«A pigeon, Johnny. A pigeon.»
He nodded slightly. «Check. I called copper on Mops Parisi. I don’t like the snatch racket, baby. I’d call copper on it any day. I might even get myself hurt blocking it. That’s old stuff. Through?»
«You called copper on Mops Parisi and you don’t think he knows it, but maybe he does. So you’re running away from him … That’s a laugh, Johnny. I’m kidding you. That’s not why you’re leaving me.»
«Maybe I’m just tired of you, baby.»
She put her head back and laughed sharply, almost with a wild note. De Ruse didn’t budge.
«You’re not a tough boy, Johnny. You’re soft. George Dial is harder than you are. Gawd, how soft you are, Johnny.»
She stepped back, staring at his face. Some flicker of almost unbearable emotion came and went in her eyes.
«You’re such a handsome pup, Johnny. Gawd, but you’re handsome. It’s too bad you’re soft.»
De Ruse said gently, without moving: «Not soft, baby — just a bit sentimental. I like to clock the ponies and play seven-card stud and mess around with little red cubes with white spots on them. I like games of chance, including women. But when I lose I don’t get sore and I don’t chisel. I just move on to the next table. Be seein’ you.»
He stooped, hefted the suitcase, and walked around her. He went across the room and through the red curtains without looking back.
Francine Ley stared with stiff eyes at the floor.
THREE
Standing under the scalloped glass canopy of the side entrance to the Chatterton, De Ruse looked up and down Irolo, towards the flashing lights of Wilshire and towards the dark quiet end of the side street.
The rain fell softly, slantingly. A light drop blew in under the canopy and hit the red end of his cigarette with a sputter. He hefted the suitcase and went along Irolo towards his sedan. It was parked almost at the next corner, a shiny black Packard with a little discreet chromium here and there.
He stopped and opened the door and a gun came up swiftly from inside the car. The gun prodded against his chest. A voice said sharply: «Hold it! The mitts high, sweets!»
De Ruse saw the man dimly inside the car. A lean hawk-like face on which some reflected light fell without making it distinct. He felt a gun hard against his chest, hurting his breastbone. Quick steps came up behind him and another gun prodded his back.
«Satisfied?» another voice inquired.
De Ruse dropped the suitcase, lifted his hands and put them against the top of the car.
«Okey,» he said wearily. «What is it — a heist?»
A snarling laugh came from the man in the car. A hand smacked De Ruse’s hips from behind.
«Back up — slow!»
De Ruse backed up, holding his hands very high in the air.
«Not so high, punk,» the man behind said dangerously. «Just shoulder high.»
De Ruse lowered them. The man in the car got out, straightened. He put his gun against De Ruse’s chest again, put out a long arm and unbuttoned De Ruse’s overcoat. De Ruse leaned backwards. The hand belonging to the long arm explored his pockets, his armpits. A .38 in a spring holster ceased to make weight under his arm.
«Got one, Chuck. Anything your side?»
«Nothin’ on the hip.»
The man in front stepped away and picked up the suitcase.
«March sweets. We’ll ride in our heap.»
They went farther along Irolo. A big Lincoln limousine loomed up, a blue car with a lighter stripe. The hawk-faced man opened the rear door.
«In.»
De Ruse got in listlessly, spitting his cigarette end into the wet darkness, as he stooped under the roof of the car. A faint smell assailed his nose, a smell that might have been overripe peaches or almonds. He got into the car.
«In beside him, Chuck.»
«Listen. Let’s all ride up front. I can handle —»
«Nix. In beside him, Chuck,» the hawk-faced one snapped.
Chuck growled, got into the back seat beside De Ruse. The other man slammed the door hard. His lean face showed through the closed window in a sardonic grin. Then he went around to the driver’s seat and started the car, tooled it away from the curb.
De Ruse wrinkled his nose, sniffing at the queer smell.
They spun at the corner, went east on Eighth to Normandie, north on Normandie across Wilshire, across other streets, up over a steep hill and down the other side to Melrose. The big Lincoln slid through the light rain without a whisper. Chuck sat in the corner, held his gun on his knee, scowled. Street lights showed a square, arrogant red face, a face that was not at ease.
The back of the driver’s head was motionless beyond the glass partition. They passed Sunset and Hollywood, turned east on Franklin, swung north to Los Feliz and down Los Feliz towards the river bed.
Cars coming up the hill threw sudden brief glares of white light into the interior of the Lincoln. De Ruse tensed, waited. At the next pair of lights that shot squarely into the car he bent over swiftly and jerked up the left leg of his trousers. He was back against the cushions before the blinding light was gone.
Chuck hadn’t moved, hadn’t noticed movement. Down at the bottom of the hill, at the intersection of Riverside Drive, a whole phalanx of cars surged towards them as a light changed. De Ruse waited, timed the impact of the headlights. His body stooped briefly, his hand swooped down, snatched the small gun from the leg holster.
He leaned back once more, the gun against the bulk of his left thigh, concealed behind it from where Chuck sat.
The Lincoln shot over on to Riverside and passed the entrance to Griffith Park.
«Where we going, punk?» De Ruse asked casually.
«Save it,» Chuck snarled, «You’ll find out.»
«Not a stick-up, huh?»
«Save it,» Chuck snarled again.
«Mops Parisi’s boys?» De Ruse asked thinly, slowly.
The red-faced gunman jerked, lifted the gun off his knee. «I said — save it!»
De Ruse said: «Sorry, punk.»
He turned the gun over his thigh, lined it swiftly, squeezed the trigger left-handed. The gun made a small flat sound — almost an unimportant sound.
Chuck yelled and his hand jerked wildly. The gun kicked out of it and fell on the floor of the car. His left hand raced for his right shoulder.
De Ruse shifted the little Mauser to his right hand and put it deep into Chuck’s side.
«Steady, boy, steady. Keep your hands out of trouble. Now — kick that cannon over this way — fast!»
Chuck kicked the big automatic along the floor of the car. De Ruse reached down for it swiftly, got it. The lean-faced driver jerked a look back and the car swerved, then straightened again.
De Ruse hefted the big gun. The Mauser was too light for a sap. He slammed Chuck hard on the side of the head. Chuck groaned, sagged forward, clawing.
«The gas!» he bleated. «The gas! He’ll turn on the gas!» De Ruse hit him again, harder. Chuck was a tumbled heap on the floor of the car.
The Lincoln swung off Riverside, over a short bridge and a bridle path, down a narrow dirt road that split a golf course. It went into darkness and among trees. It went fast, rocketed from side to side, as if the driver wanted it to do just that.
De Ruse steadied himself, felt for the door handle. There wasn’t any door handle. His lips curled and he smashed at a window with the gun. The heavy glass was like a wall of stone.
The hawk-faced man leaned over and there was a hissing sound. Then there was a sudden sharp increase of intensity of the smell of almonds.
De Ruse tore a handkerchief out of his pocket and pressed it to his nose. The driver had straightened again now and was driving hunched over, trying to keep his head down.
De Ruse held the muzzle of the big gun close to the glass partition behind the driver’s head, who ducked sidewise. He squeezed lead four times quickly, shutting his eyes and turning his head away, like a nervous woman.