"Lawrence Treat - M As in Mugged" - читать интересную книгу автора (Treat Lawrence)

forget all about this?тАЭ

Duke, gazing at the gun, licked his lips and blinked. Then he raised his hand,
and the gang tightened the circle, sur-rounding Decker. For a moment the idea
flashed across his mind that the rookie patrolman of 30 years ago would have
handled this with his fists. Maybe. And got the living day-lights beaten out of him.

тАЬYou going to shoot all six of us?тАЭ Duke asked, grinning confidently.

The punk knew his way around. He knew that the last thing any cop wants to
do is use his gun before heтАЩs actually attacked and before his life is in danger. In a
way, pulling the gun had put Decker on the defensive and placed him in the wrong.

Then he did a crazy thing. It was a violation of every basic rule of police work
and specifically of Section 48-a of De-partment regulations. If Mitch Taylor or
anyone else on the Homicide Squad had pulled a fool trick like this, Decker would
have made his hair curl, and stay curled. But what was the use of being a Lieutenant
if you had to stick by the book?

So what Decker did was shift his grip on the gun, take it in both hands, and
break it open. He removed five of the six bullets and held them out. тАЬFor souvenirs,тАЭ
he said amiably. тАЬOne apiece.тАЭ

His action, calm, friendly, and completely unexpected, threw them off
balance. With no idea of how to handle the new situation, they automatically
accepted DeckerтАЩs invitation and reached out greedily. тАЬGimmeтАФgimme!тАЭ

Pete, coming from the rear of the room, called out, тАЬHey, how about me? I
want one, too.тАЭ

тАЬSorry, Pete,тАЭ Decker remarked. Addressing the boy by name split him off
from the gang and helped break up their solid front. тАЬNone left,тАЭ Decker said,
тАЬexcept the one IтАЩm keeping for myself.тАЭ He pulled his jacket open so that they
could see he had no cartridge belt. Then, snapping his gun shut and holstering it, he
slid off the stool.

тАЬCome on, Benjy,тАЭ he said to the gawky lad. тАЬWeтАЩre leav-ing.тАЭ

Again the gang, uncertain of themselves now and wonder-ing whether this was
an arrest or a rescue, accepted DeckerтАЩs authority and just watched uneasily as he
took Benjy by the arm and led him outside. Benjy came along docilely.

TheyтАЩd gone almost a block before the boy spoke up, with a slight, nervous
stutter. тАЬM-mister,тАЭ he said, тАЬtheyтАЩll beat me up after this. TheyтАЩll half kill me.тАЭ

тАЬWhat for?тАЭ

тАЬFor siding with a copper.тАЭ

Decker made no comment. He kept walking, turned into the alley, and headed