The Black Lizard Big Book of Black Mask Stories
- Автор: Adams Cleve F., Babcock Dwight V.
- Год: 2010
- Язык: английский
- Год: A Vintage Crime/Black Lizard
- ISBN: 978-0-307-45543-7
- Жанр: Криминальные детективы
Электронная книга - «The Black Lizard Big Book of Black Mask Stories». Краткое содержание книги:
Black Mask was the apotheosis of noir. It was the magazine where the first hardboiled detective story, which was written by Carroll John Daly appeared. It was the slum in which such American literary titans like Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler got their start, and it was the home of stories with titles like “Murder Is Bad Luck,” “Ten Carets of Lead,” and “Drop Dead Twice.” Collected here is best of the best, the hardest of the hardboiled, and the darkest of the dark of America’s finest crime fiction. This masterpiece collection represents a high watermark of America’s underbelly. Crime writing gets no better than this.
Gus Monkly looked hurt. “You’re damn right it is,” he stated. “This ain’t the sticks — this is the Garden. The fight’s on the square. But that don’t mean—”
He checked himself. He narrowed his eyes to little slits.
“I got to have you — with me, Connors,” he said. “You don’t run with the mob. You stickin’?”
The handler swore. “Come on,” he muttered. “Give it to me. What was Lou’s game?”
Gus said slowly: “Hurry Lassen slammed him down, a few nights ago. He got worried. Lou was in Hurry’s mob, working beer, in Chi. He and I — we quit. Things were getting tough, and Hurry was playing around. He’s got a blonde now. She comes close to running things. And she figures Hurry should have a slice of the Giant. Forty percent cut-in.”
Connors said: “Yeah?” very slowly.
Gus said: “Lou figured he should have a hunk of Pardo, too. But he wasn’t coming after me too hard. We meet up with Hurry, and I hand him the line that the boy’s all sliced up. Lou admits he’s got a share — and Hurry knows he’s lying. He slams him down. The blonde sits there and thinks a little for him. Hurry tries to throw a scare my way. He wants forty percent of my take on the Giant — and he sent Little Andy around to tell me that if he don’t get it before the scrap with Bolley — it’ll be Pardo’s last fight.”
Connors sat down in a chair and shook his head from side to side. He swore huskily. Gus said: “Then Lou comes along with a fake wire — and makes a duck. He got yellow. He’s been staying at his brother’s hotel. I went over to see if he was really walking out — and the blonde tried to rub me out, down in the basement. I put a gun on Al Berryman — he was getting set to spill something, and his pumper went bad. He’s dead.”
Connors got up and walked around. Gus said slowly:
“I’ve got to have help, Connors — that’s why I’m giving it to you straight. If Pardo gets the nod over Bolley — he’ll get the works!”
Connors said grimly: “We got to hide him out. He’s got a chance to win, Gus.”
The manager grunted. “Chance, hell!” he breathed. “Bell made a rotten match. He needs the coin. Bolley’s a sucker for a right — and Pardo’s got the right. I’ve been stallin’ around, Connors. The big boy’s in right now. But the hell of it is—”
Gus got up and went over to the window. The handler said softly:
“You could sell him the cut, Gus.”
The fight manager swung around, his beady eyes glittering.
“I’m not yellow,” he said harshly. “I dug up this palooka. He was opening oysters in a lousy town. He was so dumb he’d been fired from one fish joint because he couldn’t count up to six. He was giving the customers five shells. I taught him something. I ain’t letting Hurry come in. If the boy gets over — he’s worth big money. If Hurry gets in on big money — the other guy gets sick. Sometimes he don’t get well again.”
Connors nodded slowly. “Pardo’ll take Bolley,” he muttered. “We can fix up a way of gettin’ him out of the Garden without being seen. We can hide him out—”
The fight manager smiled grimly. “Yeah?” he said. “Well, that’s what I’m looking for. Hurry’s a killer — and he hates my guts. That means he hates anything I touch — except maybe the dirt he’d like to shove me into. We got to be careful.”
Connors said slowly: “Or it’s no coin for you, eh? And the long count — for Pardo.”
The manager said tonelessly: “See what you can dope out. If Hurry gets Pardo — I’ll get him. Jeeze — I’ll get him for it, Connors!”
The handler closed his eyes and said slowly:
“We’re safe — while we’ve got the Giant in the Garden. If we can sneak him out—”
Gus Monkly spoke softly. “Pardo’s going to kayo Bolley, Connors. He’ll give him the count. And I know Hurry. He’ll go through hell to square it with me for—”
Connors said quietly: “Why don’t he gun you out, Gus?”
The manager’s half-moon scar jerked a little. He laughed harshly.
“That’s easy,” he said. “He wants me to walk around and remember. To think about the coin I almost got my fingers on, see? He wants to let me know he can still boss jobs, see? He’s a killer — and he’s a cold killer.”
Connors didn’t say anything. Gus got to his feet, started towards the door. He turned suddenly.
“Don’t get talking, Connors. You’re sitting in now. Keep your face tight. I’ll fix you so it’ll be worthwhile.”
Connors nodded. “We’ll lick ’em, Gus,” he said grimly. “But we’ve got to use brains.”
The fight manager took the cigarette from between his thin lips and looked at the ash.
“Brains — and maybe some other things,” he said softly, and went into the other room.
Eddie Leach grinned at him. “Is he usin’ soap?” he asked.
Giant Pardo chuckled. He stood up and put his big arms out. He swung at the air. Gus said grimly: “You look great, big boy. I’m feelin’ sorry for Bolley.”
Eddie lighted a cigarette. “He’ll murder him,” he said.
The scar on Gus’s face twitched. He stiffened a little. Then he grinned.
“Sure,” he said. “And say, Giant — Lou’s sister got sick in Chi. He had a wire. If he don’t get back for the fight, Connors will be in your corner.”
Pardo grinned. “To hell with seconds,” he announced. “I’ll kill this guy.”
“Yeah,” Gus stated. “But you got to quit grinnin’ at me, after you knock a guy down.”
The big slugger chuckled. “I go to a — neutral corner,” he said thickly in singsong fashion. “I won’t look at you, Gus.”
The manager nodded. Eddie Leach pulled on his cigarette and said softly:
“At three to one — it’s nice, Gus — it’s — a killing!”
Chapter V
The Garden was packed; they were standing three deep in the rear of the mezzanine and balcony. The ringside was filled; there was a buzz of voices as Joe Humphrey climbed through the ropes. The buzz became a roar as the big form of Chuck Bolley came along the aisle from the dressing rooms.
Bolley was almost as tall as Pardo; he had reddish hair and a pale face. He’d been fighting for five years and had spoiled the chances of more potential champs than any other scrapper in the heavyweight division. He raised his long arms above his head, tapped his gloves together. He towered above his handlers. Schenck, his brown-faced manager, was dwarfed as he stood beside him.
There was another roar as Giant Pardo came into the ring. Pardo was grinning; he leaned down suddenly and spoke to Connors at his side.
“It’s a — good crowd, Connors.”
The second grinned up at him. “You got a punch and they know it,” he replied. “And Bolley’ll know it, too!”
Pardo nodded. “Sure,” he agreed.
Joe Humphrey was introducing fighters who had climbed inside the ropes. The crowd was impatient; they shouted above the announcer’s clear voice. They drowned him out. Humphrey raised both hands as the gong clanged again and again. He pointed towards Giant Pardo seated on the stool in his corner.
“...the big boy from the Great Lakes, Giant Pardo!”
Pardo stood up and tapped leather at the crowd, turning slowly. Bolley sat across the ring and glared at him. The crowd cheered wildly. Pardo sat down as Humphrey faced his opponent.
“... that slugger from the Northwest, Red Bolley!”
The cheers were greater in volume as Bolley got up and went towards the center of the ring. He moved more gracefully than Pardo, swung more rapidly as he tapped his gloves above his head. Johnny Parks, the referee, went to the center of the ring. The fighters moved out to his side. Schenk was with Bolley, but Gus Monkly was not inside the ropes. Connors and Eddie Leach stood beside the big boy.