The Killers Page #3

Go ahead. One more day.

Never mind typing it up. You can

do that later. Read it to me, huh?

Kelly's gym was a good hunch.

"Real name:
Ole Anderson.

Born:
Philadelphia, June 23, 1908.

"Mother died 1909. Father employed

by Philadelphia Transit Company.

"Died:
1916. Started fighting

professionally in 1928.

"Weight:
173.

Last fight:
Philadelphia

Sports Arena, October 1935."

I knew those hands were no accident.

"Three years later, October 1938,

arrested in Philadelphia for robbery.

"Sentenced to three years of

hard labor by Justice Reagan.

Released for good behavior in May

of '40." That's all I could get.

That's enough. Look, call up Reynolds

on the ledger. Give him the story.

He's done good turns for us.

And try and see if you can locate an

old-time thief named Charleston, will you?

Oh, by the way, who made

that pinch on Anderson?

Detective Lieutenant Lubinsky.

Philadelphia, fifth precinct.

Uh-huh. See you later.

- Sam!

- Yes?

- Someone to see you.

- Out here.

- Lieutenant Lubinsky?

- That's right.

What can I do for you?

Sit down, Mr. Riordan.

It's all right. They're dry.

I don't know whether you remember,

but you once arrested a

man named Ole Anderson.

- I remember.

- Well, he's been murdered.

- Insured with your company?

- Yes.

Okay, what do you want to know?

Anything you can tell me.

I can tell you almost everything about

Ole up until the last few years.

This was his stamping ground?

Came from the 12th ward,

right here in Philly. Both of us did.

His old man and mine worked together.

His was a motorman, mine a conductor.

Ole and I ran around

together when we were kids.

I joined the department. He started

fightin'. We always kept in touch.

And you put the pinch on him?

When you're a copper,

you're a copper.

Seems like I was always in

there when he was losing.

Did you ever see him fight?

I don't think so.

Not that I remember.

He was pretty good.

Take an awful lot of punishment.

Yeah. I saw his first

fight and I saw his last,

though I didn't get there till

the start of the last round.

He was fightin' Tiger Lewis.

Hiya, Lieutenant.

All right, seconds out. Come on,

fella, let's clear the ring. Outside.

Now use your right, Swede.

He's wide open, and it's the last round.

Keep throwin' your right.

Hello, Pete. Has he got a chance?

He's gettin' murdered. Can't last.

Your right, Swede.

Let go with your right.

Break it up, boys. Step back.

One, two, three,

- four, five, six,

- Take nine, Swede. Take nine.

seven, eight, nine...

What's the matter with you, Swede?

Use your right! Your right!

One, two, three,

four, five, six,

seven...

The winner!

Hey, Swede. Swede?

Do you know who I am?

- Uhh.

- Who am I?

- You're... You're...

- Say who I am.

Who am I? Say my name.

Take a look at that hand.

Gee. No wonder he

didn't throw his right.

Hey, Doc. In there, please.

Take a look at this.

Have him come into my office

in the morning for an x-ray.

- No wonder.

- What round's comin' up?

The fight's over, Swede.

Yeah. You'd better get

him under the shower.

- He's fought his last fight.

- Yeah. Just my luck.

Well, he wasn't no Mickey Walker or no

Rosenbloom, but he'd done all right.

I figure I'm out about ten G's.

That ain't hay for me these days.

How you doing, Ole?

- What happened?

- You were on the deck when the bell rang.

Yeah?

See that he gets hot

and cold compresses...

on that hand tonight to

take the swelling down.

Swelling down, swelling up.

It don't make no difference now.

Ah, cheer up, Packy.

There's more where he came from.

Ten G's is ten G's.

How'd ya like that Irish kid that was

fourth on the card? That Callahan.

He's a powerhouse, that boy.

Wagner's got him.

I bet you could buy Callahan off

Wagner for two, three hundred.

Anyway, it won't go down in the

record books as a K.O., will it?

That's right, Ole.

There's no use hanging around here.

I never did like wakes. Good night.

- Good night.

- Yeah, good night, fellas.

I bet you that Callahan would

get your ten G's back for you.

That guy was a cinch.

I could have taken him easy

if my right had been workin'.

Well, next time.

There isn't gonna be a next time.

What do you mean, no next time?

You might as well know it right now.

- You're through.

- Huh?

That hand will never be

good again. Not for fighting.

- Who said so?

- The doc, for one.

Maybe he's wrong.

He's not wrong, Ole.

The bones are all broken.

Well, they can mend, can't they?

Not so's you can hit a toy balloon

without breakin' 'em all over again.

No. You're done fightin', Ole.

And if you want my opinion, it's a

lucky thing. You aren't punchy yet.

Suppose it was your brains were

scrambled instead of your hand.

I ain't quittin'.

It's not quittin' if

your hand's gone.

- I stayed the limit, didn't I?

- That's right.

They can't take that away from you.

- Want to eat?

- Yeah.

Last time there were

50 guys outside...

just waitin' to shake this.

Funny when you

lose a fight, ain't it?

- Hello, Lilly.

- Oh.

Hi. Hello, Swede. You all right?

Yeah.

I guess you don't feel like

much celebration tonight.

Maybe you'd like to come over to

my house. I'll cook up something to eat.

Well, Lilly, I'll tell you.

Right now, I'm... I'm not hungry.

- You invited the wrong guy.

- Ah, you. You were born hungry.

Did you see the fight?

I was in my regular seat.

I didn't notice tonight.

Hey, what was the

matter with your right?

He hurt it.

Too bad, Ole.

You'd have taken him sure.

Yeah.

- Well, Lilly, I...

- I know, Ole.

Guess I better be going on home.

- Yeah, I'll call you up tomorrow.

- Okay.

- Good night, Sam.

- I'll be seeing you, Lilly.

What am I going to

do if I quit fightin'?

Well, there's always the department.

No, I wouldn't want to be a copper.

It's not a bad life, Ole. Twenty

years and you've got a pension.

And it's $2,200 a year to start.

$2,200 a year.

You know something?

Some months I made that

much in one month.

Some months.

After that I didn't see much of Ole.

It wasn't my fault.

Just one of those things.

- Sam!

- Yes?

Open the door.

Whew! It's getting muggy.

Thought you might like some lemonade.

Swell. This is Mr. Riordan.

- My wife.

- How are you?

- We were just talking about Ole.

- Poor boy.

- You knew him, Mr. Riordan?

- No.

Mr. Riordan is

investigating his death.

He was a good boy.

No one had any call to kill him.

Lilly knew Ole too. The three of us

were together a good part of the time.

- She was always in love with him.

- Sam!

And I was always in love with her.

Worked out fine for me anyway.

I haven't been too unhappy myself.

How recently had you seen

the Swede, Mrs. Lubinsky?

- Oh, not since Sam and I got married.

- Just about nine years ago.

September the 26th. Ole was best man.

It was about six months

before that that Ole and I,

well, uh, stopped seeing each other.

- Just about.

- Why was that?

I don't mean to be out of line,

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