Ed McBain - Downtown Read Online Free PDF

men burst out laughing.
    "The fare hasn't been a quarter since the _Dutch were here!" Orso said, laughing.
    "The _Indians!" Bonano said, laughing.
    "Well, I've got ..." Michael quickly counted the coins on his palm. "Sixty cents," he said. "Sixty cents!" Orso said, and burst into new gales of laughter. "Sixty cents!" Bonano said. "I'm gonna wet my pants!"
    "Sir," Orso said, "the fare has been a dollar-fifteen since Hector was a pup, sir. That is the subway fare in the city of New York. For _now, anyway." "How much does it cost in Sarasota?" Bonano asked.
    "We don't have a subway," Michael said, and looked at the coins on his palm again. "Mr. Orso," he said, "do you think I can ...?was "No, don't, sir," Orso said. Michael looked at him. "Please, sir." Michael kept looking at him.
    "Please don't ask me for a loan, sir. Please. I know that all you need is fifty-five cents to make up the difference between the subway fare and what you've got. But, sir, perhaps you don't know how many victims we get in here all the time, day and night, this city never sleeps, sir, victims who have had every penny taken from them and who need bus fare or subway fare to get them back home again. Sir, I can tell you that if I gave every one of those victims fifty-five cents, or even a quarter, or a dime, sir, even a thin dime, why, sir, I'd be giving away my entire salary to these people and I'd have nothing left to put clothes on my children's backs or food in their bellies. So, please, sir. As much as I'd like to ..."
    "You're breaking my heart," Bonano said, reaching into his pocket with his free hand. "Here's
    ten bucks," he said to Michael, and with some
    49 difficulty extracted two five-dollar bills from his wallet. "This'll get you to Kennedy."
    "That is probably tainted money, sir," Orso said. "But do as you see fit." Michael looked at the bills.
    "Money from the proceeds of prostitution or drugs," Orso said. "But let your conscience be your guide." Michael took the money.
    "Thank you," he said to Bonano. "I'll pay you back."
    "You can send your check to Sing Sing," Orso said. "My luck, I'll get Attica," Bonano said.
    "Write it out to any one of his names," Orso said. "And, sir, I hope there are no hard feelings. It's just that if I lend money to ..." "Where are the violins?" Bonano asked. "Actually," Michael said, "I wasn't about to ask for a loan." "You weren't?" Orso said.
    "You wasted a whole speech," Bonano said. "I only wanted to use your toilet." "Oh. Well, it's just down the hall." "Thank you." "But they have very nice toilets at the airport," Bonano said. "You don't want my subway map?" Orso said, sounding hurt. "I _do," Michael said. "Yes, thank you for reminding me."
    "Here's what you do," Orso said, opening the map. "You go outside, you make an immediate right the minute you come down the steps, and the first street you hit is Varick. Okay, you make another right on Varick, and you walk past Moore, which there's a place called Walker's on the corner, and the next cross street you come to is Franklin. But you don't want to go all the way to Franklin ..." "I don't?"
    "No, because just before you get to Franklin, what you'll see is a subway kiosk, that's the one right here," he said, and put his finger on the map. "Okay, you go downstairs, and you buy a token
    for a buck-fifteen and you go to the downtown
    51 platform, make sure it's the _downtown platform, and you get on the A-train. You get off at Howard Beach--that's in Queens--and take a shuttle bus to the airport. There'll be directions when you get off the train," Orso said, and nodded in conclusion, and folded the map, and handed it to Michael. "Thank you," Michael said. "I hope you understand about the money and all. It's just that with all the victims in this city ..."
    "Bring on the Philharmonic," Bonano said. "Will you let me know if you hear anything?"
    "They _never hear anything," Bonano said. "You'll get old and gray waiting for them to catch that phony cop and his girl.