Tough as Nails: The Complete Cases of Donahue From the Pages of Black Mask Read Online Free PDF Page B

on it, and leaned on his arms.
    “Stein, I may be a bum, but I’m not the bum that you are.”
    “Now, now, Donahue—”
    “Shut up! I’m talking! My boss sent me out here with your address. I came here. I told you what I wanted. It was none of your damned business what I was after and you knew it. If I got in Dutch, I got right out of it—and without your help. You wanted to make a case right off the bat, so you could get some easy dough from the Agency. But there was no case. You got sore at me because you couldn’t buffalo me.”
    “Donahue, I tell you—”
    “I told you to shut up! For two cents I’d break a chair over your head! I’ve been up against crooks, guns, and I’ve double-crossed them to get what I wanted. That’s what my game is. It’s not a polite business of question-and-answer bunk. You work against crooks and you’ve got to beat them at their own game. But now—now, Stein—I’m up against a different proposition. I’m up against a smooth-tongued kike who’s double-crossed me!”
    Stein’s spectacles flashed. “You take it easy, Donahue! I’m not standing for any loose talk from a cheap Mick gumshoe, and you and your agency can go plumb to hell. Get out of my office!”
    “You get this, Stein! You went to Shane because you knew I wouldn’t tell what I was after. You’re his lawyer now, and I know damned well you wouldn’t work for charity. There’s money in this job. You know what I’m after. You know what Shane has, or you know that he’s got money that represents what he did have. And you’re figuring to get that money by taking his case and saving him from the gallows!”
    Stein smiled his thin, artificial smile. “Yes, I am Shane’s attorney. Beyond that you’re just a big bag of wind.”
    “Am I? Well, don’t let that idea run away with you. You’re not going to get that money, Stein. I haven’t been spending all of my time in bed, and you’re going to land so hard that it ain’t even going to be funny. Stuff that down your belly and see if it doesn’t give you indigestion.”
    Stein put his fingertips together. “Now will you get out of my office?”
    Donahue gave him a short, harsh laugh, walked to the water-cooler, poured out a drink and turned and looked at Stein while he held the glass in his hand. He was breathing heavily and perspiration gleamed in silvery streaks on his brown face. He took a drink, licked his lips, flexed his body in his sweaty clothes. He made a motion with the glass and some of the water slopped out and slopped to the floor.
    “So don’t spend too much time on Shane,” he said. “You’ll lose money on him.”
    “On your way out, Donahue, please leave the door open.”
    Donahue laughed, finished the drink, set down the glass. He strode to the door, stopped with his hand on the knob, looked at Stein. Stein sat with fingertips lightly together, face expressionless, daylight shining on his spectacles and hiding his eyes.
    Donahue said, “Shane claims he’s innocent, doesn’t he?”
    “Read the papers, didn’t you?”
    “Yeah. Wouldn’t it be funny if he is?”
    Donahue pulled open the door and went out chuckling.
Chapter VI
    Donahue had been getting on well with the Greek Constantine. Hocheimer had okeyed Donahue, and the Greek knew on which side his bread was buttered. He supplied Donahue with beer and cigars—gratis, but Donahue was looking for information, too….
    “I’m still working on this case, you know,” he said, two days after the seance with Stein.
    “’S too bad about Luke. ’S too very bad.”
    “Yeah. Luke was a nice guy.”
    “Very nice guy.”
    Donahue started a glass of beer. “You know, I don’t think the case is settled yet.”
    “Yeah.”
    “No.”
    “Oh, yeah…. No.”
    “That’s right. I don’t think it’s all settled. Say, did Luke used to meet any guys here?”
    “Some, yeah.”
    “Who?”
    “Well, Luke use to meet… let’s see. Um. Oh, was Charley Hart from de newspaper. Um.