Round the Clock at Volari's Read online

  "Keep liking it," said Jim. He turned and left abruptly.

  ***

  It was a little after nine when a taxi dropped Jim off at Volari's. The new check girl gave Jim a blank look as she took his hat. It was Friday night, and the bar stools were all full, but only three of the wall-booths were taken. There was nobody in the supper-room, but it was a little early for that. Gus waved at him. Zena gave him an owlish look and said, "Getting to be a habit again?"

  He nodded and moved to the house phone. Gino appeared from around the end of the bar. "Something I can do for you, Mr. Chase?"

  "Yes. I'd like to speak to Al." His appearance on successive days after such a long absence was obviously arousing curiosity and speculation, so he said glibly, "I'm getting some tickets for the Giant series for him. He's a Willy Mays fan, you know."

  "Yes. I know," said Gino. "Wait just a minute."

  Gino took the phone. Turning, Jim looked unexpectedly into Judy's eyes. She stood in the slot, regarding him steadily. He nodded at her. "Hi."

  She came over. "So Zena's right."

  "What about?"

  "She says something's going on between you and Al. That's why you're showing up here again."

  "Tell Zena to mind her own business."

  "I thought you came here to see me last night," said Judy with a trace of bitterness in her voice.

  "I did."

  "And tonight?"

  Jim sighed wearily. "Last night Al asked me to see if I could get him some baseball tickets. He's an old friend.

  Jim snorted angrily at her and got up. Gino was beckoning.

  "Al's waiting, Mr. Chase."

  Jim started for the back of the place. But Judy intercepted him. "Don't get mad at me just on account of Zena."

  "I'm not mad at you," Jim said.

  "Meet me tonight." She gave him a bedroom look. Jim glanced at her, puzzled. "I thought we said-"

  "I know what we said. But we were both worn out and it was hot and… well… you know." A little-girl smile. "I've got a surprise for you."

  "All right," said Jim. "I'll pick you up at two."

  ***

  In spite of the fact that Al had been expecting the news, he seemed thunderstruck.

  "God, this is terrible, Jim." I got to get him out of here right away and that's going to be some job. Wait. I'll get him on the phone. He's living up at the lake."

  It took a long time to contact Tom. Al sat tearing a cigar to shreds and Jim paced restlessly.

  Finally Tom came on and Al told him about the subpoena. Jim could hear Tom roaring down the phone at his brother, and at last Al turned to Jim in despair and said: "He says I'm an old woman. He says I'm crazy. He says I'm a goddamned sissy. He says…" Suddenly he yelled into the phone: "Goddam it, all right, if you want to get dragged up in front of the Grand Jury and put under oath. Yes, yes, yes…"

  "Here," yelled Al, handing Jim the phone. "Talk to him."

  "What is all this crap, Jimmy boy?" yelled Tom Patton.

  "The Grand Jury's going to issue a subpoena, Tom," said Jim. "We've got a damned good tipster."

  "Not just another one of those stupid rumors, is it? Al's always shaking like a bone-fed dog. Can't put no trust in him. Listens to all the scaredy cats. Always did."

  "No, it's not a rumor," said Jim. "Al asked me to look into it. He heard rumors. He retained me, in fact, Tom-just doing a job."

  "You really believe it, eh, Jimmy boy?"

  "I do. It might not happen. Something might come up to kill it. You know how those things are. But I wouldn't take any chances, Tom. You can always come back."

  "Well, at least you talk some kind of sense, goddam it," Tom yelled. "You don't sound like you're shaking in your boots. Okay. Put that old-maid brother of mine back on."

  Al took the phone and spoke into it quickly. "Sure, Tom. Hold on a minute." He looked up and offered his hand to Jim. "Thanks, boy. You sure earned your money. I'll be talking to you."

  Jim shook hands with Al Patton and left.

  He felt troubled. He hadn't spoken to Tom Patton in months, and the hard-boiled old boss still had all his blustery charm. Tom was a hard man to resist. Crooked, yes. A bootlegger, a gambler, even a couple of murders back when-Tom had it all to his record. But yet he could turn on that hail-fellow-well-met stuff of his and get you liking him in two minutes.

  That was his secret, Jim thought. That was how he had dragged a Chase into the operation in the first place. He flimflammed and bamboozled and joked and before you knew it you were incriminated so completely you had no option but to stick. Jim didn't like dealing with Tom again. He was trying to forget he'd ever been mixed in. But, as always, there was no escaping. There were obligations, debts to pay. Tom needed him. And so he was out to help Tom all over again.

  He passed from the empty supper-room into the bar. He saw Zena talking and laughing with a little pale-faced man with clipped black hair, who was sitting alone in booth number one. Zena was really laying on the charm. A new Zena, to Jim.

  Jim stopped for a moment to have a few words with Gino and Gus. Judy accompanied him as far as the checkroom.

  "Two?" asked Judy.

  "Yeah. I'll be parked down the street."

  "Okay," said Judy.

  "Zena's really putting on an act," he couldn't help saying.

  "Oh, that's her new boy-friend, Mr. Mond. He travels for some big chemical firm. Rich. But a creep!"

  "Peculiar character," said Jim.

  "You ought to see his clothes," said Judy. "Silk gabardine shirts-all tailored, with monograms yet. Never wears the same suit twice. Got a big Alfa-not a Julietta."

  "Wow," said Jim, sardonically.

  Judy studied his face. "You think that means anything to me? I wouldn't pass the time of day with that creep. Oh, I got to be going. Here comes Gino. See you."

  Jim left. Chauncey saw him coming, and went out into the middle of the street to whistle for a cab.

  ***

  Allen Mond sat alone at his table in Volari's, thinking about the knockover that was scheduled for a little later this evening. At half past one sharp, Carl, Shep, and Nick would show up. And that waiter, Tony, would let them into Al Patton's office. All quick, neat, efficient. And then-

  "Mr. Mond?"

  Mond looked up. There was Tony now, a strange expression on his face.

  "What is it?" Mond asked quietly.

  "Something came up. Meet me in the washroom. Can't talk here." Tony flashed a professional smile and moved smoothly on toward the next table to put down a platter.

  Mond sat stock-still perhaps thirty seconds. Then, balling his napkin, he rose and headed for the john, wondering what snag had arisen. It was almost the last moment. If anything went wrong now-

  He entered the washroom. It was empty. He ran a comb through his hair at the mirror. A moment later, the waiter slipped in quietly.

  "Well?" Mond said.

  "I was just out back in the alley to see what was what, and I stuck my head in Patton's back door. He didn't see me. I heard him making a phone call to his brother Tom, up at the lake."

  "And?"

  Tony nibbled his lower lip. "There's some kind of subpoena being issued for Tom, and he's going to leave town tonight. They're going to clean out the safe here at Volari's and send all the dough up to him before he leaves. Two hundred thousand!"

  Mond turned pale. "Cleaning out the safe?"

  Tony nodded. "Al's going to send the money up by two guys who work here. Gus the bartender, Ben the night watch. They won't know what they're carrying. They're going to leave around half past one."

  "Son of a bitch," Mond muttered. "Saves us the whole trouble of busting in. All we got to do is nab the messengers!"

  "I figured you'd be glad to know," Tony said. "I better get back outside now."

  "Sure," Mond said. "Thanks. You're a lifesaver, kid. A regular lifesaver."

  Alone in the washroom, Mond stared at his pale, sweaty reflection. What a lucky break! If the kid waiter
hadn't picked up the tip, Carl and Shep and Nick would have showed up to find the boodle gone. But now-

  Mond's agile brain began to click off plans.

  He left the washroom. On his way out, he went into the dining room, brushed past Tony, and whispered, "Tell the boss you got a sudden bellyache, and get the hell out of here. Meet me at the Regent in my room. Half an hour."

  "Right."

  ***

  By eleven o'clock, everything was worked out. Tony would go to the homes of the two messengers and clear out their belongings, as though they were leaving permanently. At one-fifteen, Carl and Shep and Nick would lie in wait outside Volari's for Gus and Ben as they came out with the money.

  "I'll be at Zena's," Mond said. "Call me there after you've got the dough. We'll all head for the lake and split up there."

  The group filtered away.

  The hours passed.

  One-fifteen, now. Three men crouched in the darkness outside Volari's.

  Minutes ticked away.

  Half past one.

  Two figures leaving, now. One of them carrying a brief case. They started toward a car.

  As they got in, the trio of lurkers converged on them. There was the quiet clicking of safeties snapping off. A low voice said, "Just sit tight, pals. And don't make any noise. These aren't pop-guns."

  The car glided off into the night.

  Jim sat in his Ford waiting for Judy. He was turned half around in the front seat, with his legs up, smoking.

  In a moment, the big golden "Volari's" sign went off, leaving a much-dimmed street. There was a faint hint of coolness in die air now as a mist moved in from the direction of the river; and all the street lights were wearing blurred yellowish halos.

  Judy emerged from the side door of Volari's. He got out to greet her. She came toward him, walking with rapid grace, her high heels tapping a loud tattoo in the stillness.

  "Hi," said Jim. "What's the big mystery?"

  "You tell me," said Judy, as he got in.

  "I thought you said you had a surprise," he said, vaguely disappointed.

  "Oh, I have," said Judy. "I didn't know you meant that."

  "What did you think I meant?"

  "Oh," said Judy, "something's going on back there. I don't know what."

  "At Volari's?"

  "Yes. Al sent Gino home early. Don't ask me why. And Gus has been in and out of Al's office all evening. I don't think Gus has ever so much as been in there before. What's it all about, Jim?"

  "How should I know?"

  "Zena says you'd know. Says that you and Al have been cooking up something."

  "Zena's crazy," said Jim, irritably. "Where is she, anyway?"

  "That's part of the surprise," said Judy. "Gino let her off about twelve. She's going up to the lake with Mr. Mond for Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Got a girl to take her place. She's gone by now, so we'll have the apartment to ourselves. But that's not all. Wait."

  Jim drove off in the direction of Judy's apartment, feeling better now. But he was worried about all the commotion at Volari's. He was positive that it had something to do with getting Tom Patton out of town, and he had little faith in Al Patton's astuteness. It was dangerous to cause so much talk among the help.

  "Why don't you tell me about it, Jim?" asked Judy reproachfully. "You can trust me."

  "I don't know anything about it. Why do you listen to that rattle-headed Zena?"

  "Frankly I don't know," said Judy. "But she can really get a person steamed up."

  "It's probably nothing, anyway."

  "Maybe not," said Judy. "That place is just like a small town. Rumors, rumors, rumors-and such gossip; from morning till night. The last bit was that Al's broke and is closing the place."

  "I doubt that," Jim said.

  Jim parked the car down the street from Judy's apartment, and they walked to the entrance arm in arm. "Feel that air?" asked Judy. "It's cooling off. Oh, it'll be delightful up there."

  "Up where?"

  "Never mind. Surprise."

  The little elevator shot them upward to the sixth floor. Judy handed Jim her key. Jim unlocked the door and opened it, then turned to look at Judy in surprise. Mr. Mond, who'd been pacing back and forth in the living-room, was staring at them blankly.

  Zena rushed in from some place, almost tripping over three traveling bags on the floor.

  "I thought you'd be gone," said Judy.

  "And I thought you'd wind up at Jim's," said Zena. "Allen's been expecting a call for the last half-hour or so. It's important."

  "Well, no harm done," said Judy. "Come on in, Jim. This is Mr. Chase," she said. "Jim Chase."

  The men shook hands gingerly. "My name's Allen Mond."

  "Glad to know you," Jim said.

  "Damned irritating," Mond said. "We're trying to get away to the lake and this knucklehead that works for me… oh, well. I won't bother you with it."

  Zena rushed out to make some drinks and Judy followed her to the Pullman kitchen.

  Jim and Mond sat down, Jim on the sofa, Mond on a chair opposite him. Mond was wearing a beautifully tailored brown silk suit, a pale pink silk shirt, and a narrow brown tie. Everything he had on was expensive, from his gold tie-clip to his handmade shoes.

  He had an odd narrow pale face and slitted eyes, almost Oriental in appearance. His upper lip was long, his mouth wide and very firm. Jim couldn't make him out at all. When he looked at Mond he thought of gambling… or maybe the theatre, but only vaguely. It was something else… but what?

  Just as Zena came in with the tray of drinks, the phone rang, and Mond answered it at once.

  "Mond here," he said, then listened imperturbably for some time. "Good. All right. You know where to contact me. Fine." He hung up. "Well, all's well that ends well. A stirrup-cup and we'll be on our way."

  When the door had closed on Zena and Mond, Judy said: "Sorry, Jim. But I couldn't help it."

  "It's okay," said Jim. "But that's an odd bird."

  "Zena always winds up with odd birds."

  "Probably because she's one herself," said Jim.

  "Maybe," said Judy. "A funny thing. I'm surprised Zena didn't ask you what was going on at Volari's. She was so sure you knew."

  "Maybe because Mond was here," said Jim. "She probably figured she'd hear it from you later."

  "Yes," said Judy. "That must be it. And now for the surprise. Come on."

  "Where?"

  "Follow me," said Judy, laughing.

  They left the apartment and walked down the hall to a door at the end. "Open it," said Judy, indicating the door. "It's heavy."

  Jim opened the door and they climbed one narrow flight of stairs to another door. Jim glanced at Judy, who was smiling mischievously, then pushed open the second door. He felt a damp wind on his face, saw a string of blurred lights, far off. They were on the roof.

  Judy moved past him. "Come on," she said, and he followed her to a comer of the roof, where there were three big comfortable deck chairs, a low metal coffee table and a little cabinet for drinks.

  "We're good tenants," she said. "So the manager fixed this up for us. Nice? We can sun-bathe without going all the way out to the lake. There's a canvas thing, right over there-we can stretch it across and make sort of a little room. Our own little open-air penthouse. Look how far you can see."

  They leaned their elbows on the parapet and stood looking out over the city. Streets angled off below them in every direction, the street lights mere pinpoints of yellow, in regular patterns, like gold embroidery on an immense dark coverlet. Far to the north they could see the bluish-white glow of the North River Freeway and the dim gold light-garlands of the huge Upper River bridge. A vast solitude of silence hemmed them in at this height, punctuated at long intervals by vague sounds from below. A whistle moaned on the river.

  "How do you like my surprise?"

  "Fine," said Jim. "Nice up here. Cool, right now. Quite a relief."

  The whistle sounded again on the river.

  "It'
s almost like the freight train whistles," said Judy. "I don't like those diesel horns on the streamliners. Do you?"

  "No," said Jim. "Not particularly." After a pause, he asked: "Do you think about home a lot, Judy?"

  "Not so much any more. Not like I used to when I first came here. But everybody thinks about home, don't they? No matter how lousy it was-and mine was pretty bad."

  "Yes," said Jim. "Everybody does. Were all your people from the South?"

  "No," said Judy. "My mother was from Ohio. She came down to Memphis to work and met the Old Man. That was a sorry day for her."

  "Where is she now?"

  "She died about five years ago. I got out right after that. I couldn't take my Old Man and my brothers. Todd-that's my younger brother-came all the way to Cincinnati looking for me once. Funny thing. I saw him on the street and ducked into a doorway. He would have taken me back whether I wanted to go or not. He and the Old Man and Link-they were pretty rough."

  "You never expect to go back?"

  "For what?" There was a long silence; then she went on: "But I like to think about it. It wasn't all bad, especially when I was a kid and Mom was there. She took no nonsense from the men folks. Drunk or sober, they listened to her." She paused. "How about you, Jim?"

  "I'm the last of my family, except for those two boys of mine. I don't even have a home any more."

  "And you miss it?"

  "Yes. Sometimes."

  Judy said abruptly: "I'm going to Southern California, All the money's out that way now."

  "I never heard you say anything about going to California before."

  "Well," said Judy, "there's nothing for me here. I'm not kidding myself about us, Jim. I never have. It was crazy and wild and you were drinking and everybody was throwing money around like confetti. Now that's over."

  Jim did not know what to say. If Judy was serious about going to California, he'd be even more lonely than he was now. Leaning across Judy, he took her into his arms and kissed her.

  "Why do you do that, Jim?" asked Judy. "It doesn't mean anything any more."