I’m glad that guy couldn’t read my thoughts. He was a nice social fellow and he might have had a shock.
“What are you doin’ around here?” he asked after we had got through with the back-slapping.
“Been staying at Colonel Kennedy’s lodge,” T told him. “Just taking a run into town.’”
He glanced over at the car. At that minute Ackie rolled the window down and stuck his head out. “Hey, Nick,” he bawled, “watch this dame.”
Flanaghan took a step forward. “Well, if it ain’t that old son-of-a-gun from the Globe,” he said.
Ackie gaped at him. “H’yah,” he said feebly. “Who thought you’d be around?”
“Who’s the dame?” Flanaghan asked. He had always been a great guy for the dames.
Ackie glanced at me. This had sobered him a little. “You don’t have to worry about her,” he said, keeping his voice down. “She’s cock-eyed.”
“How do you mean, cock-eyed? You mean she’s stiff?”
Ackie jerked his head at me. “Did you tell him?” he asked in a croaking voice.
I said, “Mo means she’s a little tight.”
There was an awkward silence, then Flanaghan said, “I hope you boys ain’t up to no dirty work.”
Ackie withdrew into the car and sat down. Past his shoulder I could see Blondie’s big hat. I felt the sweat trickling down my back. “You know how it is,” I said. “She ain’t used to our drinking and she took a little too much. We’re taking her right home to sleep it off.”
Ackie moved over to Blondie and put his arm round her. I guess that guy was still pretty high.
Flanaghan stepped round me and peered into the car. Ackie took a quick look at him over his shoulder and moved closer to Blondie. He effectively screened Blondie from Flanaghan.
He said in a loud voice, “Hey I Wake up, honey. There’s a cop askin’ after your health.”
I took off my hat and wiped my forehead.
Flanaghan pushed in closer.
“You all right, baby?” Ackie bawled.
Then out of the silence that followed a horrible soprano voice floated out of the car. “Sure I’m all right. Tell the officer to go take a pill.”
With horrified fascination I saw Blondie nod her head twice and move her arm a little.
Satisfied. Flanaghan stepped back. “I guess that dame’s as stiff as a board,” he said. “You’d better get her home.”
I shoved some money into the hand of the old guy and slid under the wheel. “I’ll be seeing you some time,” I called, and I engaged the gears. The car shot away from the service station fast, leaving Flanaghan scratching his head, looking after us.
Ackie said in a faint voice, “You wouldn’t call this dame a hot one now. I’m about frozen to death.”
I said, “For the love of Mike keep quiet, you bum.”
We drove the rest of the way in silence. When we reached Blondie’s apartment it started to rain. Big drops the size of nickels came splashing down on the street. That was the one break we had had on the journey. Rain as hard as this would keep the streets cleared.
I swung open the car door and climbed out. “Wait until I get the door open,” I said.
Ackie said, “Sure, leave me with the corpse every time.”
I went over to the front door. In the faint light I could just make out the glitter of the plate. I thought she wasn’t going to need that any more. I only had a vague idea of how I was going to get in, but when I tried the handle the door opened. I stood hesitating, then I stepped inside. I ran up the stairs quickly to Blondie’s room. There was no one in the bedroom and the room was in darkness.
Down I went again and called to Ackie. “It’s okay. We’ll get her out.”
Handling Blondie this time wasn’t so bad. It was just like you had got hold of a wax dummy. When I got my arm round her, she was as hard as wood. I eased her out. She had stiffened in a sitting position, her hands folded in her lap.
Ackie said, “You get one side, I’ll handle the other.”
We got her under the arms and ran across the pavement with her. I had to take her up the stairs, there wasn’t room for the three of us. I can tell you when I reached her bedroom I was mighty glad.
Ackie said behind me, “Put her in a chair. She’ll sit more natural that way.”
Then the bathroom door opened quickly and Katz slid into the room. He took just one look at me and went for his gun.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
IF A GUY PULLS a rod on you in a small room and starts popping at you, there is only one thing to do, apart from saying your prayers. You’ve got to start throwing anything you can lay hands on at him as hard and as fast as you can.
Well, there I was stuck in the doorway with Blondie like a marble statue in my arms. Ackie was right behind me, but he couldn’t do anything, not only because he was still pretty tight, but because I was in his way.
I did the best thing I could do under the circumstances. I didn’t like doing it, but when it’s a question of stopping slugs or doing the right thing, I don’t think much about behaviour. I tossed Blondie across the room into Katz’s face.
Just try tossing a big dame like Blondie across a room and see how you get on. I put everything I had into that heave and she went all right. She hit Katz where he kept his dinner, and he went over on the bed just like a shell had hit him.
Blondie bounced off him on to the floor, where she lay on her side in a sitting position, looking like a waxwork figure who’d fallen off its chair.
I dived across the room and landed on Katz. He tried to get his leg up to kick at me, but he was just too late. His rod had jerked out of his hand and had fallen on the floor somewhere. I thought Ackie would be bright enough to collect it.
Katz got a grip round the barrel of my chest that surprised me. This guy looked a thin dope, but he’d got plenty of what it takes. Before I could grab him, he had tossed me away so that I came down hard on Blondie. I was too rattled to care much about that, and as I scrambled to my feet Katz swung his legs round and caught me in a scissor-grip round the neck. I knew all about those sort of tricks, and I had his shoe off and was giving his big toe the works before he could start to put on any pressure.
“Sock into him,” Ackie yelled from the doorway. “Give him hell, Buddy.”
It broke the hold all right, but I collected a stiff kick in the face as I was getting set to jump him. I was glad that the kick came from the foot without a shoe, otherwise I should have seen a few bright lights.
Anyway, I went over backwards and it gave Katz time to get off the bed, then I went for him again. I was remembering Mardi now, so I hit that guy hard where it would hurt him. It did. He flopped on the bed, his eyes glazing. I had him by his long hair and snapped another wallop to his jaw just to make sure. He went out like a light.
I stood over him, blowing on my knuckles.
“I was just beginning to enjoy it,” Ackie said. “You shouldn’t’ve washed him up that quick.”
I went round the bed and gathered Blondie up. She’d lost her hat, but she still looked as suspicious and hard as ever. I put her in the one armchair and made sure that she wouldn’t fall forward.
Ackie leant against the doorpost watching. “Gee! This looks like one of those horror plays,” he said, jerking his head at Katz, lying flat on the bed, and then over to Blondie.
“I’ve got to get this guy round. I want him to talk,” I said. “Lend a hand, Mo; we’ll tie him up first in case he starts trouble.”
Ackie’s face brightened. “You goin’ to give him the works?” he asked.
“Yeah, I’m going to give it to him until he’s come as clean as Aimee’s surplice.”
Ackie scratched his head. “You’re sure headin’ for trouble. This guy’s the bad man of the town. He’ll start something which might come awkward.”