Read 1968 - An Ear to the Ground for Free Online Page B

list. . . take a look at it.’ Martha gave him the sheet of paper she had been working on.
    Henry studied the list, stroking his moustache, then he nodded.
    ‘I also made a list. . . we’re thinking along the same lines, but you’ve left out the Esmaldi diamonds. What’s wrong with them?’
    Martha shook her head. She made a face as if she had bitten into a quince.
    ‘Do you mean to tell me, Henry, that you would be stupid enough to go after the Esmaldi diamonds?’ she demanded.
    Henry stared at her.
    ‘I don’t see why not. They’re worth $350,000. Abe would go mad with joy to have them. So why not?’
    ‘Abe isn’t going mad with joy, and I’ll tell you for why. The Esmaldi diamonds are insured with the National Fidelity, and that means Maddox. That sonofabitch put me away for five years! He’s the smartest and most dangerous bastard in the insurance racket. I’ve made certain that all this stuff we are going after isn’t covered by the National Fidelity. The other insurance punks are not in the same class as Maddox. I’ve tangled with him once — never again!’
    Henry nodded.
    ‘I didn’t know.’
    ‘Well, you know now.’ Martha gathered her wrap around her. ‘Where’s Johnny?’
    ‘On the terrace.’
    She heaved herself to her feet and went to the balcony rail. She bawled down to Johnny to come up.
    She returned to her chair, eyed the depleted breakfast trolley, then seeing a slice of currant loaf still on the bread plate, she buttered it heavily and began to eat it.
    Johnny came out on to her terrace.
    ‘Sit down,’ Martha said. ‘We’re now in business.’ She paused to wipe her mouth with a paper napkin. ‘We have a short list of people who own a whale of a lot of expensive jewellery which is kept in their homes in Raysons’ safes. The collection is worth $1,800,000. Take a third of that which is what that thief Abe Schulman will pay and we get net $600,000. The way I split it up is that you get $125,000. How do you like that?’
    Johnny studied her, his face expressionless.
    ‘Sounds okay. I’ll believe it when I get it,’ he said finally.
    ‘That’s right.’ Martha nodded. ‘Well now, Abe tells me you can handle safes and locks. I’ve selected the people who keep their jewels in Raysons’ safes because I understand you’ve worked for Raysons. How about it, Johnny?’
    Johnny lit a cigarette, slowly and deliberately, while he stared at Martha, then he said, ‘Let me tell you about Raysons’ safes. They are very special. For one thing they can’t be broken open. For another, for the owner of the safe, they are absolutely foolproof. Anyone crazy enough to try to break into one of these safes is asking for a long stretch in jail.’
    Martha stiffened, then leaned forward, her little eyes flinty, her face a granite mask.
    ‘Are you telling me you can’t open a goddamn Raysons’ safe?’ she shrilled, blood rushing into her face.
    ‘Oh, take it easy,’ Johnny said, his expression bored. ‘The way you eat and act, you’ll be dead in a year. Don’t yell at me!’
    ‘God!’ Martha screamed, beating her fat fists on the arms of the chair. ‘I won’t take talk like that from you, you goddamn…’
    ‘Shut up!’ Johnny snarled and leaned forward. ‘Hear me? Shut your fat mouth!’
    Henry watched all this, smoking his cigar, his legs crossed, his expression interested.
    ‘Are you telling me to shut up? You?’ Martha bawled.
    Johnny got to his feet.
    ‘No, I’m not telling you to shut up. I made a mistake. Yell as much as you want to. I don’t work with people like you. Find someone else. Someone who knows how to open a Rayson.’ He started across the terrace.
    Martha shouted, ‘Johnny! Come back! I’m sorry!’
    Johnny paused, turned and then grinned. He returned to his chair and sat down.
    ‘Forget it. I guess we’re both a little temperamental.’ He paused to light a cigarette, then went on, ‘Let me tell you more about the Raysons’ safes . . . let me