Border City Blues 3-Book Bundle Page 4

  McCloskey said he would deal with it.

  One of Billy’s overland suppliers was scheduled to make a delivery the next day. A provincial policeman being paid by Billy to keep the way clear reported this to Jack. The lesson to be learned here is that while good money might buy you information, better money will buy you a snitch. McCloskey headed the supplier off at Maidstone and relieved him of his whisky, his gun and, as an added touch, his pants.

  “Next time you want to do business in the Border Cities, get in touch with the Lieutenant first.”

  Billy phoned his contact the next morning and demanded an explanation. The contact told Billy what happened and said word was out that the Lieutenant was running things between Lake Erie and Lake St. Clair.

  “I’m telling you kid, you’re finished.”

  The man hung up before Billy had a chance to form a reply. Billy tore the phone off the wall and hurled it through the kitchen window.

  — Chapter 6 —

  THE INSURGENT

  By the end of the year the Lieutenant had accomplished everything he had set out to, so he threw himself a New Year’s party fit for a king. The guest list included not only the brash young bootleggers who helped him seize the day but also the police, lawyers, and city councilmen he enlisted along the way to ensure things continued to run smoothly.

  The soirée was held at his palatial new digs on Richmond Street in Walkerville. He had purchased two side-by-side properties and levelled them both to make room for it. The classically-inspired pile took over a year to build and was an architectural assault on the dry establishment’s cozy Queen Anne manses. The guests arrived around eight o’clock, rolling into the semi-circular drive in their brand new Lincolns and Cadillacs. The men looked sleek and refined in their tuxes. The girls made their entrance in full-length furs that, once inside, they peeled off to reveal slinky shift dresses that barely reached to the tops of their stockings.

  The main hall was done in Italian marble. Staircases curved to the left and right and between them stood the centrepiece to this enormous space: a sculpture of a winged goddess that stood over a shallow reflecting pool that tonight was filled with whisky. At the front of the reflecting pool was an ice dam, already melting, and below the dam was a model of an American city that by midnight would be awash in Canadian Club.

  Guests were led to a great ballroom forming the north side of the house’s quadrangle. Rose-coloured walls were complemented by a wooden floor stained a rich amber hue. Sumptuous curtains with a striking Oriental pattern framed the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the garden, and the vaulted ceiling was adorned with a gold-and-turquoise mosaic reminiscent of a sunset over the river.

  A band from Detroit had been hired for the party and they played all-out jazz, the real thing, not the fluff that Paul Whiteman was churning out for the masses. There were six musicians and a singer the boys called Queenie. Together they were the Royal Seven, and they got things rolling right away with a hot little number called “Jazzin’ Babies Blues.” Queenie sang about jazz blues causing her to scream and moan and make her think of all the good things that her sweet daddy’s done. It was liberating, frenetic, and fun.

  Mesmerized by the performance, the crowd didn’t actually start dancing until the second or third number, and then they hammered away at the Anvil Trot until dawn. Everything glittered; whisky was gold. If 1921 was the test drive for the Lieutenant and his gang, 1922 was going to be the Grand Prix.

  Billy McCloskey spent most of the winter sitting in a rocking chair in the back room of the house, watching the river ice over then break up, ice over, and then break up again. Out of the corner of his eye was always the cabin, empty now except for his pa’s old still. It mocked him, as did River Rat, which was dry-docked in the yard.

  After their well had finally run dry, Frank McCloskey somehow managed to acquire a crate of English ale. He figured it had been traded a few too many times and finally fell into the hands of someone who simply didn’t have a taste for it. It was packed with pages of newsprint. Frank passed the pages to his son.

  Not having anything else to do, Billy read them. They happened to contain articles about the labour movement in Great Britain, and about strikes and political unrest. He wanted to know how the folks in Belle River enjoyed being the Lieutenant’s wage slaves. He was suddenly inspired.

  On a spring-like day in February, he went out to Belle River and managed to sell a few yolks on the idea of solidarity among bootleggers and still operators.

  Word got back to the Lieutenant, who told McCloskey to resolve the matter once and for all, or he would have to get personally involved.

  “This ain’t baseball, Killer. You don’t get three chances. The only reason I let it get this far is because these people are your family.”

  Jack found Billy sitting alone at the bar in the Crawford Hotel downtown on Riverside Drive. He grabbed Billy by the shoulders and dragged him back towards the kitchen.

  “Let’s you and me have a conversation.”

  They interrupted a group standing around a chopping block discussing odds on horses. A fat, sweaty man holding a fistful of betting slips shot Jack a look as he hustled Billy around the corner into the pantry.

  “I swear the Hun was the only thing that kept those two from killing each other in France.”

  No one laughed. Too much money was on the table. Suddenly there was a commotion out front.

  “Jee-zuss!”

  Two Mounties brandishing Colts burst into the hotel and ran up the stairs to the rooms. The dozen or so folks drinking liquor at the tables guzzled what was left in their coffee cups while the bartender dropped his bottle under a floorboard and kicked sawdust over the joints.

  Assuming there were more police out front and the alley was covered, no one knew which way to run. When the police could be heard making their way back down the stairs, it was decided the alley might be worth the risk. Like rats in a sinking ship, the bar patrons scurried towards the rear exit.

  Meanwhile, the bookie was stuffing the slips into his socks and the gamblers were pocketing their folding money. The lookout pulled his face out of the porthole in the kitchen door and went over to the pantry to warn the McCloskeys. What he saw nearly made him choke on his tobacco. Jack had his left arm tight across his brother’s neck and was jabbing a revolver into his ribs. Billy’s face was bloodied but still defiant.

  In their haste the gamblers knocked over a stack of dirty pots and pans. The noise startled Jack, and in a split second he had the revolver aimed at the lookout’s face. The lookout grabbed some air.

  “Whoa, fella!”

  An inebriate came stumbling through the door between the bar and the kitchen area, and a stampede followed. Jack finally snapped out of it and lowered his revolver. The brothers looked around the corner to see what the ruckus was about and got caught in the current of bodies flowing out the back door.

  Snow was falling and it was bitterly cold. Two uniforms were making their way up the alley. They had been sent by the Mounties to cover the back door and hadn’t bargained on any of this. They were quickly trying to assess who in the mob would come quietly and who would put up a fight.

  “They all look game,” said one, and he blew his whistle.

  “Up against the wall!” shouted the other.

  The McCloskeys were at it again, rolling around in the trash that was piled up behind the hotel. Then Billy threw his brother off and managed to get to his feet.

  A bottle struck the policeman with the whistle. He pulled his revolver out of its holster. The other cop was receiving complaints, blow by blow, from a couple of frustrated old barflies. The gamblers fought with the bookie, bar patrons fought with the bartender, and everyone wanted a crack at the cops, who were overwhelmed.

  It was a lethal cocktail of anger, distrust, and 110-proof whisky. Somebody swung a piece of two-by-four and knocked Jack’s revolver out of his hand. When he bent down to pick it up, Billy tried to tackle him. Jack deflected him onto
a cop. Billy stood up and tried to take another run at his brother, but the cop grabbed him. Billy freed himself and as he turned to strike, a shot rang out and echoed between the buildings.

  All eyes fell on Billy lying on the ground with a red stain blooming on his shoulder, and then on Jack who was standing a short distance away with his revolver. Everything seemed to stop for a moment except for the blowing snow.

  Then an arm reached out of nowhere, grabbed Jack, and pulled him down the alleyway. The cops didn’t know which way to turn: chase down Jack McCloskey or try and save his brother’s life? Either way they still had to defend themselves against a drunken mob that needed to be brought to heel.

  A vehicle was waiting with its engine running for McCloskey and his rescuer at the end of the alleyway on Ferry Street.

  “Get in the car.”

  They took a sharp left onto Riverside Drive. McCloskey recognized the driver but didn’t know his name. Sitting in the passenger seat was the fellow that had pulled him out of the alley, Shorty Morand. Seated next to McCloskey was Jigsaw, the Lieutenant’s deadliest soldier.

  McCloskey remembered Jigsaw earning his nickname during the war. At first it had to do with his tall, angular frame and jagged yellow teeth. Then, after he had been shot, cut, blown apart, and sewn back together a few times, it became even more a propos. He came home with a scar that undulated around his face, head, and neck. When he passed people in the street they looked away; women’s faces turned white with horror. He played on the name by making a serrated bayonet his weapon of choice.

  “That was a close one,” said Shorty.

  “Here — let’s get rid of that,” said Jigsaw.

  He pried the revolver out of McCloskey’s hand and passed it up to Shorty.

  “You can have the honours.”

  Jigsaw told the driver to pull over. Shorty looked around then jumped out and darted across the street. Railroad tracks were directly below and beyond the tracks was the river. Holding the gun by the barrel, Shorty hurled it towards an ice floe, ran back, and climbed into the car.

  “There’s nothing like a Colt for settling an argument.”

  “Or a blade, eh, Jigsaw?”

  “Wipe your nose, Morand.”

  McCloskey glanced out the window. He was still in shock. Snow squalls blew up from the river and big white flakes swirled in the headlight beams like sparks in a foundry. The car rumbled a little further along the Drive before turning up a side street.

  “Where are we?”

  “A friend’s house,” answered Jigsaw. “Shorty, go to the door and make sure everything’s copasetic.”

  The house looked abandoned. The windows were boarded up and some of the clapboard was falling away. McCloskey watched Shorty ascend to the veranda, knock on the door, and mouth some words into a small opening. Shorty then turned and gave them the signal. McCloskey followed Jigsaw out and the driver disappeared with the car.

  Inside, the place had all the charm of a bus station lavatory and was just this side of derelict with its crumbling plaster and rotten floorboards. McCloskey was led upstairs. Two men stood like sentries outside a closed door. One of them gave a knock and a voice from the other side said to come.

  McCloskey caught his jaw before it dropped. The Lieutenant was sitting behind a mahogany desk, listening to a telephone receiver and nodding. The room was fancier than the office in the pool hall and better outfitted. It reminded McCloskey of those British officers stationed in the far reaches of the empire with their liquor cabinets, phonograph players, and portraits of the king — all the comforts of home. The Lieutenant hung up.

  “It was a drug bust, opium and cocaine. A couple dope runners from Montreal had been operating out of one of the rooms. Two dagos got pinched. There was a Chinese too. He was probably the fence. The mess in the alley was a different kettle of fish, something the cops hadn’t anticipated.”

  The Lieutenant leaned forward and rolled his cigar from one corner of his mouth to the other.

  “You surprise me, Killer. I knew you had the instinct, but this is a little different. Your own brother. Damn.”

  McCloskey just stood there, silent. The last thing he was going to do was spill about having not even fired his revolver. He was trying to think of all the angles. He studied the Lieutenant and could tell that his wheels were turning.

  “This looks good on you, McCloskey. It looks good on all of us. It says we know how to hold a position.”

  The Lieutenant kept shifting his cigar in his mouth. He took only furtive glances at McCloskey now. He made another dramatic pause before continuing.

  “Looks like you’re going to have to disappear for a while. The cops have more witnesses than they can handle and the drug bust complicates things. We’re going to leave the investigators to do their job — unless they get too close, and then we might have to close the file for them.”

  The Lieutenant rose from his chair and started pacing around the room. He finally lit on the edge of his desk and sat there quietly for a moment, arms folded. McCloskey couldn’t read him, though he had a sense that something was wrong.

  “So while the cops are sniffing around, trying to look like they know what they’re doing, you’ll be in Hamilton.”

  “Hamilton?”

  The Lieutenant brushed come ashes off his knee. “Yeah, Hamilton. Brown could use your talents for a while. When things settle down we’ll call you back.”

  McCloskey looked over at Jigsaw, who seemed surprised, perhaps even a little disappointed. Maybe Jigsaw was hoping the Lieutenant would throw him to the cops, make a scapegoat out of him in order to take the heat off. Jigsaw never liked McCloskey; he had made that clear from the beginning. He said McCloskey was only good for providing entertainment for the crew. McCloskey always watched his back when he was alone with him.

  “Our driver will take you part way. He’ll make sure you don’t get into any trouble. You’ll rendezvous with one of Brown’s boys and he’ll take you into Hamilton.”

  When McCloskey finally managed to get the Lieutenant’s undivided attention, he looked into his eyes and saw something he had never seen before. He didn’t recognize it at first. Then he realized what it was. It was fear.

  “They’re expecting you, Killer. Now scram.”

  — Chapter 7 —

  JUST LUCKY, I GUESS

  McCloskey woke from a deep sleep when the engine stopped. He rubbed his eyes and looked out the window. An illuminated sign in the near distance blinked.

  ALL DAY BREAKFAST

  They were parked at a roadhouse. He slid his cuff away from his wristwatch and then attempted some simple math, but his mind was still somewhere back down the road.

  “Where are we?”

  “Brantford.”

  The driver flashed his headlights. Another vehicle parked several car lengths away flashed back.

  “Wait here.”

  McCloskey watched the drivers exchanging words for a minute or two before he was gestured to come forward. The blast of cold air woke him fully.

  “You’re in good hands, Killer. We’ll see you when you’re finished your tour.”

  The other driver told McCloskey to get in and then they pulled away slowly through the drifting snow. He introduced himself as Slip and briefed McCloskey on the situation in Hamilton.

  The story went something like this: not too long ago, Brown got into a routine of absorbing members of rival gangs they had subdued. He envisioned a sort of Grand Army of the local underworld, with himself as its Napoleon. This scheme worked well enough at first, but lately Brown had to question the loyalty of some of these soldiers. There were too many unfortunate coincidences, and a pattern of double-crossing was developing. It had come down to Brown struggling to maintain control of his outfit while simultaneously trying to keep resurgent gangs at bay. Drastic measures had to be taken before the Montreal boss was forced to intervene. A couple of days before, Brown turned to Green for help. After the incident involving the McCloskeys in Windsor,
Green was looking for help as well. The lieutenants came to an agreement that was mutually beneficial.

  The driver parked at a warehouse down on the waterfront. He led McCloskey inside and through a maze of massive containers that eventually opened up to an arrangement of crates that seemed to suggest an office. A bare bulb hung in the middle of the space. Either this was all Brown needed to run his operation, or it was all he had left. Brown smiled and extended a hand.

  “Killer McCloskey.”

  McCloskey nodded and gripped the hand firmly. “Lieutenant Brown.”

  Brown was a small man but not insubstantial. There was tension in his body, but he wasn’t nervous or agitated. He was taut, precise, and lean.

  He filled three small glasses then handed one to Slip and one to McCloskey.

  “Slip paint a picture for you?”

  “Yeah.”

  “You’ve got your work cut out.”

  “I can handle it.”

  “That’s all I wanted to hear.”

  They drained their glasses and set them back down on the battered wooded crates in front of them.

  “There’s a flophouse in the east end being used by some of the more questionable members of the outfit. You and Slip are going to put a match to it and shoot anyone that tries to escape. Catch my drift?”

  This guy doesn’t mince words or waste any time, McCloskey thought.

  “Yes, sir.”

  “You’re going to be hitting fast and hitting hard. That’s how we’re going to get through this. Slip will tell you who’s who and what’s what. You carrying?”

  McCloskey suddenly remembered that his gun was at the bottom of the Detroit River. “No, sir.”

  Brown snapped his fingers and a tall man in a big coat appeared out of nowhere. This was Brown’s shadow, a walking arsenal who went by the name of Lynch. He pulled two British service revolvers out of his coat, .455 Webley Mark VI’s. McCloskey was familiar with them. They were like hand-held artillery and could do serious damage.