The Washington times., 1934-11-24
s"t' Ss% : By DashieII Hammett

were through reading. For in.
stance, stealing that Chinese gun
boat wasn't my fault. I was
forced to do it-I was the one
that was double-crossed. After
they'd got the stuff aboard they
wouldn't pay for it. I couldn't
unload it. 1 couldn't do anything
but take gunboat and all. The
insurance companies must want
this Papadopoulos plenty to hang
hundred thousand on him"
Cheap enough if it lands
him." I said. Maybe he's not
all the newspapers picture him
as, be- he's more than a hand.
,, full. He gathered a whole darned
army of Strongarm men here.
took over block in the center of
the financial district, looted the
two biggest banks in the city.
fought off the whole police de-
partment, made his getaway,
ditched the army, used some of
his lieutenantS to bump off some
more of them-that's where your
brother Paddy got his - then,
with the help of Pogy Reeve, Big
Flora Brace and Red O'Leary
wiped out the rest of his lieu
tenants. And remember, these
lieutenants weren't schoolboys-
they were slick CRITTERS like Blue
point Vance and the Shivering
Kid and Darby M'Laughlin-
birds who knew their what's
what"
"Uh-huh." Carey was unim-
pressed. But it was a bust
just the same. You got all the
loot back, and he just managed
to get away himself"
Bad Break
"A bad break for him." I ex.
planned. Red O'Leary broke out
with a complication of love and
vanity. You can't chalk that
against Papadopoulos. Don't get
the idea he's half-smart. He's
dangerous, and I don't blame the
insurance companies for thinking
they'll sleep better if they're sure
he's not out where he can frame
some more tricks against their
policy-holding banks"
Don't know much about this
Papadopoulos, do you?"
mo" I told the truth, "And
nobody does. The hundred thou
sand offer made rats out of half
the crooks in the country,
They're as hot after him as we
not only because of the reward
but because of his wholesale
double-croSSing. And they know
just as little about him as we
do-that he's had his fingers in
a dozen or more jobs, that he
was the brains behind Bluepoint
Vance's bond tricks, and that his
enemies have a habit of dying
young. But nobody knows where
he came from, or where he lives,
When he's home. Don't think I'm
toutlng him as a Napoleon or O
well press agented master mind
but he's a Shifty, tricky old boy,
AS you say, I don't know much
about him-but there are lots
OF people I don't know much
about"
Tom-Tom Carey nodded to
show he understood the last part
and began making his third
cigarette.
Il was in Nogales when Angel
Grace Cardigan got word to ma
that Paddy had been done in"
he said. THAT was nearly a
month ago. She seemed to think
I'd romp up here pronto-but it
was no skin off my face. I let it
sleep. But last week I read in a
newspaper about all this reward
money being posted on the HON.
bre she blamed for Paddy's rub
out. That make it different-a
hundred thousand dollars differ.
ent. So I shipped up here,
talked to her, and then came in
to make sure therell be nothing
between me and the blood money
when I put the loop on this
Papadoodle."
Angel Grace sent you to me?"
I inquired.
"Uh-huh-only she don't know
II. She dragged you into the
Story-satd you were friend of
Paddy'S, a good guy for a sleuth,
and hungry as hell for this Papa
doodle. SO I thought you'd be
the gent for me to see."
When did you leave Nogales?"
"Tuesday-last week."
THAT" said, prodding my
memory. "Was the day after
Newhall was killed across the
border"
The swarthy man nodded.
Nothing changed in his face.
How far from Nogales was
that?" asked.
He was gunned down near
Oqultoa - t h a t S somewhere
around so miles southwest Of
Nogales. You interested?'
"No-except I was wondering
about your leaving the place
where he was killed the day after
he was killed, and coming up
where he had lived. Did you
know him?"
He was pointed out to me in
Nogales as San Francisco
millionaire going with a party to
look at some mining property in
Mexico. It was figuring on may
be selling him something later.
but the Mexican patriots got him
before did"