Page , always tossing his weight around and getting nothing but his ass out of joint. I never could figure out what the Captain saw in him. Not that he's a bad guy, you understand. Just a fathead who came up too fast.
I gave him, Skysmith, a pleasant good morning. I winked and grinned at Dudley. He harrumphed, getting slobber on his chin in the process. He brushed it away, quickly, adding another five-hundred watts to the glare.
"Putting you on a story," he barked. "Think you know how to handle one?"
"We-el, I don't know about that," I said. "A story, eh? Isn't that a little unusual to have a reporter do a story?"
"Now, goddam you," he said. "You keep on pulling that smart sarcastic crap and-"
"Just a moment," I held up my hand. "One moment, Mr. Dudley. I would like to quote you the Guild-Star contract as it pertains to the use of obscene and profane language by Star supervisory employees when addressing-"
"Stuff your goddamned contract!" He turned to Skysmith, pointing a trembling finger at me. "Don, you've got to do something about this character! He's destroying morale. I can't say anything-give an order to anyone- without him-"
He choked up, slobbering on his chin again, and I obligingly continued for him: he couldn't raise hell with someone just because he felt like raising hell. He couldn't fire anyone except for cause. He hadn't been able to since I'd organized the Star chapter of the Guild and become its shop steward.
"All right, Bill," Skysmith said. "We're all familiar with the contract provisions, so let's just drop the subject, huh? And, Mack, you lay off of Bill, too. Goddammit"- he scrubbed his forehead-"this is a newspaper, not a kindergarten. Honest to Christ, I don't know what the hell's wrong with some of you birds! All you can
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