that even if you get away from here, it really doesn’t matter. One of you will kill the other before it’s all over. Isn’t it nice?”
“Isn’t it?” I said. “Unsaddle your broom and stay a while.”
I closed the door and walked back to the table.
Madelon Butler was still sitting in the chair at the end of it. I sat down and lit another cigarette.
“You’d better go in and get some sleep,” I said. “You’ll need it.”
“It’s too hot,” she said.
“Suit yourself,” I said. “But it may be a little hot tonight, too.”
She gave me that supercilious smile of hers again. “Not afraid to go back there, are you?”
“No,” I said. “We’re going back.”
“You’re rather fond of money, aren’t you?”
“I don’t know,” I said. “I never had any.”
“I hope you’ll be very happy with it.”
“I like your friends,” I said, nodding toward the storeroom. “Why don’t all of you rent yourselves out to curdle milk?”
“You’re not becoming squeamish, are you?” she asked mockingly. “Where’s your fine, professional attitude? Surely the detached and unemotional Mr. Barton wouldn’t let a little display of petulance like that upset him.” She broke off. “By the way, you never did tell me what your name really is.”
“That’s right,” I said. “I didn’t, did I?”
She shrugged.
Time dragged. The cabin was stifling.
I dozed off once, propped up in the chair. When my eyes flew open I saw the storeroom door being pulled gently back. The blonde was looking at me. “Back,” I said. It shut again.
They’d be watching the house. They might catch us.
Or if we tried to run, it could be worse. They might kill
us.
All right. Either I wanted that money, or I didn’t.
And if I wanted it, I had to have the keys.
Somehow, the sun went down.
It was dusk out across the clearing. I stood up. Madelon Butler killed another cigarette in the mountain of butts on the tray and looked at me. “Put on your robe,” I said. “Its time to go.”
“Very well,” she said.
I thought of something. “Would that blonde s dress fit you?”
“I haven’t the faintest idea. But I’d die before I’d touch it.”
“All right,” I said. “Don’t strip your gears. It doesn’t matter. You can change into something else when we get in the house. If we do.”
I went over and opened the storeroom door. “All right,” I said.
They came out. I motioned for them to go out the front door. I followed them. Madelon Buder came out, and I handed her the key. “Lock it,” I said. She locked the door. I put the key in my pocket.
I nodded to the blonde and Jack. “Just stand right where you are. When we’re gone you can start walking. Or you can have that Cadillac if you know how to start it
without the keys and don’t mind that it’s a little hot.”
“I’ll find you someday,” Jack said. “I’ll find you.”
“I’m in the book,” I said. I motioned for Madelon Butler
to get into the car.
As we crossed the culvert at the edge of the meadow I tossed the key out at the end of it without slowing down. I looked in the rear-view mirror, but I couldn’t see them. It was already too dark under the trees.
I flicked on the headlights and we went up the hill through the timber.
The lights of the country store and filling station were ahead of us. “Here’s where we hit the highway,” I said. “We’ll see a police car once in a while, but they won’t be looking for this car. Don’t pay any attention to them. They can’t see you in here.”
“Don’t worry about me,” she said.
I sailed the keys to the Cadillac into the roadside bushes, and in another minute or two we pulled onto the
pavement. In spite of what I’d told her, it was like walking into a cold shower.
I drove carefully, holding it down to forty or forty-five. Just a simple accident or being stopped for a traffic violation of some kind was all it would take to ruin us. I thought of how invisible a
“Isn’t it?” I said. “Unsaddle your broom and stay a while.”
I closed the door and walked back to the table.
Madelon Butler was still sitting in the chair at the end of it. I sat down and lit another cigarette.
“You’d better go in and get some sleep,” I said. “You’ll need it.”
“It’s too hot,” she said.
“Suit yourself,” I said. “But it may be a little hot tonight, too.”
She gave me that supercilious smile of hers again. “Not afraid to go back there, are you?”
“No,” I said. “We’re going back.”
“You’re rather fond of money, aren’t you?”
“I don’t know,” I said. “I never had any.”
“I hope you’ll be very happy with it.”
“I like your friends,” I said, nodding toward the storeroom. “Why don’t all of you rent yourselves out to curdle milk?”
“You’re not becoming squeamish, are you?” she asked mockingly. “Where’s your fine, professional attitude? Surely the detached and unemotional Mr. Barton wouldn’t let a little display of petulance like that upset him.” She broke off. “By the way, you never did tell me what your name really is.”
“That’s right,” I said. “I didn’t, did I?”
She shrugged.
Time dragged. The cabin was stifling.
I dozed off once, propped up in the chair. When my eyes flew open I saw the storeroom door being pulled gently back. The blonde was looking at me. “Back,” I said. It shut again.
They’d be watching the house. They might catch us.
Or if we tried to run, it could be worse. They might kill
us.
All right. Either I wanted that money, or I didn’t.
And if I wanted it, I had to have the keys.
Somehow, the sun went down.
It was dusk out across the clearing. I stood up. Madelon Butler killed another cigarette in the mountain of butts on the tray and looked at me. “Put on your robe,” I said. “Its time to go.”
“Very well,” she said.
I thought of something. “Would that blonde s dress fit you?”
“I haven’t the faintest idea. But I’d die before I’d touch it.”
“All right,” I said. “Don’t strip your gears. It doesn’t matter. You can change into something else when we get in the house. If we do.”
I went over and opened the storeroom door. “All right,” I said.
They came out. I motioned for them to go out the front door. I followed them. Madelon Buder came out, and I handed her the key. “Lock it,” I said. She locked the door. I put the key in my pocket.
I nodded to the blonde and Jack. “Just stand right where you are. When we’re gone you can start walking. Or you can have that Cadillac if you know how to start it
without the keys and don’t mind that it’s a little hot.”
“I’ll find you someday,” Jack said. “I’ll find you.”
“I’m in the book,” I said. I motioned for Madelon Butler
to get into the car.
As we crossed the culvert at the edge of the meadow I tossed the key out at the end of it without slowing down. I looked in the rear-view mirror, but I couldn’t see them. It was already too dark under the trees.
I flicked on the headlights and we went up the hill through the timber.
The lights of the country store and filling station were ahead of us. “Here’s where we hit the highway,” I said. “We’ll see a police car once in a while, but they won’t be looking for this car. Don’t pay any attention to them. They can’t see you in here.”
“Don’t worry about me,” she said.
I sailed the keys to the Cadillac into the roadside bushes, and in another minute or two we pulled onto the
pavement. In spite of what I’d told her, it was like walking into a cold shower.
I drove carefully, holding it down to forty or forty-five. Just a simple accident or being stopped for a traffic violation of some kind was all it would take to ruin us. I thought of how invisible a
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