What's in It for Me? (21 page)

“Hell, I don't know, Mr. Bogen. Might be able to get five hundred, I guess.”

I looked at him quickly.

“Five hundred? Why, the damn thing cost me thirty-five hundred less than a year ago!”

“You know how it is with cars, Mr. Bogen. Christ, I could get you a second-hand Rolls, good as new almost, for less than what it'll cost you to buy a lousy little brand new—”

“Well, all right, then. If that's the best you can get, get it. But do the best you can on it, will you. Abe?”

“Sure will, Mr. Bogen.”

“Because I'm in a sort of hurry. And I'd like it done soon. And Abe.”

“Yeah?”

“There'll be a little something in this for you, Abe, too. So see what you can do in the way of stepping on it and getting a good price.”

He grinned quickly.

“Oh, hell, Mr. Bogen, you don't have to—”

“That's all right, Abe. Business is business.”

“Okay, Mr. Bogen, if that's the way you want it.”

“That's the way I want it, Abe.”

I walked the half dozen blocks to the theatre and went in through the stage entrance. It was a quarter after eleven. I stopped at Dumpor's booth and waved my hand at him.

“Hello, Frank.”

“Evening, Mr. Bogen.”

“Curtain go up on time tonight?”

“Yes, it did, Mr. Bogen.”

“Say, Mr. Bogen, I got something for you.”

“For me?”

“Miss Mills left that for you when she went out a little while ago.”

I glanced at him sharply.

“She's gone? She's not in her—?”

He nodded.

I opened the note and read it. “Harry,” it said, “sorry had to rush off like this but my husband's lawyer showed up unexpectedly and insisted on taking me some place where we could talk. Don't know what's up, but will tell you when I see you. M.”

Now, just when everything was beginning to work out, he had to show up and—I stopped and came back to Dumpor's window.

“Frank,” I said, “I want to ask you something.”

He looked at me curiously and puffed on his pipe.

“Sure, Mr. Bogen.”

“This note.” I tapped it. “When Miss Mills gave it to you, she wasn't alone, was she?”

He hesitated for a moment.

“Well, Mr. Bogen, I wasn't exactly—”

“You saw her go out, didn't you?”

“Yes. Yes, I saw her go out, Mr. Bogen.”

“She wasn't alone, was she?”

He took the pipe out of his mouth and inspected the ash.

“Well, I'll tell you, Mr. Bogen,” he began slowly, “I didn't—”

“Wait a minute, Frank. I forgot something.”

I took out the remaining three cigars and handed them to him. He took them and put them into his pocket.

“Thanks, Mr. Bogen.”

“I've got a whole box of those at home, Frank. I don't smoke myself, so you can have the rest, too. I'll bring them tomorrow.”

“Thanks, Mr. Bogen.”

I felt like a tobacco salesman making friends for his company.

“Forget it. But don't forget other things, Frank. She wasn't alone, was she?”

“No, Mr. Bogen, she wasn't alone.”

“Who was she with?”

“Well, just before the final curtain, Mr. Bogen, two men came in and asked for her.”

I looked at him in astonishment.

“Two men?”

“Yes, Mr. Bogen.”

What was she doing, going into the wholesale business?

“What did they look—? Wait a minute. Wait a minute. Wait a minute, Frank. You know Kermit Terkel?”

“The agent?”

“Yeah, the agent. You know him?”

He nodded.

“Yes, I do.”

“Was he one of the two men?” I asked quickly.

He nodded again.

“Yes, he was.”

“And the other man?”

“Well, he was a sort of a little guy—”

“You ever see him before?”

“Once or twice. He's been here before.”

“Get the name?”

He scratched his head.

“He told it to me once, but I forgot.”

“A little guy, you say?”

“Yes, Mr. Bogen. About that high, with a—”

“Big nose?”

“Yeah, kind of.”

“Tight little face? Sharp eyes?”

He nodded, squinting.

“That's right. That's right.”

“A lot of fancy clothes?”

“Well, he was wearing evening clothes, Mr. Bogen.”

That would simplify matters. When I got hold of him they wouldn't have to change his clothes for the funeral.

“He do any laughing around here? You get a look at his teeth?”

“Gosh, Mr. Bogen, I don't remember now. But—”

“They look sort of yellow and they slope in, like a mouse trap?”

He grinned quickly.

“That's right. That's right, Mr. Bogen. Fact is, that's just what I was thinking when I saw him. His teeth look like a mouse trap. Say, that's—!”

So that was her idea of making a deal and sticking to it, eh? Well, I'd give her a little lesson in business ethics.

“All right, Frank,” I said grimly. “Thanks a lot.”

“Mr. Bogen,” he said, “you're not going to do anything that—?”

“Nah, Frank. Nothing rash. Just a little murder, maybe, or something slight like that.”

“Mr. Bogen, you won't—”

“Don't worry, Frank. From you I didn't hear nothing.”

“Thanks, Mr. Bogen.”

“That's all right. Good-night.”

“Good-night, Mr. Bogen.”

I took a taxi to the Montevideo and stopped at the desk.

“Anything for me, Charlie?”

He glanced at the box behind him.

“Not a thing, Mr. Bogen.”

“Okay. I'm going up. Good-night.”

“Good-night, Mr. Bogen.”

I spent a half hour checking my wardrobe and my finances. Both were in better shape than I thought. Not to mention the way it looked when I wore it. After the wardrobe I went to work on the finances. My bank balance was pretty low, but with the last payment I still had coming to me from the sale of the resident buying business, the check for the sale of the car, and my drawing account with Yazdabian, I had more than enough to carry me until Yazdabian went out on the road and left the coast clear for me.

Just as I finished my calculations, the phone rang.

“Yes?”

“Mr. Bogen. Sorry to bother you at this hour, but there's a Mrs. Herman on the wire and—”

“A who?”

“A Mrs. Herman.”

“You didn't tell her I was in, did you?”

“No, sir. I—”

“I'm not in,” I said, and hung up.

I opened the check book and wrote a check payable to Martha Mills for five hundred dollars. I put it into an envelope and wrote her name on the outside. Then I slipped into my coat and went out into the hall and rang for the elevator. When I reached the lobby, Charlie wasn't at the switchboard behind the desk, but the big colored boy was.

“Where's Charlie?” I asked.

“He quits at midnight, Mr. Bogen.”

“You going to be here for a while?”

“I'll be on all night, sir. I have the night shift.”

I looked around the lobby. We were alone.

“How'd you like to make yourself a coupla bucks?”

“Certainly would, Mr. Bogen.”

“Well, here.” I gave him the envelope. “Put that in Miss Mills' box. She'll be coming a little later with an escort, I think. When she comes in, you call her to the desk and tell her that Mr. Bogen had to leave town for three or four days, maybe a week, with the spring line, that he couldn't wait to say good-by because he had to make a train, but that he'd wire her from his first stop, and he left this envelope for her, which you then give her. Okay?”

“Okay, Mr. Bogen.”

“Think you can remember that?”

“I think so.”

“Then let's hear it.”

“When Miss Mills comes in,” he said, “if she's with an escort, I'm to call her over to the desk, tell her that Mr. Bogen had to leave town for three or four days, maybe a week, with the spring line, that he couldn't wait to say good-by because he had to make a train, but that he'd wire her from his first stop, and he left this envelope for her, and then I hand her this envelope. Is that right?”

I grinned at him.

“That's perfect.” I pulled out a five spot and slipped it to him. “Here. That's for your memory and for keeping your trap shut later.”

“I don't know nothing, Mr. Bogen,” he said soberly.

“You stick to that policy, boy, and you'll be a big shot some day on Lenox Avenue.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And oh yes. There's one more thing you can do for me.”

“Yes, sir.”

“As soon as Miss Mills and her escort step into the elevator to go up, as soon as the elevator doors close on them, you plug in on my phone and just give it three short little rings. Okay?”

“Just three short ones.”

“That's right. You won't forget that?”

“Oh, no, Mr. Bogen. I'll remember the whole thing.”

“Swell. And tomorrow night, if the whole thing works out and you don't forget anything, I'll slip you another five spot.”

He grinned quickly.

“Thank you, sir.”

“Okay,” I said, turning away. “Good-night.”

“Oh, Mr. Bogen.”

I turned back.

“Yes?”

He pulled a slip from my box behind him.

“Before Charlie went off duty he put this in your box.”

He handed me a slip with the Mrs. Herman call marked on it and underneath the single word, in large letters, “Important.”

“All right,” I said. “Thanks.”

“Charlie said it was important, so—”

“I know. By Charlie everything is important except getting messages straight.”

“Yes, sir.”

“I'll take care of this in the morning. But you won't forget anything on that little speech I gave you, will you?”

“No, sir, I won't.”

“If you think there's any chance of forgetting, remember the five spot that's coming to you tomorrow night and I'm sure your memory'll be pepped up at once.”

“I'm sure it will, sir.”

He gave me another grin.

“Good-night.”

“Good-night, Mr. Bogen.”

I went up to my apartment and undressed and got into my pajamas. Then I hunted around the living room until I found two small metal ash trays. I pushed them into an old pair of kid gloves and pulled the gloves on carefully, so that the small ash trays fitted exactly over my knuckles when I closed my hands into fists. Then I slipped into my silk robe, put out the lights, and lay down on the couch to wait. I didn't smoke because I didn't want to smell up the room, but I concentrated on the ticking of the clock on the desk to prevent myself from falling asleep. It was exactly a quarter to two when the phone gave three short tinkles. I grinned to myself. That colored boy was worth every penny he got.

A minute later there was the sound of suppressed laughter in the hall. The key scratched in the lock. The door opened and closed, and the lights were snapped on.

“We'ell,” Martha said with a laugh, “imagine Harry going off like—”

“Yeah,” Teddy said. His laugh was a little more strained. She'd been practicing it much longer. “This is—”

I got up from the couch slowly and faced them, with my hands buried in the pockets of my robe.

“Hello, folks,” I drawled.

Martha let out a little scream and waved her hand at me.

“Harry!” she cried. “What—?”

Teddy tried to say something, but the words didn't come.

“I missed my train,” I said calmly. “And I had to come back.”

As I talked I walked forward slowly, still keeping my hands in my pockets. I circled them until I was between them and the door.

“But Harry, we—!”

“In a way I'm sort of glad I missed that train. Because I've been meaning to have a few words with you, Teddy, for quite some time.”

“Harry,” he said, “I want you to—”

“I don't care what you want,” I said through my teeth. “It's what I want that counts. And I just want you to hear one thing. You're getting out of here now, Teddy, and you're getting out for good. If you ever show up within eight blocks of Martha again, I warn you you're going to be one of Campbell's less distinguished but sudden clients. You hear?”

“Yeah?” he said. “Maybe Martha has something to say about that?”

“Martha doesn't have anything to say about anything. Martha and I have an understanding. I got a power of attorney from her. I'm doing the talking for both.”

“Yeah?”

“Don't keep saying yeah, Teddy. It gets monotonous.”

“Well, you listen to me, Bogen. I'm—”

“This isn't a debate, Teddy. I made my speech and you heard it. If you don't understand it, maybe I'll have to impress it on you.”

He opened his mouth to say something, but he never got any further than that. I pulled my hands out of the pockets of the robe and let him have a hard right to the jaw. All in one movement. Quick. I felt the ash tray snap inside my glove when I landed, but he went down.

“Harry!” Martha cried.

“Shut up.”

I reached down and grabbed him by the front of his coat. He pawed at my hands and breathed through his twisted mouth in little sharp gasps. I smacked him twice with my open hands and hauled him to his feet. The gloves came away with blood on them and he went wild. He lunged at me and tried to bite, but I stood him off with a short left. It landed on his neck and he screamed with pain when the ash tray dug in. I followed with two straight ones in the belly that doubled him. I was going to finish it with another quick one to the jaw, when Martha grabbed my arm.

“You're killing him! Don't you know when you're—?”