Martinelli did not look at Halloran. He said: “I met Riccio an’ Conroy at the train that night an’ took them to that joint in Culver City to talk business to Mr. Halloran — only I didn’t know the kind of business Mr. Halloran was going to talk...”
“Is it quite necessary to go into all this?” Halloran spoke sidewise to Martinelli, smiled at Doolin. It was his first definite change of expression since Doolin had come into the room.
Martinelli said: “Yes,” emphatically. He scowled at Halloran, his eyes thin black slits. “Bright-boy here” — he indicated Doolin with his hand — “wants to know what it’s all about. I’d like to have somebody know — besides me. One of us might leave here alive — if I get this all out of my system it’s a cinch it won’t be Bright-boy.”
Halloran’s smile was very cheerful. He said: “Go on.”
“One of the men the Law picked up for the Hotspot shooting was a good guess — he’s on Mr. Halloran’s payroll,” Martinelli went on. He was accenting the “Mr.” a little unnecessarily, a little too much. “When I got out of the hospital Mr. Halloran suggested we clean things up — move Coleman an’ Decker an’ Winfield — anybody who might identify his man or testify that Riccio shot me — out of the way. He hated Winfield anyway, for beating his time with the Darmond gal — an’ he hated her...”
Halloran was beaming at Doolin, his hand tight and steady on the Luger. Doolin thought about the distance across the big table to Halloran, the distance to the light.
Martinelli was leaning forward, talking swiftly, eagerly: “I brought eighty-five grand worth of morphine out with me, an’ I turned it over to his nibs here when we threw in together. I ain’t had a nickel out of it. That’s the reason I went for all this finagling — I wanted my dough. I was supposed to get it tonight, but I found out about ten minutes ago I ain’t going to get it at all...”
Martinelli smiled at Halloran, finished: “Mr. Halloran says it was hi-jacked.” He stood up slowly.
Halloran asked: “All through, baby?”
Martinelli was standing very stiff and straight, his hands cupped at his sides.