I shrugged. “You don’t know everythin’, Mo,” I said shortly. “Anyway, I’m goin’ to have a look at this dame—I might find somethin’.”
Ackie screwed up his face, but he didn’t say anything. I could see he thought I was up the wrong alley, but I told myself that I had to start somewhere. If Sarah Spencer was the woman on the ’phone she’d have to tell me a few things before I was satisfied that she hadn’t had something to do with Mardi’s kidnapping. I gave him a little push. “You’ve got to get goin’,” I said, “an’ make it stick—”
Still Ackie didn’t move. “Just how much am I to tell these G-men?”
“Tell ’em every thin’ Katz told us. That’s enough. Don’t bring Blondie into it, and don’t mention Mardi. Just blow up the Mackenzie Fabric racket—that’s all you gotta do.”
Ackie nodded. “How far do you want to be in this?”
I thought it over. “Yeah, you’re right. Suppose you leave me right out of it. I might want to do a lot of running around, an’ if I’ve gotta sit answerin’ a lotta bull from the cops it might cramp me.”
Ackie began to drift. “You take the car,” he said, “I’ll get a taxi. You’ll take it easy, won’t you, pal? Don’t start anythin’ you can’t finish. That’s a tough gang to play around with.”
I gave him a little shove. “Don’t worry about me,” I said, “I’ll watch out. When you’re through with the cops, go back to the pressroom—I’ll contact you there.”
I climbed into the car and engaged the gear. Ackie stood at the corner of the street and raised his hand as I swept past him. Although I didn’t know it, I wasn’t going to see that guy for several weeks.
Spencer had a swell house on Parkside. It didn’t take me long to get there, and I drew up on the opposite side and killed the engine. The house stood in about a couple of acres of grounds with a lot of trees and shrubs that more or less hid the house from the street.
I swung open the off door and got out. Crossing the street, I took a lock at the big gates. I told myself I wasn’t going to walk up the drive and ring on the bell, I was going to surprise that dame. Then something happened that surprised me. The electric horn on Ackie’s car gave a strangled croak, just like someone had touched it gently. I looked over at the car quickly,, my hand going to my hip pocket, where Katz’s gun was. In the darkness, I could just make out someone sitting in the car.
Pulling the gun out, and holding it by my side, I crossed the street again. I moved with stiff legs, rather expecting a sudden blast of lead. Someone called softly as I got nearer. “Nick—it’s all right—Nick— it’s me.”
It was her, too. Mardi was sitting crouched down in the car, peering at me through the open window with a white, scared face.
I stood there, holding on to the door of the car, looking at her. I just couldn’t believe my eyes. I said, “Mardi—”
“Yes—please get in. We must get away from here. Nick, get in quickly.” The urgency of her voice made me act I pulled open the car door and slid under the wheel. I put my hands on her, and I could feel her trembling.
“But, honey—what happened? What are you doing here?” I said, putting my arm round her and pulling her to me.
With violence that startled me, she pulled herself away from me. “Nick—don’t talk. Get me away from here….” she said. There was a high, note of hysteria in her voice.
I leant forward and started the engine, then rolled the car down the street. I didn’t move it fast, but kept it going. “Where do you want to go, baby?” I said. “Just take it easy, I’ll take you wherever you want to go.”
She said, “I’m so frightened, Nick, we must get far away. Don’t talk now, but get me away—anywhere, but get me away.”
I shoved the pedal down and the car picked up speed. It was no use asking her questions when she was like this. Something bad must have happened to have got her so scared. I headed the car out of town. I sat holding the wheel, looking at the two bright pools of light thrown by the headlights ahead of me, and wondering what it was all about. I could feel Mardi shivering against me, but I didn’t look at her. I thought the best thing was to let her calm down before I fussed her.
It wasn’t until I had left the town some miles back, and got on to the desert road, that she began to relax. I could feel the tenseness going out of her body, and her shivering gradually stopped. I put out a hand and found one of hers and squeezed it. She was cold, but she gripped my hand hard, so I knew it was all right between us.
I said, “Suppose we stop an’ have a little talk, baby. We can’t go on like this all night.”
She said, “Don’t stop, Nick—we’ve got to go further than this. Please go on.”
She leant against me and I put my arm around her.
I said, “We’ll go on, if you want to.”
And on we went. After a little while, Mardi fell asleep. I could feel her breathing softly on my hand. When I was sure she was sleeping heavily, I slackened speed. I didn’t know where we were heading, and I didn’t want to get landed somewhere without any gas. I’d got enough for some way yet, but I wanted to have a talk with her before we went much further.
The desert road runs for about a couple of hundred miles through sand and shrub, it links up with a small town called Plattsville, and then starts all over again to the Pacific. Just a long ribbon of road, straight, flat and monotonous, linking up small hick towns, like a string of badly spaced beads.
I checked the time. It was just after two o’clock. I reckoned that in about an hour I should run into Plattsville. I made up my mind, I wouldn’t go further than Plattsville without finding out what was scaring Mardi. Maybe, after a sleep, she’d get a grip on herself.
I pushed the car along at a faster rate. At this time in the morning the wind nips off the desert, and I was beginning to feel cold. I was not only wanting a drink bad, but I was beginning to feel sleepy. I told myself that I’d stop at Plattsville whatever happened.
My guess that it would be about an hour’s run was near enough. The hands of the dashboard clock stood at three-fifteen when I spotted the few street lights of Plattsville. I shoved the clutch out and ran the car to a stop by the side of the road. The little jerk woke Mardi, who sat up nervously.
“It’s all right, baby,” I said quickly. “We’re running into a town. I thought maybe you’d like to talk things over with me before we go any further.”
She peered out of the window, then she turned round to me and put her hands on my arm. “Oh, Nick, it’s good to have you,” she said. Her voice was quite steady, and I knew she’d got her nerve back.
I lit a cigarette and gave her one. “We’ve come a mighty long way,” I said. “So you don’t have to get scared any more.”
She shook her head. “No, I’m all right now. I was so frightened, Nick. I wanted to get away. I don’t want to go back. Promise me you’ll not go back any more.”
I patted her arm. “It’s all right now. We’ve washed them up. You don’t have to worry your head any more. We’ve turned the whole business over to the Federal Bureau to deal with—”
She clutched my arm. “The whole business?” Once more her voice trembled. “Do you have to be in it?”
“Now take it easy,” I said. “I’m out. Ackie’s doin’ it all. You an’ me are out of this.”
She drew a deep breath. “I see,” she said.
I said, “I must know what happened at the lodge.”
She turned her head and looked at me. “Happened? Why, what do you mean? Happened?”