4
June 5th, 40 a.m.
JAY GOT round to the 22nd Club twenty minutes before it closed down for the night. There were a lot of people dancing and drinking, and he went immediately to the bar.
The bartender looked at him and rang a bell in Grantham’s office by pressing his toe on a button on the floor. His well−disciplined face smiled at Jay, and he asked him what he’d like. Jay ordered a beer.
Benny Perminger came up at the moment, very hot and damp, and ordered a double Scotch. He seemed delighted to see Jay.
“What a stranger,” he said; “and drinkin’ beer too! Don’t you know it’s bad etiquette to drink beer in a joint like this?”
Jay shook hands with him. “I don’t have to worry about such things,” he said seriously. “No one expects a newspaper man to behave like a human being. How’s the motor trade?”
Benny shook his head. “Lousy,” he said. “There’s too much competition. Seriously, Jay, I’m havin’ a bad time just gettin’ along.”
Jay pursed his lips. There were always guys who had a bad time getting along, but they went to places like the 22nd Club and spent as much in a night as he earned in a week. Benny was one of these.
“I saw your chief. Poison, the other night. My God! Have you seen his car? It’s just a ruin on four wheels.