Recoil

'All right,' I said. 'Stand up. All three of you.'

'Pat,' said Hardesty. 'You-'

'Up,' I said, and yanked him to his feet.

I lined the three of them up, and searched them. I shoved Madeline to one side, and looked at Doc and Hardesty.

'Now,' I said, 'I'm going to call the police.'

'Police!' They spoke the word simultaneously.

'I know,' I said. 'They won't believe me; probably they won't. But I've got to try.'

'But what's it going to get you!' Hardesty's face was dead white. 'You could get away, Pat! We'll- I'll see that you have plenty of money to-'

'I don't think so,' I said. 'A man can't get away from himself.'

'You're talking in riddles!' snapped Doc. 'You've knocked this insurance scheme in the head. I've cleaned up the political mess. Let it go at that, and-'

'Sure,' said Hardesty. 'Be sensible, Pat. We're all kind of off on the wrong foot here tonight, but it's not too late to straighten things out… Doc, why don't we shake hands all around, and…'

'Why not?' said Doc heartily, and his hand shot out.

It closed around my wrist. He bore down on it with all his weight; and Hardesty stepped in close, swinging. And I laughed again. It was too easy. It didn't give me an excuse to really get rough-to give them the only punishment they'd probably ever get.

I weaved around a few of Hardesty's windmill swings, letting him wear himself out. Then I gave him an open-palmed uppercut, and he rose up on his toes and shot backwards, and went down in a heap against the wall.

Doc was still struggling with my gun hand. I let it sag suddenly, jerked upward again, and he went back against the wall with Hardesty.

They sprawled there, looking at me dazedly.

I looked at Madeline, and she was smiling at me happily, joyously. Hugging herself. And before I could think, wonder if I had been right, if just this one time something would go right… the bedroom door banged open.

Myrtle Briseoe walked in. Myrtle and two state troopers. She blew a whistle and two more troopers burst through the hall door.

She pointed, and the troopers took hold of Hardesty and Doc. She jerked her head and they started toward the hall with them. It happened in split seconds, so fast that Doc and Hardesty lacked even time for surprise. They went out the door, wordlessly, tottering between the troopers, and Myrtle patted Madeline on the shoulder.

'Our girl friend beat you to the tip-off, Red,' she grinned. 'Had yourself a pretty bad thirty minutes, didn't you?'

'I-uh-yes, ma'am,' I said.

'Well, you asked for it. Tried to get you to level with me, didn't she? I tried, didn't I?'

'Yes, ma'am.'

'Well-' her eyes swept over me swiftly, 'that little tussle doesn't seem to have hurt you any. I was afraid there might be shooting if I busted in on it. Couldn't let you get shot before I got you a pardon.'

'No, ma'am-what?' I said.

'Why not?' said Myrtle Briscoe. 'I think the governor's going to sign just about anything I lay in front of him.'

And she clumped out the door, slamming it behind her, and Madeline was in my arms.

30

That, I believe, is about all.

I got my pardon. I got the job, which I still have, as investigator with the Department of Corrections. Madeline got her divorce, and we got married.

Doc got ninety-nine years for Eggleston's murder, plus an additional thirty years-to run consecutively-for bribery and attempted fraud. Hardesty got a total of forty years.

That's a lot of 'gots,' and there are still more concerning Burkman and Flanders and the rest of Doc's old gang. But I won't go into those. I'll only say that Doc doesn't lack for friends, if they can be called that, there in Sandstone.

Lila…

Well, Lila did quite well for herself, everything considered.

She sold her life story, ghost-written, of course, to a newspaper syndicate. That got her a nice chunk of money and a great deal of publicity, very valuable as it turned out. The last I saw of her-Madeline and I- she was headed for Hollywood with a B-picture contract.

She stopped to say good-bye to us before she left. Afterwards, I caught Madeline looking at me thoughtfully.

'I'm wondering,' she said. 'I'm wondering if lever will know what went on between you and that dame.'

'What went on?' I said. 'Surely, you don't think I'd… do that, Mrs. Cosgrove!'

'Uh-hah. I'll bet you wouldn't!'

'Well,' I said, 'I don't know of anything lean say to convince you…'

'And you can't think of anything to do either?'

'As a matter of fact,' I said, 'I believe I can. You've given me an idea.'

It wasn't a new idea, but it proved to be a very, very good one. Good enough to make Madeline forget all about Lila.

Good enough, period.