James Chase - Miss Callaghan Comes to Grief

Joe showed him into a little reception−room. “She’ll be right down, boss,” he said. His big eyes searched Grantham’s face questioningly, but Grantham turned away and felt for his cigarette−case.

When Carrie came in she found him pacing up and down the room, smoking furiously. She shut the door.

“What’s the matter?” she asked abruptly. She always liked to get straight to the point.

Grantham motioned her to a chair. “Things ain’t goin’ right,” he said shortly. “I don’t know what the hell Raven’s playin’ at.”

Carrie rested her big hands on her knees. “He’s a bad man,” she said. “It was wrong to let him take over.”

Grantham threw away his cigarette impatiently. “Don’t go over that again!” he snapped. “I couldn’t stop him. He’s playin’ some deep game, and I don’t know what’s at the back of it.”

Carrie shook her head. “One of his hoods threw vitriol over a hustler yesterday. All the girls are too scared to work. It’s crazy, Grantham. Most of the business is done on the streets. It’s only a certain class that come to the houses.”

Grantham nodded. “We’re losin’ money,” he said. “I’m goin’ along right now to have it out with him.

Before I see him I wanted to know about the Perminger girl. She all right?”

Carrie smiled. “Sure she’s all right.”

Grantham stroked his jaw with a hand that shook a little. “That dame may be very useful to us if Raven doesn’t behave,” he said. “You understand that, don’t you?”

Carrie nodded.

“Where is she?”

“Upstairs. Do you want to see her?”

Grantham hesitated, then he stood up. “No. It’s better not for me to see her yet. I’m relyin’ on you, Carrie.

You’ve got to keep her the way we want herdon’t forget that.”

“It’s all right.”

“He hasn’t been here, has he?”

“I haven’t seen him. Lefty’s been in. He looked the girls over and took all their names.”

Grantham’s eyes snapped. “Did he see the Perminger dame?”

Carrie nodded. “Sure. He went all over the house. He came in unexpected. I couldn’t get her out of the way.”

“Did he speak to her?”

“He spoke to them all.”

“Did she behave all right?”

“I was right behind her.” Carrie gave a cruel little smile. “He just thought she was one of the girls.”

“You’re sure? She didn’t do or say anythin’ that’d give a guy like Lefty ideas?”

“It was all right, I tell you,” Carrie said a little shortly.

Grantham sighed. “I’m tippin’ you, Carrie. If Raven knew about this, he’d finish both of us.”

Carrie shrugged a little. “Maybe it’d be better to get rid of her,” she said. “It’s a pity. She’s a nice bit of meat.”

Grantham suddenly stiffened. “You ain’t usin’ her?”

“Why not? She uses food, don’t she? I don’t have dead heads around here.”

“You mean you’ve hired her out?”

“Only to the guys who I can trust. She doesn’t know who’s a stranger or not. If she opens her mouth she’ll get another lickin’. You’d be surprised how she hates a lickin’.” Carrie laughed.

Grantham shook his head. “I don’t like it,” he said.

“I know what’s right,” Carrie returned. “She’s lost all her starch nowthat was the only way to make her lose it.”

“All right, I’ll leave it to you,” Grantham said, opening the door. “I’ll go and see Raven.”

When he had gone Carrie went upstairs. She went into the big reception−room, where the girls were getting ready for the evening’s work.

Lulu was painting her nails. Julie and Andree were doing some limbering−up exercises. Fan, her face screwed up with concentration and the tip of her tongue protruding, was writing a letter. In the far corner of the room Sadie sat in a yellow wrap, reading the newspaper.

They all looked up when Carrie came in. Fan sneered and returned to her letter. Carrie was aware of the long look of hatred that she got from Sadie. That didn’t worry her any.

She said, “YouI want you.”

Sadie put down the newspaper and got to her feet. Her face was now a hard, cold mask. “What is it?”

“Come on out here. I want to talk to you.”

They went out together. Sadie followed Carrie into her own little room.

“You hate me, don’t you?” Carrie said with a little grin. “Well, that’s all right. But you’d hate the guy who got you here a damn sight more, wouldn’t you?”

Sadie stood by the door. She didn’t say anything.

Carrie said, “Do you know why you’re here?”

Still Sadie didn’t say anything. Her eyes smouldered with bitter hatred for the mulatto.

“You’ve seen too much,” Carrie told her. “You saw the guy who killed Mendetta.”

Sadie flinched.

“Yeah,” Carrie went on, “he’s a bad guy. He runs this house. One of these days, baby, you’re goin’ to get a chance of puttin’ that guy where you want him. That’ll make you happy, won’t it?”

Sadie clenched her fists. “One of these days,” she said, “I’m goin’ to even the score out all round. You don’t think you can get away with this for ever. You’ve turned me into one of these women because I haven’t got the guts to fight you, but I’m not forgetting. Make no mistake about that.”

Carrie laughed. “Go back to your room. You’ve got to work tonight.”

Sadie went out silently.

August 17th, 10.30 p.m.

LEFTY walked softly down the dark alley, his hands in his coat pockets, his hat drawn well over his eyes, and a cigarette glowed in the darkness, moving up and down as he shifted it in his mouth.

Spade’s big garage ran half the block, and Lefty was walking down the alley that ran immediately behind it. As he came to a lighted window he threw his cigarette away. Stretching up, he took one quick look into the room, saw Spade sitting there checking a ledger, and grinned.

He went on until he came to the back door and let himself in. He moved quietly down the dark passage.

Faintly he could hear the crews in the garage washing the cabs down. He could hear the murmur of voices and an occasional laugh.

He knocked gently on Spade’s office door and went in. Spade looked up sharply. His face cleared when he saw Lefty. “Come in,” he said. “Raven sent you?”

Lefty shut the door softly. “Yeah,” he said. “You got a little trouble, ain’t you?”

“Sit down. I’m glad you’ve come. It’s time we had a talk. Why didn’t Raven come himself?”

“He’s busy,” Lefty said, still standing. “You know a lot, don’t you?”

Spade shrugged. “You mean about Raven? Why, sure. It’s my job to know things. Raven’s been behind Grantham since Mendetta was bumped. I know that too.”

Lefty nodded. “Bright boy,” he said. “What else do you know?”

Spade reached for a pipe and began to load it. “I know, for some reason or other, Raven’s driven the girls off the streets. It ain’t that he wants a clean town. Raven ain’t that sort of a guy. He’s done it for something that’ll fill his pockets, but I don’t like it.”

“Too bad,” Lefty said, and smiled mirthlessly.

Spade struck a match and for a moment his big face was hidden behind blue smoke. “I want to know why,” he said.

“You know a lot. Why don’t you find out?”

“If you’re goin’ to take that angle, I will,” Spade snapped, his face darkening. “Listen, Lefty, this isn’t the way to take it. I’m willin’ to work with you boys, but I can’t let you ruin my trade. What the hell is all this about? Can’t you see you ain’t doin’ yourselves any good clearin’ the streets like this?”