I cursed silently.
“Okay. I’ll call back in five minutes.”
I hung up and went outside to see how the old guy was getting on. He was screwing on the
cap. “She’s full, mister.”
“Get me the change will you? I want to phone again in five minutes.”
184
He got me the change and sold me a packet of cigarettes. I hung around and wasted eleven
minutes before I finally got Ginny. By then I was getting a little uneasy. A fast car can cover
a lot of miles in eleven minutes. I wasn’t kidding myself they wouldn’t be after me by now.
“Why, Johnny, darling!”
“Now, listen, kid. I’ve a surprise for you. I’ve got that job. Yep. I heard only just now. And
I’ve another surprise for you. I’m on my way to you now.”
“Why, Johnny, does that mean … ?”
“Yeah, it means just that, but hold everything and listen. I’m to start work in Havana
tomorrow. I want you to call the airport and charter a plane to Havana to be ready to take off
in four hours. I want to know if you’ll come with me.”
“Charter a plane? It’ll cost a fortune.”
“Never mind the money. I’ve got all the money in the world. Will you come with me,
Ginny?”
“Tonight?” Her voice rose. “But I should have to pack and …”
“It’s tough, but if you can’t make it I’ll have to go alone …”
“Not another word, Johnny. I’ll make it I”
That’s the kind of girl she was.
“As soon as we arrive, we’ll be married, Ginny. Hold everything. I’m on my way!”
I slammed down the receiver and ran out.
The old guy was standing with his back to the petrol pump, his hands in the air and his
goatee trembling. I pulled up short and spun around, my heart skipping a beat.
Della was standing in the shadows, by the window, a gun in her hand, the awful little smile
flickering around her lips.
“Hello, Johnny” she said.
I knew if I made the slightest move she’d drill me. There was a look in her eyes that turned
me cold.
185
“Get in the car, Johnny; you and I are going for a ride.”
And I knew if I even hesitated she’d shoot. I walked over to the Buick and got in under the
driving-wheel. She opened the rear door and got in behind me.
“Miami, Johnny,” she said, “and snap it up!”
I trod on the starter, shifted into second and pulled away from the row of petrol pumps. The
old guy still stood as stiff as a statue, his hands in the air. She had scared the guts out of him.
We drove for about a mile in silence, then she said, “Where’s the money?”
I could see her in the driving mirror, the gun was pointing at the back of my head. Her face
in the moonlight was as white as a fresh fall of snow, and her eyes scared me.
“Where you’ll never find it,” I said.
“We’ll find it. Benno and Pepi are waiting for you in Miami. They’ll make you talk,
Johnny, and then they’ll kill you, and you’ll be glad to die.”
I kept driving. There wasn’t anything I could do about it yet, but I was working on it.
“So you thought you’d marry her,” she went on, the words spilling out of her mouth in a
vicious rush. “That’s a laugh! She’s in this, too. We’ll pick up Pepi and Benno, and then we’ll
all go down to the airport and pick her up. You’ll talk fast enough when you see those two
working on her. I’ll make her suffer! Don’t think she’ll escape. She’s in this as much as you!”
