The First Clue
They did not refer to the incidents of that odd reception
in New York until they had located a small hotel for
themselves, not three blocks away. It was no
cheaper, but they found a pleasant room, clean and
with electric lights. It was not until they had
bathed and were propped up in their beds for a good-night
smoke, which cow-punchers love, that Bill Gregg asked:
“And what gave you the tip, Ronicky?”
“I dunno. In my business you got to learn
to watch faces, Bill. Suppose you sit in at a
five-handed game of poker. One gent says everything
with his face, while he’s picking up his cards.
Another gent don’t say a thing, but he shows
what he’s got by the way he moves in his chair,
or the way he opens and shuts his hands. When
you said something about our wad I seen the taxi driver
blink. Right after that he got terrible friendly
and said he could steer us to a friend of his that
could put us up for the night pretty comfortable.
Well, it wasn’t hard to put two and two together.
Not that I figured anything out. Just was walking
on my toes, ready to jump in any direction.”
As for Bill Gregg, he brooded for a time on what he
had heard, then he shook his head and sighed.
“I’d be a mighty helpless kid in this here
town if I didn’t have you along, Ronicky,”
he said.
“Nope,” insisted Ronicky. “Long
as you use another gent for a sort of guide you feel
kind of helpless. But, when you step off for yourself,
everything is pretty easy. You just were waiting
for me to take the lead, or you’d have done
just as much by yourself.”
Again Bill Gregg sighed, as he shook his head.
“If this is what New York is like,” he
said, “we’re in for a pretty bad time.
And this is what they call a civilized town?
Great guns, they need martial law and a thousand policemen
to the block to keep a gent’s life and pocketbook
safe in this town! First gent we meet tries to
bump us off or get our wad. Don’t look
like we’re going to have much luck, Ronicky.”
“We saved our hides, I guess.”
“That’s about all.”
“And we learned something.”
“Sure.”
“Then I figure it was a pretty good night.
“Another thing, Bill. I got an idea from
that taxi gent. I figure that whole gang of taxi
men are pretty sharp in the eye. What I mean is
that we can tramp up and down along this here East
River, and now and then we’ll talk to some taxi
men that do most of their work from stands in them
parts of the town. Maybe we can get on her trail
that way. Anyways, it’s an opening.”
“Maybe,” said Bill Gregg dubiously.
He reached under his pillow. “But I’m
sure going to sleep with a gun under my head in this
town!” With this remark he settled himself for
repose and presently was snoring loudly.
