thrown out?’
McManus chewed,
and looked Edgar up and down. ‘Is that the way you talk to all your customers,
Mr. Paston? It seems to me that me and my friends, we’re just ordinary,
law-abiding customers, and there aint nothing you can do to get us out of
here.’ Edgar swallowed. The rest of the gang had now picked themselves up off the floor, and were lounging behind McManus in what they obviously
considered were cool and threatening poses. One of them started cleaning his
fingernails with a long-bladed knife.
‘You took
beer.’ said Edgar quietly. ‘You took beer and you drank it.’
McManus raised his
eyebrows. ‘Is there any law says you can’t consume food and drink on the
premises, provided you pay for it when you leave?’
‘Yes, there is.
Until you’ve paid for it, the stuff belongs to me, and if you drink it, that’s
theft. Now, you’ve got ten seconds to get the hell out.’
McManus didn’t
move. ‘If you’re saying I’m a thief, Mr. Paston, you’d better call yourself a
cop and prove it.’
Edgar looked
around the loutish faces of McManus and his gang, and then nodded.
‘Okay,’ he said
tightly, and picked up the phone. The gang watched him with remote curiosity.
He spoke to the
police, and then laid the phone down again.
‘They said a
couple of minutes,’ he announced.
McManus
shrugged. ‘Seems to me they take longer every time,’ he said, and his cronies
all giggled.
It wasn’t long
before they heard the sound of a siren outside, and the crunch of car doors
being slammed. Edgar looked towards the front of the store, and saw two police
hats bobbing towards him behind one of the rows of shelves. Round the corner by
the dog-food came Officer Marowitz, and his partner Officer Trent. They were
big, weatherbeaten local patrolmen, and Edgar knew them well.
‘Hi, Mr.
Paston,’ said Marowitz. He had a broad, swarthy face and a drooping mustache.
‘Looks like you got Shark trouble.’
‘Witty,’
sneered one of the kids.
Marowitz
ignored him. ‘McManus,’ he snapped. ‘Have you been bothering my friend Mr.
Paston?’
McManus grinned a foxy grin. ‘Mr. Paston here says I’m a thief. I
drank some beer in the store, and he says I stole it. Look, I got my money all
ready to pay, and he says I stole it.’
Marowitz
sniffed. ‘Do you want to bring a charge, Mr. Paston?’
McManus said,
‘I didn’t steal it, man. The money’s here. I was thirsty, and I opened a couple
of cans, that’s all.’
‘You shut your
mouth, McManus. Do you want to bring a charge, Mr. Paston?’
Marowitz
repeated.
Edgar Paston
bit his lip, and then sighed. ‘I guess not. Just get them out of here.’
Marowitz
shrugged. ‘It’s up to you, Mr. Paston. If you want to bring a charge, you can
do so.’
Edgar shook his
head. ‘For a few mouthfuls of beer, it isn’t worth it. But if there’s any more
trouble, McManus, I know your face and I’m going to have the law on your tail
so fast you won’t know what’s hit you.’
McManus
grinned, and saluted. ‘Jawohl, mein Fuhrer,’ he mocked.
Marowitz closed
his notebook. ‘All right, you guys – scram. Next time you won’t be so lucky.’
Giggling and
larking about, McManus and his gang shuffled out of the store, and then amused
themselves for a few minutes by pressing their faces against the glass of the
window, pulling grotesque faces.
‘They’re only
kids,’ said Marowitz. ‘Weren’t you the same when you were a kid, Mr.
Paston?? Edgar looked up at him. ‘No,’ he said quietly. ‘I
wasn’t.’ Marowitz grinned.
‘Well, don’t
you worry. Different strokes for different folks. You
have to remember these kids have got nothing to do in the evening around here.
There’s no dance halls, no movies, and most of them are banned from the
hamburger joints. It’s natural they’re going to raise a little hell.’
Edgar picked up
the beer-cans that were strewn on the floor, and went to fetch a damp doth to
wipe up the mess. ‘You
McManus chewed,
and looked Edgar up and down. ‘Is that the way you talk to all your customers,
Mr. Paston? It seems to me that me and my friends, we’re just ordinary,
law-abiding customers, and there aint nothing you can do to get us out of
here.’ Edgar swallowed. The rest of the gang had now picked themselves up off the floor, and were lounging behind McManus in what they obviously
considered were cool and threatening poses. One of them started cleaning his
fingernails with a long-bladed knife.
‘You took
beer.’ said Edgar quietly. ‘You took beer and you drank it.’
McManus raised his
eyebrows. ‘Is there any law says you can’t consume food and drink on the
premises, provided you pay for it when you leave?’
‘Yes, there is.
Until you’ve paid for it, the stuff belongs to me, and if you drink it, that’s
theft. Now, you’ve got ten seconds to get the hell out.’
McManus didn’t
move. ‘If you’re saying I’m a thief, Mr. Paston, you’d better call yourself a
cop and prove it.’
Edgar looked
around the loutish faces of McManus and his gang, and then nodded.
‘Okay,’ he said
tightly, and picked up the phone. The gang watched him with remote curiosity.
He spoke to the
police, and then laid the phone down again.
‘They said a
couple of minutes,’ he announced.
McManus
shrugged. ‘Seems to me they take longer every time,’ he said, and his cronies
all giggled.
It wasn’t long
before they heard the sound of a siren outside, and the crunch of car doors
being slammed. Edgar looked towards the front of the store, and saw two police
hats bobbing towards him behind one of the rows of shelves. Round the corner by
the dog-food came Officer Marowitz, and his partner Officer Trent. They were
big, weatherbeaten local patrolmen, and Edgar knew them well.
‘Hi, Mr.
Paston,’ said Marowitz. He had a broad, swarthy face and a drooping mustache.
‘Looks like you got Shark trouble.’
‘Witty,’
sneered one of the kids.
Marowitz
ignored him. ‘McManus,’ he snapped. ‘Have you been bothering my friend Mr.
Paston?’
McManus grinned a foxy grin. ‘Mr. Paston here says I’m a thief. I
drank some beer in the store, and he says I stole it. Look, I got my money all
ready to pay, and he says I stole it.’
Marowitz
sniffed. ‘Do you want to bring a charge, Mr. Paston?’
McManus said,
‘I didn’t steal it, man. The money’s here. I was thirsty, and I opened a couple
of cans, that’s all.’
‘You shut your
mouth, McManus. Do you want to bring a charge, Mr. Paston?’
Marowitz
repeated.
Edgar Paston
bit his lip, and then sighed. ‘I guess not. Just get them out of here.’
Marowitz
shrugged. ‘It’s up to you, Mr. Paston. If you want to bring a charge, you can
do so.’
Edgar shook his
head. ‘For a few mouthfuls of beer, it isn’t worth it. But if there’s any more
trouble, McManus, I know your face and I’m going to have the law on your tail
so fast you won’t know what’s hit you.’
McManus
grinned, and saluted. ‘Jawohl, mein Fuhrer,’ he mocked.
Marowitz closed
his notebook. ‘All right, you guys – scram. Next time you won’t be so lucky.’
Giggling and
larking about, McManus and his gang shuffled out of the store, and then amused
themselves for a few minutes by pressing their faces against the glass of the
window, pulling grotesque faces.
‘They’re only
kids,’ said Marowitz. ‘Weren’t you the same when you were a kid, Mr.
Paston?? Edgar looked up at him. ‘No,’ he said quietly. ‘I
wasn’t.’ Marowitz grinned.
‘Well, don’t
you worry. Different strokes for different folks. You
have to remember these kids have got nothing to do in the evening around here.
There’s no dance halls, no movies, and most of them are banned from the
hamburger joints. It’s natural they’re going to raise a little hell.’
Edgar picked up
the beer-cans that were strewn on the floor, and went to fetch a damp doth to
wipe up the mess. ‘You
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