Killer Mine Read Online Free PDF Page B

cover. She spiked me with her damn heels a few times for pulling that stuff, but it was still real great cover.
    At eleven-thirty I took her home, closed the door behind us and ducked the backhand she threw at me. I said, “You’re supposed to use Judo.”
    “Oh, Joe!” But she had to smile. “I’m never going to ever be able to hold my head up around here any more.”
    “Why? You knew all those people.”
    “But I’m not a saloon jumper. Golly…”
    “So we’ll teach the old dog new tricks.” This time the backhand got me before I could move out of reach.
    Marta laughed, shook her head and said, “I’ll go make coffee and you can tell me how we’re doing. That is, if I’m allowed to know.”
    I said okay and sat down.
    “Now tell me,” she said.
    “Not tell, sugar. Speculate. All we did was get seen around. All we speculate on is René Mills. Apparently he had some loot or was expecting some.”
    “He always looked the part. I never saw him in anything other than the latest styles.”
    “Sure,” I agreed, “and he paid his bills. Those guys could always go that far rolling drunks. What gets me were those auto ads. Who needs a car around here? The kids would make a playground out of it in one day. Taxis and subways are too easy.”
    “He could have been just looking.”
    “Those folders were worn. He did a whole lot of looking.”
    “Somebody else could have had them first.”
    “Uh-huh,” I agreed, “so we find out.”
    It took ten minutes. With a half a dozen calls I found the Caddie and the Imperial dealer who remembered Mills.
    Marta said, “Well?”
    “He did the asking himself. He sounded serious.”
    “René had something going for him then.” She walked over with coffee and a plate of Danish and held them out.
    “Who knows? He could still be playing the big shot.”
    We finished the snack and I looked at my watch. It was a quarter after twelve and I was beginning to drag. I got up, stretched and reached for my hat. Marta said, “Joe… it’s been fun, really.”
    I grinned at her. “Work isn’t supposed to be fun.”
    Her eyebrows went up. “You unhappy?”
    “No. Come here.” She came into my arms with a smile and a soft little sound and a way of doing it that was as if we had been doing it all our lives. We seemed to touch all over at once, then when the hot fire of her mouth engulfed mine, the touch became a demanding, writhing pressure and when I pushed her away she shuddered briefly, then opened her eyes.
    “Little Giggie,” I said.
    “Big Giggie,” she reminded me. “Don’t do me like that or you’ll get bitten.”
    “Never bite your superior officer,” I said.
    “Then watch yourself,” she smiled. “Tomorrow?”
    “In the afternoon. I have to go downtown first.”
    “You know you’re leaving me in an awful mess,” she said with a sultry grimace. Then she looked at me and grinned broadly when I stepped back.
    I opened the door. “That makes two of us,” I said.
    On the way to the corner I saw Benny Loefert across the street talking to some chippy. I walked over and they stopped talking while I was still in the middle of the street. I said, “Turn around and put your hands against the wall, punk. You know the pose.”
    The arrogance in his eyes turned to little snakes of hate and he spit, then turned slowly. I made it faster with a shove of my hand. A handful of up-laters stopped to watch and you could hear the whispers and sense the heads in darkened windows of the tenements.
    I patted him down to his shoes, made him show his identification then gave him at ease. He said, “What’s that for? You know I don’t go loaded.”
    “Ex-cons still in the punk business are always suspicious characters, punk. What’re you doing here?”
    “I got a broad.”
    “Who?”
    He waved his thumb at the gum chewer and her eyes darted back and forth between us. “Let’s see you shake her down, copper.”
    “Sure.” But first I slapped him one across the mouth