our hands! We’ve got to report this …”
“I must have my bag, Johnny,” she said with an obstinacy that infuriated me. “There’s
something very valuable in it. I must find it before we worry about the police.”
“All right! All right! We’ll find it!” I said, and went over to the Bentley and wrenched
opened the door.
“Let me look,” she said, pushing me aside, and began groping about on the floor of the car.
I went around to the offside, but the door was jammed and wouldn’t open.
“I can’t see a thing!” she exclaimed. “Haven’t you a match?”
I struck a match and held the flame through the shattered window. She found the bag
wedged between the brake and clutch pedals.
“Okay, now you have it, you’d better sit down and take it easy,” I said, stepping away from
the car. “I’ll hunt up a phone.”
She came around the car to where I was standing.
“No, Johnny. We won’t bother about the police. No one must know he’s dead.”
“They’ll find him sooner or later. They’ll identify the car…” I stopped and stared at her.
“What is all this? Why shouldn’t they know he’s dead?”
“I can’t explain now; later, Johnny. Don’t look so worried. It’s all right. I’ll tell you later.”
“You’re suffering from shock,” I said sharply. “Sit down. I’m going for the police.”
She dipped her hand into the bag and brought out a .38 automatic.
“You’ll stay where you are,” she said softly, and pointed the gun at me.
II
The headlights of an approaching car lit up the sky as it climbed the long, sloping hill from
Pelotta. A moment or so later the car swept into sight; headlamps blazing. It was going fast,
and roared past us with a snarl and a rush of wind.
90
Neither she nor I moved. The moonlight fell directly on the glittering barrel of the
automatic: the gun looked menacing and large in her hand.
“Don’t do anything stupid,” she said, and her voice was as hard and as cold as a chunk of
ice.
“Have you gone crazy?” I said, not moving. “Put it down!”
“I believe this is the most important moment in my life,” she said. “You and I are the only
two who know Paul is dead. You don’t realize yet how essential it is that no one else should
know. Now listen, Johnny, you can either come in with me or I’m going to kill you. There’s
no other way I can be certain you’ll keep your mouth shut.”
I thought she had taken leave of her senses, but that didn’t alter the fact that she meant what
she was saying. I felt a little prickle run up my spine.
“There isn’t time to tell you what it’s all about,” she went on. “But if you come in with me
you’ll make money: big money, Johnny. What’s it to be?”
“What do you want me to do?” I said, and my voice was husky as yours would have been if
you had seen those glittering eyes and the hard, ruthless line of her mouth.
“Take his clothes off and put yours on him,” she said.
“They’ve got to think it was you who died in the car.”
“Me? They know me in Pelotta. They’ll identify me.”
“No, they won’t. You’re going to put him back in the car and set fire to it.”
“I can’t do that! Now wait …”
“You’ll do it or I’ll have to get rid of you, Johnny. There’s no other alternative.”
The bang I had taken on my head when I was thrown out of the car made clear thinking
impossible. If I hadn’t been so punch-drunk I might have tried to get the gun from her. As it
was, I knew I hadn’t a chance to reach her before she fired, and she would fire, the look in her
eyes told me that.
