have the gun,” she begged. “Just let me have it for five seconds. Let me kill her. I’ll give it back to you. You can kill me, or turn me over to the police, but just let me have it.”
“Relax,” I said. “You’ll get ulcers.”
“What are you going to do with her?”
Madelon Butler lit a cigarette and watched us through the smoke. The man sat hunched over the other end of the table, holding the edges of it with his hands and saying nothing.
“We’re going to take your car and go for a little ride as soon as it’s dark. If you don’t mind.”
“How much is she paying you?”
“Who said she was?” I asked.
“Of course she is. Why else would you do it?”
“I’m her mother.”
“How much?”
“Never mind,” I said. “I don’t think you could meet the price.”
She turned her face then and looked at the man. “Didn’t you hear him, Jack? You see? The dear, sweet thing couldn’t find it. She didn’t even know what we were talking about.”
“Stop it!” he said.
“She not only double-crossed you then, to get it, but she’s using it now to double-cross you again and get
away and leave you holding the bag.”
“Shut up!”
There was no stopping her. “Why didn’t you have sense enough to look? Just look? Did you trust her, or something? Didn’t you know what she was? Didn’t the other one teach you anything?”
His eyes were terrible. He hit her across the mouth with his open hand. She stopped then, and it became suddenly and almost breathlessly silent in the room. I could even hear the squirrel chattering again, up on the hill.
I looked at my watch. It was only a little after one. We couldn’t leave until it was dark. That meant for at least six more hours I had to sit here and keep them sorted out and untangled and away from each other’s throats. I had thought that if I got them in here I could turn the gun over to Madelon Butler and let her watch them while I got a little sleep, but I could see that was out. They’d rush her the minute I dropped off. They were crazy enough. Or if they weren’t, she’d taunt them into it with that arrogant contempt of hers.
I’d given up trying to figure it out. And there was no use asking any questions. I’d just be wasting my breath. They were all too hell-bent on killing each other to bother with outsiders trying to make sense out of it.
I was tired. It had been thirty hours since I’d had any sleep, and we had a long afternoon and another whole night ahead of us. I wondered what our chances were of getting back to Mount Temple and into that house without being caught. In the dark, and with another car, we shouldn’t be stopped on the highway, but the house was another matter. They’d be watching it.
I stood up and motioned toward the storeroom. “In there,” I said.
They went by, watching me like a couple of big cats, and walked in. They sat down on some boxes. I stood in the doorway and looked at them.
“You won’t get hurt if you stay in there,” I said. “And when we leave here you’ll be turned loose. But if you try to come back through this door or jump Mrs. Butler again while we’re here, you’ve had it.”
“Aren’t you brave, with a gun in your hand?” the blonde said.
“Don’t keep crowding your luck. Just because I haven’t shot you already doesn’t mean I won’t if I have to. I’m strictly a money player, and there’s a lot of it tied up in this. Too much to let a couple of hotheads like you louse it up. Keep it in mind, Blondie.”
“I wouldn’t count on that money too much,” she said.
“You wouldn’t? Why?”
“You’ll never get it.”
“I’ll worry about that.”
Her eyes had grown thoughtful, and now she actually smiled. It was a very cold smile. “Yes. You’ll worry about it, before you get through. You haven’t found out yet who you’re dealing with. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it before, but it makes me feel a lot better.”
“What does?”
“The fact
“Relax,” I said. “You’ll get ulcers.”
“What are you going to do with her?”
Madelon Butler lit a cigarette and watched us through the smoke. The man sat hunched over the other end of the table, holding the edges of it with his hands and saying nothing.
“We’re going to take your car and go for a little ride as soon as it’s dark. If you don’t mind.”
“How much is she paying you?”
“Who said she was?” I asked.
“Of course she is. Why else would you do it?”
“I’m her mother.”
“How much?”
“Never mind,” I said. “I don’t think you could meet the price.”
She turned her face then and looked at the man. “Didn’t you hear him, Jack? You see? The dear, sweet thing couldn’t find it. She didn’t even know what we were talking about.”
“Stop it!” he said.
“She not only double-crossed you then, to get it, but she’s using it now to double-cross you again and get
away and leave you holding the bag.”
“Shut up!”
There was no stopping her. “Why didn’t you have sense enough to look? Just look? Did you trust her, or something? Didn’t you know what she was? Didn’t the other one teach you anything?”
His eyes were terrible. He hit her across the mouth with his open hand. She stopped then, and it became suddenly and almost breathlessly silent in the room. I could even hear the squirrel chattering again, up on the hill.
I looked at my watch. It was only a little after one. We couldn’t leave until it was dark. That meant for at least six more hours I had to sit here and keep them sorted out and untangled and away from each other’s throats. I had thought that if I got them in here I could turn the gun over to Madelon Butler and let her watch them while I got a little sleep, but I could see that was out. They’d rush her the minute I dropped off. They were crazy enough. Or if they weren’t, she’d taunt them into it with that arrogant contempt of hers.
I’d given up trying to figure it out. And there was no use asking any questions. I’d just be wasting my breath. They were all too hell-bent on killing each other to bother with outsiders trying to make sense out of it.
I was tired. It had been thirty hours since I’d had any sleep, and we had a long afternoon and another whole night ahead of us. I wondered what our chances were of getting back to Mount Temple and into that house without being caught. In the dark, and with another car, we shouldn’t be stopped on the highway, but the house was another matter. They’d be watching it.
I stood up and motioned toward the storeroom. “In there,” I said.
They went by, watching me like a couple of big cats, and walked in. They sat down on some boxes. I stood in the doorway and looked at them.
“You won’t get hurt if you stay in there,” I said. “And when we leave here you’ll be turned loose. But if you try to come back through this door or jump Mrs. Butler again while we’re here, you’ve had it.”
“Aren’t you brave, with a gun in your hand?” the blonde said.
“Don’t keep crowding your luck. Just because I haven’t shot you already doesn’t mean I won’t if I have to. I’m strictly a money player, and there’s a lot of it tied up in this. Too much to let a couple of hotheads like you louse it up. Keep it in mind, Blondie.”
“I wouldn’t count on that money too much,” she said.
“You wouldn’t? Why?”
“You’ll never get it.”
“I’ll worry about that.”
Her eyes had grown thoughtful, and now she actually smiled. It was a very cold smile. “Yes. You’ll worry about it, before you get through. You haven’t found out yet who you’re dealing with. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it before, but it makes me feel a lot better.”
“What does?”
“The fact
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