Zoot-Suit Murders by Thomas Sanchez

Author:Thomas Sanchez [Sanchez, Thomas]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-307-49895-3
Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
Published: 1978-11-11T16:00:00+00:00

21

“All right, Younger, here’s the information you wanted on the yacht. Still no confirmation on exactly who owns the cargo ship.”

“The yacht’s more important now; that’s something in our own front yard.”

“The yacht is registered to,” Kinney’s voice dropped to an almost inaudible whisper in the dark confessional, “Americal Yachtworks. Now, that little fish is inside Americal Tuna Processing Company. If you follow the string all the way out, you find both these little fish inside Sea Biscuit Enterprises. Here’s the queer catch: the president of Sea Biscuit is a retired admiral who lives up in Beverly Hills. He’s the obvious owner of the yacht; he’s probably the big fish with a hook in his mouth.”

“Goddamn.”

“Watch your language, Younger, you’re in a Catholic church.”

“Sorry, Senator, but it’s incredible, my tip was right.”

“You mean what Wino Boy told you about betting on Sea Biscuit if you were looking for the Horse connection in the Barrio?”

“That, and more.”

“Well, the tip could have been hot, but so far you haven’t come up with anything concrete, and I still don’t see the bigger connection with the Sinarquistas.”

“We knew in the beginning, Senator, the way the Sinarquistas got influence in Zoot gangs was by getting control over the Horse flow.”

“But we know for a fact, all our investigations prove out, the Zoots weren’t using Horse before Pearl Harbor.”

“That was before the war, Senator. Before the pain of having brothers and fathers die while being barred from good jobs. Before the Sinarquistas showed up promising to save Latin-Americans from Yankee imperialism. Before the cynicism.”

“Sure, but the gangster who got involved with the Sinarquistas, the guy from Buenos Aires, what was his code name, the one called Big Banana?”

“Chiquito Banana.”

“Him, we know from FBI reports he’s out of the country. FBI figures he got booted out of the California front by higher-ups in Madrid because his heroin tactics backfired. He hooked young kids and the Zoots turned on him.”

“But the FBI has no way of knowing if Chiquito Banana is back in the Barrio doing business at the same old stand. Maybe the Germans are backing him now. What do the Germans care how many kids in the Barrio they hook if it advances their political goals?”

“Maybe. But the problem is the FBI never had a photograph of that guy Chiquito Banana. They don’t even know what the guy actually looks like; he could be anyone. All they have are five pictures of different men. One they think is Chiquito Banana; which one is anybody’s guess. The only fact on the guy is he left the Barrio last September.”

“Can you get me those FBI pictures of the five guys?”

“You think Chiquito Banana is connected to Sea Biscuit?”

“Maybe.”

“I doubt it. When you get outside and look at the paper I gave you with the address of Sea Biscuit Enterprises, you’ll know why. The address is in Beverly Hills. Not many Fascists up in Beverly Hills. Tons of Commies, but few Fascists.”

“I don’t exactly know where this Chiquito Banana is, Senator, but I have a feeling he’s back.

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