very slowly. I knew I had made a mistake. Peeler knew where the old guy was, so I should know too.
Nothing in Sunset's voice showed that I had made a mistake. He said crossly: 'You mean why don't I just tell vou everything I know, and you say thank you? Forget it.'
`Well, how do you like this?' I said. 'Peeler's dead.'
A corner of his mouth moved. His eyes were even emptier than before.
`How did that happen?'
`There was some competition that you two didn't know about.' I smiled at him.
I didn't see where the gun came from. Then the end of the gun was looking at me like a round dark eye.
`You're kidding the wrong guy,' Sunset said.
`I'm not kidding anybody. Peeler told a girl about it, but he didn't tell her where to find the old guy. So she and her top man went to see Peeler. They used a hot iron on his feet. It killed him.'
Sunset looked bored. 'Keep talking — I've got a lot of room in my ears yet.'
`So have I,' I said, suddenly pretending to be angry. `What the hell have you said that means anything — except that you know Peeler? Got any more to tell me?'
He played with his gun. 'Old man Sype's at Westport,' he said. 'Does that mean anything to you?'
`Yes. Has he got the pearls?'
`How should I know?' He put down the gun. 'Where's this competition that you talked about?'