when I’m crying on the inside.”
“Oh, brother,” Steve said, and went back to his own problem.
Betty swung around with a dramatic gesture which almost carried her off the backless bench.
“All they think about is their own kicks.” She smiled at Shayne and held out an empty glass. “Will you freshen up my drink? And look in the John for an aspirin. Then we’ll talk.”
Shayne made her a new drink, finishing the first bottle and opening the second. He found a tin of aspirin in the medicine cabinet. She shook a half dozen tablets into her palm. He picked out two and put them back.
“Most of these jerks,” she said admiringly, “I could swallow the whole bottle and they’d figure it was up to me.”
Shayne took a long drink of Scotch from the bottle and sat on the foot of the unmade bed. “What’s your idea about what happened to Vince?”
She giggled. “Do you realize I feel much better? I’m like that. I sort of press a button and count three and I’m normal again. Vince—he disappears on me all the time.” She looked puzzled. “What time is it?”
“About ten-thirty.”
She nodded. “He’s out rambling. Rambling and looking and trying to hustle some poor chick out of a couple of bucks. How good a friend of his are you?”
“I can take him or leave him.”
“He owe you some money?”
Shayne grinned. “Betty, you’re a mind reader.”
“Oh, that doesn’t make me such a wonderful guesser,” she said modestly. “He owes all over town. I’ve made him some loans myself. I’m a receptionist, I drag down pretty good money. When he starts paying off you know who’s going to be first in line, yours truly. And I’m supposed to tell people that’s going to be soon.”
“I hear he’s been making it with his boss’s wife. Why does he need money?”
“She doesn’t have too much you can cash in on.”
Shayne drank from the bottle again. “How long’s he been gone?”
“I didn’t even know he was! My trouble is, I get disgusted and I drink too fast and forget to eat anything. Things don’t look so screwed-up after a couple of drinks. And all of a sudden I’m out like a light.” She drank off her Scotch and held out the glass, confident that he would get up and fill it for her. “Sometimes I wake up somewhere else and I don’t know how I got there. What a feeling! I know I ought to eat, but ugh. We adjourned in here with those two nice bottles of Johnny Walker, compliments of Mr. and Mrs. Al Naples. Still wrapped up in tissue paper, like presents. What I wanted to do was go to bed, but Vince has been a flop in that department lately. So we opened the Scotch.”
Shayne handed her a new drink. “He’s on junk, isn’t he?”
She nodded slowly. “The person I’m in love with. I’m not like some people. I don’t jump in the hay with anybody. Before Vince moved up to H that was the one thing I didn’t like about him, the way he would do it with anybody. I don’t include Mrs. Naples. He has to make a living, I grant him that. But I was brought up different and I’m not about to change.”
Her mind skipped. “For instance, the minute you walked in I knew you’d be gentle. Those shoulders of yours. You look tough, but you’re not, are you? I like the way you get me drinks without making a big deal out of it. You don’t know how tired I get of these boys. I’m ready for somebody more mature.”
Her eyes misted over. “We’d be great! I know just the things I’d like to do with you.”
She was beginning to move about excitedly and she was breathing more quickly. She slid forward so her knees touched his.
“But I’m not going to do them!” she said, her eyes shining with excitement. “So never mind asking me. Because I love Vince! I don’t believe in cheating on the guy you love, with all his faults. But how I’d like to!”
He took hold of her knee to hold it still. Her flesh was cool and smooth under his hand, and she moved her leg between his so his hand
“Oh, brother,” Steve said, and went back to his own problem.
Betty swung around with a dramatic gesture which almost carried her off the backless bench.
“All they think about is their own kicks.” She smiled at Shayne and held out an empty glass. “Will you freshen up my drink? And look in the John for an aspirin. Then we’ll talk.”
Shayne made her a new drink, finishing the first bottle and opening the second. He found a tin of aspirin in the medicine cabinet. She shook a half dozen tablets into her palm. He picked out two and put them back.
“Most of these jerks,” she said admiringly, “I could swallow the whole bottle and they’d figure it was up to me.”
Shayne took a long drink of Scotch from the bottle and sat on the foot of the unmade bed. “What’s your idea about what happened to Vince?”
She giggled. “Do you realize I feel much better? I’m like that. I sort of press a button and count three and I’m normal again. Vince—he disappears on me all the time.” She looked puzzled. “What time is it?”
“About ten-thirty.”
She nodded. “He’s out rambling. Rambling and looking and trying to hustle some poor chick out of a couple of bucks. How good a friend of his are you?”
“I can take him or leave him.”
“He owe you some money?”
Shayne grinned. “Betty, you’re a mind reader.”
“Oh, that doesn’t make me such a wonderful guesser,” she said modestly. “He owes all over town. I’ve made him some loans myself. I’m a receptionist, I drag down pretty good money. When he starts paying off you know who’s going to be first in line, yours truly. And I’m supposed to tell people that’s going to be soon.”
“I hear he’s been making it with his boss’s wife. Why does he need money?”
“She doesn’t have too much you can cash in on.”
Shayne drank from the bottle again. “How long’s he been gone?”
“I didn’t even know he was! My trouble is, I get disgusted and I drink too fast and forget to eat anything. Things don’t look so screwed-up after a couple of drinks. And all of a sudden I’m out like a light.” She drank off her Scotch and held out the glass, confident that he would get up and fill it for her. “Sometimes I wake up somewhere else and I don’t know how I got there. What a feeling! I know I ought to eat, but ugh. We adjourned in here with those two nice bottles of Johnny Walker, compliments of Mr. and Mrs. Al Naples. Still wrapped up in tissue paper, like presents. What I wanted to do was go to bed, but Vince has been a flop in that department lately. So we opened the Scotch.”
Shayne handed her a new drink. “He’s on junk, isn’t he?”
She nodded slowly. “The person I’m in love with. I’m not like some people. I don’t jump in the hay with anybody. Before Vince moved up to H that was the one thing I didn’t like about him, the way he would do it with anybody. I don’t include Mrs. Naples. He has to make a living, I grant him that. But I was brought up different and I’m not about to change.”
Her mind skipped. “For instance, the minute you walked in I knew you’d be gentle. Those shoulders of yours. You look tough, but you’re not, are you? I like the way you get me drinks without making a big deal out of it. You don’t know how tired I get of these boys. I’m ready for somebody more mature.”
Her eyes misted over. “We’d be great! I know just the things I’d like to do with you.”
She was beginning to move about excitedly and she was breathing more quickly. She slid forward so her knees touched his.
“But I’m not going to do them!” she said, her eyes shining with excitement. “So never mind asking me. Because I love Vince! I don’t believe in cheating on the guy you love, with all his faults. But how I’d like to!”
He took hold of her knee to hold it still. Her flesh was cool and smooth under his hand, and she moved her leg between his so his hand
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