101-09 Swallow the Leader
Swallow the Leader
101 Enterprise
101-09
Michael Robins
$1.50
Excerpt
“Fine. Now, then, I’m coming to you, as the manager, so you’ll know what we’re doin’ in your hotel. My men, I mean.”
“Yes.” Allen’s hotel instinct for publicity was bristling.
“It’s about one of your bellboys. Since I don’t believe in beating around the bush, I’ll tell you outright, Mister —uh—”
“Jameison. Allen Jameison.”
“Yes. Well, Mister James, we think your man is hustling.”
A dark frown crossed the young manager’s face. “Oh?”
“Yeah. Not only in your hotel, when he’s working, but lots of others, too.”
“I am, of course, distressed to hear of it, Mister Avery; but, as I’m sure you know very well, this kind of thing is not at all uncommon in hotels, least of all New York hotels.”
“Nope. Not at all.”
“Who is he?”
“Young fellow, about your age, I think. Timothy Gleason. Know him?”
“Not offhand, although I seem to recall the name. I don’t quite understand, though. Why did you pick him?”
“From surveillance of his activities in the past few weeks.”
“Yes, I know, but I mean—”
“It’s all in keeping with our latest purge of homosexual prostitution in the city.”
For a moment, Allen was stunned to silence. Then, a feeble “Oh.” His heart began to pound.
“How he’s doing it and all, that’s for us to find out; I won’t bother you with all that crap.”
Stuttering; “Wuh—Well, uh, then I—I guess we should fire him?”
“No, that’s why I’m here. We want you to keep him working.”
“But—”
“We’re going to catch him in the act. Don’t worry; the hotel won’t be involved in any bad publicity. I guarantee you that.”
Allen was breathing deeply.
“Do I have your cooperation? You’ll just go on as if nothing had happened; we don’t want him to get suspicious that we’re on to him.”
Already, he disliked this man intensely. “Yes, yes, of course, as long as there’s no publicity involving the hotel’s name. Anything my office can do—”
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