The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett Read Free Book Online Page B

the desk. No note, no message had been left for us. “So what?” she asked.
    It was not quite ten o’clock. “Maybe nothing,” I said.
    “Maybe anything. My guess is she’ll show up about three in the morning, tight, with a machine-gun she bought in Childs’.”
    Nora said: “To hell with her. Get into pyjamas and lie down.”

 
11

    My side felt a lot better when Nora called me at noon the next day. “My nice policeman wants to see you,” she said. “How do you feel?”
    “Terrible. I must’ve gone to bed sober.” I pushed Asta out of the way and got up.
    Guild rose with a drink in his hand when I entered the living-room, and smiled all across his broad sandy face. “Well, well, Mr. Charles, you look spry enough this morning.” I shook hands with him and said yes I felt pretty good, and we sat down. He frowned good-naturedly. “Just the same, you oughtn’t’ve played that trick on me.”
    “Trick?”
    “Sure, running off to see people when I’d put off asking you questions to give you a chance to rest up. I kind of figured that ought to give me first call on you, as you might say.”
    “I didn’t think,” I said. “I’m sorry. See that wire I got from Wynant?”
    “Uh-huh. We’re running it out in Philly.”
    “Now about that gun,” I began, “I—” He stopped me. “What gun? That ain’t a gun any more. The firing pin’s busted off, the guts are rusted and jammed. If anybody’sfired it in six months—or could—I’m the Pope of Rome. Don’t let’s waste any time talking about that piece of junk.”
    I laughed. “That explains a lot. I took it away from a drunk who said he’d bought it in a speakeasy for twelve bucks. I believe him now.”
    “Somebody’ll sell him the City Hall one of these days. Man to man, Mr. Charles, are you working on the Wolf job or ain’t you?”
    “You saw the wire from Wynant.”
    “I did. Then you ain’t working for him. I’m still asking you.”
    “I’m not a private detective any more. I’m not any kind of detective.”
    “I heard that. I’m still asking you.” “All right. No.”
    He thought for a moment, said: “Then let me put it another way: are you interested in the job?”
    “I know the people, naturally I’m interested.”
    “And that’s all?”
    “Yes.”
    “And you don’t expect to be working on it?”
    The telephone rang and Nora went to answer it.
    “To be honest with you, I don’t know. If people keep on pushing me into it, I don’t know how far they’ll carry me.”
    Guild wagged his head up and down. “I can see that. I don’t mind telling you I’d like to have you in on it—on the right side.”
    “You mean not on Wynant’s side. Did he do it?”
    “That I couldn’t say, Mr. Charles, but I don’t have to tell you he ain’t helping us any to find out who did it.”
    Nora appeared in the doorway. “Telephone, Nick.”
    Herbert Macaulay was on the wire. “Hello, Charles. How’s the wounded?”
    “I’m all right, thanks.”
    “Did you hear from Wynant?”
    “Yes.”
    “I got a letter from him saying he had wired you. Are you too sick to—”
    “No, I’m up and around. If you’ll be in your office late this afternoon I’ll drop in.”
    “Swell,” he said. “I’ll be here till six.”
    I returned to the living-room. Nora was inviting Guild to have lunch while we had breakfast. He said it was mighty kind of her. I said I ought to have a drink before breakfast. Nora went to order meals and pour drinks. Guild shook his head and said: “She’s a mighty fine woman, Mr. Charles.” I nodded solemnly.
    He said: “Suppose you should get pushed into this thing, as you say, I’d like it a lot more to feel you were working with us than against us.”
    “So would I.”
    “That’s a bargain then,” he said. He hunched his chair around a little. “I don’t guess you remember me, but back when you were working this town I was walking beat on Forty-second Street.”
    “Of course,” I said, lying