"If we were in the mood for a workout, Mr. Davis," The Green Hornet said to the bartender of the Bottoms Up Tavern, "We would have gone to the gym. Now, are you going to cooperate, or not?"
The bartender looked fearfully at The Green Hornet, then at Kato, who was finishing off the last of the tavern's bouncers. "All right, all right! Whaddya wanna know?"
"Information. On Gregory Masterson. And any business deals he has going down tonight."
"Masterson? No way! He'd kill me! I won't - "
The Hornet drew his gas gun. "And you think holding out on me will help?"
"Please...no...c'mon..."
"I'm willing to pay for that information," The Hornet said with a smile, removing a hundred dollar bill from his pocket. "And for any other information you may have in the future. Wouldn't you rather have some extra money in your pocket than some extra holes in your body?"
Davis's eyes brightened at the money, but he was still shaken. "If Masterson finds out it's me that's ratting out - "
"He won't."
Davis hesitated, but only for a minute. "Okay, okay. You convinced me."
"Excellent. Now, you were about to tell me about some action happening tonight."
"Yeah, yeah. Now this ain't definite, but I overheard some boys saying..."
***
In the dim light of an alley, four men were waiting impatiently.
"Greer was supposed to be here ten minutes ago!" one of them said, looking at his watch. "He's never been late before!"
"Relax, Pete," another said. "He's paying us a lot of cash for these guns. There's no way he'd back out of the deal now. Especially since Masterson's expecting his cut."
"Hey, is that him now?" a third man asked seeing the silhouette of a man against the entrance of the alleyway.
"I dunno," the second man said, drawing a gun. "Greer? Is that you?"
"Mr. Greer sends his apologies," The Green Hornet replied, stepping into the alley, Kato suddenly appearing behind him. "He sent me to finish his business deal."
"We don't do business with strangers," Pete said, also drawing a gun. "Especially strangers in masks."
"That's okay," The Green Hornet said. "I was going to cancel the deal anyway."
He fired the Hornet Sting right at Pete's gun, shattering it to pieces with the sonic waves. As the crooks stood stunned, Kato suddenly sprang towards them, knocking the second gangster down and out with a flying kick. The third one pulled a knife, but Kato swept it out of his hands with a roundhouse kick, then lashed out at the gangster's temple with the edge of his hand. Pete and the last gangster charged towards The Hornet, but he swept at their feet with the Sting, spilling them to the ground. A shot of gas took them down.
"Call the police, and tell them to pick up these two," The Hornet said. "Those guns, and the unconscious Mr. Greer in the trunk will be more than enough evidence. Too bad they're just small fries."
"Every little bit helps, boss," Kato said. "And at least we got these guns off the street."
The Hornet nodded, placing a small plastic chip with the emblem of The Green Hornet on it as a calling card. "So who's next on our list?"
***
"Quite a hall, eh, Keetch?" the young thief asked, handing over a small pouch containing some expensive diamond jewelry. "I swiped 'em from the Vandemeer collection."
"Impressive," Andrew Keetch, jeweler by trade and jewel fence by profession, replied. "They're worth maybe fifty thousand. Maybe even a hundred. Masterson will be impressed."
"When do you think you'll have my cut?"
"End of the month. Big babies like these are hard to fence. But the money's gonna be worth the wait."
"Patience isn't really one of my virtues," The Green Hornet said from the doorway of the jewelry shop.
"Who are you?" Ketch cried. "What do you want?"
"I'm known as The Green Hornet. And you are Andrew Keetch, a fence who works with the Masterson syndicate, right?"
"Yeah, so?"
The jewel thief took the opportunity to draw a gun, but a hand grabbed his wrist in a steel grip. "I wouldn't do that," Kato said.
"As I was saying, Mr. Keetch," The Hornet continued, "I just wanted to inform you of the changing of the guard in this town. Masterson's going down and he's going down hard. And if you would like to cooperate with me by supplying information, I'll let you continue to operate in this town. Otherwise, you're through."
"Me, break with Masterson? Nice try, Mr. Hornet, but I don't rat out my friends. Especially Masterson."
"I'm sorry to hear it. Maybe some time in jail will change your mind. Or maybe..." The Hornet's voice trailed off as he drew his gas gun.
"No! Don't! Don't..." Keetch cried as The Hornet fired the gas gun.
The jewel thief watched in horror as Keetch crashed to the ground. "Is he dead?"
"I'd worry more about yourself right now," The Hornet said, turning the gas gun on him. "I want you to spread the word that The Green Hornet is going to be the new boss in this town. And when I come through, nobody had better be in my way. Understand?"
The thief nodded vigorously before the gas gun rendered him unconscious as well.
"Not a bad night's work. Anything left on tonight's agenda?" Kato asked while he tied up the fence and the thief.
The Hornet nodded, placing a seal on the counter. "There's one more person we need to talk to tonight."
***
District Attorney Frank Scanlon was working late in his office preparing a case for tomorrow morning. He would have been done earlier, but he had been interrupted all night by a series of calls from the police about someone calling himself The Green Hornet muscling in on Masterson's operations. Scanlon frowned at the idea of a gang war going on in the city. Masterson gave them enough problems.
"Working late, I see," The Green Hornet said, approaching Scanlon's desk.
"You!" Scanlon exclaimed. "How did you get in here?"
The Hornet shrugged. "Your door was open."
Scanlon regained his composure. "The police tell me you've had a busy night. What do you want here?"
"I'm here to offer you my help in taking down Gregory Masterson and the rest of the rackets in this city."
"Why, so you can move in on their territory? Sorry, Hornet, but I don't work with criminals."
"I know that. But what about an old friend?" The Hornet said with a smile, as he unmasked.
Scanlon's expression was one of pure shock. "Britt?"
Britt Reid nodded silently.
Scanlon was stunned for a few seconds. Then came the expected outburst. "Have you completely lost your mind? What in the name of heaven do you think you're doing?"
"Whatever I have to in order to clean up this city."
Scanlon calmed down a bit at Reid's words. "Clean up? So you haven't really become a gangster?"
Reid laughed. "Of course not. But I want the scum in this city to think I am. I'm going to take the crime syndicates in this town apart, and in order to do that, I need to make them think I'm one of them. I going to cut into their action, get the evidence and figure out their plans, then bring them down. Everyone will see this as gang warfare, so The Hornet will keep his infamous reputation. I want these guys to be afraid of The Green Hornet. I want them to consider him to be one of their own. It's the only way it will work."
"But the police will be after you too. You could be arrested, even killed."
"I realize that. But that's my decision. And if I take down Masterson and the other rackets in this town first, fine."
The district attorney sat at his desk silently for a few moments. Then he said, "So why are you telling me all this?"
"Because I promised that I would help you with Masterson, with The Daily Sentinel, and now, as The Green Hornet. I want you to know I'm on your side. If you provide me with information when I need it, I can help you take down the syndicates. But if I get arrested, you may be indicted as an accessory. That's why I'm not telling you to help me. I'm asking you."
Scanlon thought it over. Reid had always been a man of honor. He knew his crusade to rid the city of racketeering and corruption was real. There was no way he would ever really become an actual criminal.
"All right. You can count me in on this. And you can trust me with your secret."
Reid smiled. "I know I can. If you ever need my help with anything, call me on this." Reid gave Scanlon a pair of glasses and a small radio speaker. "These glasses contain a built-in two way radio, which you can use to contact me at any time, and I'll get the message. It will also let me contact you if I ever need information."
"What else do you need me to do?"
"Just play along, and try and keep the police off my backs."
Scanlon solemnly took the glasses. "Britt, I appreciate what you're trying to do, and I'll certainly help you out. But please, be careful. Not only will the police be after you, but so will these gangsters. They've worked very hard to get where they are, and have killed people who get in the way of their trying to reach the top. And if the police do catch you..."
"Do what you have to do, Frank. If I go down, I won't take any of my friends with me."
Scanlon nodded, truly touched by the sacrifice Reid was willing to make. "Do you have any more plans for the night?"
Reid shook his head. "Kato and I have thrown a few monkey wrenches into some of Masterson's plans and spread the word through the Underworld. I think we're ready to call it a night. I want to be awake for my interview with Peter Talbot tomorrow morning."
"Talbot? Masterson's flunky?"
"Yeah. It's supposedly going to be for an article about The Green Hornet, and a request for information leading to his capture. Besides making Talbot bend a little bit, this will also help spread The Hornet's reputation."
Scanlon nodded. "Where is Kato, by the way?"
"Keeping watch outside. He can take care of himself."
"I'm sure. I saw what kind of shape some of your playmates from tonight were in."
Reid laughed. "Well, I have to get going. See you around, Frank."
"You too, Britt. And be careful."
Reid put the mask back on, left the building, and headed towards The Black Beauty. "Scanlon's on our side now," he told Kato. "He's also in on the whole thing."
"He knows that we're the good guys?"
"Yeah. But he's still going to play along in public."
Kato nodded. "So, where are we headed?"
"Home, Kato. We've earned ourselves a good night's sleep.
***
UNDERWORLD SHAKEN BY GANG WARFARE
GREEN HORNET ENGAGES RACKETEERS IN TURF BATTLE
By Britt Reid, Daily Sentinel Publisher
Last night, in a series of daring raids, The Green Hornet, the mysterious masked criminal who appeared in Detroit two nights ago, sabotaged over a dozen operations of several known felons, including several illegal arms sales, a fencing operation, and two drug smuggling rings. The Hornet also visited some local bars and suspected criminal hideouts, but none of the bar owners or patrons were willing to discuss the purpose of The Hornet's visits.
The Hornet is also reported to have paid a visit to the home of Gregory Masterson, alleged head of a powerful crime syndicate in the city, demanding a cut of Masterson's action. Since all of the criminals turned in by The Green Hornet have alleged connections to Masterson, it is believed that Masterson turned down whatever offer The Hornet made, and The Hornet turned in his underlings to get revenge. Masterson refused to comment.
In a public statement made this morning, Frank Scanlon, District Attorney for the city of Detroit, stated that "The Green Hornet, through his actions, has proven himself to be a dangerous felon, and will be pursued in full force, until he is apprehended. The police have no intention of allowing this city to become a battleground, or the home of a masked outlaw."
The police have no leads at this time as the identity of The Green Hornet, and any information leading to his capture will be appreciated. A reward of $25,000 is being offered to anyone who provides such information.
In his office, Reid smiled triumphantly at the headline. The news of The Green Hornet cutting in on Masterson's piece of the action had spread through the city. And Scanlon had played his part perfectly. The whole city was convinced that The Hornet was now a major criminal mastermind, out to take control of the city's rackets. He felt a little guilty about using the media to boost the effectiveness of his escapades, but it was for a good cause: the extermination of the criminal element in Detroit. And it wasn't like he was making any of it up.
Reid turned to the door as he suddenly heard some commotion coming from outside his office. Lenore Case and Mike Axford were bickering again.
"Out of my way, Casey!" Axford snapped.
Casey stood her ground. "Mike, you can't just go barging in on Mr. Reid!"
"Oh, no? Listen, Casey, I was a reporter for The Daily Sentinel while he was a wet-nosed kid, and I'm not going to let that schoolboy upstart do my job for me!"
"You're being ridiculous, Axford! The district attorney reported it right to Mr. Reid. And don't forget that 'schoolboy upstart' is your boss, and he deserves your respect!"
"You're just saying that because you have some silly, childish crush on Mr. Reid! Well let me tell you something..."
Reid felt it was time to step in before things got ugly. "Mike, you wanted to see me?" he asked as casually as possible.
Axford stormed into the office. "What's the idea of doing the reporting for me? I'm The Sentinel's crime reporter, ain't I? This is a crime story, and that makes it my job to write it!"
"Then why didn't you? How come you didn't follow up on The Green Hornet? A good reporter is always on the lookout for news."
"Oh, don't give me that! What do you know about reporting? What do you know about being on the front lines of the action?"
Reid stayed completely nonchalant. "I used to be a reporter for The Daily Sentinel before I became the publisher. And let's not forget that my dad used to run this place and taught me a thing or two."
Axford was unconvinced. "And did he also teach you how to swipe other people's stories?"
Reid gave Axford a fake wounded look. "Mike, how could you say that? It's not my fault that Scanlon called me instead of you. Now take it easy. I don't think this will be the last we hear of The Green Hornet. Why don't you go out and get me some news for the afternoon edition?"
"Yes, Axford," Miss Case said, walking into the room. "Mr. Reid has an appointment with Peter Talbot in a few minutes. Why don't you leave him alone so he can get ready?"
"Talbot?" Axford exclaimed. "That no-good thug from Masterson's gang? Britt, let me talk to him! I'll get a story out of him!"
"I appreciate the offer, Mike, but he specifically asked to see me. I'll fill you in when I'm done."
Axford left the office, grumbling. Casey shook her head. "I still can't understand why you let him get away with talking to you like that."
Reid laughed. "Casey, if I let every time Axford called me a 'schoolboy upstart' get to me, I would have stepped down as publisher long ago. Besides, he's a good reporter, if a little hotheaded. And he really does mean well. The Sentinel is a very big part of his life, and he just wants to make sure it's in good hands."
Casey sighed. "But I've seen how well you've been running The Sentinel, and it couldn't possibly be in any better hands."
Reid smiled. "Thanks, Casey. That really means a lot to me."
Casey smiled, with a blush. There was an awkward silence. Then Casey said, "I think Mr. Talbot is waiting for you outside. Shall I bring him in?"
"Yes, please," Reid said, straightening in his chair.
Casey opened the door, motioning for Talbot to come in. He entered quickly, giving her a quck nod. Casey smiled uncomfortably, and left the room.
"Good morning, Mr. Talbot," Reid said, offering Talbot his hand.
"Good morning, Mr. Reid. It's an honor to finally meet you," Talbot said blandly. His hands were slightly sweaty, and his handshake was a quick grab and release.
"Thank you. Have a seat."
As Talbot sat down, Reid finally got his first look at Talbot, and immediately understood why Casey seemed so uncomfortable around him. He was a young man in his late twenties with dark brown hair, brown eyes that seemed used to an arrogant expression, and an uppity smile that instinctively made you want to slug the man in the jaw a few times. He wore a preppy business suit that probably cost more than it was worth. He perfectly fit the image of the annoying "yes-man," especially for a gangster like Masterson. However, Talbot was sweating slightly, and his eyes were bloodshot, as if something was bothering him
"So why did want to see me, Mr. Reid?" Talbot asked.
"I understand you encountered The Green Hornet two nights ago."
Talbot twitched nervously at the mention of The Green Hornet. "Yes, that's right. So?"
"So I was wondering if there was anything you might be able to tell me about him to help the police apprehend him. Did you get a good look at him?"
"Nah. He was pretty close to me, but his face was hidden by his mask and hat. His partner was dressed in a black chauffeur's suit and cap, and he also wore a mask."
"I see. Anything you could possibly recognize about him at all?"
Talbot shook his head. "He was kinda tall and he had a deep voice, but that's all I can tell you."
Reid nodded. "Did he make any demands, or say what he was doing there?"
Talbot glared at Reid. "You should have asked me all of this nonsense
on the phone. Why did you ask me to meet with you? It's a waste
of my time!"
Reid smiled graciously. "Phone conversations are so dull. Talking face-to-face is much more pleasant. Now, did he ask you for anything or make any demands?"
"He was trying to rob the place. Looking for some loose cash, or stuff like that."
Reid raised an eyebrow. "Really? I was under the impression he looked through your files, searching for information. A business like Morningstar most likely has lots of important documents on file that aren't meant for public viewing."
Talbot paled and shook his head furiously. "No. He was after money. The whole 'looking through files' was just a cover-up."
"How do you know? Weren't you unconscious the whole time?"
"You're asking a lot of funny questions, Reid," Talbot snapped defensively.
Reid shrugged. "It's the only way we can get information, Mr. Talbot."
"The Hornet threatened me. I wouldn't help him, so he used that gas gun on me. I thought I was a goner."
"You're a lucky man, Mr. Talbot. The Hornet seems to be a dangerous man. He's after your boss, and it looks like he's playing for keeps. So far, it doesn't seem like anyone can stand in your way. With him on the loose, I'd watch your back."
Talbot blinked nervously, and was sweating even more. "Are the police getting any closer to finding him?"
"The police are actually a lot more occupied with your boss, Mr. Masterson, at the moment. Plus, since you can't identify him, they have no idea who to look for. He could be anyone, and strike from anywhere."
Reid tried not to enjoy the growing fearful expression on Talbot's face. "He may even strike at Morningstar. Does Morningstar have any big shipments coming in from anywhere?"
Talbot paused, but vigorously shook his head. "Why...no. That is, nothing beyond the ordinary. Besides, I'm not worried. The Hornet's just a common thief. And even if the papers were right about Masterson being a boss, I have nothing to do with that stuff."
"Oh, I'm sure. Even if Morningstar Shipping was a front for a syndicate, there's no way something like that could get past an honest man such as yourself."
Talbot nervously stopped short for a moment, and then angrily stood up. "This interview is over, Reid. I am not going to sit here and let you accuse me of being some kind of gangster! I can find my own way out!"
Reid nonchalantly watched Talbot storm out of the office and slam the door, pondering what he had observed during the interview. Talbot was definitely nervous about something, and had clammed shut when pried about imports through Morningstar.
Miss Case came in with an anxious expression. "That door is taking quite a beating today," Reid said to her casually.
Casey laughed, but she still looked concerned. "It looks like you got Mr. Talbot very riled up. Did he at least tell you anything first?"
Reid smiled. "Oh, yes. Mr. Talbot was very helpful."
"Are you sure that was a good idea, making him angry?"
"Probably not. But it sure felt good."
"Well, that's a plus."
Reid gave her his most charming smile. "Would like to know what else would make me feel good?"
"What?"
"Your company for lunch this afternoon."
Casey blushed. "Usually a gentleman invites a lady to dinner."
"I don't want to wait that long for the pleasure of your company.
Besides, I'm going to be busy tonight."