The Golden Gizmo by Jim Thompson

pretty sure right from the beginning. But under the circumstances, there'd been nothing to do but grab him.
    Donald stepped to the table, poured out a water glass of sherry, and killed it at a gulp. Shake stroked his chins and stared interestedly at Toddy.
    "If you was so sure Donald killed your wife," he said, "why didn't you just call the cops? That's what cops is for, to arrest criminals."
    "So that's it," said Toddy. "I often wondered."
    "You know what I think?"
    "Yes."
    "I think you killed her yourself. You either bumped her off before you left the room or-"
    "-Or I went up the fire escape and did it, then beat it down and came up the front way." Toddy's tone was light, satirical, but there was a heavy feeling around his heart. Something seemed to struggle there, to fight up toward the hidden recesses of his mind. "Sure. That's what the cops will think. That's what I'll say after they work me over a few days."
    Shake shook his head with a complete lack of sympathy. "They sure swing a mean hose in this town. You wouldn't believe what it does to a man's kidneys. I had a pachuco workin' for me; you remember him, Donald-Pedro? You remember how he went around after the cops had him? All bent together like a horseshoe. Had to take off his collar to pee."
    "Think of that," said Toddy.
    "Me an' Donald has got a duty to do, Toddy. The only thing is, how long should we take to do it? Now if we was real busy-say, we had some money to count-"
    "Huh-uh."
    "Huh-uh?"
    "In spades."
    "Too bad." Shake stared at the telephone. "That certainly is too bad, ain't it, Donald?"
    "Oh, it's not too bad yet," said Toddy. "Let's see, now. It would take your pachucos a couple of minutes to get up here. That's not much, but I don't think you and Donald can take much. I really don't think you can, Shake. Of course, if you'd like to find out…"
    He spread his hands, beaming at them mirthlessly. Shake drew the back of his hands across his mouth.
    "So you'll sit here the rest of your life?" he burbled.
    "All right," said Toddy. "Say that I walk out of here and you use the phone. I know every big-time con man in the country, and con men stick together. I'd make bond eventually. I'd be around to see you. You wouldn't enjoy that, Shake. I tell you from the bottom of my heart you wouldn't."
    He stared at them a moment longer, white teeth bared, eyes gray and cold. Then he broke the tension with an easy, good-natured laugh.
    "Now why don't we stop the clowning?" he said. "You boys know I'm all right. I know you're all right. We're all a little upset, but we're all big men. We can forgive and forget… and do business together."
    Donald's narrow shoulders straightened unconsciously. Shake emitted a ponderous wheeze. "Now that's good sense," he declared. "Mighty good. Uh-what kind of business did you have in mind, Toddy?"
    "Elaine was murdered for a watch. There was just one guy who knew I had it, the man that killed her. He's got rid of the watch by now. He'll also have an airtight alibi. So I'm stuck. All I can do is skip town…"
    "This watch… did it belong to this guy in the first place?"
    "No," Toddy lied. "It belonged to an old lady. I fast-talked her out of it… God, Shake, I wish you and Donald could have seen the pile of stuff that woman had. Brooches, rings, necklaces. A good fourteen-fifteen grand worth or I don't know lead from platinum!"
    "An' you just clipped her for the watch?"
    "A two-thousand-dollar watch. I couldn't bite her any harder without raising a chatter. And, of course, I didn't dare go back for another try."
    "Sure, uh-huh." Shake bobbed his jowls understandingly. "How come you hadn't turned the watch, Toddy?"
    "Too hot. Milt wouldn't have touched it. I'd just about decided to take the stones out and cut it up for scrap, but I hadn't got around to it yet. I'd only had it three days."
    "Mmm," said Shake. "Uh-hah!" he said briskly. "All right, Toddy, it's a deal. You just give us this old lady's address an' we'll see that you get