Transcript

Chapter 10 · Bullet Proof

0:00
Chapter ten, A bullet proof by Frank Kane. The Sliprivox Recordings in the
0:05
public Domain read by Ben Tucker, Chapter ten. The phone jangled so hard
0:12
it almost danced off the night table. Johnny Lidell groaned, turned over,
0:16
tried to keep out the strident sound by pulling the covers over his head,
0:20
trying to make believe the phone wasn't there. Didn't work. It stood on
0:24
the end of the table, shrilled at him. He consulted his watch,
0:27
couldn't see the time and the dimness of the room. Reached up, pulled
0:31
on the bed lamp, was almost blinded by the flood of yellow light.
0:35
It was eleven o'clock. He reached over, scooped the phone from its cradle.
0:40
Ah, the receiver laughed in his face. The light Dell Detective Agency
0:46
never sleeps. What a laugh it was, mugs Achille, her voice so
0:50
cheerful that it made his stomach new back flips. I've been ringing this phone
0:54
for half an hour, no accounting for tastes, Lidell grunted, Wake up,
1:00
I'm on my way up Lydell scowled at the phone, tried to think
1:03
of some argument to stave off the threatened invasion, gave it up as hopeless.
1:07
Oh hurry on my account. That's what I love about you, Lidel,
1:12
You're so impetuous. Lydel tossed his receiver on the hook, walked over,
1:18
ran up the shade, blinked at the sunlight. On the way to
1:22
the bathroom, he unlocked the apartment door, was already under the shower when
1:25
he heard it open and close. Be right out, he yelled above the
1:30
roar of the water. Take your time, Muggsy called in. He finished
1:34
showering, rubbed himself down briskly, tried with no noticeable success, to wash
1:38
the dark brown taste out of his mouth. He stuffed his legs into a
1:42
pair of gray flannel pants, ran an electric razor over his face, and
1:46
was feeling reasonably human by the time he walked out to face Muggsy. She
1:51
was sitting on her feet in the only decent chair in the room, skimming
1:53
through a two column story on the front page of the Advance. She looked
1:57
up as he walked into the room, grinned. Her face was free of
2:00
make up, her thick blonde hair fluffed out beneath the dark blue, jaunty
2:04
tam She looked more like a college senior in her well filled sweater than most
2:07
college seniors ever managed to look. She tossed the paper on to the floor,
2:12
got up, walked over to Lidel, slid her arms round his neck.
2:15
It sounds like you had an exciting evening after ye left me. Just
2:20
routine. Not a couple of interesting women, he planted his lips on hers.
2:24
A couple of women. I only read about one. Who is the
2:28
other a hustler who works forty seventh Street. Her name's Laurie. Interesting.
2:34
Muggsy nodded in mock gravity. Oh, I'll bet no doubt she told you
2:38
the story of how she was lured unwillingly into a life of sin. Laurie,
2:44
Well, no, she loves it. He stepped around the girl,
2:46
found a fresh shirt in his biureau drawer. What have they done with the
2:51
roades? Gal put her in deep freeze early. He thinks she may start
2:54
remembering things if he keeps her there long enough. Lydell shrugged into the shirt,
2:59
grinned good, that's just what she wants him to do. He selected
3:02
a tie from the rack, put it back docilely when Muggsy selected another one.
3:08
She's afraid Cupola's men will be after her. Muggsy watched the tie tying
3:13
process critically approved, sat on the side of the bed, and fumbled through
3:16
her oversized purse for a cigarette. The story is that this mass marvel crept
3:21
up behind you and pop poor Frankie right over your shoulder, and you don't
3:23
have any idea what he looks like. She lit the cigarette. That's a
3:28
story. Muggsy blew a stream of smoke at him, shook her head.
3:32
You could do better than that, Johnny. Don't believe me. Huh.
3:37
The girl grinned, that's not important. Did her lee lightell, shrugged.
3:42
He hated to stand still for it, but he had no choice. Frankie
3:45
was popped with thirty two. My gun's a forty five and Frankie's as a
3:47
luger. Smoke tickled Muggsy's nostrils. You could have gotten rid of it,
3:53
or the stripper could have done the shooting. Don't think they missed that one
3:55
either. They gave the roads gal the paraffin test. The minute they got
3:59
her to the station, he dragged a comb through his tangled hair, slipped
4:02
into his shoulder harness. Take my word for it that the kid didn't do
4:05
it, Muggs. She was locked in the bedroom when the shooting started,
4:10
and you Lydel fished his forty five out of the bureau drawer, checked it,
4:15
slid it into the shoulder holster. Act your age, baby. If
4:18
I'm going to try to beat an experienced hood to his gun, I'm gonna
4:21
use a forty five that'll stop him cold, not a thirty two that might
4:25
just sting him. Find out the answer to those questions you wanted answered no,
4:30
Lydell shook his head. But I would have if I had just a
4:33
little more time. Frankie was beginning to soften up, real nice. What
4:40
did happen, Johnny? He took the cigarette from between her lips, took
4:43
a deep drag, replaced it. After I left your place, I went
4:46
over to meet one of Dummy's men in a joint on forty seventh Street.
4:49
He had run Cupola down in a writing academy called the Sert. He fixed
4:54
it so as I can get into the place. That's where Laurie came in.
4:58
Lydell nodded. I went up to her room with her. She was
5:01
right above Coppola's room. I managed to get to him, snatch him.
5:04
I didn't think they'd find him at his own place. He scowled, rubbed
5:09
the heel of his hand along his jaw. They must have spotted us.
5:12
I made the mistake of using Cupola's car, and Lydell shrugged, and that's
5:17
all the rest happened, just like it says in the paper. While I
5:20
was sweating him, the door opened. I died for the floor, took
5:24
the light out with me. Frankie didn't move fast enough, Muggsy smoked silently.
5:29
For a moment. It gets screwier and screwier. Where does this leave
5:32
you up a dead end without a parachute. I'm trying to figure out what
5:36
I'm knocking my brains out for. You're not letting it get you, Johnny.
5:42
I'm getting superstitious, that's for sure. He admitted. Things have happened
5:46
to me since I took this case on that shouldn't happen to a dog.
5:49
If I had any sense, i'd throw it away. Muggsy looked shocked.
5:54
You can't walk out in the middle of a case case? What kind of
5:58
case? Some old guy blows the top of his head off, his daughter
6:00
blows her top and takes off. Then a bunch of trigger happy hoods nominate
6:03
me as target for today. You call that a case. You says yourself
6:08
that Matt Merritt was murdered. I talk too much, lied old growled.
6:14
But if he was murdered, you can't drop the case, Johnny. Nobody
6:16
else believes he was. You can't let the killer get away with it.
6:20
What more can I do, Muggs. With all the prowling and ducking I've
6:24
been doing, I haven't come up with a single thing that I can sink
6:27
my teeth into. Muggsy found another cigarette in her purse, chain lit it
6:31
from the one she held. There's got to be a connection. Once we
6:34
find that, it should all fall into place. She leaned back, blew
6:38
a stream of smoke at the ceiling. If we could only find it.
6:43
Unless you know how to operate wija boards, we haven't got a chance.
6:46
Cupola was my last hope, and they've fixed it so he won't be doing
6:48
any talking. Muggsy shook her head. There must be others, Caupola wouldn't
6:54
be the only one to know about a connection between Merritt and Vailey. There's
6:58
bound to be others. You can keep it thing like that quiet. Merrit's
7:01
dead and Vailey is the original sphinx. Whom would you suggest, Muggsy blew
7:06
more smoke at the ceiling considered, how does that saying go? Johnny the
7:12
moving finger writes and having writ moves on something like that, isn't it.
7:15
This is the hell of a time to impress me with your culture. The
7:18
girl sat up, no kidding. That quote applied to the hand of fate,
7:23
I think. But the hand of fate isn't the only thing that writes.
7:26
Newspapers do too, only what they write doesn't move on. It stays
7:29
right in their files. Go on. Most of the people mixed up in
7:33
this mess so far, Vailey, Cupola, Merrit Jean, they're all well
7:38
known, they've all been good copy. So the chances are that everything they've
7:43
ever done is hit the papers. Why don't we hotfoot it down to the
7:46
shop and see if they ever cross paths anyway, they may give us a
7:48
lead. That's my girl, light Ow leaned over, kissed her hard.
7:54
That's what I love about your mugs, your brain, Muggsy pouted prettily.
7:59
That's what I was afraid of. The advance. Morgue was on the ground
8:03
floor of the pile of stones, on South Street that housed the newspaper office.
8:07
It was a huge, metal drawered mausoleum where all the dead news of
8:09
yesterday's editions are laid to rest. Tier upon tier of metal faced drawers and
8:15
still filing cabinets stretched from the floor to the ceiling for as far as the
8:18
eye could reach. It was presided over by Pop Michaels, veteran of the
8:22
City Room for forty years, now put out a pasture among many of the
8:26
stories he had originated and followed through. His only connection with the city side
8:31
now was limited to the occasional pounding out of an editorial. He took a
8:35
charred brier from between his teeth and grinned to welcome at Johnny Lidell and Muggsy
8:39
Keeley. Well, well, if it ain't Johnny Lidell, don't tell me
8:45
they got you farmed out on the oh bit beat two, he wheezed,
8:48
winking broadly at Muggsy fine Way, at a great and old Palell who got
8:52
up at this unearthly hour of the morning just to drop by and pay his
8:54
respects. Johnny grinned the day, Hey, Muggsy, the old man nodded,
9:03
how's Jim feeling these days. The old ulcer's a kicking up again,
9:07
Pop, but he's back at the desk. He can't figure out how the
9:09
sheet could get out without him out there in the slot. The old man
9:15
sighed, shook his head. He was one of the greatest Muggsy. They
9:18
don't grow newspapermen like Jim Keeley anymore. It was in his blood. He
9:24
drew on the juicy old pipe. Let his mind tumble back over the years.
9:28
Side again. Oh, never forget how disappointed he was when you were
9:33
a girl. Never thought in those days the women would take over the city
9:37
room. He's sure proud of you now, Muggsy grinned. Not that he
9:43
admits it. He keeps preaching that newspaper work is no job for a woman.
9:46
The old fake. He gets as much of a bang out of my
9:48
byline as I do. Pop. Michaels nodded. You can be sure that
9:54
comes down here often he does to get copies of your stuff for a scrap
9:58
book he's been making on the s lie says he's going to give it to
10:01
your kids. He tossed a sly look at LIGHTO says he hopes it ain't
10:05
In twenty volumes before you get around to having Eddie. See how it is,
10:11
Johnny. Even Pop is out trying to get me a man discouraging,
10:13
ain't it, Pomp? The old man grinned his young bucks. Don't know
10:18
how good they got it, mugs. If I was forty years younger myself,
10:24
he caught himself grinned. You didn't come down here to hear an old
10:28
man's life history, though, What are you really after? Johnny Lydell scratched
10:31
his head. Damned if I know exactly, Pomp, anything that'll show a
10:35
connection between Matt Merritt and Pete Vailey. I guess Pop Michael sucked on his
10:41
pipe, pursed his lips. That's kind of a broad order, Johnny,
10:46
break it down for me. Put it this way, Pop, Matt Merritt
10:50
and Pete Vailey have cropped up in a case I'm working on the way things
10:52
snack up. It looks like they knew each other sometime in the past.
10:56
I've got to find out when and how ever hear of their paths crossing.
11:01
The old man clamped the pipe stem between his teeth, ran the heel of
11:05
his hand across the silver bristles on his chin, His bright blue Eyes seemed
11:09
to be consulting the card in decks of his mind. Matt Merritt and Pete
11:13
Vailey. Eh, He sucked contemplatively on his pipe, shook his head.
11:18
Can't recall that they ever did, Johnny. I've known Pete ever since.
11:22
He used to raid push carts as a fresh kid on the East Side,
11:26
and I was a district man in the courts. He shook his head again.
11:30
He never played in Merritt's league, not that I can recall. Muggsy
11:35
nodded. It sounds goofy does, too, Pop, but it's worth a
11:37
try. Get us the files on Merritt and Vailey, would you. The
11:41
old man pushed over a pad of forms to be filled out, waited until
11:45
she had written the information, then shuffled down the line of filing cabinets towards
11:48
the rear. Let's see anything you have on Frankie Capola too, will you
11:52
pop? Muggsy called after him. After a minute, the old man was
11:56
back carrying three bulging Manila envelopes. Been reading the story on the Cupola Hill,
12:01
Johnny, he said, what's the inside? Lydell shrugged, just like
12:07
it says pop. He and I were havin a little talk. When somebody
12:11
started tossing lead, Frankie forgot the duck. The old man grinned slyly pushed
12:16
the envelopes across the desk. Frankie was a bad boy. Funny thing about
12:20
him not going for that luger of his. Wasn't it if it was in
12:24
his holster when the shooting started? That is yeah, isn't it? Lydell
12:30
agreed. I hear the d A is wondering about that too, Johnny.
12:35
If I were you, I'd watch my step Dete's file back. There is
12:37
a pretty skinny one. You don't care how he fattens it or who he
12:41
has to stanmp flat to do it. Thanks for the tip, pop,
12:46
Lydell winked. They don't have a thing on me, not a thing yet,
12:52
added Muggsy. She picked up the folders led the way to a library
12:56
table at the side of the room spilled the contents of the Merrit file out.
13:00
Let's see what we can find in this one. They divided the clips
13:03
into two finals, each poured through half. The clippings ran back through the
13:07
years, traced the growth of a poor Irish immigrant who rose to an important
13:11
national figure before his death. Roteo prints, news stories of trips abroad,
13:16
news photos, predictions of prosperity at the height of the depression, warnings of
13:20
recession at the height of prosperity, business and social triumphs, his daughter's debut,
13:26
his son's death in a shooting accident, and finally his own death in
13:30
the homage paid him by friends and associates at the funeral. After half an
13:35
hour of examining the file, Lidell straightened up, eased the cramp in his
13:37
back, suppressed a yawn. Looks like Merritt never knew Pete Valley existed.
13:43
He grumbled, muggs achilly, chewed on the end of a finger nail.
13:48
Merritt was a big contractor. Maybe he used vailely in some strike breaking or
13:52
keeping his workers in line. Think that could be pomp. The old man
13:56
sucked on his pipe, considered it, shook his head. Never had any
14:00
labor trouble far as I know. He pointed with the stem of the pipe.
14:05
If he had, you would have come across it. In there.
14:07
The kind of stuff always hit the papers, especially if there was violence,
14:11
and if Pete was mixed up. There was violence, no hits, no
14:15
strikes. Plenty of misses, Lightell said with a grunt. Muggsy nodded,
14:20
rifled the pile of clips with her fingers. How about the daughter? Maybe
14:24
she got mixed up with Pete in some way? Wasn't Pete kind of old?
14:28
For that wouldn't make any difference to a screwball glamour puss like Geane Merritt.
14:33
You know the way the movies and TV have glamorized to hit hoolimbs like
14:37
Vailey in her circles. Knowing Pete Vailey would be a real accomplishment. She
14:41
shoveled the clippings back into the folder marked Matthew Merritt deceased, handed it back
14:46
to Pop. It's not like in her old man's day, when the racket
14:50
boys and society traveled in different circles. Now they both hang out and the
14:54
upholstered sewers we laughably call nightclubs. And it's worth a try as long as
14:58
we're here, I guess yes, how about it? Pop? You knew
15:01
Valley from way back? Was he the kind of guy that might take a
15:05
shine to a society kid like Jean Merritt? The old man scratched his head,
15:09
surrounded himself with the blue fog of pipe smoke shook his head. I
15:13
wouldn't know, Muggs, that society stuff was off my beat. I can
15:18
let you have her file, though, He shuffled back to the files reappeared
15:22
with another Manila envelope. Another half hour pouring through gossip items and columns reams
15:28
of copy on Jean Merritt's debut, an announcement of her engagement to doctor Tony
15:31
Seville got them no farther. What a screwball. Looks like I had the
15:37
doc wrong. She seems to have leveled off a little since she met him.
15:41
Lydell growled, hooray for him. Maybe we've both been wrong. Muggsy
15:46
sighed, maybe this isn't such a good idea after all. Lydell rubbed his
15:50
eyes wearily, yawned. One more to go, then we'll pack it in.
15:56
He poured the voluminous contents of the Pete Vailey file out on the tape
16:00
in front of them, selected a handful at random, started glancing through them.
16:04
They went through the pile methodically, reading, discarding, reading, discarding.
16:10
Suddenly, light el stiffened. He held a clipping up to the light
16:12
studied it carefully for a minute. I think I got something, baby.
16:18
His voice was heavy with suppressed excitement. So help me, Hannah, I
16:22
think I've struck Paydart. He was holding a two column picture that had apparently
16:26
been used in a center spread picture layout. Take a look at this one,
16:30
Pop. The old man took the picture, adjusted his glasses, peered
16:33
at the date August twelfth, nineteen thirty eight. Eh, I was in
16:38
my time, all right. He held the picture out at arm's length studied
16:42
it. It was the picture of a man sprawled out on his back in
16:45
the gutter, a folded overcoat under his head. A white clad in turn
16:49
was kneeling at his side. Two uniform patrolmen were watching with half hearted interest.
16:56
That's Pete Vailey there. The old man stabbed the man in the gutter
16:59
with a gnarled finger. I remember that time. That was the garage ambush
17:04
back in thirty eight. Down on the east side. THEMN near got Pete
17:07
that time too. Okay, okay, I know that's Pete Vailey, But
17:11
who is this? Lydell pointed to the intern. Pop. Michael studied the
17:17
picture, shook his head. Just an ambulance. Dot. Far as I
17:21
can see them, young fellers, came and went. Johnny never round long
17:25
enough to get to know them. Well, how about letting me in on
17:27
this, Muggsy complained. She took the picture from Pop Michael's hands, studied
17:32
it, frowned. What's all the excitement, Johnny, I thought you had
17:36
something. Take another look at that Doc. Doesn't he look familiar? Muggsy
17:41
studied the picture obediently shook her head. Not a bit, just another intern.
17:48
She read the caption under the picture. He wrote the Governor Hospital Ambulance
17:53
name of Anthony and Sevilaro. So so what he means? So Lydell,
18:00
you mean you don't recognize him as Doc Seville, the guy Jean Merritt's going
18:03
to marry Doc Seville. You sure, Johnny, of course, I'm sure
18:10
i'd know that smooth haired pill push or any place, even if he has
18:12
changed his name. It could be, Muggsy conceded. I don't know Seville
18:18
well enough to say for sure, but it could be. Even the name
18:23
and Savillaro to Seville. It could be. It's got to be. It's
18:30
the link we're looking for now. At least we can tie two people up
18:33
in the screwy mess, Seville and Vailey now we're beginning to get someplace.
18:37
He turned to the Old Man. Got a file on doc Seville pop end
18:44
of Chapter ten