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The Case of the Velvet Claws :: Гарднер Эрл Стенли
Страница: 99 из 149“Oh, cut out that kid stuff, Mason! Be your age! I’ve got the office wired so that I can tune a witness in on the conversation when I want to, but don’t think that I’ve gone to all the trouble of arranging a bunch of stuff on the outside, so I can hear what you say. You could have yelled anything you said before from the tops of the skyscrapers, and it wouldn’t have made a damned bit of difference.”
Mason shook his head.
“No,” he said, “when I do business, I do it in just one way.”
Locke scowled. “I don’t like that way.”
“Lots of people don’t,” Mason admitted.
Locke stood still. “That’s not getting you anywhere, Mason. I might as well go back to the office.”
“You’ll regret it if you do,” Mason warned him.
Locke hesitated, and then finally shrugged his shoulders.
“All right,” he said, “let’s go. I’ve come this far. I may as well see it through.”
Mason walked him down the street until they came to Sol Steinburg’s place.
“We’ll go in here,” said Mason.
Locke flashed him a glance of instant suspicion. “I won’t talk in there,” he said.
“You don’t have to,” Mason told him, “we’re just going in here, and you can come right out.”
“What kind of a frameup is this?” Locke demanded.
“Oh, come on in,” Mason said, impatiently. “Who’s getting suspicious now?”
Locke walked on in, looking cautiously about him.
Sol Steinburg came out from the back room with his face wreathed in smiles, rubbing his hands. He looked at Mason, and said, “Hello, hello, hello. What do you want? You back again?” Then his eyes rested on Frank Locke.
Seldom is there a Hebrew who hasn’t an instinct of the dramatic and an ability to portray emotions.
Sol Steinburg’s face ran through a gamut of expressions. The smile gave place to an expression of startled recognition. The expression of startled recognition gave way to one of fierce determination. He raised a quivering forefinger, pointed it directly at Locke, and said, “That’s the man.”
Mason’s voice was incisive. “Now, wait a minute, Sol. We’ve got to be sure about this.”
The pawnbroker became voluble. “Ain’t I sure? Can’t I tell a man when I see him? You asked me if I could tell him when I saw him, and I told you, ‘yes.’ Now I see him, and I tell you yes again. That’s him! That’s the man! What do you want to be sure about more than that? That’s him. That’s the man.
Mason shook his head.
“No,” he said, “when I do business, I do it in just one way.”
Locke scowled. “I don’t like that way.”
“Lots of people don’t,” Mason admitted.
Locke stood still. “That’s not getting you anywhere, Mason. I might as well go back to the office.”
“You’ll regret it if you do,” Mason warned him.
Locke hesitated, and then finally shrugged his shoulders.
“All right,” he said, “let’s go. I’ve come this far. I may as well see it through.”
Mason walked him down the street until they came to Sol Steinburg’s place.
“We’ll go in here,” said Mason.
Locke flashed him a glance of instant suspicion. “I won’t talk in there,” he said.
“You don’t have to,” Mason told him, “we’re just going in here, and you can come right out.”
“What kind of a frameup is this?” Locke demanded.
“Oh, come on in,” Mason said, impatiently. “Who’s getting suspicious now?”
Locke walked on in, looking cautiously about him.
Sol Steinburg came out from the back room with his face wreathed in smiles, rubbing his hands. He looked at Mason, and said, “Hello, hello, hello. What do you want? You back again?” Then his eyes rested on Frank Locke.
Seldom is there a Hebrew who hasn’t an instinct of the dramatic and an ability to portray emotions.
Sol Steinburg’s face ran through a gamut of expressions. The smile gave place to an expression of startled recognition. The expression of startled recognition gave way to one of fierce determination. He raised a quivering forefinger, pointed it directly at Locke, and said, “That’s the man.”
Mason’s voice was incisive. “Now, wait a minute, Sol. We’ve got to be sure about this.”
The pawnbroker became voluble. “Ain’t I sure? Can’t I tell a man when I see him? You asked me if I could tell him when I saw him, and I told you, ‘yes.’ Now I see him, and I tell you yes again. That’s him! That’s the man! What do you want to be sure about more than that? That’s him. That’s the man.