"Better," I said, "than anyone. Maxine, do you know why I finally agreed to join your outfit? Not because I was threatened. Hell, I can take care of myself. But I knew it would give me a chance to know you better. Like now. Like this . . ."
I grabbed her hard and did some fancy work with the elastic that held up the gown. It slid down easily enough. I buried my cheek against the softness of her and I could hear her heart beating wildly. I grinned to myself. This wouldn't be too hard. What I wanted to know were facts about who set her up. One man, two or three? In time, she might even tell me who he or they were. I didn't have any time.
She pushed me away for a moment, got to her feet and shook off the gown. Then she came back to me. I was in no hurry, but she seemed to be.
I said, "Maxine, we can't have just this one night and then forget all about it. We're alike, you and I. Exactly alike. We know what we want and we take it. We're smart, too—that scheme for getting the emeralds is perfect, and I'll show you I can pull it. But hell, I'd rather not get that necklace if it means losing you."
"Why should it mean losing me?" she asked in a low, hot voice.
"You told me once that there were important men behind you. Maybe these men won't like the way you play around with the hired help."
"To hell with them. What they don't know . . ."
I fumbled with the hooks at the small of her back, got them open. My temperature soared. This woman was really built.
"But men who handle an outfit like this can be dangerous. Especially if there are several of them."
"I said to hell with them. Kiss me, Mike. Why do you keep up this damn chatter?"
I kissed her, a long one accompanied by gentle stroking of her back. She had her eyes tightly closed now, giving way to my lead, waiting for me.
I put my lips near her ear. "You and I could run this outfit and be together all the time. We wouldn't have to split with anyone except the chumps who work for us, and they'd get little. We'd be rich. Your talent for organization, my skill in doing the actual work. Baby, we'd go far."
She opened her eyes. "Mike, I’d like that."
"These men backing you—can they be taken care of?"
A flicker of suspicion robbed her eyes of some of the warmth which had been in them. "Are you trying to pump me, by any chance?"
I grinned at her. "Hell, no. I don't want any names. Just a word from you about whether or not we could stand our ground and defy them if it came to that."
She snuggled up to me again. "When I'm with you, Mike, he can go to the devil. I'm not afraid of anything."
He! One man—just as I thought. That was all I wanted to know. I should have tossed her on her fancy behind and left then, but it would have been a tip-off to her. Quite possibly she wasn't even aware of the fact that she'd given away some important information.
She strained against me, no longer wanting to be denied. I moved her into a sitting position and got up to turn out the lights. On my way back to the divan, in darkness, I paused long enough to slide my .45 under the cushions of a chair.
She wasn't on the divan when I reached it. She was standing, waiting to direct me to one of the doors off the living room.
That icy blonde exterior was only a fraud, a protective front for a warm nature that made pulse and temperature pound and boil. If I hadn't met Sheila, I might have gone for Maxine. She was something you didn't turn down easily.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
I tiptoed out of her apartment, retrieving my gun on the way. I closed the door softly so as not to awaken her and looked at my watch when I was in the lighted corridor. It was two-thirty. I reached the lobby, passed through it and hit the street. Four blocks away, I found an all-night drug store, bought some cigarettes and went to the phone booths. I called Sheila's number, the first time I'd ever done so. If Kane answered, I'd merely hang up.
But it was Sheila, and her voice was foggy with sleep. I said, "It's Mike. Can you talk?"
"Yes. Mike, what's wrong?"
"Not a thing. I just wanted you to know that well be moving tomorrow night. Very late—but tomorrow."
"Mike, that's wonderful."
"You're all alone?" "Yes—Jack hasn't come home yet."
"Meet me about ten or eleven at our usual place tomorrow night. We'll make our plans then. Okay?"
"I'll be there, darling."
I said, "I just found out something. I love you very, very much. Good night."
I hung up quickly. There were many things to be done. Maxine had given me the tip I needed. I knew where I stood. How this would all turn out was problematical and everything that would happen from here on was replete with danger, but it had to be faced. I scouted up a taxi and had the driver take me to Mona's apartment house.
It was like entering familiar territory. I'd been there so often and yet it seemed so long since the last time. There were public phone booths in the far corner of the lobby. I entered one and dialed Mona's number. It took her quite a while to answer, but, unlike Sheila's, her voice wasn't sleepy.
I said, "This is Mike. Now don't hang up, for Christ's sake. I'm calling from the office and I'm coming around to see you right now."
"Mike, you damned fool. It's three in the morning."
"I don't care what time it is. I have to see you. Expect me in about ten minutes."
I hung up before she could argue the point, but I didn't leave the phone booth. I could see the elevators from where I stood in the cubicle, but I knew I couldn't be seen. About six minutes went by and then the self-service car, used after midnight, came to the lobby floor and the door opened. Captain Jack Kane came out in a big hurry. He was trying to knot his tie as he rushed toward the exit. I knew the answer all right. The few remaining doubts I had vanished now. I gave him ten minutes, and then I walked out. I hoped Mona would worry herself sick over me.
At home, I undressed and climbed into bed, lying there with the light on. I wasn't tired, even though it had been a busy day and tomorrow night might be even busier. All the little things were falling into place. Like the way Captain Kane had turned on me at the Fairweather party and searched me for the second time. I'd wondered then what was behind that. Now I knew. He'd been looking for the little necklace snipper I'd invented. If he had found that, he'd have had a case, as open and shut as though I'd carried a kit of burglar tools. Of course, Mona had told him about it—and more. Mona was the reason why Kane didn't come home to Sheila until very late, if he came home at all.
Then there was the attack when I left the Fairweather party. That had to be set up beforehand. I'd tried to think who could have been so sure I'd have the pearls. Now I knew Mona would have figured I'd be smart enough to get them even if Kane and his boys were present. Kane wouldn't have rigged it by himself. He was too cocksure, but Mona knew me, and she'd been taking no chances.
That hot temper of Mona's had boiled over when we met the last time. From me, she'd gone straight to Kane with the whole story. And Kane had trusted her, confided to her that he was checking into the rackets. As a ranking cop he knew all the ropes. He even had Maxine to front for him, knowing very well how a good-looking, well-stacked blonde could hold the boys in line. Kane meant to put every jewel thief, fence and fingerman under his thumb.
It was all so clear now that I cursed myself for not seeing the details long ago. The truth had come only in dribblets; now it was all added up, stacked and ready for use. First of all, Marty Carroll had just about admitted Kane warned him not to do any more business with me. Then Marty had changed his mind and asked me to come back. He'd even intended to buy merchandise from me. What had made him change his mind so abruptly? Somehow he discovered that Kane was backing a new outfit intent on taking over all the lush jewelry business in town. Marty ws the kind of man who'd hate a crooked cop even though he was a crook himself. So Marty had died because he defied Kane. So had at least one other gem thief who couldn't see any reason why he should turn over most of his profits to an organization he didn't need.
Ka
ne had murdered Spike. I should have known Kane wouldn't dare lock Spike up. The big dumbbell would have talked under pressure. Yet Kane was in no position to let him go, so he must have told Spike to run for it and make it look good—and then he'd shot him in the back. I think I hated Kane more now than I ever had.
A cop who goes wrong is nothing new. I'd seen them come and go. Some were high-class crooks, but rarely did one of them ever possess the nerve to set up a gang that he was, as a policeman, supposed to wipe out. It would have worked for a while, too. It would still work if I was out of the picture and I thought that was in Kane's plans for me.
Another idea hit me. A disturbing one. If Mona told Kane all about me, she must have included the fact that I was in love with Sheila. Kane was fully capable of murder. He'd kill Sheila before he'd let me get her. Maybe he wouldn't even wait. I swung my legs off the edge of the bed on an impulse to go for Sheila now—shoot my way clear of Kane, if necessary. Then I settled back. Kane wanted me first and foremost. He'd do nothing to upset his plans for that. Sheila was perfectly safe—for the present.
It was after five when I drifted off to sleep, after ten when I woke up. I had plenty of time. I packed a bag first, took it to the office and put it in the back room out of sight. Then I visited my safe deposit vault and cleaned out the box. Securities, cash and gems went into a big briefcase. I put this into the office safe. I was ready now for a quick trip.
Around four o'clock, I telephoned Inspector McDermott and finally convinced him it would be a good idea to meet me. He showed up at the corner I designated, and I took him for a ride through the park in my car. McDermott was no fool. He listened long and well. I didn't feel like a stool, pigeon. I was getting out of the rackets, but I didn't want those who stayed in to be dominated by someone like Kane. I knew McDermott would take care of him. Cops hate crooked cops most of all.
McDermott kept what he thought of me to himself and went along with my plans. He let it drop that he, too, had suspected Kane.
He got out of my car a ten minute taxi ride from Headquarters. That was at his suggestion. If we were seen together and Kane heard about it, everything might be off.
I had an early dinner in a restaurant near my hotel, returned to my suite and took my time getting into evening clothes. I surveyed myself in the mirror. I looked like any other well-groomed opera lover. I tested the little gadget for snatching a necklace until the use of it came back to me-and I was proficient with the thing. I did plenty of thinking about Sheila, too, and several times I was tempted to call her. I gave up the idea because the risk would be too great.
Ready half an hour ahead of time, I sat down and had a stiff drink and a couple of cigarettes. One item bothered me. How would Sheila take it when she found out her husband was a worse crook than I'd ever been?
Yet I couldn't back down now. Maybe I could get her away before the story broke, prepare her so that if she eventually did learn the truth, she'd be able to face it. Her judgment of me wasn't mistaken. I'd changed for her. I was giving up stealing. Sure, the thrill of the profession gets in a man's blood. I'd miss it, but with Sheila beside me I could forget it, too. I shuddered with the thought that she might back out. My new life would be less than pointless without her. I'd have to go back to the rackets or die of boredom and from here on I'd face many more risks than ever before if I began stealing again. McDermott was cooperating because he had to, but I knew he'd take me in ten minutes afterwards if he had anything on me.
It was time to go. I felt like someone walking to the electric chair.
I reached the entrance to the Met in plenty of time. There was a crowd around, as always. For some reason, people like to see all the splendor and glitter that passes through the doors. There were cops around, and I suspected there were a lot of detectives posted nearby, too. I didn't see any I knew, but then Inspector McDermott might have sent over only cops from other divisions, men he could trust.
My evening clothes opened up a path for me. I stood close to the curb, waiting. Cops weren't allowing any cars to park in the block, but Maxine would arrange that. With Kane planning the whole thing, it had to come off without a hitch.
At seven-thirty on the dot, Mrs. Perreau's limousine rolled up. The doorman let her out with a flourish. Behind her car was another, and in the back seat was Maxine, dolled up as if she intended to go inside, too. Things were going to move fast now. I reached for the little snipping gadget and began edging my way toward Mrs. Perreau.
She was rearranging her wrap. The emeralds around her neck glowed like green traffic signals. She started walking across the sidewalk, and then it began. Someone gave somebody else a shove. In about ten seconds the sidewalk was full of milling people. There were a lot of curses, a great deal of shoving. The whole thing worked so beautifully I had to mentally compliment Kane on his scheme.
If there were cops handy, they'd have a hard time getting through that tightly packed, jostling mob. I was right behind Mrs. Perreau. Somebody gave me a hard shove, and I bumped against her. I apologized and she looked at me, but I knew it was an involuntary gesture. She wouldn't have recognized me again. My face was just another in an angry sea of faces. I lifted the little gadget and brought it down again—and then the little clamps were holding a hundred and fifty thousand dollars' worth of emeralds.
I got them into my pocket swiftly. It had all taken about two seconds. I managed to turn around. Maxine's car was at the curb with the back door open and the doorman standing uncertainly by, pushed now and then by the milling crowd. Some uniformed cops were diving into the mess, making it worse. A big guy with mug written all over him opened a path for me. He didn't use his elbows. He used fists and feet.
I reached the car, got in and the big guy got in behind me. The door closed and the car slid smoothly away into the traffic. I didn't think Mrs. Perreau had even missed her necklace yet.
Maxine linked her arm under mine and moved very close to me. The big guy just sat there. The driver concentrated on the traffic and the man beside him merely looked me over, grunted and paid no more attention.
Maxine said, "You got it, Mike?"
I gave her a happy nod. "Sure."
She squirmed with pleasure. "Let me see it, Mike."
I shook my head. "Not now. Where are we going?"
“To a good spot. We'll be safe there. Do you think anyone recognized you?"
"No—and what if they did? Nothing could be proven. There's even a chance the cops won't know there was a theft until the opera is half over. I'm betting Mrs. Perreau doesn't know it yet."
Maxine was all smiles. "Think what we can do in this racket, Mike. There's no limit. Now do you see how right you were in joining us?"
I didn't see it at all, but I pretended I did. Nobody said anything while the car shot over to Broadway and continued on downtown. Pretty soon the traffic thinned. We took a right turn and went down a side street. When we were very close to the river, the driver slowed up and turned into a driveway between two warehouse buildings.
"Is this where we're headed?" I asked.
"That's right, Mike. One of these warehouses is empty. The boss took it over."
"Is he going to meet us?"
"I think so. You're going to be surprised, Mike. You're going to faint dead away when you see him."
The car stopped beside a loading platform. The big guy got out. I started to, but he suddenly grabbed me around the waist hauled me out and held me while one of the other goons lifted the .45 out of my hip pocket The big guy stuck the gun into my ribs.
Maxine climbed out. "Hey, what's the idea?" she demanded. "I didn't tell you to do this."
"Shut up," the big guy said. "I don't take my orders from you."
"Why, you lousy son of a—"
One of the other boys pushed Maxine away and grabbed my arm. I was half dragged, half carried onto the loading platform. Two more men were inside waiting. They had the door open. When it closed, I saw that we were in a huge empty room. The big guy gave me a shove tha
t sent me reeling away until I lost my balance and fell. When I started to get up, he pointed my own gun at me.
"Stay there," he said sharply. He was no Spike Tate. This guy was almost as big, but he had brains to go along with his brawn. Maxine hopped around trying to find out what this was all about. Nobody paid any attention to her.
Finally she went over to a small window, brushed off a workbench directly beneath it and put her leather handbag down. Then she hoisted herself up and let her legs dangle. One of the men ogled her. So did I. This could be the last time I'd ever see a pair of fine legs.
They wouldn't let me move. I wrapped my arms around my knees, stayed on the floor and waited. A good fifteen minutes went by. Not a word was spoken. The ogler had a cigarette going, but it hung slack between his lips. He couldn't take his eyes off Maxine.
Finally she couldn't stand the suspense any longer. Her voice had gone shrill. "Will somebody tell me what this is all about? Mike swiped those rocks, didn't he? He's one of us. Why in hell do you treat him like that?"
"Shut up," the big guy said calmly. "Or I'll help you do it.
Maxine kept quiet, which was very wise. Another five minutes went by. Then the leading platform door opened and Kane walked in. He was alone, and smiling from ear to ear. Without a word he walked over to me and aimed a kick at my face. It missed, but I took it high on the arm, and it didn't feel good. I got to my feet. To hell with them all.
The big guy raised the gun as a club and moved toward me. Kane stretched out an arm and stayed him. "Not now, Barney. I want him to know what this is all about first."
I said, "I thought you were a cop. What is this?"
Maxine said, brightly, "I told you you'd be surprised, Mike."
Kane didn't even turn to glance at her. He said, "If that blonde opens her yap again, close it. Well, Sloan, I guess you are surprised, at that—but you haven't heard half of it. Sure I've gone into your line, but not in the cheap way you handled it. From here on, all the jewel thieves work for me. Go on, admit it. That was a smart set-up back there at the Met."
The Deadly Game Page 13
