your mind?”
Shayne glanced at the big man sitting in front of Trueman. The proprietor of the Laurel Club said, “Don’t mind Jim Nolan. He’s my attorney and knows more about my business than I do.” He smiled disarmingly.
Shayne said, “I’ve got emeralds on my mind.”
“Is it a disease?” asked Trueman.
“You phoned me this afternoon offering to sell a necklace.”
Trueman shook his head. “Come again. I’m no jeweler.”
“These emeralds are hot. So damned hot they’re going to burn somebody.”
“Nor a fence,” Trueman told him quietly.
Shayne rubbed his jaw, then his mouth spread in a grin but his eyes were cold. “I don’t make mistakes. Maybe you’re handling it for another party.”
“If I were, what would you want me to tell him?”
“Just this. He’d better get out from under because I’m after that necklace. There’ll be no buy from the insurance company.”
“No?” Trueman crossed his legs and sat up straight in his chair, his elongated eyes considering-Shayne. “If you’re talking about the Lomax thing—I was reading about it in the papers.”
“Let’s say I am talking about the Lomax emeralds.”
“I hear it was insured for a hundred and twenty-five thousand,” Trueman purred. “A company hates to put out that kind of money if it can be bought back for, say, forty. No—if I knew the party who had it I’d advise him to hang on for a time.”
Shayne’s laugh was sour. “And you’d be right nine times out of ten. But wrong this once. My company’s got a legal out if it comes to that.”
“So?” Trueman seemed only mildly interested.
“We don’t want to take it. We’d rather recover the stuff and I expect to. But I want you to get this straight—there’ll be no buy.”
Trueman looked inquiringly across the desk at his lawyer.
“Does this talk make sense, Jim?”
“What sort of legal out?” Nolan spoke for the first time since Shayne had entered, and he kept his back turned. The sounds emitting from his small mouth were thin and high, almost a falsetto.
“Negligence of the insured,” Shayne told the lawyer’s fat back. “It’s open and shut. So much so that Lomax admitted it to me privately this afternoon. But his wife is stubborn. To avoid losing a lawsuit Lomax even offered to advance the money himself to cover the loss. That’s how much we’re in the clear.”
“Why bring this story to me?” Trueman asked.
Shayne stepped up to the desk and looked down into Trueman’s eyes and said quietly, “Just so you’ll know where you stand. I don’t like misunderstandings about a thing like this. I’ve been in the middle of some fixes and I hope to be in the middle of a lot more. But not this time. And I don’t want any howl of a double-cross going up. I’m beginning to light a fire and somebody’s going to get burned.”
“Are you all through talking?” Dan Trueman bared his teeth.
“That’s all I’ve got to say.” Shayne turned and the outer door opened.
Tige filled the doorway and the pair of youthful torpedoes were behind him. Tige licked his thick lips hungrily. He had taken the knucks off but both big fists were doubled.
Trueman made a quick motion and said sharply, “Let the boys handle this, Tige.”
Tige looked disappointed, but he stepped aside. Trueman got up and followed as Shayne went to the door. The two gunmen stayed outside.
Trueman said, “Take him all the way out to the sidewalk, boys.” Then raised his voice, “Don’t be rough with him if you can help it, but I’m tired of listening to the beefs of a bum loser. Don’t come here to play, Shayne, unless you can afford to lose your three dollars and fifty cents.”
Shayne stopped on the threshold. The two gunsels waited for him on each side of the doorway, gun-hands bulging in their coat pockets. The three were targets for amused glances from the patrons in the rear barroom.
Shayne said, “All right, Trueman. I’ll go out this time without making
Shayne glanced at the big man sitting in front of Trueman. The proprietor of the Laurel Club said, “Don’t mind Jim Nolan. He’s my attorney and knows more about my business than I do.” He smiled disarmingly.
Shayne said, “I’ve got emeralds on my mind.”
“Is it a disease?” asked Trueman.
“You phoned me this afternoon offering to sell a necklace.”
Trueman shook his head. “Come again. I’m no jeweler.”
“These emeralds are hot. So damned hot they’re going to burn somebody.”
“Nor a fence,” Trueman told him quietly.
Shayne rubbed his jaw, then his mouth spread in a grin but his eyes were cold. “I don’t make mistakes. Maybe you’re handling it for another party.”
“If I were, what would you want me to tell him?”
“Just this. He’d better get out from under because I’m after that necklace. There’ll be no buy from the insurance company.”
“No?” Trueman crossed his legs and sat up straight in his chair, his elongated eyes considering-Shayne. “If you’re talking about the Lomax thing—I was reading about it in the papers.”
“Let’s say I am talking about the Lomax emeralds.”
“I hear it was insured for a hundred and twenty-five thousand,” Trueman purred. “A company hates to put out that kind of money if it can be bought back for, say, forty. No—if I knew the party who had it I’d advise him to hang on for a time.”
Shayne’s laugh was sour. “And you’d be right nine times out of ten. But wrong this once. My company’s got a legal out if it comes to that.”
“So?” Trueman seemed only mildly interested.
“We don’t want to take it. We’d rather recover the stuff and I expect to. But I want you to get this straight—there’ll be no buy.”
Trueman looked inquiringly across the desk at his lawyer.
“Does this talk make sense, Jim?”
“What sort of legal out?” Nolan spoke for the first time since Shayne had entered, and he kept his back turned. The sounds emitting from his small mouth were thin and high, almost a falsetto.
“Negligence of the insured,” Shayne told the lawyer’s fat back. “It’s open and shut. So much so that Lomax admitted it to me privately this afternoon. But his wife is stubborn. To avoid losing a lawsuit Lomax even offered to advance the money himself to cover the loss. That’s how much we’re in the clear.”
“Why bring this story to me?” Trueman asked.
Shayne stepped up to the desk and looked down into Trueman’s eyes and said quietly, “Just so you’ll know where you stand. I don’t like misunderstandings about a thing like this. I’ve been in the middle of some fixes and I hope to be in the middle of a lot more. But not this time. And I don’t want any howl of a double-cross going up. I’m beginning to light a fire and somebody’s going to get burned.”
“Are you all through talking?” Dan Trueman bared his teeth.
“That’s all I’ve got to say.” Shayne turned and the outer door opened.
Tige filled the doorway and the pair of youthful torpedoes were behind him. Tige licked his thick lips hungrily. He had taken the knucks off but both big fists were doubled.
Trueman made a quick motion and said sharply, “Let the boys handle this, Tige.”
Tige looked disappointed, but he stepped aside. Trueman got up and followed as Shayne went to the door. The two gunmen stayed outside.
Trueman said, “Take him all the way out to the sidewalk, boys.” Then raised his voice, “Don’t be rough with him if you can help it, but I’m tired of listening to the beefs of a bum loser. Don’t come here to play, Shayne, unless you can afford to lose your three dollars and fifty cents.”
Shayne stopped on the threshold. The two gunsels waited for him on each side of the doorway, gun-hands bulging in their coat pockets. The three were targets for amused glances from the patrons in the rear barroom.
Shayne said, “All right, Trueman. I’ll go out this time without making
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