RED HARVEST PLAYBOOK 2: THE WAR BEGINS

RED HARVEST

Adapted by Kateule Sydney from the Original Work by Dashiell Hammett · Public domain (1929)

PLAYBOOK 2: THE WAR BEGINS

Chapters 8–14

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter 8: The Red Harvest Begins
Spade starts his campaign of chaos

Chapter 9: The Police Chief's Plea
A corrupt official comes begging

Chapter 10: The Shooting on Hurricane Street
Violence erupts in the underworld

Chapter 11: Dinah's Warning
The woman who knows too much speaks again

Chapter 12: The Meeting with Thaler
The Op confronts the crime boss

Chapter 13: The Double Cross
Alliances shift and betrayals unfold

Chapter 14: The Op's Gambit
A dangerous plan takes shape

Chapter 8: The Red Harvest Begins

I had been in Personville for a week, and I had already set the city on fire. Whisper's list of names had given me everything I needed to start the war. I began feeding information to the newspapers, spreading rumors among Thaler's men, and turning the city's corruption against itself.

The first casualty was a man named Louie, one of Thaler's top lieutenants. He was found dead in an alley on Hurricane Street, his throat cut from ear to ear. The word on the street was that he had been talking to me.

I didn't kill him. But I didn't mourn him either.

The second casualty was a police officer named O'Brien. He was shot while walking his beat on Broadway. He died before he could say who had pulled the trigger. I knew, though. I had given his name to someone who had a grudge against him.

The war was escalating, and I was at the center of it.

I went to see Elihu Willsson that evening. He was sitting in his office, a glass of whiskey in his hand, his face haggard and tired.

Elihu Willsson (his voice rough): "You've started a war, Op. People are dying."

Op: "People were dying before I got here. At least now they're dying for a reason."

Elihu Willsson: "This isn't what I hired you for."

Op: "This is exactly what you hired me for. You wanted me to clean up this town. You can't clean up a mess without breaking a few eggs."

He stared at me for a long moment, then shook his head.

Elihu Willsson: "You're going to get yourself killed, Op. And you're going to take half the city with you."

Op: "That's the risk I take. It's the price of the job."

I left him there, staring at his whiskey. He was a broken man, caught between his desire for control and the chaos he had unleashed.

I walked through the streets of Personville, watching the city tear itself apart. It was a beautiful sight, in its own ugly way. The red harvest was beginning, and I was the reaper.

✦ ✦ ✦

Chapter 9: The Police Chief's Plea

The next morning, I was awakened by a knock at my door. I opened it to find Police Chief Cato on the other side. He was a large man, with a red face and a nervous twitch in his left eye. He was dressed in civilian clothes, and he looked like he hadn't slept in days.

Chief Cato (his voice shaking): "Op, I need to talk to you. Please."

I let him in. He sat down in the only chair and wrung his hands nervously.

Chief Cato: "I know what you're doing, Op. I know you're the one behind all this chaos. And I know it's only a matter of time before you come for me."

Op: "You're right. I am."

Chief Cato: "I want to make a deal. I'll give you everything I know about Thaler. I'll give you names, dates, locations. Just leave me out of it."

I studied him for a moment. His face was pale, his hands trembling. He was terrified, and he had every right to be.

Op: "Why should I trust you? You've been taking Thaler's money for years."

Chief Cato: "I know. I'm not proud of it. But I'm a family man, Op. I've got a wife and kids to support. I did what I had to do to survive."

Op: "And now you're telling me you want to do the right thing?"

Chief Cato: "I'm telling you I want to survive. There's a difference."

I couldn't argue with that. He was being honest, which was more than I expected from a corrupt police chief.

Op: "Alright. I'll take your information. But if you try to double-cross me, I'll make sure you end up dead."

Chief Cato: "I wouldn't dream of it."

He handed me a thick envelope filled with papers. I skimmed through them quickly. They contained everything I needed to destroy Thaler's organization.

Op: "This is good work, Chief. I'll make sure your name stays out of it."

Chief Cato: "Thank you, Op. I won't forget this."

He left as quickly as he had come. I sat down on the edge of my bed and started reading through the papers. It was a gold mine of information, but it also confirmed something I had suspected: the chief had been the one who pulled the trigger on Donald Willsson.

I decided to keep that piece of information to myself for now. I would use it when the time was right.

✦ ✦ ✦

Chapter 10: The Shooting on Hurricane Street

That afternoon, I went back to Hurricane Street. The atmosphere had changed. The streets were quieter, the faces more guarded. The war had begun, and everyone was choosing sides.

I stopped at a small café near the corner of Hurricane and Broadway. It was a rundown place, with cracked linoleum floors and a faded sign advertising "Home Cooked Meals."

I ordered coffee and sat at a table by the window. I was watching the street when a man I recognized as one of Thaler's lieutenants, a thug named Tony, walked in and sat down across from me.

Tony (his voice threatening): "You're the Op."

Op: "That's right."

Tony: "Mr. Thaler wants to see you. He says it's time you two had a talk."

Op: "Tell Thaler I'll see him when I'm ready."

Tony (his hand moving toward his pocket): "I don't think you understand, Op. This isn't an invitation. It's a summons."

I moved faster than he could. My gun was in my hand, pointed at his chest, before he could get his out.

Op (my voice cold): "Tell Thaler that if he wants to see me, he can come to me. I don't take orders from anyone."

Tony's face went pale. He slowly raised his hands and stood up.

Tony: "You're going to regret this, Op."

Op: "Maybe. But not today."

He walked out of the café, his shoulders hunched. I watched him go, then put my gun away and finished my coffee.

The war was coming to a head. I could feel it in the air, like the tension before a storm. Thaler was making his move, and I had to be ready.

✦ ✦ ✦

Chapter 11: Dinah's Warning

That night, Dinah Brand came to my hotel room. She was dressed in a dark coat, her face pale and drawn. She looked like she hadn't slept in days.

Dinah (her voice urgent): "You've got to get out of town, Op. Tonight."

Op: "What are you talking about?"

Dinah: "Thaler's put a price on your head. Fifty thousand dollars to anyone who kills you. There are men all over this town looking for you."

I laughed, but there was no humor in it.

Op: "Fifty thousand dollars. I'm flattered."

Dinah: "This isn't a joke, Op. Thaler is serious. He's got half the police force on his payroll, and they're all looking for you."

I looked at her. Her eyes were wide with fear, and I could tell she was telling the truth.

Op: "Why are you warning me? You don't owe me anything."

She hesitated, then said:

Dinah: "Because you're the only person in this town who's trying to do the right thing. Everyone else is looking out for themselves. I've been looking out for myself for too long. It's time I did something good."

I believed her. She was telling the truth, for once.

Op: "I appreciate the warning, Dinah. But I'm not leaving. I came here to clean up this town, and that's what I'm going to do."

Dinah (her voice desperate): "You can't do that if you're dead."

Op: "I'll take my chances."

She shook her head and walked to the door.

Dinah (at the door): "Then at least be careful. And if you need help, come to me."

She left, and I sat down on the edge of my bed, staring at the door. I had made a powerful enemy, and he was willing to do whatever it took to stop me.

But I was willing to do whatever it took to stop him.

✦ ✦ ✦

Chapter 12: The Meeting with Thaler

Two days later, I decided to take the fight to Thaler. I sent word that I was willing to meet him, and he agreed. The meeting was set for midnight at a warehouse on the waterfront.

I arrived at the warehouse an hour early. It was a dark, cavernous building filled with crates and barrels. The smell of fish and salt water hung in the air.

I had brought a backup—a man named Pete, who owed me a favor. He was hidden in the shadows, ready to back me up if things went wrong.

At midnight, Thaler arrived. He was a tall, thin man with a sharp face and cold eyes. He wore an expensive suit and carried a silver-tipped cane. He was accompanied by two men, both armed.

He walked toward me with a confident stride, his cane tapping on the concrete floor.

Thaler (his voice smooth): "So you're the Op. I've heard a lot about you."

Op: "I've heard a lot about you too, Thaler. None of it good."

He laughed, a thin, mirthless sound.

Thaler: "I'm sure you've heard plenty. But let's talk business. You're causing me a lot of trouble, Op. I want it to stop."

Op: "And what are you willing to do to make it stop?"

Thaler: "I'm willing to pay you. Fifty thousand dollars to leave town. That's double the price I put on your head."

Op: "And if I don't want to leave?"

His smile faded. His eyes hardened.

Thaler: "Then I'll have no choice but to kill you. And I don't miss."

He motioned to his men, and they raised their guns. I didn't move. I knew Pete was watching from the shadows.

Op: "Before you do something stupid, Thaler, you should know that I've got a man with a rifle trained on you. If any of your men so much as twitch, you're a dead man."

He looked around the warehouse, trying to spot the hidden shooter. His face went pale.

Thaler (his voice tight): "You're bluffing."

Op: "Am I? You sure you want to risk it?"

He stared at me for a long moment, his jaw clenched. Then he lowered his hand.

Thaler: "This isn't over, Op. Not by a long shot."

Op: "I know it isn't. That's why I'm going to win."

He turned and walked away, his men following him. I watched them go, then let out a long breath.

Pete came out of the shadows, his face pale.

Pete: "That was close. Too close."

Op: "It was. But it worked."

✦ ✦ ✦

Chapter 13: The Double Cross

The meeting with Thaler had shaken things up. Word spread quickly that the Op had stood up to the crime boss and lived. Suddenly, people who had been afraid to talk were coming forward with information.

I spent the next few days collecting their stories, building a case against Thaler that would destroy him once and for all. But I knew I had to be careful. Thaler had informants everywhere, and he would stop at nothing to silence me.

That's when Pete betrayed me.

I was sitting in my hotel room when I heard the sound of footsteps in the hallway. They were too heavy, too deliberate to be casual. I reached for my gun and stood up.

The door burst open, and three men rushed in, guns drawn. The man in front was Tony, the thug I had faced in the café.

Tony (his voice triumphant): "Got you, Op. Pete sold you out."

My heart sank. Pete had been the one man I trusted. And he had betrayed me.

Op: "Where is he now?"

Tony: "He's dead. Thaler doesn't pay traitors."

I looked at the three men standing in front of me. They were all armed, and they were all ready to kill me. I had to think fast.

Op: "If you're going to kill me, get it over with. But I should warn you: I've got a lot of friends in this town. And they'll make sure Thaler pays for my death."

Tony laughed.

Tony: "You don't have any friends, Op. You're all alone."

He raised his gun, and I knew I had only seconds to act. I threw myself to the side, rolling behind the bed. Bullets tore through the air around me, splintering the furniture.

I fired back, hitting one of the men in the chest. He went down hard. I fired again, and another man crumpled to the floor.

Tony retreated, firing wildly as he ran. I heard his footsteps echoing down the hallway, then silence.

I got to my feet and checked the two men on the floor. They were both dead. I had survived—for now.

But I knew it was only a matter of time before Thaler sent more men. I had to finish this.

✦ ✦ ✦

Chapter 14: The Op's Gambit

The shooting had changed everything. I couldn't stay in the hotel any longer. I packed my things and moved to a safe house that Dinah had set up for me.

She was waiting for me when I arrived, her face pale with worry.

Dinah: "What happened? I heard there was a shooting at your hotel."

Op: "Thaler's men found me. Pete sold me out. He's dead now."

She sat down heavily, her face pale.

Dinah: "So what are you going to do?"

I sat down across from her and told her my plan. It was a gambit—a dangerous one, but it was the only way to end the war.

Op: "I'm going to take down Thaler's entire organization. I've got enough information to put half the city in jail. But I need your help."

Dinah: "My help? What can I do?"

Op: "I need you to get a message to Thaler. Tell him I want to meet him alone. Tell him I'm willing to make a deal."

She stared at me, her eyes wide.

Dinah: "That's suicide, Op. He'll kill you."

Op: "No, he won't. Because when I meet him, I'll have the police with me. I'll have Cato, and I'll have enough evidence to put Thaler away for life."

Dinah: "Cato? You trust him?"

Op: "I trust him to save his own skin. And that's what this is about. Survival."

She was silent for a long moment. Then she nodded.

Dinah: "I'll do it. For you, Op."

I stood up and walked to the window, looking out at the city below. Personville was a war zone, and I was the general. But the war was far from over.

"The red harvest is nearly complete," I said softly. "But there's still work to be done."

I turned back to Dinah, a grim smile on my face.

Op: "Get me that meeting. I'll take care of the rest."

She nodded and left the room. I stood alone, watching the sun set over the city. The red harvest was coming to an end. But the final battle was still ahead.

✦ ✦ ✦

End of Playbook 2

Navigation

← Previous Playbook Next Playbook →

Playbook 1 | Playbook 2 | Playbook 3 | Playbook 4 | Playbook 5

Read the full series

YOU MIGHT ALSO WANT TO READ

⚡ NICK CARTER AT WESTERN UNION JUNCTION PLAYBOOK 1 · THE TELEGRAM FROM NOWHERE

The first playbook in the adaptation of the classic Nick Carter detective series

Read Now →

Adapted from the Original Work by Dashiell Hammett

Public domain (1929) · This adaptation follows the playbook series format