Loanshark (Peter McCurtin Crime Chronicles Book 1) by Peter McCurtin
Author:Peter McCurtin
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: crime, detectives, crime fiction, mens adventure, noir fiction, organised crime, loansharks, piccadilly publishing, hard boiled fiction
Publisher: Piccadilly
Chapter Ten
I WOKE UP before seven and went out to get breakfast. It was drizzling and the West Side looked seedier than ever. Torn newspapers blew in the wind and a bum was sleeping in a doorway. It was cold but he wasnât wearing shoes. Coming back to the rooming house I bought a throwaway plastic razor and a toothbrush. By eight oâclock I was back at the window watching the front entrance of the apartment house, though it was unlikely that May Collins would be up and around at that hour.
I didnât feel cheerful. Down the hall some Cuban was singing in the shower. He must have been Cuban; the song was Siboney. Three hours later I was still sitting there when May Collins came out and waved down a taxi. There was no sun, but she wore a pair of over-sized shades.
At one oâclock she came back and started to unload a whole pile of packages. A short, dark man who looked like the super of the building helped her to carry them in. May had obviously been out shoppingâthere was so much stuffâand she hadnât missed the liquor store. I had the feeling that the next time I called she wouldnât be drinking cheap domestic vodka. Without a momentâs hesitation those two dirty words came into my mindâlife insurance. I was just guessing, of course, but guessing is a big part of the PI business. It made sense but one thing bothered me, which was how did she get the check so fast? Insurance companies are notorious for slow pay, especially when a murder is involved. If there is any suspicion that the beneficiary did the killing, or planned it, they assign an investigator to the case, and when that happens it can take weeks or months to get the check. Sometimes you have to sue to get your money.
Even so, life insurance looked good to me. I knew Dinty didnât have a dollar because if he had he would have found a way to lose it; and though Dominick had been dicking May, he had a miserly look. You just knew he saved paperclips and rubber bands, things like that. Domâs idea of big spending would be to take May to one of those restaurants where you can eat all you want for one price.
That afternoon, after she had been at home for an hour, she went off in another taxi. The same routine when she came back: three armloads of packages. This time she didnât seem too steady on her feet, and I decided to give her a call before she got too smashed. I used the pay phone in the hall.
âPete Shay,â I said.
âYou didnât call back yesterday. Why didnât you call back?â
Sometimes the truth works better than a lie. âI was hungover and knew Iâd be rotten company.â
May said, âI know what you mean. You should have called anyway, Pete. I have a sure cure for a hangover.â
âNot for this one.â
âYou want to bet? So whatâre you doing now?â
âIâm in the neighborhood and took a chance youâd be in.
Download
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.
Classics | Fantasy |
Men's Adventure | Mystery, Thriller & Suspense |
Romance | Science Fiction |
Sea Adventures | Short Stories |
War & Military | Women's Adventure |
The Book of Dreams (Saxon Series) by Severin Tim(33225)
Who'd Have Thought by G Benson(16404)
Always and Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han(14696)
Bull's Eye Sniper Chronicles Collection (The Second Cycle of the Betrayed Series) by McCray Carolyn(12219)
Firetrap: The Soul Scorchers MC (The Scorched Souls Serial-series Book 1) by Riley C.L(11035)
Warriors (9781101621189) by Young Tom(10646)
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros(9452)
Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson(9364)
Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher(8716)
The City of Brass by S. A. Chakraborty(8696)
Red Rising by Pierce Brown(8502)
The Thirst by Nesbo Jo(6742)
Storm and Silence by Robert Thier(6669)
Shadows Of The Apt [01] - Empire in Black and Gold by Adrian Tchaikovsky(6576)
Pandemic (The Extinction Files Book 1) by A.G. Riddle(6389)
Six Wakes by Mur Lafferty(6047)
Assassin’s Fate by Robin Hobb(6045)
The Demon Crown: A Sigma Force Novel by James Rollins(5692)
The Fall of Dragons by Miles Cameron(5480)
