“They want their hundred and fifteen, and they want it quick. I don’t know who I talked to — I couldn’t place the voice. He said the price goes up twenty-five grand a day — and they’ll send you one of her teeth every day, just to remind you...”
Kells laughed. He looked out the window and laughed without moving his head, and the sound was cold and dry and rattling. He said: “To hell with it. Where did those saps get the idea she means that much to me? All she’s given me is a lot of grief — I don’t want any part of her.” Beery sat staring at Kells with a very faint smile on his lips. “I’m in the clear — I’ve got mine. I’m going.” Kells went unsteadily toward the door, and then he turned and held out his hand. Beery stood up and took his hand and shook it gravely.
Kells said: “Why, goddamn it, Shep — she’s double-crossed me a half dozen times. How do I know this isn’t another one of those Scandinavian gags? She was Crotti’s gal in the first place...”
Beery nodded slowly. He said: “Sure.”
Kells turned again toward the door. He took two or three steps and then he turned again and limped wearily over to one of the desks, sat down. He sat there a little while staring into space.
Then he said: “See if you can get MacAlmon, Shep.”
Beery smiled, picked up the phone.
There were six men in MacAlmon’s big living room at the Villa Dora. Crotti sat sidewise at a desk against one wall, leaned with one elbow on the big pink blotter that covered the desk. His thick red lower lip was thrust out, curved up at the corners in a fixed and meaningless smile.
There were two men sitting in straight-backed chairs on the other side of the room. One was Max Hesse. He was fat, ruddy-cheeked, blond; his suit looked as if it might have been cut out of a horse blanket. The other man was dark and slight. He fidgeted a great deal. He had been introduced simply as Carl. Kells sat in one of the big armchairs near the central table and Beery sat on the edge of the table.
MacAlmon paced from the door to the table, back again. Kells said: “Certainly not. You haven’t got Granquist here — I haven’t got the dough. Turn her over to me in the open and without any finaygling and you can send anyone you want to a spot I’ll give them, with an order from me. They can call you with an okay when they get the money. Then-we’ll walk.” Crotti moved his fixed smile from MacAlmon to Kells. He said: “You are very careful.” The soft slurred impediment in his speech made it sound like a whisper.