"Maxwell Grant - The Shadow - 039 - Road of Crime" - читать интересную книгу автора (Grant Maxwell)

"Forget that stuff," interposed Graham. "I'm not through. I'm going somewhere else - that's all. Some
place where the pickings will be as soft as in New York - some place where Wolf Daggert can't crimp
my game."

King Furzman drew a fat cigar from his pocket and bit off the end of the perfecto while he continued to
stare at Graham Wellerton.

"All right," growled the big shot. "Where are you going?"

"I'll tell you tomorrow night," said Graham. "I've got a couple of cities in mind - and I'll decide after I've
thought it over."
"Yeah? How do I know you'll be sticking with me?"

"Your men will be with me."

"Well - that's a point -"

"And you've tucked away your security. You owe me a split, don't you? All right; I won't ask for it until I
come back with some more."

King Furzman began to nod again. Graham Wellerton's arguments had been effective. The young man
watched the big shot and waited for the psychological moment to speak further. The time came.

"King," said Wellerton quietly, "you're cagy. You've got to be, in your game. You deal with an ordinary
lot of crooks, like Wolf Daggert. But I'm different. I didn't choose crime as a profession. It was thrust on
me.

"I like to talk man to man. I know how you're situated, even though you've never told me. You prefer
rackets to crime - but the rackets were getting you in trouble. Not with the police, but with other
racketeers. So you went in for crime.

"You're backing a bunch of bank robbers. You took on Wolf Daggert. I came with him. You figured I
could run a crowd of my own and double up on the gravy.

"You're covering up very neatly. You don't want to quit. I don't blame you. You've treated me square
enough - because it's profitable. I'm sticking because I'm in the game of crime. I'm working for you -
therefore I'm thinking of your interests.

"I want a free hand outside of New York. It will be better for you because I'm at a distance. It will be
better for me because I'll be clear of Wolf Daggert."

HAD an ordinary henchman talked in this manner, King Furzman would have boiled over in rage. But he
sensed from Graham Wellerton's tone that the lieutenant was working for a sensible understanding.

The big shot's scowl slowly disappeared; nevertheless, he made no statement of approval. Instead, he
tried questions on another tack.

"You say you didn't choose crime?" he asked. "How did you come to get into it, then?"