Chapter 2

I had a restless night, no doss for yours truly. As I made my way down the hall to the bathroom, I heard "Great Speckled Bird" coming out of the ether. Mrs. O'Grady, my landlady, liked to fix breakfast while being kept company by the likes of Roy Acuff, Bing Crosby and the Monroe Brothers. My morning ablutions done, I popped in to see what the old bird was cookin' up. As fast as I had breezed into the kitchen, I double timed it back out to the dining room, easily avoiding swipes from the broom. "You just stay out of my kitchen, Mr. Malone. I know your mother and don't think that I won't clue her in on how you are acting!" She continued in a milder tone, "Just set yourself down and I'll be bringing your coffee to you."

I greeted Joe and Charlie as I took a seat at the dining table. They were fellow boarders in Ma O'Grady's flop. Nobody called it a flop-house where she could hear it. I can remember not being welcome at her table for a week after she overheard me calling the place I bunked at 'a flop'. It had taken a while for her to overlook the 'shame' I had heaped upon her and her fine residence. I have to admit she runs a very clean boarding house and the food is always good.

Mrs. O'Grady brought me in a hot cup of coffee and told me that she would bring my breakfast in soon. Knowing my mother and having raised six boys of her own, gave her the right to mother me, she said. It didn't matter that I was a thirty year old, hard nosed shamus. She assured me it was her right every time I complained about it.

Charlie finished reading the paper, folded it up and went to work. He was a barber and what he had read in the paper would provide a source of conversations for the day. Joe had ducked out earlier. Jobs were scarce and he didn't want to be late and give the foreman an excuse to replace him. As Charlie went out of the house, Mrs. O'Grady carried my breakfast in from the kitchen. There was a bowl of oatmeal with a circular trail of honey on top, a day old sweet roll and a couple of apple slices. "Eat your oatmeal before it gets cold and I'll get you another cup of coffee." She placed the breakfast dishes in front of me and scooped up the coffee cup darting back into the kitchen.

The Crosley CR37 'Bluebird' radio that we had given her for Christmas was crooning out "Goodnight My Love" when the music was suddenly interrupted.

We have some news from Europe. Today the German Government denied accusations that German troops had landed in the Spanish colony of Morocco. The besieged Spanish Government had made complaints to the League of Nations, but could not provide proof. As a result no action was taken.

Mrs. O'Grady danced back out of the kitchen and set my coffee in front of me. Hot and black, just like I like it. She started complaining that there was no good news from Europe anymore, grabbed Joe and Charlie's dirty dishes and took them back in the kitchen to wash them. Myself, I had mixed the honey into the oatmeal and was eating it as fast as I could before it hardened. By the time I was working on the sweet roll, Mrs. O' was back to take the empty oatmeal bowl to wash. I swear she never sat down once the whole time I was eating my breakfast.

I managed to grab my coat and hat and get out of the house before Mrs. O'Grady could bless me with a kiss on the cheek. Sheesh, I know I have a baby face and remind her of her sons, but there is just so much a man can stand. I decided to spread Miss Sykes' cash around and take a hack to the office. Taxi drivers had families to feed too.

The taxi pulled up in front of an old brick building and I threw two checkers at the cabbie and told him to keep the change. The three flights of steps provided my morning workout. I check the door to my office, the hair was still there and the door was locked. I assumed that nobody had been in there since I locked up. My 'office' was one room with a hot water heater taking up one corner. Actually, I think this used to be the janitor's room. I hung my coat and hat up and went back into the hallway to use the payphone. Ma Bell must have forgotten it was up here because I never saw anyone empty the coin box out. I don't think there was much to empty, because the nickel on a string was still tied to the phone.

The nickel still worked, so I called my bookie to ask about Richard Marks. He had been a good source of mob related info before, so I thought it was worth a try. He asked me to stop in around 2:00 PM for the word. I also called a few of the higher class hotels to ask if he was staying there, no go. I even called the Lakewood Country Club inquiring if he was a member. The lady I talked to at the Country Club was brisk at best. I could hear the icicles dripping off her words as she told me that they didn't release membership information over the telephone. I decided to wait in my office for the phone to ring and to thaw out my ear.