Duffy grinned. “He’s told you too much as it is,” he said. “Listen, I didn’t kill Olga. It was a frame-up. Look baby, I’ve got dough.” He took the money from his pocket and tossed it in her lap.
She gave a little shiver and put her hands behind her. She just sat and stared at the money. “Take it away,” she said quickly.
Duffy stared at her. “Look,” he urged, “there’s thirty-five grand there. Did you ever see so much dough all at once?”
She said again in a tone that was just off-pitch, “Take it away.”
He picked up the money, a sulky look in his eyes. “If that’s the way you feel,” he said.
She put her hand on his arm. “Oh, Bill, you’re heading for trouble. Can’t you see? For your own sake, please, stop it.”
Duffy put the money carefully in his side pocket. “Now listen….” he began.
She interrupted him. “Money isn’t everything. You know it isn’t. Please, Bill, give yourself up. I know it’ll be all right. We’ll get someone to help you… get back to your job. Don’t go on with this business.”
Duffy raised his hand. She took one look at the hard glint in his eyes, and she sat away from him and began to cry. Duffy said, “I’m going through with this. I’ve been a little shot for years. I’ve been ‘Come here, you bastard’, ‘Do this, you heel’, ‘Get that, you punk’ all my goddam life. I’m through with it now. I’m bucking an outfit that’s supposed to be tough. Okay, I’m bucking ’em. I’m going to get an outfit twice as tough. Do you get that? Twice as tough! When I’ve got it, I’m going after Morgan and clear him off the street. I’m going to be the big shot around here from now on. How do you like that?”
Alice got to her feet. She said in an unsteady voice, “For God’s sake, keep Sam out of this.”