He burst into the office. Henry gaped at him. “What the hell are you doin’ here?” he snapped. “I want”
“Save it,” Jay said quickly; “I’m through. I quit. I resign…. Get it?”
Henry relaxed in his chair. “Wait a minute,” he said. “You gone crazy?”
Jay sat down. “No,” he said, “I’m just through. I thought I’d get that in before you gave me another little job out of town. Poison ain’t keeping me muzzled any more, Henry. I’m working on my own for a while.”
Henry sighed. “Okay,” he said, “I’ll tell him.”
“Now listen, Chief, tell me what’s been goin’ on. Anythin’ new on the Mendetta angle?”
Henry lit a cigar. “Plenty,” he said briefly. “Vice’s been organized on a big scale here. From reports that I hear, whoever it is who’s running the game is doing it on a real money−making scheme. He’s got the monopoly here. The girls have been driven off the streets. You’ve never seen anything like it. You won’t find one single girl poundin’ a beat. Even the cops couldn’t clean up a town as this guy’s done. But he’s got houses everywhere. At his own prices. The rake−off must be colossal.”
“Who is it?”
Henry shrugged. “They say it’s Grantham. He’s payin’ all the bills. The cops are so well oiled that they leave him alone. Poison won’t let a word in his papers. The other rags follow his lead. Everyone is making money, as far as I can see, except the girls themselves.”
“Any girls missing?”