A Matter of Crime 04 New Stories from the Masters of Mystery & Suspense by Matthew J. Bruccoli; Richard Layman

Author:Matthew J. Bruccoli; Richard Layman [Layman, Matthew J. Bruccoli; Richard]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Nice Guys Deserve the Breaks

TERRY K. WOODS

Terry K. Woods has been writing on the subject of transportation history since 1970, but “Nice Guys Deserve the Breaks” is his first story. He is currently writing a book based on taped interviews with boatmen on the Ohio & Erie Canal, and has modeled Irish Jake on a boatman born on the Ohio Canal in 1892. Mr. Woods is working on a novel featuring the main character of the story that follows.

It had been bitterly cold for more than a week, the days bright, the nights misty. And now, five hours after sunset, the cold lay heavy and penetrating—like a living thing. Louie DelRio flapped his arms clumsily against his sides, trying to bring at least a semblance of warmth to some portion of his body. But the intense cold seemed to enter and numb the bone’s marrow first, then seep outward to consume surface flesh, while the really serious, painful cold remained locked inside, stolidly resisting Louie’s frantic efforts to dislodge it.

He looked doubtfully at the Marmon Limousine standing alongside the curb. Perhaps it would be warmer, some, if he slipped back behind the wheel and waited for the Little Greek, er-eh, Mr. Pohtanous, there. He decided not to. There wasn’t much you could do about the cold except endure it. So he remained in the dark canyon that Court Street formed between two brick warehouses and a six-story frame structure of indeterminate age and use, stalking slowly about, waving his arms, and blowing on his fingers.

A figure materialized out of the gloom, halfway down the street. Louie flinched, and made a hesitant movement toward the shoulder holster under his left armpit.

“It’s all right, mon. I mean ya no harm,” came a slurred drawl from out of the night.

“It’s right cold out here, don’t ya know,” it continued. “And a few spare coins would go far toward help’n ta warm the inner man, as it were.”

The man was closer now, and Louie stared at him intently, sizing him up. You couldn’t be too careful with people these days, particularly when you knew why the Little Greek was here tonight.

The old man took Louie’s silence to indicate indecision, and he continued his spiel. “What with the Christmas season just past, and the New Year about upon us, some of us could be think’n of the welfare of our fellow man, ya know.”

Louie lost his reserve. He may have even smiled a bit. It was just Old Irish Jake, a harmless old man, panhandling the warehouse district down here with the firm resolve to spend as few sober moments as possible during his remaining years.

“Sure Jake; times is tough all over, but I can spare you a bit of change, though that’s all the damn Greek pays me to begin with.”

The old man’s head lifted in recognition. “Why, it’s Mr. Louie,” he wheezed. “Of course, if I’d known who you was, I’d never of hit you up for a loan. I know how bad things’ve been fer you’n your family.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.