Chapter Fifteen
DOUGHFACE JACK was sitting at the table in the White House dining room. Breakfast dishes were strewn before him, blanketed with the newspaper he was reading. Mechanically he dunked a doughnut in his coffee and just as expertly kept it from dribbling on his chin when he ate it.
Characteristically, he was reading the last pages first and at long last he turned and scanned the front page.
The scareheads hit him hard.
PELLMAN RECOVERS FROM OPERATION
MAN WHOSE SURGERY RESPONSIBLE
FOR TRAMP WELL
“Huh,” said Doughface. “He got over it, the rat.” He looked up and saw Rita standing by the window. “Hey, whatcha know about this? Doc Pellman didn’t bump off after all.”
She came to the back of his chair. “What else does it say, Jack?”
He read laboriously, “‘Operated on by Doctor Thorpe, the famous brain surgeon, in an attempt to approximate the mito-genetic radiation used by Doughface Jack, Doctor Pellman was said to be doing nicely this afternoon.…’”
Rita’s face was pale and her hand was like a vice on Jack’s shoulder. “That means … that means that he’ll try to get you!”
“Naw,” said Doughface. “What could he do to me, huh? He’s tryin’ to heal up all them guys that I knocked down, that’s all.”
“What would happen if you met him?” said Rita.
“After the trick he tried to pull last time,” threatened Jack, “I’m not taking any chances. There was a time I thought he was a right guy but when he tried to front for all them so’diers … Well, let me get a look at him and you’ll see what’ll happen.”
“Maybe it won’t do any good,” said Rita.
“First time I ever saw you scared,” said Doughface.
“I am—a little. Everything was going so well. I don’t think we had better depend upon that trick of yours, Jack.” She pulled the bell cord and went toward the door.
In a moment a thick-faced fellow came in. He bore the stamp of his past but even that harsh mark did not do that past justice. He had been everything from a dummy-chucker to a safe-cracker.
“Harry,” said Rita, “there’s a doctor in New York that’s going to be able to do the same thing that Jack does.”
“Huh?” said the ex-con.
“That’s right,” said Rita. “He’s a tall fellow with wavy brown hair. You’ll know him because he’ll have the same expression around his eyes that Jack has.”
Harry’s stubby fingers touched at his left breast and felt the hard steel under his coat. “I get it.”
“He’s liable to come down here,” said Rita. “Tell the boys to keep a close watch and to shoot anybody answering that description that tries to approach the White House.”
“Sure,” said Harry. “I won’t take no chances, sister.”
He went out.
“Geez,” said Doughface, “do you think that doc would come down here?”
“There’s no telling,” said Rita. “There’s a chance that he’s the only man in the world that you wouldn’t be able to down. I wish I knew about such things.”
“Aw, I’ll down him, the dirty rat,” said Doughface. “Layin’ a trap for me that way. He’ll mess around once too often. I’m goin’ out and get Two-Finger to sit around and keep a special guard.”
“You keep out of sight,” said Rita. “You know what happened yesterday.”
“Aw, they missed, didn’t they? I’m sick of sittin’ here twiddlin’ my thumbs. I don’t have nothin’ to say or …”
She smiled sweetly upon him. “Don’t get restless, Jack. As long as you’re safe nobody dares touch me. And I’ve got this country in the palm of my hand. I ordered the release of all prisoners at Leavenworth this morning. Ricky the Mick is in for a stretch down there. He’s worth having out.”
“Will they release ’em?” said Jack.
“They better had. There’s one thing they know we can do. We’ve still got plenty of important men in this city—men nobody wants to see killed.”
“Y’think it’s right to do that?” said Doughface.
“Anything is right that you can get away with,” stated Rita.
“Yeah,” said Doughface doubtfully. He looked back at the paper. “Wonder if the doc is really goin’ to come down here. Y’know, Rita, there’s a chance he didn’t trap me in New York.”
“Nonsense,” said Rita. “I’ve told you half a hundred times what he tried to do.”
“Yeah, maybe you’re right,” said Doughface.