"She's got to go. She knows too much. When she's asleep..."
"Ma!"
Slim's voice, slightly high pitched, made them all look at him. He was glaring at his mother, his yellow eyes smouldering.
"What is it?" the old woman asked. She felt a chill of fear around her heart.
"She belongs to me," Slim said, speaking slowly and distinctly. "No one touches her unless they want to reckon with me first. She belongs to me and I'm keeping her."
"Look, Slim, don't be foolish," Ma said. She spoke with difficulty. Her mouth felt dry. "We can't keep her. It's too dangerous. She's got to go."
Slim suddenly kicked a chair out of his way. His knife jumped into his hand. Woppy and Doc hurriedly backed away from Ma, leaving her to face Slim alone. She stiffened as Slim began slowly to move towards her.
"Then you'll reckon with me," he said viciously. "Do you want me to cut your throat, you old cow? If you touch her--if anyone touches her--I'll cut you to pieces!"
Eddie slid his gun into his hand. Ma saw the move.
"Put that gun up!" she said hoarsely. She was terrified Eddie was going to shoot her son.
Slim turned on Eddie who backed away.
"You hear me?" Slim screamed. "She's mine! I'm keeping her! No one's touching her!"
He stared around at each of them in turn, then he went out, slamming the door behind him.
There was a long pause. Ma was pale. She went slowly to her chair and sat down. She looked suddenly old.
Eddie and Flynn exchanged glances. Eddie shrugged and made for the door. Flynn followed him out of the room.
Woppy, sweating, sat on the couch and pretended to look at the comics. Doc poured himself a stiff drink. The silence in the room was painful.
Slim stood at the head of the stairs, listening. He grinned to himself. At last he had shown his power. He had scared them all. From now on, he was going to have his rightful place in the gang. Ma was going to take second place. He looked down the passage at Miss Blandish's room. It was time he stopped sitting by her night after night. He must show her he wasn't only master of his mother, but master of her too.
He started down the passage, his yellow eyes gleaming. He took the key out of the lock after unlocking the door. He went into the room and locked the door.
Miss Blandish watched him come across the room. She saw his new confidence and she guessed what it was to mean to her.
Shuddering, she shut her eyes.
CHAPTER THREE
1
ACROSS the frosted panel of the door ran the legend:
DAVE FENNER. INVESTIGATIONS.
The lettering was in black and recently painted.
The door led into a small, well-furnished office with a desk, two lounging chairs, a good Oriental carpet and wall shelves full of law books recently acquired and never opened.
David Fenner lounged in the desk chair, his feet on the desk. He was staring blankly up at the ceiling. He had the air of a man with nothing to do and all the time in the world to do it in.
Fenner was a massively built man of thirty-three. He was dark, with an attractively ugly face and a pugnacious jaw of a man who likes to get his own way and generally does.
A door to the left of the desk led into the outer office. A wooden barrier divided this room. One side was reserved for waiting clients; the other side was the general office presided over by, Paula Dolan, an attractive girl with raven black wavy hair, large suggestive blue eyes and a figure that Fenner declared was the only asset of value in the newly established business.
Paula sat before an idle typewriter, thumbing through the pages of a lurid magazine called
Love.
From time to time, she yawned and her eyes continually strayed to the wall clock. The time was twenty minutes after three.
The buzzer sounded on her desk, making her start. She put down the magazine and walked into the inner office.
"Got any cigarettes, honey?" Fenner asked, hunching his muscles so the chair creaked. "I'm all out."
"I've got three left," Paula said. "You can have two of them." She went into her office
"Ma!"
Slim's voice, slightly high pitched, made them all look at him. He was glaring at his mother, his yellow eyes smouldering.
"What is it?" the old woman asked. She felt a chill of fear around her heart.
"She belongs to me," Slim said, speaking slowly and distinctly. "No one touches her unless they want to reckon with me first. She belongs to me and I'm keeping her."
"Look, Slim, don't be foolish," Ma said. She spoke with difficulty. Her mouth felt dry. "We can't keep her. It's too dangerous. She's got to go."
Slim suddenly kicked a chair out of his way. His knife jumped into his hand. Woppy and Doc hurriedly backed away from Ma, leaving her to face Slim alone. She stiffened as Slim began slowly to move towards her.
"Then you'll reckon with me," he said viciously. "Do you want me to cut your throat, you old cow? If you touch her--if anyone touches her--I'll cut you to pieces!"
Eddie slid his gun into his hand. Ma saw the move.
"Put that gun up!" she said hoarsely. She was terrified Eddie was going to shoot her son.
Slim turned on Eddie who backed away.
"You hear me?" Slim screamed. "She's mine! I'm keeping her! No one's touching her!"
He stared around at each of them in turn, then he went out, slamming the door behind him.
There was a long pause. Ma was pale. She went slowly to her chair and sat down. She looked suddenly old.
Eddie and Flynn exchanged glances. Eddie shrugged and made for the door. Flynn followed him out of the room.
Woppy, sweating, sat on the couch and pretended to look at the comics. Doc poured himself a stiff drink. The silence in the room was painful.
Slim stood at the head of the stairs, listening. He grinned to himself. At last he had shown his power. He had scared them all. From now on, he was going to have his rightful place in the gang. Ma was going to take second place. He looked down the passage at Miss Blandish's room. It was time he stopped sitting by her night after night. He must show her he wasn't only master of his mother, but master of her too.
He started down the passage, his yellow eyes gleaming. He took the key out of the lock after unlocking the door. He went into the room and locked the door.
Miss Blandish watched him come across the room. She saw his new confidence and she guessed what it was to mean to her.
Shuddering, she shut her eyes.
CHAPTER THREE
1
ACROSS the frosted panel of the door ran the legend:
DAVE FENNER. INVESTIGATIONS.
The lettering was in black and recently painted.
The door led into a small, well-furnished office with a desk, two lounging chairs, a good Oriental carpet and wall shelves full of law books recently acquired and never opened.
David Fenner lounged in the desk chair, his feet on the desk. He was staring blankly up at the ceiling. He had the air of a man with nothing to do and all the time in the world to do it in.
Fenner was a massively built man of thirty-three. He was dark, with an attractively ugly face and a pugnacious jaw of a man who likes to get his own way and generally does.
A door to the left of the desk led into the outer office. A wooden barrier divided this room. One side was reserved for waiting clients; the other side was the general office presided over by, Paula Dolan, an attractive girl with raven black wavy hair, large suggestive blue eyes and a figure that Fenner declared was the only asset of value in the newly established business.
Paula sat before an idle typewriter, thumbing through the pages of a lurid magazine called
Love.
From time to time, she yawned and her eyes continually strayed to the wall clock. The time was twenty minutes after three.
The buzzer sounded on her desk, making her start. She put down the magazine and walked into the inner office.
"Got any cigarettes, honey?" Fenner asked, hunching his muscles so the chair creaked. "I'm all out."
"I've got three left," Paula said. "You can have two of them." She went into her office
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