‘Why? Is he in trouble?’
‘Not to my knowledge. I spotted him with a blonde who interested me. Is he likely to be in trouble?’
‘He’s seldom out of it,’ Favel said. ‘I haven’t time to waste talking to you, Dal as. I’ve got my column to polish up.’
Dallas took out his wallet, selected two tens and dropped them on the desk.
‘That should cover five minutes of your precious time,’ he said. ‘I want to know as much about Kile as you can tell me.’
Favell hurriedly pocketed the bills.
‘I don’t know a great deal,’ he said, relaxing. ‘By the way, you can keep your trap shut about that red-head. She has a husband in the wrestling racket, and he’s been waiting to pick on me.’
‘Never mind about her: tell me about Kile.’
‘He comes from San Francisco. Hasn’t been here more than a couple of months. He’s bought a big house on Roosevelt Boulevard which he hasn’t paid for yet, and probably never will. Three years ago he was a successful market manipulator and cleaned up a packet, but since then he seems to have dropped out of business. He spends a lot of his time on the race-tracks. He must win more than he loses, as he doesn’t seem to have any other means of making a living.’
‘What’s this about trouble?’