Read Online The Golden Gizmo by Jim Thompson - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Jim Thompson
Tags: Fiction, General, Humorous stories, Humorous, Mystery & Detective, Women Sleuths, Crime, Juvenile Fiction, Hard-Boiled, Swindlers and Swindling, Adventure stories, Los Angeles (Calif.), Los Angeles (Calif.) - Fiction, Gold smuggling - Fiction, Gold smuggling, Swindlers and swindling - Fiction
Ads: Link
crew haircut and a mouthful of gum and a pair of pants that rose to his armpits. He also had a sawed-off baseball bat. He twiddled it at his side as he stared at Toddy with incurious eyes.
"Yeah, Mac?"
"Uh-I want to see Mable," said Toddy.
"Mable, huh? Sure, she's here. Agnes and Becky, too." The man chuckled. He waited, then jerked his head impatiently. "You can't jump 'em on the stairs, Mac. That's the only way they won't do it, but they won't do it that way."
Toddy ascended to the landing. He reached for his wallet, and the man moved his hand in a negative gesture. "Just pay the gal, Mac… Now, le's see…" Doors, perhaps a dozen of them, extended the length of the hallway. Doorways with half-doors-summer doors- attached to the outer casing. The man nodded, pointed to a patch of light.
"Ruthie's free. Go right on down, Mac."
He gave Toddy's elbow a cordial push; then his arm tightened on it in a viselike grip. "What the hell's that racket?"
"Racket?" said Toddy.
"You heard me. You bar that door down there?"
"Why the hell would I do that?… Wait a minute!" said Toddy. "I had to boot a wino out of the doorway to get in. He must have come back again."
The man cursed. "Them winos! And the goddam cops won't do a thing about them!" He headed down the stairs scowling, twirling the sawed-off bat. Toddy moved away from the stairwell.
There was no window at either end of the hall. There was nothing to indicate which of the rooms opened on the fire escape. There'd be one, surely, even in a whorehouse. But he'd have to hunt for it.
Come on, gizmo , he thought. Be good to me .
He rapped once, then entered the room the man had indicated. He hooked the summer door behind him. He grinned pleasantly as he closed and locked the other door.
"Hi, Ruthie," he said. "How've you been?"
"How you, honey?" She made a pretense of recognizing him. "Ain't seen you in a long time."
She might have been twenty-five or ten years older, depending on how long she'd been at it. Red-haired. Piled together pretty good. She wore sheer silk stockings, high-heeled black pumps and a black nylon brassiere. That was all she wore.
She was sitting on the edge of the bed, shaving her calves.
"You mind waitin' a second honey? I kinda hate to stop an' start all over again."
"Let me help you," said Toddy promptly.
He took the razor from her hand and pushed her gently back on the bed. He said, "Sorry, kid," and snapped his free fist against the point of her chin.
Her eyes closed and her arms went limp. Her feet slipped from the mattress, and he caught and lowered them to the floor.
Stepping to the window, he ducked under the shade and looked out. Wrong room. The fire escape opened on the next one. He might-but, no, it was too far. He could barely see the damned thing. Trying to jump that far in the dark would be suicide.
Ducking back into the room, he stepped to the tall Japanese screen and moved it aside. There was a low door behind it, a door blocked by a small bureau. Toddy almost laughed aloud at the sight of it. A bureau joint, for God's sake! He'd thought that gimmick had gone out with "Dardanella." Probably it had, too. This one probably wasn't used any more… but it might still be working.
In this little frammis, one of the oldest, you were persuaded to leave your clothes on the bureau… You see, honey? No one can touch 'em. The door swings in this way, and the bureau's in front of it. You can see for yourself, honey…
Toddy pulled out the top drawer and laid it on the bed. Reaching into the opening, he found the doorknob. Would the dodge work from this side, that was the question. If it didn't-
The knob turned slowly. There was a quiet click . Then, a little above the level of the bureau, the mortised panels of the door parted and the upper half swung toward him.
The head of a brass bedstead blocked the doorway on the other side. The man in it stared stupidly through the rails at Toddy. He was a young man, but he had a thick platinum
"Yeah, Mac?"
"Uh-I want to see Mable," said Toddy.
"Mable, huh? Sure, she's here. Agnes and Becky, too." The man chuckled. He waited, then jerked his head impatiently. "You can't jump 'em on the stairs, Mac. That's the only way they won't do it, but they won't do it that way."
Toddy ascended to the landing. He reached for his wallet, and the man moved his hand in a negative gesture. "Just pay the gal, Mac… Now, le's see…" Doors, perhaps a dozen of them, extended the length of the hallway. Doorways with half-doors-summer doors- attached to the outer casing. The man nodded, pointed to a patch of light.
"Ruthie's free. Go right on down, Mac."
He gave Toddy's elbow a cordial push; then his arm tightened on it in a viselike grip. "What the hell's that racket?"
"Racket?" said Toddy.
"You heard me. You bar that door down there?"
"Why the hell would I do that?… Wait a minute!" said Toddy. "I had to boot a wino out of the doorway to get in. He must have come back again."
The man cursed. "Them winos! And the goddam cops won't do a thing about them!" He headed down the stairs scowling, twirling the sawed-off bat. Toddy moved away from the stairwell.
There was no window at either end of the hall. There was nothing to indicate which of the rooms opened on the fire escape. There'd be one, surely, even in a whorehouse. But he'd have to hunt for it.
Come on, gizmo , he thought. Be good to me .
He rapped once, then entered the room the man had indicated. He hooked the summer door behind him. He grinned pleasantly as he closed and locked the other door.
"Hi, Ruthie," he said. "How've you been?"
"How you, honey?" She made a pretense of recognizing him. "Ain't seen you in a long time."
She might have been twenty-five or ten years older, depending on how long she'd been at it. Red-haired. Piled together pretty good. She wore sheer silk stockings, high-heeled black pumps and a black nylon brassiere. That was all she wore.
She was sitting on the edge of the bed, shaving her calves.
"You mind waitin' a second honey? I kinda hate to stop an' start all over again."
"Let me help you," said Toddy promptly.
He took the razor from her hand and pushed her gently back on the bed. He said, "Sorry, kid," and snapped his free fist against the point of her chin.
Her eyes closed and her arms went limp. Her feet slipped from the mattress, and he caught and lowered them to the floor.
Stepping to the window, he ducked under the shade and looked out. Wrong room. The fire escape opened on the next one. He might-but, no, it was too far. He could barely see the damned thing. Trying to jump that far in the dark would be suicide.
Ducking back into the room, he stepped to the tall Japanese screen and moved it aside. There was a low door behind it, a door blocked by a small bureau. Toddy almost laughed aloud at the sight of it. A bureau joint, for God's sake! He'd thought that gimmick had gone out with "Dardanella." Probably it had, too. This one probably wasn't used any more… but it might still be working.
In this little frammis, one of the oldest, you were persuaded to leave your clothes on the bureau… You see, honey? No one can touch 'em. The door swings in this way, and the bureau's in front of it. You can see for yourself, honey…
Toddy pulled out the top drawer and laid it on the bed. Reaching into the opening, he found the doorknob. Would the dodge work from this side, that was the question. If it didn't-
The knob turned slowly. There was a quiet click . Then, a little above the level of the bureau, the mortised panels of the door parted and the upper half swung toward him.
The head of a brass bedstead blocked the doorway on the other side. The man in it stared stupidly through the rails at Toddy. He was a young man, but he had a thick platinum
Similar Books
