Peeper Page #3

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who was adopted from an orphanage

in Los Angeles in 1 91 8.

A little girl with brown hair.

- Father's in the chips now and

wants his daughter to benefit.

- Who sent you here?

just following a lead, ma'am.

Lots of leads lead to nowhere.

- I'm a dying woman!

- Is this your daughter?

There must be something in the picture

that I didn't notice.

Would you care to try this one?

Well, thank you for your assistance.

That about rounds out things nicely.

Get out! You creeping, filthy looey!

I'm on my way, ma'am.

Which one of the girls

was adopted anyway?

Who let you up here?

Get out.

I hope Mommy

wasn't rude.

Mommy was rude.

- Are you walking right out of my life, Tucker?

- You'll get over me.

I'd like to make it up to you.

Perhaps if we met again, we might discover

something we have in common.

My offiice is in the Banshire Building,

and I'm in the phone book.

- Do you know the Penguin Lounge?

- No. I don't get out much anymore.

It's in the phone book.

At 2:
00 tomorrow?

Leave Mommy at home.

The old lady was either really crazy or really smart.

I didn't know which.

I learned two things. One... She had an adopted

daughter, and she didn't want to admit it.

Two- She liked strawberryjam.

My hunch was that one

of those two girls was Anya.

And whichever one she was,

she didn't know she was Anya...

because the old lady

never told her.

I wondered which one was Anya.

The iceberg with the Doberman

seemed straight enough.

The one who couldn't keep

her robe closed spelled trouble.

I didn't want her to keep her robe closed.

That was the trouble.

I went back to my offiice,

and, by late afternoon...

I figured out I hadn't the faintest idea

what was going on.

Leslie Tucker, investigator.

Select your detective as you

would your lawyer or physician.

Hello. Yes, I know you.

Go ahead.

Let me have the address.

Now, what kind of trouble?

Hello?

Hello?

It was Anglich on the phone.

He was yelling that he was

in some kind of trouble.

He always yells.

It's really very irritating.

The address he gave me

was on the other side of town.

Traffiic was light,

and I made it in about half an hour.

I see ya.

- It's a little dark.

- I'm growin' mushrooms. That's why.

- You the boss?

- Bazooka himself. I ain't his kid sister.

- Don't tell me you wanna play pool.

- I don't wanna play pool.

- You come to the right place.

- You know a guy named Anglich?

- He work here?

- Ask the boss.

- Who wants to know?

- Private cop.

- Good-bye.

- I'm working for Anglich. My name is Tucker.

- You're Tucker?

- Yes.

- You talk funny.

- Really? I didn't get a laugh all day.

Mr. Anglich is taking a nap.

- You know him long?

- Not before today.

But I'm renting him space

at premium rates.

- Space for what?

- His body.

You make good time, Tucker.

- You need a doctor?

- No doctor and no cops.

- Oh? Why no cops?

- Because I think I scragged one of them punks.

Oh, we are gonna

have fun, aren't we?

They hit me on the head.

They drag me in a shed.

They bounce me around pretty good.

But one of them...

He gets too close.

I got strong hands, Tucker.

I was holding his neck.

After a while, I think

I feel something break in there.

And I kicked the sh*t out of

the other two mugs, and I come here.

- You keep grabbing my shirt, Anglich.

- Sorry.

- Where did all this happen?

- Back of a bar... at Terry's over on Alamitos.

I go in there once in a while

to nibble a few.

- Anybody see this fight?

- Nobody around.

You just walked off

and left three guys lying around...

for the cop on the beat to trip over.

- I closed the door.

- What makes you think you can't be traced here?

I move pretty good.

You find Conroy yet?

- Not yet. You seeJaster?

- I was detained!

Listen. Here, give him some money.

You find him for me.

That guy don't do nothing for free.

But make it fast, Tucker.

The next time I see those guys, it's curtains.

They don't screw up twice in a row.

- Call the cops.

- No cops! Tucker!

- Yeah?

- Wait a minute! Listen!

One thing those mugs don't get.

I put something in the mail for you.

- What are you talkin' about?

- It's for Anya.

You find her, Tucker.

You give it to her.

Suppose I don't find Anya?

If you don't find her...

If I'm not around...

it's yours.

Anglich went back

to his nap in the corner pocket...

and I went to seeJaster.

I had some money, and Jaster

had some information about Anya.

That seemed like

a fair enough exchange.

- Hello.

- Hello.

- You're going to six too.

- Popular fioor.

- What are you doing here?

- What are you doing here?

- I asked you first.

- I wanna talk to a man named Jaster.

- Popular man. Are you working for him?

- Me? No.

Jaster?

- Do you wanna tell me what's going on here?

- I really have no idea.

But you're tagging along

without any objections.

I'm hardly tagging along.

I was here first.

It's too easy.

What did you want with Jaster?

- What did you want with Jaster?

- I asked first.

Congratulations.

It's Tucker!

Come out of your hole, Jaster.

Hello.

A.P. Jaster?

- A.P. Jaster. But then you knew that.

- I did not.

- Who was he?

- I haven't the slightest idea.

- This is all incredible.

- You never met him before, right? I bet.

jaster called the house

late yesterday... out of the blue...

asked me to drop by his office and chat.

- What about?

- Some problem named Anglich?

- Where'd you meetJaster?

- I never even heard ofJaster

before that phone call.

And you came just like that...

an unapproachable young lady like yourself?

Actually, I wasn't going to...

until you showed up at the house too.

What the hell happen... I'm sorry.

Look, mister, I'm sorry.

- It's none of my business.

- What are you doin' up here?

I'm looking around. I'm looking for

office space. I have a mail-order house.

- What's your name?

- Sidney.

- You know this guy?

- You kill him?

- I said, you know this guy?

- I can't tell. He's upside-down.

Seems like we seen you

and the old Hungarian together someplace.

You're barkin' up

the wrong tree, fellas.

You hadn't oughta hang around

with them kinda guys.

Hey, if I'm not mistaken...

didn't I just hear you

discuss a guy by the name of Anglich?

You're mistaken, I think.

You're hungry.

You want maybe a desk sandwich?

- We're wastin' time, Rosie.

Let's squeeze this monkey.

- Open up, peeper.

We got other people

to hurt today besides yourself.

I only hope they're not

as pretty as you are, toots.

Why don't you go hurt the other

people, then come back?

Maybe by that time,

I'll have changed my mind.

Hey. Hey, what's

the big bimbo to you, huh?

- Tell us his address.

- Come on. He's not your father, is he?

Where's he holed up at?

We're gonna find him anyhow.

This man give us a clue

before he passed on.

The peeper likes it.

He wants to talk about the Hungarian now.

It's gettin' late, Rosie. Let's break

his arms and legs and stuff him in a drawer.

What about her?

Stay there.

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