Tony Rome Page #8

there's generally some pay around.

Nice place like that,

I'm sure I'm not invited.

- I'm sorry.

- Oh, it's all right.

I'm beginning to think

my best bet in town is Packy.

I'll drink to that.

- What'll it be?

- I'm looking for Sally Bullock.

- She ain't here tonight.

- I gotta see her.

Hey, if you're that tense,

why don't you try Fat Candy.

- Who?

- Hey, Fat Candy!

- I'll be with you in a minute.

- Oh, no, no.

I ain't been alone

that long, buddy.

Look. She's better than Sally.

Ask any of the guys.

She's Sally's pal.

She knows everything Sally knows.

I wouldn't

steer you wrong.

- Never mind. Never mind.

- Fat Candy, come here quick!

Hold the thought.

Maybe I'll see you later.

What can I do for you?

- This gentleman here...

- I'd like to buy some of your time.

So buy.

It's 20 for starters.

- Right here.

- Right here?

What are you, some kind of a nut?

There's a room out back.

I'm buying

conversation, baby.

Look. If you're writing a book, mister,

tail out. I got nothing new to say.

I'm looking for Sally Bullock.

Where does she live?

She moves around a lot.

We all do.

- I gotta find her.

- She don't come around much...

now that she's got

herself a regular.

Listen, uh,

I'm new down here, see?

I made no connections yet. She said

she was gonna put me on to a pusher.

What are you on...

pot, acid, banana peels?

Listen. She tells me

this guy handles anything.

He'd push oatmeal

if there was enough loot in it.

He's my man.

Where can I find him?

- Where can I find him?

- For another 20?

You're rough.

You sure

you ain't a cop?

Do you ever know of a cop

who had an extra 20?

His name's Vic Rood.

Corner apartment building,

36th and Jefferson.

Fine, baby.

If they pick me up on this,

my man's gonna lean all over you.

The big one

over there.

Everything's gonna

be cool, sweetheart.

You got a nice smile,

mister, you know that?

You sure about the other?

We got that back room empty now.

When I'm stronger.

Ah, you junkies are all alike. You get a

needleful, and you never need anything else.

Yeah, crazy, baby.

I'm looking for

Sally Bullock.

Not here.

I don't know her.

I said I'm looking for Sally Bullock.

Where is she?

You got no right to come

busting in here like this.

You're a dope peddler,

not a lawyer.

No sense bruising

my knuckles on you.

Now you talk to me,

or I'll break your jaw.

And if that don't get us no place,

we're gonna see if this thing really works.

I don't know where she lives.

I swear it.

When did she make

her last buy?

I sold her some "H"

a few days ago.

- When is she due back here?

- Soon, I guess.

Listen to me, buster.

You know exactly how much she's hooked.

And you know exactly

how many caps you sold her.

And you know exactly when she's gonna run

out and need more. Now tell me when exactly.

She's run out by now.

She should have showed this morning.

Good. We'll wait for her.

What are you doing?

I'm making something to eat.

How do you like your meat?

- Who is it?

- It's Sally.

One minute.

Um, one minute.

We'll do it my way,

okay?

- You're late.

- I know it. I know it. God, how I know it.

Here.

Whatever that'll buy.

You got about

10 days here.

- Hurry it up, will ya, Vic?

- All right. Calm down.

Yeah, right. I got needle fever,

that's for sure.

- Hurry it up, Vic.!

- Take it easy, baby. Take it easy.

Now you'd better get at this.

You got a lot of edge on.

Okay.

Don't you worry about me.

Just five minutes.

Five minutes

I'll be president of the world.

Okay?

Academy Award stuff.

You hurtin', baby?

Yeah.

Mm-hmm.

Thanks.

They stake out the airport,

bus terminals and railroad stations.

Highway patrol's

been on the alert.

Catleg doesn't have much chance

of slipping out of town.

If he already hasn't

gotten out of town.

I doubt it. Crash like that, he's bound

to be pretty well banged up.

You know what I'd like to do? I'd like to

scrap this week and start a brand-new one.

Cheer up. Crime lab says the bullet

that hit Kosterman...

and the one that went in Turpin

came from the same gun.

Which lets you off the hook

and puts Catleg on it.

Nimmo and Catleg

were in this thing together.

You can bet me that Nimmo's

the guy who Turpin shot.

We've checked out

every shady doctor in town.

If this Nimmo was patched up,

it was done by an unlicensed man.

That's great. All we gotta do is

check out an unlicensed doctor.

Sure. It's like trying to find

a stick with only one end.

New York finally sent us

a local address on Nimmo.

- Hit it! Hit it!

- We did. It was locked. Nobody home.

- Didn't you go inside?

- Police can't break in without a search warrant.

Only a criminal civilian

can do that.

Is that so?

What's his address?

Funny that

you should ask.

You'll excuse the expression,

but tit for tat.

His name is Rood. He's a pusher.

Jefferson Boulevard.

If you gigged him,

it's a cinch he's moved out all his stock.

Maybe not.

Maybe he's the kind of guy who forgets.

Maybe he left a little

of that grass in a vase.

- Wise guy.

- Thanks.

Mrs. Kosterman, don't make this job

any tougher than it is.

Oh, my God.

What am I gonna do?

What am I gonna do?

You're gonna do a stretch in prison

if you don't cut this out.

I gather this was

meant for Nimmo.

He's the only one.

He's the only one who could have

hired that man to kill Rudy.

- You don't believe one husband

could have another killed?

You know about it?

I've quit trying to

know about it.

I figured Nimmo

was blackmailing you.

He threatened to tell Rudy

that we were married.

Oh, now wait a minute.

Kosterman can't be

that big a fathead.

Why the hell would he care

if you were married before?

No, not married before.

Still married.

You never bothered

to get a divorce?

Oh, it sounds insane.

I know it does.

When I left Nimmo, I didn't have

enough money for a bus ticket...

much less a lawyer.

I don't know.

Time just sort of passed.

I didn't know where he was.

I didn't care.

And then I met Rudy.

And he wanted to marry me.

He wanted to marry

a girl like me.

I just couldn't tell him

about Nimmo.

I was so afraid

he'd change his mind.

I've met a lot of gamblers in my time,

but lady, you're the champ.

We were coming right down here.

l-I didn't think anybody would find out.

And nobody did.

Until Nimmo showed up that night

at the party with Ann Archer.

And you were the perfect pigeon.

Great setup.

The next day he met me.

He threatened to show

our marriage license to Rudy...

expose me as a bigamist.

And you couldn't come up with all the cash he

wanted without Kosterman asking questions...

so you decided

to dole out the jewelry.

The night that Diana came back

without that pin, l-I just got panicked.

- I called Nimmo.

- You were afraid that if the police found the pin...

they'd then discover that the rest

of the jewelry was phony.

But he must have decided

he could blackmail me for a lot more...

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