Sin In Their Blood | Page 7

the old strike-breaking racket
look like small time..."
"I never went in for fink work."
"Maybe being in the hospital you don't know it, but the whole
atmosphere of America has changed. Everybody is scared stiff. There's
a magic word--red. Hint that anybody is a Communist and their goose
is cooked. Got to be very careful what you think and read these days.
Notice those files in the other room? They're worth a million bucks to
me, and I'm not just blowing off. Last year I stumbled on a joker called
Thatcher Austin, a fanatic on the..."
"I saw him."

Harry grinned--he'd even straightened out his teeth. "Something for the
books, isn't he? Comes from one of the old blue-blood families--minor
key society stuff. Except they been stony since way back to the '29
crash. Thatcher was never exactly all there...."
"He looks it."
"Convinced himself the crash was all part of a revolution started by Al
Smith, Roosevelt, and Stalin to make his family poor. He was nutty. So
his folks found him a hobby, what they call mental therapy. He started
reading all the papers and mags, including the union stuff and left
newspapers, filed the names of everybody mentioned there. Tells me
for fifteen years he used to work ten and twelve hours a day at it.
Realize what that's worth under the McCarran Law? I've a file as good
as the FBI's! And the Austin name comes in handy when contacting the
big shots. It's a cinch--when we screen a plant or an office, even a
school or church, all we do is cheek their employees against our files.
Half hour's work and the big shots think I'm a regular Sherlock Holmes
because I tell them Joe Blow, their elevator operator, attended a
meeting for Roosevelt back in 1937, or something Joe Blow don't even
remember himself."
"What does buster need you for? What's his cut?"
Harry laughed and relit his pipe. "You won't believe this but all that
jerk gets is sixty a week, his own desk, 'and a bright badge saying he's
an honorary Deputy Police Chief. He's happy, and works like a bastard.
But I've only scratched the field, Matt; with these files I can cover the
country, no telling how big we can get... if I can find somebody I can
trust. Be like old times, Matt, we were always a smart team."
"I want to forget old times," I said. "And I'm tired."
Harry waved his hand, as if pushing me away. "I'll be the front man,
make the speeches at the businessmen's luncheons, all that bunko. I'm
good at it, know how to scare them crazy. You'd run the office, follow
up my leads. It's a dream, no danger or rough stuff... and how the
dough rolls in."

"Legalized blackmail," I said, thinking it was time for one of my
vitamin pills.
Harry shrugged. "I didn't make the laws. All I know is it's legal,
patriotic, and pays off. People are scared, worse than during Prohibition.
Hell, now people are scared to even look at a sunset any more--it's red.
Matt, you interested?"
"Nope." I got to my feet again. "So long, Harry, have fun." As I left the
office I heard him say, "You dumb-ox, I'm offering you real dough for
no work and..."
When I got downstairs and out on the sidewalk, a horn wailed and I
saw, Flo behind the wheel of a sleek roadster. As I got in she asked,
"You find an apartment yet, or shall we go to a hotel?"
"I'm going to the High Street police station."
"Aw Matt, honey, you're sore about me taking up with Harry? I told
you he doesn't..."
"I'm not steamed about anything, and stop climbing all over me. People
are watching us."
"Then let's go to a hotel. I know a..."
"Stop it, Flo. Things have changed--we're done." She put her face next
to mine and I twisted away from that mouth, asked, "Baby, you going
to drive me to the police station, or do I walk?"
She moved away, started the car. "What's changed? If you're not sore, I
mean, what else could I do, get a job in the five and ten or.... God, Matt,
you weren't wounded there?"
"No. But I've been... eh... sick--and I didn't get a dose either. Look,
baby, I've been away more than a year, and it's all over for us."
"But why?"

"Who knows the way of these things? It just is," I said, sounding like
advice to the lovelorn.
She drove expertly through the heavy afternoon traffic. "Aw, Matt, I
been looking forward to your coming back. Harry's no good.
Sometimes I think he gets more delight out of teasing me, slapping me
around, than going with me. You know how