Back in his room, Duffy rang Sam. He said, “Do you feel like doing me a favour?”
Sam said, “Aw, forget it, will you? Alice's only a little dumb; she don't know what it is to want things.”
Duffy's mouth twisted. “You lay off Alice. She's right. See? Alice is goddam right. If I'd got the sense of a louse, I'd be doing a job of work instead of trying to be a big shot. Well, I ain't got the sense, and what's more, I'm getting a kick out of this. What I want you to do is to keep your ear open down at headquarters. I want you to keep an eye on English. That bird's been pulling too many fast ones to make me sleep easy. Will you do that, Sam?”
Sam seemed puzzled. “Sure,” he said. “I'll do any little thing like that.”
Duffy said, “You'll keep me in touch. If anything starts popping, gimme a buzz?”
Sam said, “Sure,” then he said, “You know what you're doing?” He sounded worried.
Duffy said, “I'm bucking something that thinks it's too big for me, but ain't.” He added, “'Bye, soldier,” and dropped the receiver on its prong.
Outside, he could hear the rain beating down. He went over to the bed and lay flat, one leg hanging over the side. He scratched the side of his face gently with his nail. “I wonder...” he said to himself, then he heard someone walk past his door. He heard Gilroy say, “She don't wear 'em. It saves time.” Shep said something in his tinny voice, but Duffy couldn't hear.
In time, the sound of the rain lulled him.
CHAPTER XVI
SOMEWHERE A BIG clock chimed half past twelve as the Buick slid to the kerb. The rain drummed on the roof hard.
Shep said, “Heck! What a night!”
“You should worry, no one about,” Duffy said, rolling down the window and putting his head out. The rain touched him, cold and sharp. He looked up and down the deserted street, then he rolled up the window again, opened the door, and stepped out. Gilroy followed him.
“Fat, you stay in the car,” Gilroy said.
Shep nodded his tiny head. “Suits me,” he said. He pulled a Luger from his overcoat pocket and laid it across his knees.
Then Schultz got out. The three hurried across the pavement to a block of offices.
“Round the back,” Duffy said.
They walked on, turned a narrow alley, and then stopped. Just above their heads was the fire-escape. Gilroy put his back against the wall, folded his hands in front of him, and nodded at Schultz. Schultz put his foot in Gilroy's cupped hands, and Gilroy hoisted him up. Schultz just touched the fire-escape with his fingers. He said, “Higher.”
Gilroy gave a little grunt, shifted his feet and raised Schultz a few inches. Schultz's fingers curled on the iron rung, and then he put his weight on it. The fire-escape creaked and slowly came down.
Duffy went up first, then Gilroy, then Schultz. On the first landing, Duffy stood aside, whilst Schultz opened a window. He did it very easily. They all climbed into a dark corridor.
Duffy said, “It's on the first floor.”
They walked quietly forward, Duffy a little ahead, the other two on either side of him, a few steps in the rear. Duffy held a powerful flash directed on the floor. He kept the beam down, but the reflection lit up the frosted panelled doors. At the end of the corridor Duffy read, “Morgan Navigation Trust Co.”
“Here,” he said.
Schultz examined the lock, bent over it, then stepped back. He said in a low voice, “Go ahead.”
Duffy pulled the Colt from his waist-band and gently opened the door. Then he walked in.
The office was big. Steel files lined the walls. There were three large flat-topped desks. Three typists' desks, holding typewriters. The centre desk had a number of telephones.
Duffy said, “Morgan's room is over there, I guess.”
He wandered over to a door at the far end of the office and went through. The room was smaller than the outer office, but it was more luxurious.
Duffy went round the desk and sat down. He tried the drawers, but they were all locked. He looked over at Gilroy. “I guess we won't disturb anything. Morgan might tumble. I'll just plant the notes and we'll blow.”
Schultz said, “Maybe there's a heap of dough in this joint.” He said it wistfully.
Duffy took the roll of counterfeit money from his pocket, spread them flat. He leant forward, picked up a framed calendar and took off the back. Then he put the notes in the calendar and replaced the back.
“You like that?” he said.
Gilroy nodded. “That'll be difficult to find.”
“You'll be surprised.” Duffy pulled the telephone towards him and dialled a number.
While the line buzzed, the three stayed motionless. Only Gilroy showed he was anxious. His big eyes rolled continuously.
The line connected. English said, “Who's that?” He sounded sharp.
Duffy drawled into, the 'phone, “I've got Morgan sewed up,” he said. “If your boys make a call at his office early tomorrow, they can safely slap a charge on him.”
“Where are you?”
“It don't matter. Look, this is a tip off. Morgan's got twenty-five grand in phoney notes hidden in his desk calendar. Could you make that stick?”
English was silent for a moment, then he said, “You certainly get action, don't you? We'll make it stick all right.”
Duffy said, “Morgan Navigation Trust Co.”
“I know.” English hung up gently.
Duffy pushed the telephone away from him and stood up. “Let's go,” he said.
They walked out of the office, carefully relocking the door, down the fire-escape, into the pouring rain.
Shep was still sitting there, fondling his gun. They climbed into the Buick, and Schultz started the engine.
Shep said, “All right?”
“Easy,” Duffy returned, lighting a cigarette. “Morgan's going to get a mighty big shock tomorrow.”
Gilroy said out of the dark, “English has got to be pretty leery to pin anything on that bird.”
Duffy forced a thin stream of smoke down his nostrils. “English can handle him all right,” he said. “You see.”
Schultz said, “We go back, don't we?”
Duffy nodded. “Yeah,” he said, “the hay wants hitting.”
As Schultz headed East, Shep said in a confidential whisper to Duffy, “I thought I'd have a woman tonight. You know, just to celebrate the five grand.”
Duffy nodded sleepily. He began to think about Olga.
“It's a hell of a night to look for a woman, ain't it?” Shep went on gloomily.
Duffy grunted. He wished Shep would shut up.
Schultz had been listening. He said, “For God's sake, Fat, what you want with a woman?”