Wandering Star - chapter 5

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Miz Alexia was shakin’ like a kid without a jacket on a cold day, so I threw my trench coat around her, and my arm across her shoulders, and took her down the stairs. … one at a time and real careful.. the kid has taken enough for one day, and that Southern Magnolia Belle toughness was showing a coupla cracks…

 

Armand’s guy followed us down after switching off the light… don’t wanna run up the light bill for The Dutchman, did we….though he was having a little trouble seeing things straight right now what with that extra eyehole and all…. kinda put a queer in the pitch, ya know…

 

I was a little pissed ‘cause I wanted a prisoner to talk to about this organisation, and we only had Slimey now.. and no idea how much he knew…I figured the first guy I greased was Parker Dansby, so we were outta our main line into this thing… Slimey better know a lot… if he knew what was good for him…. Armand’s two guys picked him up, not too kindly, and dragged him along as we left down the path to the street.

 

They turned the lights off and closed the door, too , after a quick search to make sure there was nobody else inside…..I hope they emptied The Dutchman and Dansby’s wallets, too, and took their ID so we could get rid of it….along with Slimey once we pumped him dry of all the information he had.. I was in no mood to cater for prisoners an’ Slimey was lookin’ at a long stay at the bottom of the lake….. but Jimmy an’ Miz Alexia didn’t need to know that…..

 

They searched an’ trussed Slimey an’ tossed him  in the trunk of my Packard, an’ changed into their own clothes again while I sat Miz Alexia in the front an’ gave her a quick shot of bourbon from the glove compartment…

 

Jimmy just sat there like a petrified deer caught in the headlights on a country road, eyes just as big….I guess bein’ a copper he only had to deal with the better side of the seamy part of’ life, and’ just ignored the rest…..welcome to Grappler World, Jimmy.. the one where guys’d go out an’ knife Krauts at night…..an’ bring back their ears an’ other parts….some o’ them guys musta had Indian blood somewhere…. at least they didn’t eat their scalps or nothin’….

 

“There ya go, Jimmy…. all settled at this end… an’ here’s the outfits back, all I one piece like I promised.. not even a bloodstain on ‘em!”

 

Jimmy looked like he was gonna throw up, so I rubbed it in a little,

 

“There’s two dead guys in that house, too, Jimmy.. but ya oughta leave ‘em there an’ say nothin’…somebody’ll find ‘em sometime. And ya don’t wanna know their names or nothing… just let it be.”

 

“What… you just wanna leave ‘em there?”

 

“Sure, Jimmy… let the rats have ‘em.. they’re cannibals, ya know!  All the same fucken’ breed!”

 

Jimmy nodded,

 

“An’ ya never set eyes on them two guys there, an’ ya know nothin’ about Slimey, either, OK?”

 

Jimmy nodded again, and I nodded that it was time to get goin’, so he put his car in gear an’ headed back to the 12^th precinct.  I went back to my Packard, an’ checked on Miz Alexia.. she was startin’ to get a bit more colour in her face, but I figured it’d still be a while…

 

“Just hold on there, baby”, I said, “Lemme just talk to these guys here for a minute, then we’ll get ya somewhere real safe and warm.”

 

I went around to the two guys and shook ‘em both by the hand, I figured the guy at the top on the landing had drilled The Dutchman an’ that deserved an extra pat on the back… so I reached for my wallet…

 

They stopped me right there…

 

“No!  No.. Mr Pete.. Armand has taken care of it all.  You are not to worry.  This is not a thing we do for money in any case.”

 

“Oh, kinda pro bono, eh?”

 

They looked kinda mystified at each other so I took advantage of ‘em right then, an’ pulled out a G each an’ forced em to take it, stuffed it in their jacket pockets,

 

“Consider that just a little bonus for yer work, an’ for takin’ care o’ Slimey there for me until I settle Miz Alexia in somewhere safe.  Now, if ye’ll just get in the back we’d best make tracks outa here.”

 

I figured the best place for Miz Alexia here was back at my joint… it was safe an’ secure from pryin’ eyes, an’ it had all the facilities she’d need while I sorted out the rest …I figured I’d need a little female help here, so I found another phone booth and called Flora at home.. a big thing to do, but hell….. this was serious…

 

Flora came through an’ said she’d meet us outside my joint in fifteen minutes, so I drove off, an’ headed home.. can’t say I was too shaken over losin’ the Dutchman an’ Dansby, though Dansby had to be the source of the information I needed to run down those skunks in  that business and deep six ‘em all…now I only had Slimey an’ he was gonna talk, let me tell ya….

 

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Flora was right there when we arrived, an’ I let us in, leavin’ the two guys outside to keep an eye on things and shut Slimey up, not too heavy with the shuttin’ up ‘cause I really wanted  to talk to him, if he started to make a ruckus….. I figured he knew the ropes, so to speak, and wouldn’t make a lotta noise.. figuring’ his best chance to get outta this alive was to co-operate.. from what I’d heard around town, he’d taken a few other people for a ride in a car trunk…..

 

I had my arm around Miz Alexia all the way an’ she clung to me like a kid… not that I blame her.. those guys musta had somethin’ in mind just to be there with her, two in the room…maybe she was gonna be the one headed for a ride to the last roundup instead o’ The Late Dutchman an’ company….. I handed her off to Flora soon as we got up to my penthouse, an headed into the kitchen to put on the coffee pot…..

 

Flora was great with the kid, an’ settled her on the sofa, even asking if she wanted a little drink, then lookin’ at me with a question mark on her face that said where is it.. so I pointed to the cabinet…

 

“Right in there, Flora, an’ ya can get whatever ya want.  I got work to do so I won’t have one just yet…  Miz Alexia”…..

 

She turned her tear-streaked face towards me an’ I felt like a daddy right then, the kid was so young and stuff,

 

“Look.. ya feeling a little better now?  Ya wanna drink or wait for the coffee?  Ya look half-starved, so just let us know what ya need, OK”.

 

She nodded, and spoke out,

 

“Thank you.. Mr Grappler.. I heard your name back… back there….and thanks, thanks so much.  I was afraid those guys were gonna.. were gonna”…

 

“It’s all right, Miz Alexia.. should I call you Alex? That easier?”

 

I figured I could distract her if I talked a bit, so I carried right on,

 

“I only ever heard your name as Alexia, which is kinda cute, but it gets a bit hard on the tongue, ya know, after a while.  There, Flora’s got ya a drink…you just take your time.  Ya want some coffee?  Something to eat?”

 

She still looked pretty pale and shaky,

 

“If it’s not too much trouble, Mr Grappler, I’d kinda like to use your bathroom!”

 

“Oh, sure, damn stupid o’ me.  It’s right over through that door there, bathroom, an’ all, and towels in the cabinet just inside the door. Ya want flora to help ya?”

 

She shook he head, and hurried off through the door, holding on to her mouth as she nearly ran….. Flora an’ me heard her throwing up in there, an’ figured we’d just let her be until she felt better.  I turned to Flora,

 

“It’s really great o’ ya ta come out like this, Flora, and I can’t thank ya enough… Nah, don’t shake your head, it’s a big thing to come out like this at night an’all.  Look.. er.. ya reckon yea could take care of Alex here while I go sort out a little business?  Got a coupla guys.. ya saw ‘em.. waitin’ outside.”

 

“Sure, Mr Grappler, I can take care of this little gal.  She’ll be just fine.”

 

I took her shoulders and gave her a little peck on the cheek, and she turned all scarlet,

 

“Look, Flora, I might be a while….can ya take the time?  I mean.. ya gotta get home?”

 

She shook her head,

 

“No, Mr Grappler, I live on my own… my husband.. well he’s away looking for work right now... times ARE getting tough. I could stay here all night if you want.”

 

Miz Alex came out just then, looking pale still but pretty OK…. a lot better, an’ I just let Flora take charge an’ went to the kitchen to turn off the coffee.  I got out a coupla cups and turned back….

 

“There’s plenty o’ food and stuff, when ya want, so just help yourselves…I really gotta go and sort out some business, so can I leave ya with it?”

 

They nodded together,

 

“Coffee’s made.. I won’t put cream and sugar in it. Always make a mess outa that, ya know.  If ya need to get out, there’s spare keys in that drawer over there…  Oh, an’ Flora.. don’t you worry none about yer job in these here hard times… you’re safe.”

 

I picked up my hat and went to the elevator…turned around one last time to make sure things were OK, an’ waved as I left in the elevator……

 

*     *     *

 

I went back down and met up with the boys again, and so far Slimey hadn’t given any trouble.. just quiet as a grave in there… Slimey Blanschek…. some called him Blank Cheque.. but it sure as hell wasn’t nothin’ to do with his lack of smarts… more like his happiness to do just about anything for a buck….

 

Now .. where was I gonna stash Slimey for a little quiet chat?  Maybe somewhere with a water view.. just in case we needed to make a fast trip by boat…with a shipment of cement shoes for Slimey…. I knew an old warehouse down by the river, an’ we headed there toot sweet…. that’s a little phrase I picked up in France…

 

We settled Slimey in a nice comfy chair, all trussed like a Christmas turkey, and let him think about his situation for a while… then I started on him..

 

“OK, Slimey.. you know the deal.  TheDutchman and that Dansby guy are both dead… an’ if that little gal had been dead, too, no way you’d be walking outta here tonight.  I got a deal for ya.. an’ it’s pretty simple.. you spill your guts about every little thing about this organization, includin’ the names and places of every gal you b******s kidnapped .. and ya get to stay alive.. I’ll even throw in a pot o’ cash for ya to leave town.. for good!”

 

I let him think about that for a second or two…

 

“Of course, if ya go the other way….I guess ya know what that means, don’tcha?”

 

Slimey nodded .. told ya he was smart…

 

“I’ll take the deal, Grappler…. I’ll tell ya everything ya wanna know.. an’ I never saw nothin’!  OK?”

 

“Ya know ya gotta leave town, quiet like, an’ if ya make one call, Slimey, to any of yer colleagues… I’ll track ya down and I swear I’ll ace ya!  An’ if I don’t.. these boys are pretty good with a knife, if ya know what I mean… an’ they take it kinda personal that  any scumbag’d treat women like that, an’ they got special ideas on how to treat such a guy, an’ it ain’t pretty …ya got me?  Now.. the boys’re gonna take the ropes off ya, and I know you’re gonna behave… then ya can  start talkin’!”

 

Armand’s boys took their cue like real troupers.. they leered wickedly an’ one of ‘em even picked his fingernails with a real fine stiletto…. just to give Slimey a little encouragement…those guys oughta be in movies…

 

Slimey talked all right with one eye on that stiletto doin’ its work… namin’ names and all…. and Jimmy Kincaid wasn’t on the list, so I knew he was kosher.. but Mayor Feely an’ a bunch of his higher cops had a big, big hand in the till…  reckon Jimmy’d be pleased to see some ‘o them go down…give him another chance at promotion….

 

Maybe the most interesting thing was that he told us that Dansby was only a flunkie… an’ the real mastermind was a guy named  Cain Caliman out California way… he was the real ace at getting’ the girls in…an’ he caught a healthy kickback for his work….

 

So I guessed maybe I might get time to look in on Sam’s mother in Malibu out that way… soon!

 

“OK, Slimey.. ya kept yer word.. so ya get to keep your life an’ I appreciate yer honesty an’ yer help!  Now I’ll keep my part o’ the deal…. we’re gonna get some cash for ya, an’ then you’re on the next bus outta town. Maybe ya wanna head East for a while.. a long while.. an’ maybe start again, turn over a new leaf, sorta. An’ make sure ya stay clear o’ them a******s ya been workin’ with or so help me you’re a dead man!”

 

I gave Slimey twenty Gs from my stash for stake money on a new life of non-crime, an’ we saw him outta town… not quite on a rail since the trains were on strike, just on a bus… then the boys went their way after we shook hands all ‘round…. an’ I took the time to go thank Armand before gettin’ back to my place an’ Miz Alexia an’ Flora… 

 

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