The Erection Set

He let his hands drop helplessly by his sides, then turned them palms up in despair. “Where the hell did I go wrong? I put money in the poorbox, I support my family, I belong to the right clubs ...”

“Quit clowning,” I said. “Wait until you hear the facts.”

“Sure.”

“You’d better sit down.”

I didn’t tell him too much. There are times when it’s better to let them figure things out for themselves. Conscience and guilt complexes are factors that can throw a monkey wrench into anything and Al DeVeccho had more than enough of both. All I wanted from him was a probable lead on who was handling the big buys of heroin. There were other ways of finding out, but Al had an in and if he listened right even a hint could point in the right direction.

It took a while, but eventually he decided to go along because my ass was in a sling and for no other reason. I said, “How long do you think it will take?”

Al shrugged his shoulders. “The Davewell bunch wants me to do another audit. I was going to turn it down. Maybe I’ll start there.”

“When?”

“Tuesday. You care if I get somebody else in on this?”

“Use your own discretion.”

“If I did, I’d tell you to go piss up a stick. I never had any urge to go back into the gun business.”

“Just watch your step and you won’t.”

“I don’t want any bathtub treatments, either.”

My knuckles whitened when I squeezed my hands together, remembering what almost had happened. “That was before I smelled what was going on. Now I have Lee’s place locked off, a private security guard is on the floor and Lee knows enough to stay on his toes.”

“What about your other friends?”

“I’m the target. They know damn well I’ve never been connected with anyone on this side of the Atlantic. I’ll either be walking alone or ready to cover anything that happens.”

“You’d better have eyes in the back of your head then.”

“Don’t sweat it,” I said. “They may even get the picture that I’m out of the action all the way.”

“You know better than that.”

“It’s still a possibility.”

“Okay, have it your way. I still think I’m a nut for getting talked into this. At least you can keep the hell away from me for a while. If I learn anything, I’ll call that number or get you at the apartment.”

“Fine.”

“What are you planning on doing now?”

I smirked at him and got out of the rocker. “I got a date with a teenybopper named Sharon Cass who’s taking me to supper with Walt Gentry and her boss. Nothing like living big, old buddy.”

Al let out a few choice barracks words under his breath and didn’t even bother to say so long when I left.

Ordinarily, S. C. Cable could field any question with the nimble dexterity of the professional con man, but when Sharon threw the curve at him he was stopped cold and looked across the table at Walt Gentry in absolute amazement, groping for an answer. Walt just smiled his silly little smile that showed which side he was on and left the big tiger of Hollywood dangling.

Sharon wasn’t about to let it alone. “Well, why not?” she insisted. “It saves months of exploring for a practical location site, there’s power facilities, plenty of room, authentic period buildings and a cooperative management.” She probably had her fingers crossed under the table when she made the last statement, but I wasn’t worried a bit about it.

S.C. finally found his voice someplace under his mottled chin. “Are you mad, Sharon? We haven’t even got a working script yet. The budget isn’t ...”

Sharon’s smile had a dagger in it. “You haven’t signed the contract with Walt yet, either. And since you expect me to put my virtue on the mattress for your gigantic production, the least you could do is humor me.”

“Humor you!”

“Exactly, or Walt cancels the deal. It’s as simple as that.”

Cable suppressed a choking cough and looked at Walt again. When he saw the affirmative nod he turned to me. “Are you the instigator of this... this ...”

“Don’t look at me,” I told him. “I’m only going along with the idea. Frankly, it sounds pretty realistic... if you like realism... and I’m in a position to push for that management cooperation Sharon mentioned. I read the book and as far as the Barrin factory in Linton is concerned, that place has everything you need including the historical details. In fact, some of the truths about that place would goose your story up a little.”

“This is blackmail,” Cable said. “It’s illegal.”

“So is assigning women to perform an immoral act for profitable purposes,” Sharon purred.

“You’re fired,” S. C. Cable said.

“You’re hired,” Walt Gentry told her. “The project is now in your hands.”

Cable looked at me helplessly. “See how they trap you? Business ethics mean nothing. A deal is only words. You try ...”

“Nobody called the deal off yet,” I reminded him. “Looks like your move now.”

“Shit,” Cable said, “so well look over the factory. So if it’s okay, why not? Any more problems?” He looked around and nobody said anything at all. “Can I hire this broad back? I can’t afford to let her go working for anybody else.”

“We’ll talk about my raise later,” Sharon said.