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with a fork. He finished his lunch with half an avocado with French dressing and then
dawdled over his Espresso.
"And that's the long and short of it." Bond concluded the story he had been telling
between mouthfuls. "And my guess is that the Spangs are doing the smuggling and the
House of Diamonds, which they own, is doing the merchandising. Any views?"
Leiter tapped a Lucky Strike out on to the table with his left hand and lit it at the flame
of Bond's Ronson.
"Sounds possible," he agreed after a pause. "But I don't know much about this brother
of Seraffimo, Jack Spang. And if Jack Spang is 'Saye' it's the first I've heard of him for a
long while. We've got records on all the rest of the mob, and I've come across Tiffany
Case. Nice kid, but she's been on the fringe of the gangs for years. Didn't have much
chance from the cradle up. Her mother ran the snazziest cat-house in San Francisco.
Doing fine until she made one hell of a mistake. Decided one day not to pay the local
outfit's protection money. She was paying the police so much I guess she reckoned
34
they'd look after her. Crazy. One night the mob turned up in force and wrecked the joint.
Left the girls alone, but had themselves a gang-bang with Tiffany. She was only sixteen
at the time. Not surprising she won't have anything to do with men since then. Next day
she got hold of her mother's cash box, busted it open, and took to the hills. Then the
usual round hat-check girl, taxi-dancer, studio extra, waitress until she was about
twenty. Then maybe life didn't seem so good and she took to liquor. Settled in a
rooming house down on one of the Florida Keys and started drinking herself to death.
Got so she was known as The Boiled Sweet down there. Then a kid fell in the sea and
she jumped in and saved him. Got her name in the papers and some rich woman took a
fancy to her and practically kidnapped her. Made her join Alcoholics Anonymous and
then took her around the world as her companion. But
Tiffany skipped when they got to 'Frisco and went and lived with her old Ma who had
retired from the girl game by then. But she never would settle down and I guess she
found life a bit quiet so she went on the lam again and ended up in Reno. Worked at
Harold's Club for a bit. Came across our friend Seraffimo, and he got all excited
because she wouldn't sleep with him. Offered her some sort of a job at the Tiara at Las
Vegas and she's been there for the last year or two. Doing these trips to Europe in
between, I suppose. But she's a good kid. Just never had a chance after what the gang
did to her."
Bond saw again the eyes gazing sullenly at him out of the mirror, and he heard the
record playing Fettilles Mortes in the lonely room. "I like her," he said briefly. He felt
Felix Leiter's eyes watching him speculatively. He looked at his watch. "Well, Felix," he
said. "It looks as if we've got hold of the same tiger. But by different tails. It's going to be
fun pulling at them both at the same time. Now I'm going to go and get some sleep. Got
a room at the Astor. Where shall we meet on Sunday?"
"Better keep away from this part of town," said Leiter. "Meet you outside the Plaza.
Early, so we can avoid the traffic on the Parkway. Let's say nine o'clock. By the cab-
stand. You know, where the horse-cabs are. Then if I'm late you can get to recognize a
horse. Useful up at Saratoga."
He paid the check and they walked down and out on to the grilling street. Bond hailed
a cab. Leiter refused a lift. Instead he took Bond affectionately by the arm.
"Just one thing, James," he said, and his voice was serious. "You may not think the
hell of a lot of American gangsters. Compared with SMERSH for instance, and some of
the other folk you've been up against. But I can tell you these Spangled boys are the
tops. They've got a good machine, even if they do care to have funny names. And
they've got protection. That's how it is in America these days. But don't misunderstand
me. They really stink. And this job of yours stinks too." Leiter let go of Bond's arm and
watched him climb into the taxi. Then he leant in through the window.
"And do you know what your job stinks of, you dumb bastard?" he asked cheerfully.
"Formaldehyde and lilies."
9
BITTER CHAMPAGNE
"I'M not going to sleep with you," said Tiffany Case in a matter-of-fact voice, "so don't
waste your money getting me tight. But I'll have another and probably another one after
that. I just don't want to drink your Vodka Martinis under false pretences."
Bond laughed. He gave the order and turned back to her. "We haven't ordered dinner
yet," he said. "I was going to suggest shellfish and hock. That might have changed your
mind. The combination's supposed to have quite an effect."
35
"Listen, Bond," said Tiffany Case, "it'd take more than Crab-meat Ravigotte to get me
into bed with a man. In any event, since it's your check, I'm going to have caviar, and
what you English call 'cutlets', and some pink champagne. I don't often date a good-
looking Englishman and the dinner's going to live up to the occasion." Suddenly she
leant towards him and reached out a hand and put it over his. "Sorry," she said
abruptly. "I didn't mean that about the check. The dinner's on me. But I did mean it
about the occasion."
Bond smiled into her eyes, "Don't be a goose, Tiffany," he said, using her name for
the first time. "I've been longing for this evening. And I'm going to have just the same as
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