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THERE was a smell about the New York water front that Danny Dolan liked. For one thing it meant he wras back home because he'd been raised in this section. For another thing, it was a swell place for an Irish cop — especially one new in the ranks.
Yep, right here on Pier 13 you could pick up practically anything — from a strain of Pagliacci, warbled soulfully by a tattered tramp to a couple of bananas off Tony's fruit stand. Only thing was, at least five people this morning had commented on his being "new around there." Well, what of it ? A fellow could be new and still have good sense and an eagle eye, couldn't he?
He was strolling along the pier, thinking of such matters with just a shade of resentment when all at once there was a crushing sound. A baseball had broken a warehouse window. Danny looked around. Well, begorry, if it wasn't those kids over there, causin' a disturbance with their baseball game.
He was after them on the run. They scattered in all directions and Danny concentrated on one of them. The lad was a marathon runner in the making, for he gained yards on Danny, then disappeared into Kelly's waterfront coffee shop.
Danny burst into the place, then stopped short. At the counter was a girl who would make any man's heart beat faster. She had sunlight in her hair and her eyes were a fine navy blue. "I'm lookin' for a little, short, black-haired kid."
Her small nose twitched. "We're all out of those today."
"Fresh, huh ?" He looked around the place. "I saw him come in here. He busted a window in the warehouse."
"Tsk, tsk," she mourned. "Aren't you ashamed of yourself, playing tag with a little boy? You ought to get smart and go after the big shots."
He blinked and flushed. "So I'm a dumb cop, eh?"
"I didn't say that but you're getting warm."
"I'll remember that crack." He sat down at the counter. Might as well have a bite long as he was here. Besides, if he left now, she'd think he was scared of her. "Give me a cup of coffee and make it hot."
She yelled, to an invisible assistant, "One cup of coffee and make it hot for him." She turned back. "You're new here, aren't you ?"
That was all Danny needed. He burned. "Brand new," he snapped. 'And for your information I was raised in Brooklyn, vaccinated below the Mason-Dixon line and shellac is my favorite color." She grinned and he warmed to her again. "You know, things look pretty good to me around here." He leaned over the counter. "Duchess, nature did all right for you. You're the best example of streamlined construction I've seen around in a long time."
She said, soulfully, "You carry me away but not far enough. And my name isn't Duchess. It's Sally."
Danny made a mental note of it. Sally, eh ? Pretty cute.
His coffee arrived and he reached over and took two cigars to go with it.
"That'll be twenty-five cents."
He handed her the quarter. "Better try it. Maybe it's lead."
She banged it down. "Doesn't ring so good at that."