Brain Guy: A gang killer meets his match in a TNT blonde by Benjamin Appel

Author:Benjamin Appel
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
ISBN: 9781440555527
Publisher: F+W Media, Inc.
Published: 2012-08-05T06:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

CHEWING a toothpick, Hanrahan marched into Stanger’s office, pointing his nose at the girls. “The boss in?” He flashed his badge, holding it in his fat moist palm, continuing his stride. The girls whispered; the detective entered the last frosted window. The window said: PRIVATE, but those cops were corkers.

“How do?” said Hanrahan, unbuttoning his overcoat, dropping his bottom into a big leather chair. He slanted his derby further back on his wet brow. He seemed to have eaten a heavy dinner, smoking his cigar with the enjoyment of a man whose belly is full. He explained who he was. It was nothing important, but had Mr. Stanger heard of the recent robberies on Ninth? “Sure you have. I’m in charge. Do you know your firm collects rents from all four parties that’ve been stuck? That’s coincidence. You must do a big collection.”

“Are you implying anything?”

“Take it easy. We’ve been looking the clerks over at Metz’s — two Jewish boys, Murray Hecker and Sam Rothbard, and a kid, Joe Trent.” Stanger’s pale eyes glared at the detective. “I can’t say this interests me very much.”

“That’s funny. They’re all your tenants. Maybe you want your firm to get a rep for being a jinx?” He breathed greasily as if bloated. “Hell, what a meal does to a man! My doc says if I don’t cut out meats, my kidneys’ll go bad. I’ll be in the red. Ain’t that funny?”

“What do you want me to do?”

“That’s being sensible. I’m investigating the Metz clerks, as we think it may be an inside job. Maybe not. Therefore, just investigating, I found out Joe’s a brother of a collector you had here some months ago. Nice boys, are they? Co-operation, Stanger, you bet. Wouldn’t be nice if Soger and the rest complained to their landlords the agent’s not co-operating.”

“They’re sons of my best friend. I let Bill go because business was getting rotten.”

“Bill working?”

“I don’t know.”

“Don’t they visit?”

“They’re proud boys. I saw Bill for a few minutes during the holidays. I let them have a flat in a house of mine rent-free.” (Oh, Poppa Trent, hear what I did for your sons, oh best friend!) “I believe that they avoid me because they’re obligated.”

“Is Bill working?”

“I said I don’t know.” Hanrahan stuck a fresh toothpick between his teeth. “I know why Bill was sacked.”

Stanger blinked. “Really?”

“Really. A copper found out he was buddies with a pimp, proud boy though he is, a proud broth of a boy, as the Irish say. Maybe he had a racket shaking down pimps and fellers like that. He wouldn’t be the first real-estate feller.”

“You cops can’t afford to talk.”

“A Republican? Listen to me. The four stores robbed were collected by that proud feller.”

“Are you implying he’s mixed up with these robberies? I don’t believe it.” Stanger was affected, pallid, his nervous indigestion working up on him.

“I investigate. Don’t get hot, mister. Maybe we’ll see each other again. I just wanted you to know why you sacked him. See? I like to get the truth right off the bat.

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