‘Money, Money, Money’

HOW I READ IT

“Money, Money, Money,” by Ed McBain (Evan Hunter)

I just finished a book I enjoyed so much that I have to share it

with you.

We will continue our library exploration next time. Now here is a

good writer, this McBain (Hunter). He not only won the Grand Master

Award from the Mystery Writers of America, he won the British Crime

Writers Diamond Dagger Award. No other American writer can claim

this. His first novel, in 1954, was “The Blackboard Jungle.”

Are you ready?

A beautiful retired army Gulf War pilot (Cass) is hired for a fee

of $200,000 to pick up cocaine in Mexico and deliver it to Arizona.

After carefully counting the money she delivered, she is tipped

$10,000 by the Mexican sellers and delivers her Mexican cargo to

Arizona. Everybody is happy, and Cass returns to her apartment in the

big city.

Later that week, a harmless small-time burglar (Will) breaks into

Cass’ apartment and steals two fur coats she just bought and $8,500

remaining from her delivery tip. That afternoon a Secret Service

agent visits Will. He questions the authenticity of a $100 bill Will

had cashed in a bar that same day and confiscates the remaining cash

under the authority of a search warrant.

The next day the agent apologizes and returns all the money and

confirms its authenticity.

During the burglary, Will dropped his eyeglass holder with the

name and address of the store that sold them. Cass visits the store

owner, who remembers Will because, in his opinion, the unique frames

he bought did not match his coloring. That afternoon Cass, along with

her friend Browning Automatic, retrieves her fur coats and the tip

money. She insists that the money returned by the agent is not the

same money she received in Mexico. Oh well, she concludes, it’s real

isn’t it?

This happy ending is interrupted when Cass returns to her

apartment and is welcomed home by the two Mexican drug sellers. They

want to know who hired her because the money she delivered, $1.7

million, was counterfeit. To save her life, she complies with their

request.

The next morning, Cass’ nude body is found in the Lion Habitat of

the City Zoo being torn apart and mauled by its inhabitants.

The conclusion of this story is both frightening and humorous, as

is the entire read. Head on over to the library and check it out.

* DOUG BOWLER is a native Californian who, along with his wife,

has been experiencing the good life of Laguna Beach for the past

18-plus years.