The lieutenant muttered: “Christ! what a character shark! Trusting Gino and Tony!”
“They were going to take a powder, according to Lew’s info,” Demetrios went on. “Gino was going to shag a boat out of Boston for Havana an’ Tony was going to Florida by rail an’ meet him there. Between them they were supposed to have about four hundred grand. Lew told me about it an’ said he’d made a date to meet both of them at Tony’s at a quarter after one tonight. He wanted me to go along, but I couldn’t see it. It looked like a dumb play. Anyway, me an’ him was washed up and I been in bed since ten o’clock.”
The lieutenant snapped: “You’re good enough for us, Demetrios, as a material witness. Get on your clothes.”
“That’s what I get for trying to help you dumb bastards,” Demetrios bleated. He got up and went into the bathroom.
Green stood up, crossed quietly to Doyle and the lieutenant, whispered: “Don’t pick him up. Tell him to stand by for a call in the morning and let him go. I’ll lay six, two, and even he doesn’t go back to bed, but goes out. We can wait outside and if he doesn’t lead us somewhere I’m a Tasmanian watchmaker.”
Doyle looked doubtful, but the lieutenant seemed to like the idea.
He called: “Let it go, Demetrios. But stick around for a call in the morning.”
Demetrios appeared in the bathroom doorway in his pajamas. He looked a little bewildered.
“Can I go back to bed?”
Doyle said: “Sure. Get some sleep. You’ll probably need it. After all, we wouldn’t be getting nowhere in figuring out what this’s all about if it wasn’t for you.”