The Kill-Off

murder.'

'I-well, here's what I was thinking,' I said. 'The season will end in a couple months, and of course the girl will be leaving. So whatever… if Ralph is going to do anything, he'll have to do it by then. And- and-'

Kossy waited a moment. Then he grimaced and reached for his hat.

'Don't!' I said. 'I'm trying to tell you, Kossy. After all, it isn't easy for me to discuss Ralph this way, to think of some reason why my own husband would w-want t-to- to-'

'Well, sure.' He cleared his throat uncomfortably. 'I don't suppose it is. But-'

'But there is a reason why he might, Kossy. This property isn't worth nearly what it used to be, but it would still bring five or six thousand dollars-maybe as much as ten. And if Ralph needed money, if he was so mean and selfish that he couldn't wait until I died…'

Kossy's eyes narrowed. Blinked. He nodded slowly.

'Yeah,' he said. 'Could be. That would seem like a world of dough to Ralph, particularly now that he's been so hard hit in the job department. I don't suppose there's any use pointing out to you that if Ralph is planning something, you're at least partly at fault.'

'I am not!' I said. 'I haven't said a single solitary word about anyone! Anyway, Ralph doesn't blame me in the least, he knows I haven't said half as much as I could have, and-'

'Okay. Okay,' Kossy sighed. 'Forget it. Ralph wants to kill you, maybe. He's got a double motive, maybe: to clear his way for the girl, and to cash in on what's left of the estate. Say that that's the situation. What do you want me to do about it?'

'Well, I…' I didn't know. How should I know what to do? That was his job. And he'd been plenty well paid for it! I hadn't ever actually caught him stealing from me, but there'd been a great deal of talk about- 'You think it over,' he said. 'See what develops, and we'll talk again in a few days. Meanwhile, I want to say something about these lies of yours-shut up! don't interrupt me!- and I want you to take it to heart. If-'

'But I haven't said a word!' I said. 'Honestly, Kossy. I-And I just hope someone does try to start something! I'll-'

'You'll damned probably get killed,' he said. 'I mean it, Luane. It's the law of averages. You get enough people sore enough to kill you-and you've got just about the whole damned town-one of them is almost certain to do the job. So cut it out, get me? Better still, see if you can't undo some of the damage. Try to do it. Admit you've been lying, apologize to the people you've harmed. Use that phone for something decent for a change.'

Well, of course, I wasn't going to do anything like that! I'd die before-I just wasn't going to do it! In the first place, I hadn't said anything. He was just irritated by the few harmless little jokes I'd told about him. In the second place, it was all true what I'd said; and I guessed that if anyone was cowardly enough to harm someone for telling the truth, they'd have done so by now. And just what was I supposed to do all day, pray tell? Just lie here all day like a bump on a log, and never have a little harmless chat with anyone?

I tried to explain to Kossy how absolutely ridiculous it all was. But just try to tell that man anything! He looked at me, not really listening to what I was saying, and then he sighed and shook his head.

'Okay, maybe you can't help it,' he said. 'Take it easy, and I'll see you in a few days.'

I was just a little worried after he'd gone; I mean, about someone wanting to kill me besides Ralph. Then, I just shoved it out of my mind-almost-because a person can only worry about so much and that's all, and I had more than my limit with Ralph.

Because I hadn't told Kossy everything. I hadn't told him the most important thing.

He came back the latter part of that week. He kept coming back, week after week-he was here the last time this morning-but it didn't help any. I certainly couldn't do any of the silly things he suggested.

Ralph hadn't said or done anything out of the way. He was different, but it wasn't something you could put your finger on. Outwardly he was just as nice and considerate as ever, so how could I have put him under peace bond? Obviously, I couldn't. I wouldn't have even if I had a concrete reason to, because that would have fixed things up. It would have brought everything to a showdown-killed the last bit of hope I had. And the same thing would happen if I let Kossy speak to him. Or if I had one of the county authorities do it.

Ralph wouldn't feel sorry for me any more. He wouldn't pity me. He'd just go ahead and do what he wanted to do-what he wasn't yet nerved-up to doing.

As you can see, Kossy has been absolutely no help to me. None whatsoever. Here I am, a sick old woman whom nobody loves, and I can get no help from my own attorney, a man who has stolen thousands of dollars from me.

The foolish little squirt even brought a gun here, a revolver, and wanted me to keep it! I refused even to touch it.

'Oh, no, you don't!' I said. 'No, siree! People have accidents with guns. Accidentally-on-purpose accidents. As soon as Ralph or anyone found out I had that thing, they'd fix up a little accident for me.'

'But, dammit, Luane,' he said. 'What the hell else can you do? What can I do for you? Now, you keep it-keep it where you can get to it fast. And if anyone goes for you, use it.'

'Wh-aat?' I said. 'You're suggesting that I should shoot someone? W- why-why, how dare you, Kossy! What kind of woman do you think I am?'

'God!' he almost shouted. 'I don't know why the hell I don't kill you myself!'

He said some other very mean, nasty things, and then he slammed out of the house.

He came back for the last time this morning.

He said that he still thought I was in much more danger from others than I was from Ralph. Then, when I said he simply didn't know what he was talking about, he began to get ugly. And nosy.

'Y'know, Luane,' he said, 'the more I think about it, the less I can see Ralph committing murder for the few thousand bucks this estate would bring. It's hard for me to see him as a murderer, anyway, and for that kind of dough it just don't seem to figure at all.'

'Well, you're absolutely wrong,' I said. 'For a man like Ralph, who's never really had anything-'

'Uh-huh. Because he's cautious, ultra-conservative. Ralph wouldn't bet that the sun comes up in the east unless he got a thousand-to- one odds. He'd take no chance except for something big. He-no, now, wait a minute! Let's take a good look at Ralph. He's been odd-jobbing around this town for more than twenty years. Working around people who are hip-deep in dough-who are almost disappointed if they don't get chiseled. But did Ralph ever clip one of 'em? Did he ever pad a bill, or walk off with a few tools or steal gasoline and oil, or pull any of the stunts that a guy in his place ordinarily would? Huhuh. Never. In all those years, he-'

'Oh, yes, he did!' I said. 'He most certainly did! How do you think he got that car, pray tell?'

'Not by killing anyone. Not by running any real risk at all. In all those years, he pulls just one perfectly safe bit of chiseling-and he collects a high-priced car!' Kossy shook his head slowly, giving me that mean, narrow-eyed grin. 'Who are you kidding, sister? You know goddamned well Ralph wouldn't kill you for this estate. If you really thought he would, you'd just sign it over to him.'

'Why, I would not!' I said. 'There'd be nothing to stop him then. It would be just like throwing him in that girl's arms!'

'Well?' he shrugged. 'What choice you got? What choice has Ralph got? How you going to get by if he stays here?'

'Why, we'll get by just fine!' I said. 'We'll-uh-'

'Yeah? How will you? Out with it, goddammit!'