“I’ll do it,” Grantham said quickly. “I’ve been waiting for you to take over. I knew Mendetta wouldn’t last.”
Raven inclined his head. “Yeah? You’re a smart boy. Okay, tomorrow you an’ me’ll have a little talk. I want all the dope. I want the names of all the girls who worked for Mendetta. Listen, that guy didn’t know how to organize vice. Well, I do. Ever been to Reno, Grantham? No? Well, I have. They make a lot of dough in that town. They understand vice. Well, I’ve got some ideas. We’ll get together.” He stood up. “Just so that you don’t feel worried about all this, there’s a ten per cent cut coming to you on everything if you play ball. If you don’t, you’ll get a bullet. Think about it.”
He wandered to the door.
“I’ll be down tomorrow at ten. Get all the stuff together,” and he went out, shutting the door softly.
Grantham sat back, feeling slightly sick. So it had happened. Where was Jean? He picked up the phone and hastily dialled Mendetta’s number. The operator told him after a short delay that no one was answering. He hung up.
Lu Eller came in. Ever since Mendetta could afford gunmen, Eller had been looking after them. He was a tall, powerfully built man, with a heavy jaw and ingrowing eyebrows.
“What’s he want?” he said, standing just inside the doorway.
Grantham lit another cigarette. “That’s your new boss,” he said bitterly. “Mendetta’s met with an accident.”
Lu raised his eyebrows. “That’s too bad. You standin’ for Raven?”
Grantham put his elbows on the table. “Let’s face it, Lu,” he said. “Since Raven moved in, what’s happened? Mendetta lost his grip. We know that. They both came from Chi. Mendetta used to carry a gun for Diamond. He thought he was too big for that, so he moved over here. Well, he got on. What Raven did in Chi.