Clancy wiped sweat from his fat face with his forearm. “Aw, the hell with it,” he said in disgust. “We got that Wonderly dame locked up, and our Chief thinks Cain’s going to get her out. He’s nuts, but there’s no one with enough guts to tell him. I bet Cain’s out of the State by now. Why the hell should he bother with a dame he picked up for the night?”
“She’s a nice looker,” one of the other cops said. “I’d trade her for my wife.”
“I’d trade her for mine too,” Clancy said, “but I wouldn’t risk my neck for her.”
“This guy Cain must be a tough egg if Flaggerty thinks all you boys are necessary to keep
him out,” I said, grinning.
“I tell you Flaggerty’s nuts,” Clancy snorted. “Mind you, if that dame did escape, he’d lose his job. I heard Ed. Killeano tell him.”
“Pretty soft for him,” I returned. “I bet he’s sitting some place cool, while you boys sweat it out in the sun.”
“You bet he is, the monkey-faced punk,” Clancy said, scowling. “He’s got a swell office with air-conditioning on the top floor so he can keep an eye on hard-working stooges like me.” He kicked sand, shaking his head. “I don’t know what’s come over this jail. A dame died yesterday, and damn me if another ain’t gone cuckoo this morning. Dived off the deep end as I came on duty. Brother, she gave me a turn. You’ll hear her screaming and laughing when you get inside. It gives me the heebies to listen to her.”
“They’ll take her away, won’t they?” I said curiously.
“Yeah, in a day or so, but she’s in the cell next to the Wonderly dame, and Flaggerty reckons it’ll soften the poor little judy to have someone like that peering through the bars at her.”