Lazard had heard the squawk and he stood listening; then he moved cautiously towards us. Ackie took a step or two from the car to intercept him.
“What’s goin’ on here?” Lazard asked. He’d got the real oily voice of a kike.
Ackie stood squarely in his way. “Nothin’ that’d interest you,” he said shortly. “Suppose you drift, brother. I don’t like guys askin’ questions.”
Lazard peered at him. “Why, Ackie,” he said, “what the hell are you doin’ here?”
“Scram, brother,” Ackie said patiently. “You’re in the way.”
This guy Lazard was smart all right. He said with a little grit in his voice: “If you’re holdin’ someone against their will, I guess it is something to interest me.”
Katz was coming out of his trance. I said very softly to him’ “One yap from you, an’ I’m goin’ to wrap this gun around your mug.’,
In the meantime Lazard was trying to edge round Ackie. They looked like they were going into a slow motion of an African dance. Ackie got mad suddenly. “If you don’t scram,” he said suddenly, “I’m going to do things to you.”
The threat in his voice brought Lazard up short. He took two steps back quickly. “I guess you’re drunk,” he said. “You be careful, you can get into a lot of grief being that way.”
He stood hesitating for a moment, then he turned and walked away.