here.”
“I've got to stay.”
“I will explain to Mr. Grayson,” McGee said. “He will not want you to risk your life.”
“It's my life.”
“They may be after you even now.”
“To hell with them.”
He stood up. “Well, Craven, I must say I admire your spirit. I hope you will not have to regret your decision.”
“Thanks.”
“I felt it my duty to warn you.”
“Sure.”
“If you should change your mind, let me know.”
“All right.”
He tapped his yellow teeth with a fingernail. “I'd rather you didn't phone me... because of the position you're now in. You understand?”
I nodded.
“If it's at night, come to my residence. I read until one in my library. It is in the rear of the house. You can tap at the french doors.”
“Okay,” I said. “The french doors. But don't count on me coming around.”
I went out and after half a block, the guy in the dark suit picked me up again. I began to get creepy. Nobody likes to be followed, especially when it might be somebody with murder in his mind. I thought I'd better find out about the dark suit.
I walked to a place where there was one cab waiting. I got in and said loudly: “To the Arkady.” When I got there I went upstairs to my room, slammed the hall door and then opened it a crack. Pretty soon the elevator stopped at the third floor and the guy came out and went into the room next to mine. I waited a minute, and then I knocked on his door.
“Who is it?”
“The room clerk.”
The door came open a foot. I put my shoulder against it and shoved my way into the room. The guy in the dark suit had a pistol pointed at my stomach. I closed the door. The guy looked scared.
“What do you want?”
“That's what I came to ask you.”
“I don't want anything.”
“You've been tailing me,” I said. “Why?” The hand holding the pistol was kind of shaky. “You're wrong, buddy; I haven't followed anybody.”
“Nuts,” I said.
I saw the guy was cock-eyed. One eye was looking at the door and the other was looking at me. “If you don't get out, I'll call the operator.”
“You're sure you haven't been following me?”
“Of course I'm sure. You must be crazy. I don't even know who you are.”
I pretended to be convinced. “I'm sorry, mister. Somebody has been following me. I thought he came in here.”
“You thought wrong.” The guy was getting cocky. He waved the pistol at me. “You're lucky I didn't plug you, buddy, when you pushed into here.”
“I guess I was.” I turned to go. There was a Bible on the dresser. I picked it up and threw it. He ducked, and I had the gun before he knew what had happened. I hit him with it, and he went down. I let him sit up, and then I kicked his face. The kick stunned him. I pulled a sheet from the bed, tore off a piece and gagged him. I pulled him up on the bed. After a while he came to.
“Now let's have the story, brother,” I said. He made a noise through the gag, but I didn't want to take it off for fear he'd shout. I got a pencil and a sheet of writing-paper from the desk. When I came back he kicked my stomach with both feet. I lit hard on the floor, most of the breath out of me. He slid across the bed towards the telephone. I caught at his legs, but his hands knocked the phone off the table. It crashed on the floor. He tried to kick me again, but: I had his legs. I brought him off the bed to his knees. His fists beat against my head. I punched him in the gut and he doubled up, still on his knees. I could hear a voice saying 'Hello' on the phone. I let him have one on the side of the jaw. It cooled him. I crawled to the phone..
“Hello,” the clerk was saying. “Hello.”
“Hello,” I said. “Can you tell me the right time?”
“Why, yes. It's twenty past seven.”
“Thank you.”
I hung up. I got a towel and wet it and wiped the blood off the guy's face. The water brought him around. He lay on the floor, on his back, trying to get air through the gag. His gasping sounded awful. I wondered if he was going to die.
