Knock Knock Who's There?

Toni patted the target rifle. 'A kid of six . . .'

The big, airy room with its double bed, its two armchairs and its T.V. set seemed to have shrunk. The traffic sounds coming through the open window seemed to have increased. Tension hung in the room like a black canopy.

In bra and panties, Freda lay on the bed, her arm across her eyes. Johnny sat by the telephone, his eyes on his strap watch.

'Can't you call him now?' Freda asked, lifting her arm to look at Johnny. 'For God's sake! We've been waiting hours!'

'I warned you, baby,' Johnny said gently, 'this is a waiting game.' Sweat was trickling down his face. 'It's only five to five.'

'I'll go crazy if we have to wait much longer. All my goddamn life, I've had to wait for something!'

'Who hasn't?' Johnny wiped his face with his handkerchief.

'Everyone is waiting for something. Take it easy, baby. Think of the boat, the sea, the sun and you and me. Think of that.'

Her arm went back across her eyes.

'Sorry, Johnny. I'm on edge.'

On edge? Johnny suppressed a sigh. He looked at her, lying there, so desirable and to him, beautiful. On edge? He felt now the chill of fear. In spite of his warnings, she didn't seem to realize what kind of jungle they were heading for.

They waited, listening to the traffic, hearing a police whistle and in the distance, an ambulance siren. The tension in the room built up. The minute hand of Johnny's watch crawled on. Could a minute last so long?

'Johnny!' Freda sat up. 'Please call him now.'

'Okay, baby.'

He picked up the receiver and dialled Sammy's number.

Listening to the burr-burr-burr on the line, he thought of the moment when he unlocked the locker and pulled the two heavy bags out and he closed his eyes. All that money!.

Then Sammy's voice came on the line.

'Who's that?'

'Sammy? Johnny. You checked the bus station?'

'I checked it, Mr. Johnny. There's no one there.'

Johnny leaned forward, his heart beginning to thump.

'You're sure?'

'Yeah. I went all over it. The boys have gone.'

'Where's Toni?' Johnny knew Capello was the danger man.

'I don't reckon he's back yet, Mr. Johnny. The boss sent him to Florida. I haven't seen him.'

'Okay.' Johnny thought for a moment. The way south and out of town would take him past Sammy's place. 'Around midnight, I'll look in with the money. Be there.'

'Six thousand, Mr. Johnny?'

'That's it. Be there,' and Johnny hung up. He looked at Freda who had got off the bed and was watching him. 'It's okay. They really think we're in Havana. We'll leave here at seven-thirty. Let's pack. I'll fix a Hertz car.'

'You really mean it's safe . . . you'll get the money?'

Johnny put his fingers into his shirt to feel his St. Christopher medal: it was a reflex action, but when his fingers felt nothing but the sweat-coated hairs of his chest, he again heard his mother's words: as long as you wear it nothing really bad can happen to you.

'We're going to try, baby. Nothing in this life is safe, but we're going to try.'

He picked up the phone book, found the number of Hertz-rent-acar and called them. They said they would deliver a car to the hotel at 19.00.

Freda pulled on her green trouser suit and she was doing her hair as Johnny hung up.

'The car's fixed,' he said, then going to his suitcase, he took out his gun and harness.

Watching him, her eyes opened wide.

'What are you doing?'

'Just being careful, baby.' He smiled at her. 'I don't think we'll need it, but one never knows.'

'You're frightening me, Johnny.'

'Go on packing. This isn't the time to be frightened . . . this is the time to look ahead . . . to the future. This time tomorrow, you and me will be worth one hundred and eighty-six thousand dollars!'

'Yes.'

While she was carefully folding her new clothes into the suitcase, Johnny looked out of the window at the blue sky and the white clouds. His fingers went to his shirt, then dropped away.