Эд Макбейн: Bread

“This won’t hurt but a minute,” Carella said behind him, and nudged him toward the desk.

“Everybody know everybody?” Ollie said. “Steve, this is Mr. Worthy and Mr. Hemmings, and I believe you know Mr. Grimm. Gentlemen, Detective Steve Carella. And, of course, you all know Alfie Chase because he’s your partner.”

“ Everybody’s partner,” Hawes said.

“You son of a bitch!” Hemmings said, and leaped from his chair, and reached for Chase’s throat. His outburst served as the signal for the two other men to spring into action. Worthy came at Chase with a bunched fist, and Grimm simultaneously kicked him in the shin. It was only with some difficulty that the detectives rescued Chase from what might have turned out to be the first squadroom lynching in the history of the Police Department. Ollie slammed Chase down into a swivel chair behind the desk and said, “What’s it all about, Alfie?” which Carella and Hawes thought highly comical, but nobody else even smiled.

The poker game was finished. It was now time to count the chips and turn them in for money — which was, after all, the name of the game.

They questioned Alfred Allen Chase alone in the lieutenant’s office. They told him many truths and many lies. They started off with a lie.

Q: According to your partners, you’re the real heavy in this thing, Alfie. You’re the one who told Charlie Harrod to burn down Grimm’s warehouse, you’re the one who...

A: That’s a lie.

Q: Charlie wasn’t working on your instructions?

A: No. It was their idea. Robbie and Oscar. They’re the ones who got Charlie to do the job.

Q: To burn down Grimm’s warehouse?

A: Yeah, and his house, too.

Q: Why?

A: Because they found out about him.

Q: About the Bremerhaven deal, do you mean?

A: Yeah.

Q: About the deal with Bachmann?

A: Yeah. They really spilled everything, didn’t they? Some partners.

Q: You want to tell us your side of it?

A: My side of what?

Q: The deal with Bachmann.

A: Go ask Grimm.

Q: We’ve already asked him. We want your side of the story.

A: What’d the stupid bastard tell you?

Q: What makes you think he’s stupid?

A: Because he’s stupid, that’s why.

Q: You’re the one who burned him out, how does that make him stupid?

A: I didn’t burn him out, they did.

Q: Why’d they do it, Alfie?

A: I told you. They found out about the deal, and they figured the only way to scare him off was to burn down first his warehouse and then his house. Any other time, they might have let him get away with it, but not now when the market’s so tight.

Q: When did they find out?

A: The end of July.

Q: Who told them? Bachmann?

A: No, why the hell would he? He had his deal, he had his money, he was happy.

Q: Then who told them?

A: Some fink they know in Germany. He put a call through to Robbie, figured he’d do Robbie a favor, get one back from him later.

Q: Told him that Grimm was dealing with Bachmann, is that right?

A: Yeah.

Q: What kind of deal was it, Alfie?

A: I thought you knew already.

Q: No. What was it?

A: Go find out. I thought they already told you. What the hell is this?

Q: We’ve got a call in to the Bremerhaven police, they’re going to search the cargo and get back to us. You might as well tell us.

A: (Silence)

Q: What do you say, Alfie?

A: The contract is in Grimm’s name. For having the animals packed. He’s the one you should hang this on. The contract’s your proof.

Q: You had nothing to do with it, is that what you’re saying?

A: Nothing at all. Nothing with the Bachmann deal, nothing with the fires. I’m clean. Grimm was doing business with Bachmann, not me.

Q: How’d Grimm happen to know him?

A: Well, Diamondback did a little business with him before.

Q: With Bachmann?

A: Yes.

Q: When?

A: About six months ago. I had nothing to do with that deal, either. It was all Robbie and Oscar.

Q: What kind of a deal was it?

A: Penny-ante, hardly worth bothering with. We netted two million three.

Q: We?

A: The company. We put eight hundred grand in the bank and split the rest three ways.

Q: In a safety deposit box?

A: The eight hundred? Yeah. They told you that, too, huh? Jesus!

Q: And the rest you split three ways?

A: Yeah. But I didn’t know where the money came from. I was clean then, and I’m clean now. I thought it was company profits.

Q: And your share was five hundred thousand?

A: That’s right.

Q: Why’d Diamondback keep the eight hundred thousand in reserve? For future deals with Bachmann?

A: I suppose so. But I didn’t know anything about what the company planned. I thought it was a legitimate development company. Those guys are trying to put everything on me, when all along they’re the ones who’re maybe involved in some criminal activity. Man, I’ve been in jail before, you don’t think I’d get involved in anything illegal, do you?

Q: You weren’t involved in any of these deals with Bachmann, is that it?

A: That’s exactly it.

Q: Not even Grimm’s deal.

A: Right.

Q: Then why’d you send Rosalie Waggener to Germany?

A: Who told you that?

Q: Rosalie.

A: Said I sent her to Germany?

Q: That’s right.

A: She’s out of her mind.

Q: She said you gave her five hundred thousand dollars to deliver to Erhard Bachmann.

A: Oh.

Q: Did you?

A: Yeah, but that was a favor to Grimm. He needed somebody to take the money over for him, so I suggested Rosalie. I mean, we knew each other from prison, I figured I’d do him a favor.

Q: That’s not what Rosalie told us. Rosalie said it was your money.

A: Well, how would she know whose money it was?

Q: She said you were going to make millions.

A: Well, I don’t know where she got that idea.

Q: You’re not leveling with us, Alfie.

A: I’m telling you the truth.

Q: No, you’re not telling us the truth. The truth is you were Grimm’s partner in the deal.

A: Who told you that?

Q: Grimm.

A: That stupid bastard.

Q: Equal partners. Five hundred thousand each. Come on, Alfie. We know all about it.

A: (Silence)

Q: What do you say?

A: Can’t trust a goddamn soul. Boy, oh boy.

Q: Were you partners with Grimm?

A: Yeah, yeah.

Q: And it was your money Rosalie took to Germany?

A: Yeah.

Q: Why’d you risk sending her?

A: Nobody knew her there. She was using a phony name, there was no way she could be traced back to me. Besides, who was I supposed to send? That stupid bastard Grimm? Who let everybody over there tip to him in the first place?

Q: How’d he do that?

A: He told me he needed a cover, he needed to make it all look legit. Protection, he told me. So he actually signed a contract for having those wooden animals packed, would you believe it? And he used his right name on it!

Q: What’s so special about those animals, Alfie?

A: Nothing.

Q: The Bremerhaven police are right this minute...

A: What do I care? Grimm signed the contract, not me.

Q: You just admitted you were partners.

A: That’s right, but I didn’t know what kind of business he was doing over there.

Q: What kind of business was he doing?

A: I wasn’t involved in it.

Q: Nobody’s saying you were. What was it?

A: There’s half a million dollars’ worth of heroin inside those animals.

Q: The animals are hollow?

A: Not the other ones Grimm shipped in, but these, yeah. He had them hollowed out, and the dope put inside. The bottoms are plugged.