The guy behind the desk seemed three-quarters dead, but the other quarter was enough to get us a bedroom and me a drink. When we got left on our own, I hit that bottle as hard as most bottles can be hit. Mardi sank on to the big, old-fashioned bed, her head dropping with fatigue.
I took one look at her and made up my mind. “You’re going straight into the sheets an’ sleep. I’ve gotta ring Ackie, then I’ll be up. Come on, honey, I’ll get you fixed first.”
She raised her head. “It’s all right, Nick, you go and ’phone—I can manage. You’ll be quicker if you go now.”
That was sense, so I left her and got through to Ackie on the ’phone downstairs. That guy was full of it. He just didn’t give me a chance to tell him where I was, but jumped into his story with both feet..
“Boy! You ain’t seen anythin’ like this since the San Francisco fire!” he bawled. “You gotta get into it quick. The lid’s off an’ hell’s hoppin’. I got round to the Bureau and gave them the works; at first they thought I was tight but, knowing me, they finally decided they’d do somethin’, so we all gumshoed along to the jail and had a look at Katz. Gee! That sergeant had certainly patted him around Katz was in no state to crack wise. He just opened his mouth and kept it open. That guy spilled the dope so fast, the G-men couldn’t get it down quick enough. Then they took him outside. I guess no one thought of it except me, but I wasn’t worrying my head. I stayed in the station until it was over. I wanted a story and by Golly I was getting it. The G-men an’ Katz no sooner got outside into the street than a couple of the boys opened up with a Thompson. Katz got a barrel of slugs and folded up an’ one of the G.-men caught it, then the other two started with their artillery an’ there was a grand gun fight up an’ down the street, with yours truly yellin’ the news like a broadcast commentary down the ’phone to the press-room.
“I’m tellin’ you, it was a grand five minutes. Anyway, that did it. The Federal Bureau got so mad that they raided Spencer’s place, the Mackenzie Fabrics an’ the Wensdy Wharf all at the same time. It was a grand clean-up. They’ve got ’em all. Spencer, Gus, the little fat guy, an’ the whole mob of thugs. They got enough evidence that’ll put that bunch away for fifty years, an’ I’ve got the story. It’ll be on the street in a couple of hours.”
I said, “That’s a grand bit of work. You kept me out of it?”
.”Yeah, you didn’t come in at all… like you said. Listen, brother, I was mighty glad that Katz got his, otherwise he’d have pinned Blondie’s killin’ on you. I was scared sick that he’d bring it up right away, but maybe his own troubles tied up his memory.”
I stood, holding the ’phone, going a little cold. I’d forgotten that. Katz could have got me in a jam. I was glad he was dead, I never did have any use for that guy.
“Okay, Mo,” I said, “I’m goin’ back to bed. Listen, I’ve got Mardi, and we’re keeping under cover for a bit. I’ll watch the newspapers; when the trial’s over, we’ll come back. I ain’t riskin’ that baby gettin’ drawn into it.”