Bullets or Ballots Page #7

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he'll crown you.

Yeah, but he isn't here.

Oh, look what happened.

- Hello, Lee.

- Hello.

Pretty soon you'll start coming

around here in the mornings.

- Beat it.

- Who, me?

You.

I wouldn't stay.

- He's no good, Miss Lee.

- She knows it.

So do I.

A lot of news there.

- Who did it?

- We're trying to find out.

- I thought he was a friend of yours.

- He was.

You don't seem very upset about it.

There's no use crying

if the dice happen to fall that way.

Do you wanna go back

in the numbers game?

- What are you trying to do, kid me?

- You started this racket.

You ought to have a share in it.

- I suppose Blake will let me have it.

- He has nothing to say about it.

I'm running things from now on.

If you want the Bronx

and Harlem districts, they're yours.

If you need protection, you'll get it.

You don't trust me.

I don't trust anybody.

Neither do I.

We ought to work fine together.

How about it?

You're gonna take it away from Blake?

Yeah.

Go ahead and take it.

The numbers game.

We'll find out who got Al

sooner or later...

...but we ain't got any time

to start worrying about that now.

The question is, do I run this business

from now on, or don't I?

All right with us. The bosses

may have something to say...

...if we ever hear from them.

- I'll take care of that.

Why wasn't Blake

asked in on this meeting?

Because he ain't gonna have so much

to say from now on.

He's the one that sold Al on sitting back

and waiting for McLaren to run down.

Well, it didn't work out that way.

I'm putting the rackets back in full swing,

even if it means trouble with McLaren.

- Hiya, Mike.

- Hi, Johnny.

- Joe. Hello, Lambert.

- Hi.

- Driscoll.

- Hiya, Blake.

I'm sorry I'm late.

Say, what is this, an election?

- It's already been held.

- And you're it.

- Any objections?

- A few.

- Yeah, what's the first one?

- Job was given to me.

- When?

- The bosses called me in...

...two hours after the news broke.

- Do you expect us to believe that?

Well, I told them you might have

a few doubts...

...but I couldn't persuade them

to come down here and prove it.

Who are they?

- Did Kruger tell you?

- No.

So I think I'll keep on

sitting in the driver's seat...

...till I hear from them personally.

Sit anywhere you want to, but don't try

and stop me from carrying out orders.

Got orders and everything, eh?

Yeah.

I'm to take charge and have their money

to them by 10:
00 tomorrow night.

Or keep it and no one

will know the difference.

Say, the numbers business

is doing all right, Lambert.

I don't have to chisel in on yours.

Half the money I take to them

will be mine anyway.

Well, what do you say?

Do I take charge of their split

or have you some other suggestion?

None that I can think of right now.

All right, then, we meet

in the garage tomorrow night at 6.

Okay, Johnny.

Hello. This is John Blake.

The Oceanic Bank, Mr. Blake.

Mr. Hollister is asking

if you could drop over...

...and have a little talk with him.

It's about your checking account.

What's the matter? Overdrawn?

I don't know, but Mr. Hollister

considered it important.

- He'd appreciate it very much.

- Tell him I'll be right over.

Mr. Blake.

Will you go right in.

Thank you.

Hello, Blake.

- Didn't expect to see you again so soon.

- Neither did I.

Mr. Thorndyke, Mr. Blake.

How do you do?

- How are you?

- Mr. Caldwell.

- How do you do?

- How are you?

Hey, did it take a board meeting

and an ex-government official...

...to go over my account?

- Nothing wrong with your account.

We wanna know why

you tried to take over Kruger's job.

You're the heads, huh?

Yes.

Well, no wonder the organization

has been so well protected.

Why did you try to take over the job?

I didn't try and take it over,

I took it over.

Did you think we might object?

Well, why should you? I've proven

that I can run it better than anyone.

Fenner isn't any good.

Yes, you've given us

a nice bit of revenue.

I've given you more than

any four of them put together.

You'll keep on getting it,

just give me a few breaks.

You know, I'm not in this for fun.

- Satisfied?

- Right.

Blake, the job is yours.

Thanks.

You're not making any mistake.

Incidentally, Mr. Blake, you are

the only one who will know who we are.

I understand that.

And the first thing we want you to do

is to collect our royalties...

...in the garage tonight

and bring them here.

I've already made arrangements

about collecting them.

- Will it be all right if I'm here at 10?

- Yes, yes.

Before we go into detailed instructions,

I suggest we drink to Mr. Blake's success.

- Well, that's a good idea.

- How about it?

Well, it'll taste pretty good.

You're making a mistake not telling

the public what you're doing.

- The papers are blasting at you.

- Let them.

You haven't discovered a thing

on Kruger's death.

- Not so far.

- What are you doing to investigate it?

- I don't care to say.

- I'll be perfectly frank with you.

The jury is fed up the way

you've kept them in the dark.

Those were the terms

when I took the job.

You were to deliver,

but you're getting nowhere.

You've broken up a few rackets but

you haven't gotten the men we want.

If we don't get them, they'll get us.

A lot of pressure is being brought

to bear to have us discharged.

If that happens,

all our work will have gone for nothing.

- I think you'll have some action soon.

- I hope so.

If something doesn't break

within the next two weeks...

...you're going to be let out.

Thanks for telling me.

- Did you want to see me?

- Yes.

Have these 40 men here

at 3:
00 this afternoon.

Tell them to be ready for 24-hour duty.

- Things are getting warm, eh?

- Plenty.

- Got your figures, Driscoll?

- Yeah, 28,400.

- Say, that's pretty bad.

- I'll say it is.

The first time I was here,

it was about 170,000.

- It won't stay this way very long.

- Yeah?

- Aren't you gonna wait for Nick?

- No, I'll get his figures later.

- Right.

- I'll see you at the hotel.

Okay.

- All set to take them the money, eh?

- Yeah.

- Shall I give them your regards?

- That's a lot of dough to go south with.

If I ever find out you don't know them,

I'm gonna drop in on you.

Yeah, like you did on Kruger.

I'll be looking for you.

- Raid.

- Coppers!

Hey, you. Throw me that bag.

- Burn those papers.

- Okay.

Let that silver go.

Come on, let's get out of here.

Stick them up.

Stick them up. Stick them up.

Outside. Come on, get them outside.

- Yeah. Here it is.

- That's it.

- Everybody get out?

- None of them got away.

You mean Blake told them.

- Blake?

- I saw him signal the cops.

Don't kid yourself

he doesn't know the bosses.

He wouldn't have pulled this

unless he was ready to clamp down.

He's gonna see them at 10:00, and

I can't warn them, I don't know them.

That makes it great for him.

I've got to get him

before he gets to them.

Yeah, if you can find him.

I've got Wires tailing him.

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