Микки Спиллейн - The Erection Set

“I know where they came from. What happened?”

She gave a shrug as if it had been an everyday occurrence. “Came in about two hours ago. Scared the living crap out of Beth and the boys.”

“What boys?”

“Old Stanley Cramer and Stoney. Beth had ’em out hustlin’ for some dirt on your cousin. They come up with some goodies, too. He got to one of the girls who was scragged and she gave him a detailed letter.”

“They all right?”

“Sure. Tied up out in the kitchen.”

“Look, Lucy... don’t give it to me in episodes I haven’t got...”

“Relay, sonny. First tell me what we’re gonna do with these buckos. If you want I still got contacts who’ll...”

“Forget it.” I pushed past her and in five minutes I had all three of them wrapped up and gagged so tight they wouldn’t be going anywhere unless I let them. I found my own rod, tucked it away, then pushed Lucy down into a chair. “Okay, Lucy, now all of it.”

She nodded toward Blackie and puffed on the cigar. “That one liked to talk. He had a mad on for you, Doggie boy. Seems like they been in town checking out every one of your acquaintances and didn’t have any luck until he heard old Juke telling Tod about seeing you and what a nice guy you was and how they had something to give you. Juke, he just rambled on and said they was coming here and then call you. Later, Stanley and Stoney came in, sent Juke somewhere on an errand and they followed the boys back.”

“I didn’t get any call.”

“Not like they didn’t try to get one through.”

“I haven’t been in any one place very long.”

“That’s what they figured too. So they decided to wait. Hell, after they put the others in the kitchen that one I busted over there even played some Scrabble with me. The dirty bastard used words that wasn’t in the rules and made me play ’em. I should’ve really laid it on. You know what that lamp cost me?”

“Ten bucks.”

“Yeah, but a dollar was a dollar then.”

I threw her a disgusted smile and shook my head. “Let’s get them out of the kitchen.”

Beth’s fright had turned to total indignation and she was all for throwing a pail of scalding water over the three of them. I talked her out of it and let her settle for kicking each one in the head and enjoying the muffled groans that seeped through the gags. Cramer and Stoney didn’t want any part of them and had to have a few belts of Lucy’s best Scotch before they could get the shake out of their hands. I had to prod Stoney into remembering where he put the letter he had and he finally dug it out of an old jacket that had been slung across the back of a chair.

It was nicely detailed, giving places, dates and two other names who might go along with the big squeeze if no recriminations were guaranteed. As for herself, she’d even appear in court if she had to. And I now had Cousin Alfred’s ass in one hell of a sling.

When I finished reading I put the letter in my pocket. Both the men were watching me closely and I said, “Thanks. You all have something coming for this.”

“We don’t want anything, Mr. Kelly,” Cramer told me. “Unless it’s to see Barrin working full time.”

“I wish I could promise you that, friend.”

“You said you was going to try.”

“All the way out. Trying doesn’t mean it can be done though.”

“But you’re still gonna try?”

I nodded.

“Even with Cross McMillan on your back?”

“I wish that was all I had on my back. Those three inside are only the front-runners.”

“But when Cross hears what...”

“Cross didn’t send them,” I said.

Their eyes met, then touched Lucy’s. The old madam said, “It goes deeper?”

“You’d never believe, sugar. The funny part is” — I inclined my head toward the other room where the bloody three lay messing up Lucy’s rug — “this end of the action doesn’t bother me at all. It’s that fucking McMillan who’s got the power to hurt everybody and there’s not a damn thing I can do about it. He’s got the money, the control and enough hate for the Barrins to enjoy pulling everything down into a pile of rubbish.”

“Piss on him,” Lucy said.

“Try telling that to a city full of people with brand-new stars in their eyes.”

“What’ll we do with your pals inside?”

I felt a grin tug at my mouth and ease the tension from my body. “Call Bennie Sachs to come collect them. All you know is that they broke in on you and did what they did. You have four reliable witnesses to go along with the story.”

“What story?”

“Why, it’s simple. Stanley here wiggled loose, untied Stoney and Beth and you overpowered the bums.”

Cramer’s voice was weak with surprise. “ Us ?”

“Sure,” I said. “Those guys aren’t going to deny it. Just do what I’m telling you.”

Lucy had lived a long time. Her eyes had narrowed into the tired folds of fat and the pupils were little dark pinpoints reading my mind. I let her gauge me until she was satisfied, then she said, “Okay, Dog. That’s the way it’ll be.”

I left Lucy making the call and Stanley Cramer walked me to the door. When I opened it he touched my arm. He was standing in the shadows and I couldn’t see his face, but there was something odd in his voice. “Don’t worry too much about that there Cross guy, Mr. Kelly.”

“Why’s that, Stan?”

“Because worrying don’t leave time for nothing else to get done. You’ll see.”

“Glad to know there’s another optimist left,” I said.

The night lights around the factory made dull little halos in the rain. On the west side of the main buildings the trucks and trailers had been buttoned up, the only sound of life coming from inside the portable watchman’s shack where a TV was blaring away and a couple of voices were loud in beery laughter.

My collar was turned up against the downpour that slashed at my back and I edged through the shadows to the rows of bushes that shielded the front of the building, got behind them and felt my way to the old service door that led inside. It squeaked open on seldom-used hinges, the noise echoing in the empty corrider. It had been a long time since I had come in this way and the place had been renovated since, so I stood there a minute until I was oriented, then picked my way through the darkened offices until I reached the foyer.

On the other side, in the area reserved for the S. C. Cable Productions office, I saw the deliciously familiar back of a beautiful little blonde poring over a ledger, one hand fingering a stack of printed cards. I crossed to the door, stood there enjoying the light glinting through the carelessly swept-back hair and said, “Hello, pretty girl.”

Sharon jumped, knocked half the cards off the desk and swung around to look at me with her breath caught in her throat. “Dog! Damn, don’t ever do that again.” Then she saw my face and her eyes opened wide before she was able to speak again. “What happened to you?”

“Trouble. Nothing new. Nothing unexpected.”

She got up and came into my arms, her fingers digging hard into my biceps. “Oh, Dog. Damn you, Dog!”

“At ease, doll. I’m all right.” I pusher her away and tilted her head up with the palm of my hand. “A war’s made up of battles, kid. I just won this one.”

She let out a short laugh and wiped the tears out of her eyes. “And I don’t suppose I get to know what happened, do I?”

“You suppose right.” I pulled the door shut, locked it and checked to make sure the Venetian blinds were all shuttered tight. “You run down anything at all?”

“All I should tell you is up your bucket,” she said.

“What about those Social Security cards?”