Роберт Беллем - Pulp Frictions

Al said, ‘Yeah, what do you think of that? This Dominic actually hooked our Calotta for ten grand. Imagine that! And there are several more personages who have been taken over for even larger sums.’

Renner said, ‘Who killed this guy?’ He looked at Calotta and right away they parted friendship.

‘Here’s what I know,’ Al said. ‘Calotta called me down here. This is Dominic’s room. He says that someone murdered Dominic and he wants me to find out who done it. He don’t want the cops in on this deal because the cops are sore at him, and besides, he is sore at the cops. Is that right, Calotta?’

‘Yeah,’ the gangster said. ‘I want to find out who killed Dominic, because whoever did it knows what I want to know.’

‘And what’s that?’ Renner said.

‘Use your head!’ Al suddenly yelled. ‘This Dominic has salted all the dough he took in on this swindle away somewhere and Calotta wants to know where it is. Do I have to draw you a picture?’

Renner shrugged. ‘Well,’ he said, ‘what do we have to work on?’

Al gestured towards the three frightened women, the frightened old man. He said, ‘These three girls are all tenants in this place. Our friend Dominic nicked them for a few hundred bucks apiece with his Asbury Park treasure story. The old guy is the printer who set up the phoney newspaper story.’

‘That all?’ Renner asked. ‘Who found out about the printer?’

‘I did,’ Al said, ‘and believe me, pal, it was a neat piece of work. No sooner does Calotta call me in on this case and show me the newspaper clippings, than I put two and two together and get four. I visit the three printers who are situated within convenient radius of this neighbourhood and one of them turns out to be this happy lad, who did the job for our friend Dominic.’

‘Well, that’s something,’ Renner said, without the least glimmering idea of what he was talking about.

Al turned to Calotta. ‘Tell you what,’ he said. ‘We’ll need a little time to work on this. We’ll go back to our office and figure on it. We ought to have an answer for you by tonight.’

‘Okay,’ Calotta said. There was a smart grin on his face. ‘You go back to your office and figure the job out. I’ll stay here and wait for you to come back. Of course you won’t go to the cops?’

‘Of course I won’t go to the cops,’ Al smiled.

He and Calotta grinned amiably at one another. Calotta’s face reminded Renner of the hyenas he had seen at the Bronx Zoo.

In the coupe, before he kicked the car into motion, Renner said, ‘We go to the cops, of course.’

‘Yeah? And from there to the cemetery,’ Al replied. ‘You’re a moron.’

‘Why?’

‘Because Calotta has more than dough wrapped up in this deal. That should have been obvious even to you. And he isn’t taking any chances, particularly with us. Right now he has guys following us.’

Renner looked in the rear-view mirror and saw a big black convertible swing out as he pulled from the kerb. He swore uncomfortably and said, ‘Look, Al, are you tryin’ to kid me, or something?’

‘How?’

‘This thing all points to Calotta. What are you stalling with him for? Forget that car behind us. Go to the cops and tell them that Calotta killed a guy. That’s all there is to it.’

‘I called you a moron,’ Al said. ‘I wasn’t kidding about that.’

‘Have it your own way,’ Renner said.

He drove the rest of the way in silence and parked the car a block away from the office.

Al said, ‘Just act natural and dumb. We’re going upstairs.’

They went into the office and Al shut the door and then he said, ‘They’re out in the hall and waiting for us. They’ll want to know what we’re doing, so they won’t start anything unless they get suspicious.’

‘That’s nice,’ Renner said. ‘What do we do, stay here and wait until they do?’

‘You stay,’ Al said. ‘In the meantime I’m taking a chance with the window. I’m going back to the Village. I just pulled this gag to get Calotta’s boys out of the way. Now I’m going back there and finish the case. You sit here and talk out loud and argue with me.’

‘But you won’t be here,’ Renner said.

‘That’s just the point,’ Al smiled. ‘I won’t be here.’

He walked over to the window, opened it and looked down. Then he climbed out, and Renner heard him making his way down the fire escape.

The three frightened women were still there. So was the frightened man. So was the corpse. Calotta was master of ceremonies. He had a revolver in his hand. He was telling the four frightened people to keep quiet. That was when Al came in.

Calotta looked at Al and said, ‘Well?’

‘I got it figured out,’ Al said. He looked at the revolver in Calotta’s hand and he said, ‘Play nice.’

‘Don’t stall,’ Calotta said. He levelled the revolver at Al’s chest.

‘Put down the toy or I don’t talk,’ Al said. He sighed and then he added, ‘You’re not a very trusting employer, are you, Calotta? I’m telling you that I got this case all figured out and I’m ready to earn my pay cheque as soon as you put the revolver away.’

Calotta frowned and put the revolver back in his shoulder holster. As soon as he was sure that the rod was in its leather, Al jumped. He had to do this fast and he couldn’t depend on his fists, because of Calotta’s size. He kneed Calotta in the stomach and when the heavy man doubled, Al kneed him again in the chin. Calotta went up against the wall, but he didn’t go out. He threw fists, cursing, spitting teeth and blood as Al jabbed fast. Then it was the knee again, and this time it caught Calotta on the point of the chin and knocked him cold.

While the three frightened women and the frightened old man were jabbering like peacocks in a typhoon, Al took the revolver from Calotta’s shoulder holster. He waved the women out of the room. Then he brought his arm up slowly and aimed the rod at the frightened old man.

‘You killed Dominic, didn’t you?’

The frightened old man began to shiver. ‘No... no... not me. I—’

‘Aw, cut it out,’ Al said. ‘You oughta be glad I saved you from Calotta. You know what he would have done to you? He would have cut off your nose, and then he would have cut out your tongue, and then he would have cut your eyes out, and maybe he’ll still do it, unless—’

‘All right,’ the frightened old man said. ‘I’ll tell you. I killed Dominic. I made an agreement with him. I would fix up the newspaper clippings, and in return he would give me a share of the money. It was my idea to start with. He told me that he had it in his room—’

‘And you believed him,’ Al said. ‘You came up here with an axe and you killed him and then while you were looking for the money Calotta knocked on the door and you got away while the getting was good. You didn’t know till then Calotta was mixed up in it. You went back to your print shop and you were minding your own business at the press when I came in.’

The frightened old man said, ‘How... how can you know all this?’

‘I’m a smart guy,’ Al said. ‘But it’s easy when you take a good look at the axe. It’s all red from Dominic’s blood. But besides the red there’s a lot of black on the blade and on the handle. It’s printer’s ink. You used the axe to crack open the lids of ink barrels. Then you were dumb enough to use the same axe to crack open Dominic’s skull.’

The old man said, ‘Dominic was no good — he betrayed an old man’s trust. Calotta is a gangster — a murderer. If he goes free, he will do more harm than is left in me. Let me go.’

‘Sure,’ Al said, stepping aside. ‘Still, there wasn’t any real reason Dominic couldn’t have told about your little deal — to his father.’