The Root of His Evil by James M. Cain

Author:James M. Cain [Cain, James M.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781453291634
Publisher: MysteriousPress.com/Open Road
Published: 2012-11-27T22:07:00+00:00

Ten

AS SOON AS MR. Hunt hung up I called Mr. Holden. He was at his hotel, fortunately, and almost before I had time to take the cocktail tray out of the living room and put some fresh ice and glasses on it he was announced and then I let him in and he was walking around looking at everything in a very interested way and making comments on everything he saw. He seemed to know a great deal about American history and when he picked up one of the Aztec knives, told me I should read Prescott’s “Conquest of Mexico” and I would “find out how quick the ruling class can tear a man’s heart out,” as he put it. Some other time I would have been pleased to hear intelligent remarks about Grant’s work, but just then I didn’t care how the ruling classes tore out hearts. I told him about Lula, and when I got to the things in the bathroom he laughed loudly and didn’t wait to hear any more. “So you want somebody to take her off your hands?”

“Dead or alive.”

“That’s easy. Where’s your telephone?”

“What are you going to do?”

“Put in a call.”

I took him in the bedroom and stood there while he picked up the receiver, but he cocked his head on one side in a way that meant get out, so there was nothing for me to do but leave him there and close the door. I could hear him talking some little time, and started to make him a brandy and soda. Then 1 remembered he didn’t drink, and I had a cup of coffee waiting for him by the time he was through. He came back in the living room, sat down beside the coffee, thanked me for it and laughed. “It’s all arranged.”

“What did you do?”

“Found her a job.”

“Where?”

“Karb’s.”

“But they’re on strike. There’s no job for her there.”

“Oh, yes, there is. Strike-breaker.”

He said this as though it were an amusing piece of news, but I was greatly startled by it. “Do you mean to say that you, a union organizer, actually proposed that Karb’s take on a strike-breaker?”

“They’ve already taken on fifty—or so I heard. I haven’t been in close touch with the thing lately. One more won’t hurt.”

“But it’s—asking a favor of the enemy.”

“In all warfare there’s an occasional exchange of prisoners. It makes things simple.”

“I don’t believe you’re unfriendly with Karb’s at all.”

“I? Unfriendly with Karb’s? I should say not. Carrie, the wars are fought on the field. The treaties are signed on a table. But a table discussion should be carried on by gentlemen who understand each other. I always observe the courtesies of the field for the sake of the discussion at the table. Asking a harmless little favor with a wink in my eye—”

“They didn’t see the wink.”

“They felt it. It traveled over the wires by a rare form of television.”

“In other words, you’re a Welshman.”

“I am not. I am a naturalized American, 100%.”

He took a

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