T-Men Page #3

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What do you think?

The cops tried to hang that one on us!

Rocco sure had it coming!

I don't blame Harrigan...

I'd have left town too!

You're okay, kid!

You don't talk easy.

Still with us?

I'm still with you.

And so with a hazy mental picture of a

vague character called "The Schemer"...

Agent O'Brien arrived

in Los Angeles...

to start the 2nd major phase

of the investigation.

He began the hunt for the elusive

Schemer in Ferguson's Alley...

in a part of Old Chinatown

across from Los Angeles Station.

In a city of over 2 million...

there are many men around 5 foot 9.

Many who smoke cigars.

Many who are slightly stout...

and probably some who have a scar

on the left shoulder, if you ask them.

That one unusual habit...

that of chewing Chinese health herbs,

even that wouldn't

be easy to narrow down.

But it was unusual...

and it was the best place to begin.

Interview after interview resulted

in "No. "

Or a shake of the head;

or a blank stare.

It was tedious, disappointing work.

Digging...

probing...

questioning.

Painstaking sifting and searching...

until O'Brien began to wonder

if the trail were cold...

or too faint to follow.

But he kept at it.

- Oh, yes.

I do vaguely remember the person

you describe.

I had him on Dragon Liver Recipe.

That sounds like him.

Have you seen him lately?

Do you know where he lives?

No, I told him not to return.

He took too many steam baths.

Of this I do not approve.

They debilitate.

Steam baths?

Thanks, thanks very much!

Only a trained investigator would have

attached any importance to those words..

steam bath.

But they sent O'Brien

off on a new course.

Perhaps this might lead him

to the Schemer or perhaps not.

But every scrap of information

must be checked.

Every tip investigated...

until it paid off

or petered out.

And to make a long story short looks

like I've finally found the schemer.

A little boring from within

is in order.

We're ready for you. Counterfeit

plates and bills are here.

They're beauties!

- Should be. They're hand-engraved.

Whose?

- August Baumann.

But we're safe from that. Baumann's

been in Atlanta for the past 10 years.

I'd better take one of those

counterfeit bills to start with.

Don't worry, I won't let it

get into circulation.

Might come in handy as a calling card.

- You never know.

Hang onto the plates

until I need them.

When you do land someplace, Lindsay

will be your contact man.

Fine!

Nice to be on the case with you.

- Same here O'Brien.

You ever get that Arizona sand

out of your hair?

Yeah, finally.

I better get back on

the Schemer's tail.

Lost 8 pounds trying to find him.

- Worry?

Did you ever to spend 10 nights

in a Turkish bath looking for a man?

Well, don't!

Goodbye.

Having found the Schemer, Agent

O'Brien became his shadow:

keeping his man under

constant surveillance,

discovering all he could

about the Schemer's activities.

Where he went,

what he did,

with whom he associated.

This meant hours of trailing,

of keeping his man

under close observation,

of shadowing him without arousing

his suspicions.

Not easy with a suspect

as wise as the Schemer.

But there was no other way to build

a complete picture...

of the Schemer's life and habits...

except by keeping him

under surveillance.

Finally, one day the Schemer led

his shadow...

to a hotel in Ocean Park.

Hi, Jackson.

I was at the Races and a guy told me

I might get some action here.

You don't say?

Won 7 of 8. Figure I'm lucky today.

Made a killing, huh?

Who told you?

Guy named Smitty.

- Smitty?

From Eolanda?

How do I know where he's from?

I met him at the Races.

Okay.

That door.

Come on, eight!

Eight!

Seven! You're out!

Give me that dough!

Ten more he's right!

I'll take that bet!

7 a winner!

10 even he fours.

I'll take that bet!

Wait, sold to the man

with the cigar!

Got a right to a lunch, haven't I?

Seven!

Next shooter!

Twenty he's wrong!

What's the matter?

Don't you like big bills?

Not particularly.

I'll change them for you.

Hold it! Wait a minute, fellows!

Some guy's passing phony dough here!

- What? Who?

That guy that was just standing here!

I got 3 phony 10s here!

Let's get him!

Come on!

Here he is!

What's wrong?

What did I do, Moxie?

No, Moxie! You've made a mistake!

Get off that floor!

Get off that floor or I'll...

- Don't hit me!

Dirty fink!

I'm going to take you apart!

I'm a sick man!

Awful sick!

You got me beat up and shook down!

Give me the dough they took!

Sure!

I'll give it to you!

They told me I had the

beach territory.

I don't like guys moving in.

- Free country, ain't it?

What do you mean?

Aren't you with us?

With you? I wouldn't peddle that

junk of yours on a blind man!

Photo-engraved! Come on,

you're 30 bucks short!

I'll get it for you!

You should have taken

a better look at my bill.

Here.

Hey, now!

That's the real article!

Hand-engraved!

- Yeah!

Pretty, ain't it?

Pardon me for saying, but it's

kind of poor paper.

Look at this!

Our new issue.

It's still photo-engraved, but...

Where'd you get old of this paper?

Beach some one dollar bills?

We got a source.

All we want.

And for peanuts.

I'd like to get some of this paper.

Where can I get it?

- Layoff the rough stuff.

I'm more a man of..

- Come on!

Take it easy!

What pusher you with?

Working alone. I just blew in from

Detroit. - Got the plates?

Buy them at any Dime Store.

Okay, let's work out a little scheme.

We got the good paper.

you got the good plates.

Flip me the bill and I'll talk

to the bosses.

I do my own talking.

Oh, no.

I gotta handle it.

You didn't have to do that!

Where do we meet?

I don't know...

This looks like a good spot.

Maybe you can get me a room here.

Joint I'm in shakes you down.

I think it can be arranged.

Meet me here in an hour.

- Right.

By the way...

how did you find me?

I could smell you.

Agent O'Brien continued the shadowing.

This was risky now because

the Schemer knew him.

Perhaps the Schemer was on his way

to carry out his promise...

to deliver the half bill to a contact.

Perhaps it was a trap.

Maybe the Schemer suspected O'Brien,

was trying to make him

overplay his hand.

The trail now led to a nightclub

in Ocean Park...

the Club Trinidad.

Hello!

- Hi!

Like you're picture taken?

- Had it taken once...

But you know, a souvenir

to send to the folks back home.

No folks, no home.

You must have been hatched

from an egg!

Well, I could send one to my cousin

in Leavenworth.

A joke, huh?

Not to him it isn't.

Tell me, do you make good money

shooting mugs like me?

I get by.

You should!

What do you keep in here,

your money?

Do you or don't you

want your picture taken?

I don't like my picture taken

usually, but uh...

since you've got such pretty eyes...

go ahead and shoot.

It'll be a few minutes,

but you can pay me now.

That's no way to treat

Uncle Sam's money!

Wears it out.

I always was kind of hard on it.

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