I looked at Katz and dug him in the ribs with the gun. “You’re soon going to have a nice long rest,” I said, “an’ I hope you’ll have plenty to think about.”
Without looking at me, he said, “You won’t last long now, Mason. If you think you can buck this racket you’re nuts. You’re the nearest thing to a corpse I’ve ever put my eyes on.”
When he’d got that little lot off his chest, he laughed. Oh yes, this guy had got his nerve back, once he knew we weren’t going to knock him off. I didn’t like the sound of his laugh either.
Ackie came out and jerked his head. “I’m glad I went in,” he said, keeping his voice down. “Lazard was in there. The smartest mouthpiece in town. If he’d spotted this guy coming in, he’d have sprung him so fast he’d’ve made you dizzy.”
I looked at Katz uneasily. A lot depended on keeping this guy out of mischief.
“Where’s this Lazard now?” I asked.
“He’s just comin’ out. We’ll wait until he’s scrammed, then we’ll go on in.”
While Ackie was saying this, I saw a figure come out through the rear exit. A short, fat figure with a large gallon hat on his head. Katz saw him the same time as I did and he let out a hell of a squawk.
I spun round and hit him as hard as I could in his face. I guess Katz was expecting it because he ducked down and my fist crashed against the bony structure of his forehead. It felt like I had hit a brick wall and a white-hot pain shot up my arm. The force of the punch stunned Katz and he sank limply against the cushions of the car.
Ackie said softly, “He’s comin’ over.”