One Lonely Night Read Online Free PDF

about.”
    “Know anything about Lee Deamer?”
    His eyebrows came down and he leaned on his elbows. “You’re an investigator, Mike. You’re the lad with a gun under his coat. Who wants to know about Deamer?”
    “Me.”
    “What for?” His hand was itching to go for the pad and pencil in his pocket.
    “Because of something that’s no good for a story,” I said. “What do you know about him?”
    “Hell, there’s nothing wrong with him. The guy is going to be the next senator from this state. He packs a big punch and everybody likes him including the opposition. He’s strictly a maximum of statesman and a minimum of politician. Deamer has the cleanest record of anybody, probably because he has never been mixed up in politics too much. He is independently wealthy and out of reach as far as bribery goes. He has no use for chiselers or the spoils system, so most of the sharp boys are against him.”
    “Are you against him, Marty?”
    “Not me, feller. I’m a Deamer man through and through. He’s what we need these days. Where do you stand?”
    “I haven’t voted since they dissolved the Whig party.”
    “Fine citizen you are.”
    “Yeah.”
    “Then why the sudden curiosity?”
    “Suppose I sort of hinted to you ... strictly off the record ... that somebody was after Deamer. Would you give me a hand? It may be another of those things you’ll never get to write about.”
    Marty balled his hands into fists and rubbed his knuckles together. His face wasn’t nice to look at. “You’re damn right I’ll help. I’m just another little guy who’s sick of being booted around the block by the bastards that get themselves elected to public office and use that office to push their own wild ideas and line their own pockets. When a good thing comes along those stinking pigs go all out to smear it. Well, not if I can help it, and not if about nine tenths of the people in this burg can help it either. What do you need, kid?”
    “Not much. Just a history on Deamer. All his background from as far back as you can go. Bring it right up to date. Pictures too, if you have any.”
    “I have folders of the stuff.”
    “Good,” I said. Our lunch came up then and we dug into it. Throughout the meal Marty would alternately frown at his plate then glance up at me. I ate and kept my mouth shut. He could come to his own decision. He reached it over the apple pie he had for dessert. I saw his face relax and he let out a satisfied grunt.
    “Do you want the stuff now?”
    “Any time will do. Stick it in an envelope and send it to my office. I’m not in a hurry.”
    “Okay.” He eyed me carefully. “Can you let me in on the secret?”
    I shook my head. “I would if I could, pal. I don’t know what the score is yet myself.”
    “Suppose I keep my ears to the ground. Anything likely to crop up that you could use?”
    “I doubt it. Let’s say that Deamer is a secondary consideration to what I actually want. Knowing something about him might help both of us.”
    “I see.” He struck a match under the table and held it to a cigarette. “Mike, if there is a news angle, will you let me in on it?”
    “I’d be glad to.”
    “I’m not talking about publishable news.”
    “No?”
    Marty looked through the smoke at me, his eyes bright. “In every man’s past there’s some dirt. It can be dirt that belongs to the past and not to the present. But it can be dirty enough to use to smear a person, smear him so good that he’ll have to retreat from the public gaze. You aren’t tied up in politics like I am so you haven’t got any idea how really rotten it is. Everybody is out for himself and to hell with the public. Oh, sure, the public has its big heroes, but they do things just to make the people think of them as heroes. Just look what happens whenever Congress or some other organization uncovers some of the filthy tactics behind government ... the next day or two the boys upstairs release some big news item they’ve