Payoff in Lead by John S Read online

  “Why didn’t you stop then?” Marco

  exposed and a man was halfway down the

  snapped.

  steps. Marco had blocked every exit!

  “Smart guy,” Black derided. “In the

  The guard on the steps saw Black and

  first place I had just bumped a copper. How’d Joan instantly. A gun in his fist exploded and I know that car wasn’t filled with more cops?

  the ballet tore a chunk of plaster out of the And you wouldn’t have listened to reason then wall. Black fired from the hip. The gunman anyway.”

  dropped off the steps and landed with a hard Marco relaxed still more but Smalley,

  thump.

  by the door, just listened with a scornful Black was at his side in a moment, His

  expression. Terry Black leaned against a table, quick eyes had already noted an empty

  putting the flat of his hand on its smooth apartment door open and he dragged the man surface. Three inches from his fingers was a inside. He was quite dead.

  plaster statuette of a giraffe, a crazy monstrous Below, they could hear the others

  caricature, but heavy and easy to grab.

  running up while Marco’s voice urged them

  on. Someone stepped out of an apartment to MARCO was standing close to Joan. Smalley

  register a protest at the racket. A gun banged was looking their way now and Black went

  and a man screamed. Marco was not stopping into action. The giraffe went sailing across the at anything now.

  room. Before it landed against Smalley’s

  “Get into that closet, Joan!” Terry

  startled face, Terry Black was lunging for Black pointed across, the empty apartment.

  Marco.

  “Stay there until I tell you to come out.”

  Marco tried to get his gun up. Black

  Joan obeyed and Terry was ripping the

  kept it down, pointed at the floor. He brought necktie from his collar before she had closed up his right fist in a beautiful arc. It clipped the closet door. Ripping off his tie he knotted Marco on the chin and the big man reeled

  it to the cravat of the dead man, pushed the backward. Black snatched the gun from his

  apartment door half closed and stepped behind hand, seized Joan’s arm and propelled her

  it. He held the end of the necktie in one hand, toward the door.

  his gun in the other.

  Smalley was trying to get up off the

  Marco barged by the door, skidded to a

  floor and fumbling for his gun, which had

  halt and came back. Terry Black tugged on the dropped from his limp hand. The private necktie and the dead man’s body rose slightly, detective stopped long enough to kick him

  as though he was resting on one elbow. It was under the chin. Then he and the blonde girl an astonishingly real tableau in the semi-raced into the hallway. Footsteps on the stairs darkness. “Roof!” Black croaked. “Got

  warned them others were coming. Joan peered away—over—roof. I’m—all right.”

  down.

  “Okay, Joe,” Marco answered. “We’ll

  “Two more of Marco’s mob!” she be back for you.”

  whispered. “We can’t go that way.”

  The rest of the mob followed Marco to

  “Up!” Black urged her. “Up the steps.

  the roof steps. Black sped across the room, Never mind the elevator. There’ll be a man in motioned to Joan and they ran lightly into the each one. We’ve got to reach the roof. It’s our hallway. The elevator was on the floor level, only chance.”

  the door open. Apparently one of Marco’s

  Payoff in Lead

  7

  boys had taken care of the operator. Joan

  me. I found the best little safe deposit vault in clung to Terry’s arm as they shot toward the the world. Cops and Marco’s boys have

  street level.

  searched three years to find the stuff and I’ll

  “That was wonderful!” she told him.

  bet they were only two feet away more than

  “Only you should have plugged Marco. Then

  once.”

  we’d have no more trouble.”

  Black grunted something

  There were several people in the unintelligible. Joan gripped his arm.

  lobby, but none paid any attention to Black

  “If you don’t stop worrying,” she

  and Joan as they hurried to the door. One

  chided, “you’ll have me in a stew too. See that minute after they stepped to the sidewalk, a cemetery? Park outside the gates. The dough policeman ran by them. He looked over his

  is right there.”

  shoulder queerly, but dashed on into the

  “In a grave?” Black asked

  building.

  thunderstruck.

  “No, you fool! They’d have looked

  TERRY BLACK jumped behind the wheel of

  into any graves that were newly dug the day of his car and Joan clambered into the seat beside the stickup. The cops knew I had been around him. They pulled away from the curb, took the the cemetery. That fence is made of cement, next corner, straightened out after they hit an Terry. It’s two and a half feet thick. The day I avenue and the hard-boiled private detective rode by, workmen had just dumped fresh

  let her roll.

  cement to make that wall. I buried the bag of

  “Did you see the way that copper money in the soft cement. Next day they looked at me?” he asked. “One more second

  poured some more on it and after it had

  and he’d have recognized me. They’re wise.

  hardened, they took away all that wooden

  Now do you see we must get the money and

  framework—and there was my dough, nice as

  run for it?”

  could be.”

  “I—I saw him.” Joan shivered. “I’m

  Terry Black grinned at her. “Boy, was

  sure he knew you. They’ll have an alarm out that smart! But we’ve got to work fast now.

  in a minute. We got away from Marco all

  Once I thought a car was tailing us, but it right, but I don’t like cops any more than you disappeared. I’ll bust the lock on the gate, do. Okay, Terry, follow my directions and

  duck inside and swipe a sledge hammer or a we’ll have the dough in a few minutes.”

  pick. You find the section of wall where you He headed for the outskirts under her

  buried the stuff and I’ll dig it out.”

  orders. Joan talked, mostly to keep her nerves He left her there so she could examine

  composed.

  the wall and determine the exact hiding place.

  “The day of the stickup Marco had me

  Inside the cemetery, he ran across the lawns, drive the car because a good-looking blonde at skirted tombstones and located the tool shed.

  the wheel of a car parked outside a bank isn’t He broke the lock easily, took out a pick and a as suspicious as some ratty-looking mobster. It heavy hammer. When he returned, Joan was

  was my idea, but Marco thinks it was his. We waiting, watching the road nervously.

  made our getaway, but those radio cars got on

  “It’s right here.” She pointed to a

  the job almost at once, and they began to cut section of the wall. “Hurry! I—I’m afraid, too.

  us off. Marco and the£ boys got out, one by You’ve got me as worried as yourself.”

  one, and slipped away. Soon as I was alone, I Terry Black hefted the sledge hammer

  knew I had to hide the money. So I kept

  and let go. But the cement was adamant. He looking for a likely spot and luck was with used the pick, swinging mighty blows for they

  Ghost, Super-Detective

  8

  were necessary.

  Marco laughed.

  They were far from any house and
the

  “Aw, don’t be so scared. If it wasn’t I

  noise he made meant little. Twenty minutes liked you, Joan, I’d line you up against the passed before the pick sank through a layer of wall with that rat and blast you down. That’s cement and cut the sides of a leather bag. Joan his finish. You going to behave?”

  gave a cry of exultation.

  Joan did not reply. She could not, for

  her lips were paralyzed with terror. She knew, THE detective dug faster until he had cut

  too well, that her own life would pay for the away the whole section. But the bag was run around she had given the gang.

  imbedded fast. He slit the sides of the leather

  “It’s all out,” Terry Black said calmly.

  container, scooped out sheafs of bills and Joan

  “Every bill.”

  picked them up from the ground. She made

  “Walk ten paces to the left,” Marco

  two trips to the car with her arms full of cash.

  ordered. “Then stand like you’re made of

  She was picking up another load when cement too. Smalley, grab the dough. Put it all Marco’s voice startled them.

  in our buggy. Snap it up before somebody

  He and four of his men had slipped

  comes along and we have to do some more

  quietly through the cemetery gates. They were killing.”

  lined up now, guns covering Black and Joan.

  Smalley obeyed promptly. Then Marco

  “Nice work,” Marco gloated. “Keep

  signaled his men. They drew close together in going, Black. Soon as you get every bill out of one line. The detective, his back against the that wall, we’ll pay you off—in lead.”

  cement wall, found beads of sweat running

  Terry Black raised his hands. Joan down his face. Marco laughed raucously.

  shivered and babbled something. In her mind

  “Just like they do in war, huh, Black?

  revolved only the thought that three years of Stick you up against a wall—and blooey,

  silence had served her nothing. At the moment you’re dead! Ready to take it, sucker? Boys, when safety and success seemed nearest, shoot all at once and then lam. Five guns will defeat had come like a bombshell.

  make a hell of a lot of noise. Keep squeezing

  “You

  fooled

  me

  once,” Marco told the trigger until you’ve fired three or four Black. “I give you credit—only you weren’t times. We want to be sure this guy is stone so smart on the getaway. We had a guy parked dead.”

  in a car outside. He saw you leave, trailed you The five guns came up and centered.

  here and then phoned me. We slipped into the Joan, still gripped by Marco’s brawny arm, cemetery by climbing the fence down the thrust her face into his coat and began to street. You were so busy hacking away at the scream.

  wall that you didn’t see or hear us. Come on—

  “If you’re making it look like the

  use the pick some more. Be sure there ain’t shooting of a spy,” Black Said, forcing calm any dough left in that wall.”

  into his voice, “why not do it all the way Black bent down, grasped the pick and

  through? They give a man about to be shot a estimated his chances of hurling it. There just cigarette, or a drink, or at least a blindfold. I were not any chances. Not when five guns

  don’t want any of those. All I ask is half a covered him and the men behind them were

  minute with Joan. I—I fell for her, see? I—I extremely watchful now that they had just want to—kiss her—good-by.”

  recognized the detective’s slippery nature.

  Marco walked up to Joan and grasped

  THE drama of that appealed to Marco’s

  her arm roughly. She gave a little cry of pain.

  warped senses. He clucked his tongue in mock

  Payoff in Lead

  9

  sympathy, gave Joan a hard shove and sent her wounded, but I’m afraid they’ll live.”

  reeling toward Black. She could hardly stand

  “Here come the ambulances,” the

  and her makeup shone like gaudy paint on a captain said and sirens shrieked closer and white canvas.

  closer.

  Terry Black took her into his arms.

  The first car to stop was a coupe. A

  She put her own about his neck. He moved his man jumped out.

  lips toward hers and then spoke in a whisper.

  “Hey, Tommy, it’s a boy! Eight and a

  “When I say ‘duck,’ drop flat. Hear

  half pounds. A boy!”

  me? It’s the only way.”

  Terry Black gave a whoop of delight.

  He kissed her then and slowly turned

  He kissed Joan, almost kissed the captain and her around until his back was toward the gang.

  threw both arms into the air.

  Marco and his four men eyed the proceedings

  “Wow!” he shouted. “A boy! That’s

  with relish. It made them feel as though they swell! Ain’t that swell, Captain?”

  were great humanitarians, giving the

  Joan suddenly seized both of Terry

  condemned a last moment with his beloved. It Black’s arms and looked up at him.

  was like the movies and they gloried in it for,

  “You’re a stool pigeon,” she snapped.

  after all, they were the foremost participants.

  “You’re nothing but a rotten, low-down

  Then, too, the car was loaded with three squealer.”

  hundred thousand dollars worth of currency Terry Black, alias Tommy Dolan, did

  that could be spent freely, for none of the bills not lose his wide grin.

  had been listed.

  “No I’m not. I’m a cop—a detective-

  “Okay,” Marco growled. “Joan, come

  sergeant. Your letter was picked up by the back here.”

  censors. We stowed the real Terry Black away

  “Duck,” Terry ground out and put all

  and I took his place. Joan, did you hear that?

  his weight against Joan.

  It’s a boy! Hot dog!”

  They dropped to the ground and a

  “Terry—or whatever your name is,”—

  second later the night silence was filled with Joan shook him—“have you forgotten—the

  the din of exploding guns. Marco seemed to cop! The one we left in the road?”

  be almost cut in half as he pitched to the A husky-looking man laughed loudly

  ground. Smalley’s body jerked as bullets tore and moved forward. Joan saw him in the light into him. The others merely slumped of many flashlights. She gave a little cry and sideward.

  wilted.

  From the cemetery gate streamed a

  “It—it’s—him,” she moaned and

  horde of blue-uniformed men, led by a pointed a shivering finger. Then her eyes were captain.

  clear again. “So it was a plant! You didn’t

  “Man, that was close!” The police plug him at all. Terry, you’re still a rat.”

  captain wiped the sweat from his face. “I

  thought we’d have to let the girl have it too.”

  THE ertswhi1e Terry Black laughed.

  Joan was staring at the score of police.

  “That was just to make you hurry

  Her eyes ran along the top of the cemetery things along. I figured if you thought you were wall to the gate where eight men with rapid-in on a cop kill, you’d want to get the dough fire rifles had watched the proceedings. Other as quickly as possible. The apartment was just policemen were examining the firing squad.

  a spot for us to go for a few minutes while the

  “Smalley’s dead—so’s Marco,” a rest of the boys picked up our trail. I didn’t sergeant reported. “The other three are figure o
n Marco, although we wanted him,

  Ghost, Super-Detective

  10

  too. We never were sure who pulled that in defeat.

  stickup.”

  “Sorry, kid,” he said gently. “You’ll

  Joan sighed deeply. “Okay. I know

  have to go back to prison, but not for too long, when I’m licked. I know why you were so

  I hope. So far as the murders during the

  worried, too. Your wife in the hospital and a stickup are concerned, the D. A. won’t press kid coming and all.” She reached up and that now—if you’ll talk. I’m sorry I had to patted his cheek. “Never mind. I’m only fool you.”

  jealous of that woman who is the mother of She threw both hands into the air and

  your son. And Terry—or whatever your name

  laughed a little hysterically. Then she walked is—thanks for saving me. I know now that it up to the captain.

  was just a trick, that saying good-by, so I’d be

  “Okay, skipper, take me away. Put me

  clear when your men started to shoot.”

  behind bars where there are no men. Me—

  Terry Black lost his smile for a who kept the boys on a string for years and moment. She was just a woman who stood

  years—getting taken for a nice little ride by a before him. A woman still beautiful and brave new papa. Prison will look good to me.”