Hot Cash, Cold Clews by Erle Stanley Gardner

Author:Erle Stanley Gardner [Gardner, Erle Stanley]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Crippen & Landru Publishers
Published: 2021-02-01T21:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER IV

The Garbage Can Business

“Now it’s almost a certainty that men who could do a murder with such casual disregard of human suffering are men who are old hands at the game. They’ve probably served terms before.

“Now we know that this pair didn’t get any money from their loot. They couldn’t sell those diamonds right now. The stones are hot. They dare not move them. And they overlooked the money that was in the purse.

“Therefore, Scuttle, these men are broke. They are looking for an opportunity to lay low for a while, until they dare to dispose of their hot diamonds.

“So I think we’ll start a new philanthropy, Scuttle. We’ll open an employment bureau for ex-crooks. We’ll cater only to tough guys, Scuttle. We’ll try and get men who have served at least one term in some penitentiary.

“And we’ll have a free lunch, Scuttle, just like in the days of the old saloon. And that lunch will have, among other things, chocolate layer cake and apple pie and milk. Also, Scuttle, we’ll have coffee.

“Now we’ll have an intelligent girl, one who’s beautiful enough to attract attention anywhere, to serve the pies and cakes. And she’ll keep a little record, Scuttle, under the counter where it won’t show. It’ll mark the amount of pie and cake each man eats. In that way we’ll find out the crooks who are particularly fond of pie!”

And Lester Leith regarded the spy who posed as his valet, with that expectant look which a child gives to its mother when it has just done something for which it anticipates praise.

The spy gulped a couple of time. “I was not joking, sir,” he said with dignity. “This is a murder case, and most unfortunate.”

Lester Leith let his eyes widen with synthetic astonishment. “But, Scuttle,” he said in a tone that held every whit as much of wounded dignity as had that of the spy, “I was not joking.”

The spy wet his lips, spoke with a voice that quivered slightly. “Of course, sir, you have the right to make sport of me if you wish, sir. I am in your employ, and you can do as you damned please. But if you think all of this apple pie stuff—“

“Scuttle, please listen to reason. Remember, in the first place, I don’t want actually to solve any crime problem, not practically. That is the purpose of the police. And also remember, Scuttle, that I have no authority such as the police have. I have no organization. The police would round up every man with a criminal record, put them through a third degree, to make them account for the way they spent their time on the night of the murder. Then they’d weed out their suspects by getting the ones who couldn’t tell where they were, and sweating them. That procedure would sound entirely logical to you, Scuttle. Am I right?”

The man blinked. “Yes, sir,” he said. Lester Leith smiled affably.

“Quite so, Scuttle. That is because that particular method has been used so often that you have become accustomed to it.

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