"satandanced" - читать интересную книгу автора (Barton Gary)

she slapped a dime-sized hat over her brown curls. "I'll tell you about it on the
way," I said.

We flagged a cab outside headquarters and headed uptown to the Spinning Wheel. On
the way, I asked Penny about this guy, Jaegar. She told me he owned the club; it
used to be one of the spots on Larry's beat. But she didn't know of any connection
between Larry and Jaegar. We didn't tire ourselves trying to find the answer. Larry
had lots of friends.

He had lots of enemies.

The Spinning Wheel was an exclusive club on the East Side, up in the Fifties. It
was dark when Penny and I went in. The orchestra was playing deep and smooth, and
the pale yellow circle of a spotlight followed a young girl and a Latin-looking
fellow, doing an adagio specialty on the floor.

The waiter told us that Jaegar would be out shortly; so we took a small table in
the darkness beyond the floor and ordered a drink. I watched the dancers and tried
to enjoy it. I couldn't. I was too nervous. There was something in the atmosphere
that crawled icily along my spine. I didn't know what it was. I could feel it.
Maybe it was the frightened look on the blond girl's face as her partner tossed her
about the room with practiced carelessness. Maybe it was the way he held that knife
between his teeth. I didn't know.

Jaegar came up to the table then. He was a paunchy guy with a long cigar in his
mouth that made him look a little foolish. A little guy trying to be tough.

I didn't give him the chance to ask questions. I said: "Who got Larry Liegh? And
you better be straight, Jaegar, or you'll wish you were with him."

"Larry was a friend of mine," he said. He took the cigar from his mouth, and his
lips tightened till the words grated through his teeth. "I'd get the rat that
killed him myself, only I don't know where he is. That's why I called you."

"What's his name?"

"Nevins. Grog Nevins. A smalltime chiseler."

"Where'd you get your line?" I asked him. But the band was loud now; there was a
trombone in his ear, and he had to lean across the table to hear me. I looked up
and saw the girl who had done the adagio. She was singing "Imagination." I said
to Jaegar: "Where'd you find out about this Nevins?"

"I can't tell you that," he yelled above the noise. "I got a tip."

I wondered about that. I wasn't going out all the way with this guy. Maybe I was
jittery. I wouldn't trust anybody on this case.

The blonde finished her number, then, and Penny turned to Jaegar.