"murderjoke" - читать интересную книгу автора (Blackmon Robert C)

THE MURDER JOKE
by ROBERT C. BLACKMON


Detective Fred Ames found that when murder and a one-hundred-thousand dollar theft Is the
payoff on a gag, It's far from funny!



Fred Ames walked slowly along the dimly lighted third-floor hallway and stopped before the
closed door of Apartment 3B. He looked at his strap watch and sighed deeply. Raising a
chunky right fist, he knocked three times on the varnished door panels, spacing the knocks
about five seconds apart.

He was a short man of about twenty-five, powerfully built, and his ruddy cheeks were
bright with razor shine. His eyes were gray and steady, and sandy-brown hair showed beneath
the edge of his slightly soiled gray felt hat. His suit was gray, a ready made, wrinkled.

After a few moments, the door opened, and he saw the big bulk of a large man in dark
clothing and hat in the unlighted apartment beyond. The big man grunted a greeting.

"How's everything, Marsh?" Fred Ames asked softly and went into the apartment. Marsh
stepped aside to let him in and closed the door behind him. "Has Rick Ball settled down for
the night yet?"

"Yeah, the lousy little one-eyed rat!" Bill Marsh's voice was a big, sour grumble in
the darkness. "He came in about ten, as he's been doing the three nights we've been watching
him. He's got a magazine, and he's sitting up in the bed over there, reading!"

Marsh snorted.

"And insurance company dicks like you and me, we've got to sneak around, as we've been
doing for three days, and sweat and wait for the little rat to make some move that might lead
us to the Shamrock Emerald. We've got to do that for peanuts, while that little punk over
there takes it easy and sits tight on a hundred thousand dollars' worth of green ice!"

Marsh snorted again. Fred Ames could see movement in the semi-darkness as the detective
moved a big arm. He was gesturing toward the windows.

"Yeah. Sure. It's tough, Marsh." Fred Ames grinned at Bill Marsh's big hulk over near
the door, but there was little mirth in it. "It's around midnight, so I'll take over now.
I'm not hurrying you, but if you want to leave--"

"Yeah!" Marsh grumbled. "I grab something to eat. I get some sleep. Then I come back here
to watch that one-eyed rat another eight hours--for peanuts!"

Light spilled into the apartment as Marsh opened the door and went out into the hallway.
The light chopped off as Marsh closed the door.