The real cool killers

The grotesque silhouette of something crawling over the window sill appeared in the glare of light. Slowly it straightened and took the shape of a short, husky man. It staggered slowly along the three feet of grilled iron footing and leaned against the low outer rail. For a moment it swayed back and forth in a macabre pantomime and then, slowly, like a roulette ball climbing the last hurdle before the final slot, it fell over the railing, turned in the air, missed the second landing by a breath. The body turned again and struck the third railing and started to spin faster. It landed with a resounding thud on top of a parked car and lay there with one hand hanging down beside the driver's window as though signaling for a stop.

"Well, God damn it, get going!" the chief shouted in stentorian tone. Then, on second thought, he added, "Not you, Jones. Not you!" and ran toward his car to get his megaphone. Already motion had broken out. Cops were heading toward the tenement like the Marines landing. The two cops guarding the entrance ran out into the street to locate the scene of the disturbance. The chief grabbed his megaphone and shouted, "Get the lights on that building." Two spotlights that had been extinguished were turned back on immediately and beamed on the tenement's top floor. A patrolman stepped from the window onto the fireescape landing and raised his hands in the light. "Hold it, everybody!" he shouted. "I want the chief! Is the chief there?" "Lower the lights," the chief megaphoned. "I'm here. What is it?" "Send for an ambulance. Petersen is shot — " "An ambulance is coming." "Yes sir, but don't let anybody in here yet-" Grave Digger took hold of Coffin Ed's arm. "Hang on tight, Ed," he said. "Your daughter's up there." He felt Coffin Ed's muscles tighten beneath his grip as the cop went on, "We found Pickens but one of the Moslem gangsters grabbed Pete's pistol and shot him. He used his buddy as a shield and I got his buddy but he snatched one of the girls here and escaped into the back room. He's locked himself in there and there's no other way out of this shotgun shack. He says the girl is Detective Ed Johnson's daughter. He threatened to cut her throat if he can't talk to you and Grave Digger Jones. Whatcha want me to do?" The ambulance approached and the chief had to wait until the siren had died away to make himself heard. "Has he still got Petersen's pistol?" "Yes, sir, but he emptied it." "All right, Officer, sit pat," the chief megaphoned. "We'll get Petersen down the fire escape and I'll go up and see what it's all about." Coffin Ed's acid-burnt face was hideous with fear.

16

"You stay down here, Johnson," the chief ordered.

"I'll take Anderson and Jones."

"Not unless you shoot me," Coffin Ed said. The chief looked at him.

"Let him come," Grave Digger said.

"I ought to come too; I know the flat," the sergeant said.