The Killing of a Chinese Bookie Page #5

Valley, past Ventura Boulevard.

Stay to your right. Under

the bridge, you get on.

Stay to your right on the

freeway to get to the Hollywood.

You take that straight until you

come to a three-prong freeway.

It's on the map. Take a look at it.

It's where one freeway

becomes three freeways.

The Pasadena, the Santa

Ana and the Harbor.

You take the Pasadena on your left.

Stay on that till you get to Rossmore.

Get off at the Rossmore exit.

Go east till you come to Philbin.

It's on the map.

Park the car, walk seven blocks.

Wulton and Gray. It's all marked.

Here's the book.

The steps are in there, numbered.

Police car came by, but it...

they kept right on goin'.

Here's the key.

Now, we got it from the locksmith

who put the Chinaman's locks in.

We know it works.

For the back stairs only, Cosmo.

And you gotta stop off at

a joint and buy some beef.

Got three dogs.

You could buy 12 hamburgers.

Don't put mustard on 'em either.

And no pickle or they... or ketchup.

And don't put any onions on 'em.

Yeah, yeah.

We've been told-good

information... that...

Benny Wu goes to bed about 9:00.

I think that you should...

Wait a minute. I thought

the guy's name was Harold Ling.

- Well, what we mean is...

- The man goes to bed... The man retires at 9:00.

Yeah. Yeah. That's... That's what I meant.

Anyway, we've checked this thing out.

He's an old man. He sleeps alone.

There's an A-frame house

in front of the big place.

Got a lot of guards living there.

- The guards live in the A... frame?

- Right.

Yeah. There's always somebody wandering.

Sometimes two outside.

They're quick... and quiet.

And there are lights, and there

are trip wires, aren't there?

Only in the front of the driveway.

- In the front of the driveway.

- Take a taxicab back.

Wipe the gun clean and throw

it away. It can't be traced.

Use the light.

Study the map. Check the

book. The steps are marked.

That's your bible.

- Eddie, do you have the papers?

- Yeah.

Give him the markers. Let

him examine the markers.

Mr. Vittelli...

you want to check these?

That's the original copy.

You owed us $23,000.

That was our receipt.

You can tear it up if you want to.

Go ahead.

Hey.

No traffic violations.

Yeah. Yellow Cab...

I'm at the corner of Genesee and Pitts.

Well, it's the,

Economy Self-Serve.

Well, it's the Economy Self-Serve.

My name is Ted Byron.

Well, I'll be right here.

Right. I'm not goin' anywhere.

Sonny. How's it goin'?

Well, who's on stage?

Margo and Sherry?

Why are only two girls

on stage? Where's Teddy?

He just came on.

All right. Well, what's he singin'?

What song is he singin', Sonny?

But how can that be... Sonny.

How can that be the song

with only two girls on stage?

Sonny.

Who's this?

Vince. Vince, I can't understand

Sonny. Who's on stage now?

The... The... The...

The... The short girl.

Margo Donnar, right? And the tall girl.

Right. Sherry. Yeah.

And... what...

what number is it?

Is it the Paris number?

The Paris number! For Christ's sake,

you've been at the place seven years...

you don't know what the Paris number is?

Well, are there signs

on the wall? P-A-R-

The Paris number.

Are there letters on

the wall that say P-A-R-

There's another card that says "moon."

Well, what's he singing?

Is it "I Can't Give You

Anything but Love, Baby"?

I can't give you

Anything but love

Baby

I'm the one who called ya.

- Where you goin', pal?

- Downtown.

- I mean, where downtown? This is a pretty big city.

- I'll tell you when we get there.

Look, mister, I don't like to take anybody in

the cab that doesn't know where he's goin'.

Well, I know where I'm goin'.

I just don't know the address.

- All right. You call it out when we get down there.

- Yeah, okay.

Sure. Fine. Fine.

- You wanted 12 hamburgers to go, right?

- That's right.

- Well-done, right?

- That's right.

- I even had them individually wrapped for you.

- No, no. No, that's wrong.

- You didn't want 'em individually wrapped?

- No. I... I...

I don't want 'em wrapped.

I want 'em all together.

My wife hates waste.

Paper comes from trees.

She hates that. She can't

even throw the garbage out.

- Just do what I tell you, will you?

- But...

- I want 'em all together.

- But you can't put 12 hamburgers in a brown paper bag.

- I mean, you're gonna ruin it.

- That's the way I want it.

Okay. Your hamburgers.

Her husband died last year.

You know, you get angry.

Get lonely.

Sometimes it always

goes like that, don't it?

Yeah.

I know. Believe me, I know.

I lost my own wife three

years ago this fall.

May she rest in peace.

Hey, look, man. I'm really sorry. I...

I thought maybe you were lonely.

I thought maybe you had a problem.

- I didn't really mean anything.

- It's all right.

Sue. Sue, listen.

Listen. It's all right.

I told him. You didn't

mean anything. I told him.

Hamburgers!

- Hey, you got a cigarette?

- Yeah.

All right. Thanks.

Whee!

I'm real bad.

Real bad.

I'm so sorry.

Go check it out.

Halt!

Goddamn it!

- Come on, dudes.

- Man, I ain't goin' up there.

Come on.

Damn, Eddie. Get that dog.

Let's go.

Taxi!

Go straight. Then I'll

tell you where to go.

- What is that, a movie house there?

- Yeah. Right.

Yeah, well, I feel like

a movie. Stop here, will ya?

Okay.

- This all right here?

- Yeah.

- There you go.

- Hey, thanks a lot. Appreciate it.

You on duty?

Oh, Jesus Christ.

What happened?

Oh, my God.

Mom, you gotta call me a cab.

- No.

- I have to get to the club.

No, you stay home.

Mom'll take care of you.

A Peruvian. A Peruvian...

shepherd named Bruno said,

"This about love I do know."

Thank you. Mine was...

"A woman is fine, a sheep is divine...

but a llama is numero uno."

- Marty, how are ya?

- Hi, Mort.

Good to... Jesus Christ. Good to see ya.

- Having a party?

- Yeah. A little celebration. Some friends in from New York.

Clare Benoit, Mickey Noeaux and Mike.

- Clare Benoit?

- Yeah.

- This is Ingrid.

- Pull up a chair.

Please. And Alvinia

I'm sure you remember.

Hi.

Listen, Mort, I just heard on the radio that

something happened down there at the Chinaman's.

Sounded like a real bloodbath... people

hollering and screaming all over the place.

- Oh, my God.

- What happened?

I don't know. I didn't hear all the details.

They had a reporter doing an on-the-spot number.

Was it a tong war?

I don't know, but the way he said it,

there was about 25 squad cars there.

There was some a**hole that went up

and just started shooting. Kids too.

Who's the Chinaman, Mort?

Downtown... a guy

in import-export.

- Did you know him?

- Yeah.

Yeah, Do you want a drink?

Well, I'm sure you'll excuse me.

- I have to meet someone over there.

- Well, come back, okay?

Nice seeing ya. Sorry about... you know.

- That's okay.

- But come back, okay?

Good night, Alvinia.

What's the matter? Don't you like him?

- Oh, he's sweet.

- He's a nice guy. He's a nice-lookin' guy.

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