“Sheila!” Tom jiggled the crossbar, then slammed down the receiver. His hands were shaking, his heart hammering. The intercom buzzed. For a moment he hesitated, then pulling himself together he snapped down a switch.
“Oh, Tom, here’s Mr. Cain. He’s waiting for his Caddy,” Miss Slattery told him.
“Coming,” Tom said and got to his feet.
What was Sheila talking about? Killing the man? Not quite knowing what he was doing, he walked into the showroom.
Sheila left the Paradise Self-Service store, carrying one of their blue-and-white plastic bags that contained a steak, a packet of frozen chips, a bag of beef sandwiches and a carton of ice cream. She walked quickly along the sidewalk, turned left down a narrow street and slowed. Ahead of her, she saw the three golden balls hanging outside Herbie Jacobs’ pawnshop. She had been there several times when they had been so short of money they had had to pawn Tom’s cufflinks and her gold bracelet that Tom had given to her for a wedding present. She opened the shop door and entered.
Jacobs came from an inner room.
“Ah, Mrs. Whiteside, it is indeed a pleasure.” The little man was wearing a skull cap. He stroked his greying beard as he beamed at her. What a beauty! he was thinking. What a lucky guy Whiteside was! Imagine going to bed with a beauty like this every night. Nothing to pay! His for the taking!
“I’m going on a trip, Mr. Jacobs,” Sheila said, smiling at him. “I wonder if you can help me. Tom thinks I should have a gun. I’m driving… alone. Can I buy a gun from you?”
Jacobs stared at her, startled.
“Well…”
The pause hung for a long moment, then Sheila, aware of the passing time, said sharply, “Can I or can’t I?”
“Yes, but guns aren’t cheap, Mrs. Whiteside.”
“I didn’t think they would be. I want something small and not heavy.”
“I have a .25 automatic… a beautiful little weapon,” Jacobs said. “It costs a hundred and eighty dollars.”
“Let me see it.”
“If you don’t mind coming into the other room… you understand? One has to be careful.”
She followed him into the dingy inner room.
“Just one moment, please.”
He went into another room and she could hear him rummaging about, muttering under his breath. Finally, he returned with a small gun in his hand.
“You understand guns, Mrs. Whiteside?”
“No.”
“Of course… well, let me explain. Here is the safety catch. You pull it back… so. Be very careful: the trigger is light. It is an excellent gun. See…” He touched the trigger and she heard a sharp snapping sound. “Two hundred dollars, Mrs. Whiteside, and that includes ten rounds of ammunition… you won’t need more?”
“No.” She took the gun out of his grimy hand, balanced it and then pressed the trigger. Again she heard the snapping sound. Well, it wasn’t complicated, she thought. “Will you load it, please?”
He regarded her, a little worried, a little puzzled.
“I will show, you how to do it. It is better and safer for the gun to remain unloaded.”
“Then it would be useless. Load it!”
He slid the cartridges into the clip and then inserted the clip into the gun, pressing home the spring. Then he put on the safety catch.
“You will be careful… accidents can happen.” He paused, looking at her slyly, then went on. “You haven’t bought this gun from me, Mrs. Whiteside. That is understood? By rights, I shouldn’t be selling guns.”
“Yes, I understand.” She took the gun from him with four extra cartridges and put them into her bag. Then she gave him one of the $500 bills she had transferred from her stocking top to her bag during the bus ride down town.
He regarded the bill, his eyebrows crawling to the top of his forehead. She watched him, feeling tense and a little frightened.
“I will give you change. So Mr. Whiteside is having some success… I am so pleased.”
“He sold three cars recently. About time…” She relaxed and followed him into the shop.
“Well, success finally comes. We all have to work for it… some are luckier than others.” He gave her three one-hundred-dollar bills. “You should get a permit for the gun. I expect you know that. The police…” He waved his hand.
“I know… I’ll see about it. Thank you, Mr. Jacobs.”
Out on the street, she stood hesitating, then she turned and walked briskly to the main street. She walked into the Plaza Hotel and into the Ladies’ room. Here, she locked herself in a toilet, took the gun from her bag and, lifting her skirt, she pushed the gun down the front of her girdle. The touch of the cold steel made her shiver. She lowered her skirt, smoothed the cloth over the slight bulge, then, taking from her bag the extra cartridges, she lifted the flush lid and dropped them into the water. Then she left the toilet and the hotel.
She walked down the street, feeling the gun chafing against her skin. At the end of the street was a taxi rank. She headed towards it, then suddenly paused. She was right opposite Ashton’s, the jewellers, and there was that gold watch beckoning to her. She hesitated for a long moment, then the thought of owning it overwhelmed her. She walked into the shop.
“Good morning, madame.” The man behind the counter was tall, elderly and very refined. “Why, of course, it is Mrs. Whiteside. Your husband sold me a car last year. How is he?” As she stared blankly at him, he smiled, revealing plastic teeth. “I am Harold Marshall, Mrs. Whiteside. Your husband may have mentioned me.”
This crummy town! Sheila thought. Like living in a fish bowl! She gave him a dazzling smile.
“Yes, of course. Mr. Marshall, it is our wedding anniversary next week. My husband wants me to have that gold watch… the one in the window.”
“Now which one would that be?” Marshall said, going to the window and opening the grille.
She joined him and pointed.
“That one.”
“Oh yes… it’s quite the nicest design we have.” He lifted the watch from its black-velvet bed. “It would make a splendid anniversary present. This is your first, I believe.”
She wasn’t listening, her eyes were on the watch.
“Let us try it on, Mrs. Whiteside.”
She shivered as she felt the gold band grip her flesh. At last! Something she had longed for and dreamed about for months… now it was actually on her wrist!
“I’ll take it.”
He was slightly startled. She hadn’t even asked the price! From what he had heard from the local gossip the Whitesides were always in debt.
“You couldn’t do better, Mrs. Whiteside. I have a box.”
“No, thank you. I’ll wear it.” She couldn’t bear to be parted from the watch now she had it on.
“Of course. It is a self-winder. You will have no trouble, but if it gains a little bring it back. It will only need a small adjustment. You’ll be happy with this for the rest of your life.”
“I’m sure.” She paused, staring fascinated at the watch, then, seeing he was becoming a little restless, she asked, “How much is it?”
He relaxed.
“One hundred and eighty dollars.”
Well, she thought, I’m certainly spending money, and why not? Don’t I own two and a half million dollars, but as she gave Marshall the second $500 bill, she thought of the little man waiting for her in the bungalow.
Then she became aware that Marshall was regarding the bill doubtfully.
“My husband made a killing at the Casino,” she said hurriedly. “The first time he has ever won. Talk about luck! Two thousand dollars!”
Marshall smiled.
