enough.
She was wearing a smart white and blue checked coat, powder-blue trousers, brown buckskin shoes and a high-necked cashmere sweater in blue.
One of the men sat on the desk opposite her, one foot on the desk and his hands clasping his knee. The other man stood behind her, his hands on her shoulders and his eyes watching the man sitting on the desk.
I guessed the man on the desk was Rube Starkey. I looked at him with interest. He was small; small-boned but sinewy. His face was pockmarked, his eyes flat and black, his mouth lipless. He was dressed in a white flannel suit, and a white slouch hat was pulled well over one eye, giving him a racy, jaunty look. But there was nothing jaunty about his expression.
The man behind Audrey Sheridan was in the same class as Jeff Gordan—big, brainless, apish and tough.
“ Spewack, ” Jeff said to Starkey, and jerking his head at me.
“ What do you want? ” Starkey said, looking at me with hard, calculating eyes.
I eyed him back. “ What goes on? ” I said. “ You ’ re not mayor yet, Starkey; you ’ d better cut this stuff out. Let her go! ”
Jeff pulled me round by grabbing my shoulder. I saw his fist coming up from his ankles and I swayed my body to the right. I felt the draught of wind as his fist whistled past my ear, then I hit him in the belly, and as he came forward I socked him in the jaw.
The gun fell from his hand and I made a dive at it. Starkey got there first. He must have moved with the speed of a lizard. His hand whipped it up as I reached him. He tried to turn, but I was on top of him. I socked him in the body, grabbed him by his belt and arm and tossed him at the other thug who was pounding across the room to get at me. They went down in a heap, upsetting Audrey Sheridan. They all sprawled on the floor together.
I had no time to jump them as Jeff came at me. His face was congested and his eyes bloodshot. I stepped inside a haymaker he sent over, socked him with a left and a right and stopped a bang in the ribs that shook me to the toes.
I backed away as the other thug scrambled to his feet. Both of them came at me. I pushed a chair in Jeff ’ s way, took a punch on the shoulder from the other thug and socked him between the eyes.
I saw Starkey had got to his feet, and as the other two started on me again he called them off. They drew back and we all eyed each other.
Starkey had a flat automatic in his hand. “ Stay where you are, ” he said, in a furious hissing voice.
“ You can ’ t use that heater here, ” I said. “ If you want me, you ’ ll damn well have to come and get me. ” Whipping round, I snatched up a bowl of flowers and threw it at him. He only saved himself by falling flat on his face.
The other two nearly fell over themselves trying to get at me. I dodged round the desk, snatched up the telephone and hit Jeff across his face with it as he rushed me. He blundered back with a howl of pain and cannoned into the other thug. I picked up a chair and stood by the window.
“ Now listen, you swine, ” I yelled at them. “ Make one move and the chair ’ ll go through the window. That ’ ll bring a cop, and I ’ ll pin an assault charge on you that even Macey won ’ t be able to lift. ”
Growling like an animal, Jeff prepared to charge me, but Starkey shouted: “ Hold it! ”
Once again we all eyed each other.
“ Tell those jerks to get the hell outa here, ” I said to Starkey. “ I want to talk to you and talk to you alone. ”
His white pockmarked face was expressionless. After staring at me for a long minute he suddenly said, “ Beat it, ” to the others.
When they had gone, I put down the chair: “ Someone ’ s trying to frame you for murder, ” I said. “ Even Macey can ’ t help you if the frame ’ s good enough. ”
Starkey said nothing. He straightened his coat, put on his hat again and went over and sat in a chair. He nodded his head at the girl lying on her side, still tied to the chair.
I
She was wearing a smart white and blue checked coat, powder-blue trousers, brown buckskin shoes and a high-necked cashmere sweater in blue.
One of the men sat on the desk opposite her, one foot on the desk and his hands clasping his knee. The other man stood behind her, his hands on her shoulders and his eyes watching the man sitting on the desk.
I guessed the man on the desk was Rube Starkey. I looked at him with interest. He was small; small-boned but sinewy. His face was pockmarked, his eyes flat and black, his mouth lipless. He was dressed in a white flannel suit, and a white slouch hat was pulled well over one eye, giving him a racy, jaunty look. But there was nothing jaunty about his expression.
The man behind Audrey Sheridan was in the same class as Jeff Gordan—big, brainless, apish and tough.
“ Spewack, ” Jeff said to Starkey, and jerking his head at me.
“ What do you want? ” Starkey said, looking at me with hard, calculating eyes.
I eyed him back. “ What goes on? ” I said. “ You ’ re not mayor yet, Starkey; you ’ d better cut this stuff out. Let her go! ”
Jeff pulled me round by grabbing my shoulder. I saw his fist coming up from his ankles and I swayed my body to the right. I felt the draught of wind as his fist whistled past my ear, then I hit him in the belly, and as he came forward I socked him in the jaw.
The gun fell from his hand and I made a dive at it. Starkey got there first. He must have moved with the speed of a lizard. His hand whipped it up as I reached him. He tried to turn, but I was on top of him. I socked him in the body, grabbed him by his belt and arm and tossed him at the other thug who was pounding across the room to get at me. They went down in a heap, upsetting Audrey Sheridan. They all sprawled on the floor together.
I had no time to jump them as Jeff came at me. His face was congested and his eyes bloodshot. I stepped inside a haymaker he sent over, socked him with a left and a right and stopped a bang in the ribs that shook me to the toes.
I backed away as the other thug scrambled to his feet. Both of them came at me. I pushed a chair in Jeff ’ s way, took a punch on the shoulder from the other thug and socked him between the eyes.
I saw Starkey had got to his feet, and as the other two started on me again he called them off. They drew back and we all eyed each other.
Starkey had a flat automatic in his hand. “ Stay where you are, ” he said, in a furious hissing voice.
“ You can ’ t use that heater here, ” I said. “ If you want me, you ’ ll damn well have to come and get me. ” Whipping round, I snatched up a bowl of flowers and threw it at him. He only saved himself by falling flat on his face.
The other two nearly fell over themselves trying to get at me. I dodged round the desk, snatched up the telephone and hit Jeff across his face with it as he rushed me. He blundered back with a howl of pain and cannoned into the other thug. I picked up a chair and stood by the window.
“ Now listen, you swine, ” I yelled at them. “ Make one move and the chair ’ ll go through the window. That ’ ll bring a cop, and I ’ ll pin an assault charge on you that even Macey won ’ t be able to lift. ”
Growling like an animal, Jeff prepared to charge me, but Starkey shouted: “ Hold it! ”
Once again we all eyed each other.
“ Tell those jerks to get the hell outa here, ” I said to Starkey. “ I want to talk to you and talk to you alone. ”
His white pockmarked face was expressionless. After staring at me for a long minute he suddenly said, “ Beat it, ” to the others.
When they had gone, I put down the chair: “ Someone ’ s trying to frame you for murder, ” I said. “ Even Macey can ’ t help you if the frame ’ s good enough. ”
Starkey said nothing. He straightened his coat, put on his hat again and went over and sat in a chair. He nodded his head at the girl lying on her side, still tied to the chair.
I
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