“Okay, so I’m crazy,” I said. “But I’ve got something on you, Peppi, that you won’t get out of in a hurry.”
“Let me slug this punk,” Law said.
Peppi jerked his head to the office. “Come in here,” he said, “I want to talk to you.”
I went into the office with Lew crowding me.
“What’s the idea?” Peppi said. “Come on—give.”
“If I’m not at a certain address in an hour’s time,” I explained, watching Lew out of the corner of my eye, “that picture’s going to the police chief. And then you can talk yourself out of it.”
“What address?” Peppi asked, fiddling with his cigar.
“Be your age,” I returned, wandering over to the desk and sitting on it. “Now listen, Peppi, here’s the deal. Give me Arym and I’ll give you the picture.”
While I was talking I glanced over Maddox’s desk. I remembered there was a button concealed somewhere which let off the burglar alarm. Maddox had had it fitted when some hood had threatened to scramble his brains in the old days of prohibition.
Peppi turned to Lew. “Get that safe open,” he said. “We’ll fix this guy when we’re through.”
That didn’t suit me. I spotted the button and rammed my thumb on it.
One of the other men caught me a full swing behind my ear, but he was a shade late. As I went over on the floor a bell began to ring somewhere in the building.
I struggled to my feet as Law went for me.
“Cut it out!” Peppi said, his face white with rage. “Take him and let’s get out of here.”
Lew dug his gun into my spine and herded me into Maddox’s private elevator. The others followed.
As we shot between floors, Peppi said: “You’ll be damned sorry you stuck your neck out.” And I didn’t like the look in his eyes.
The elevator landed us at the side entrance, away from the main doors. There was a big closed car waiting and as soon as we had bundled in it shot away towards Fifth Avenue. No one said anything all the way to Peppi’s house. Law sat by my side with his gun sticking into me and a hungry look in his eyes. I felt that I’d only to flicker an eye-lash and he’d plug me. So I sat still and sweated plenty.
When we got inside Peppi’s house Lew Shoved me into the sitting room.
The butler was in there fussing with a decanter. He looked at me with a tight smile on his crooked face.
Peppi said: “Get Miss Brandt.”
The butler went out.
Peppi and Law left me standing in the middle of the room and went over to the window. They whispered together and then Law gave a low laugh.
“Don’t waste too much time,” I said, feeling uneasy. “You’ve only got another thirty-five minutes to turn Arym over to me.”
“That’ll be long enough,” Peppi said.
“I’m not bluffing,” I said. “I’ve got you where I want you. Give me the girl or that picture goes to Summers. Where is she?”
Peppi shook his head. “I don’t know,” he said. “And I don’t care. I warned you not to double-cross me. Now you’re going to get your lesson.”
The door opened and Lydia Brandt came in. She looked at me much the same way a tiger looks at its dinner.
“I want this guy to talk,” Peppi said. “I thought rnaybe you’d like to soften him.”
Lydia smiled.. “Yes,” she said. “That would amuse me.”
“What are you going to do with him?” Peppi asked.
“I want to try that experiment again. I made a mess of it last time,” she answered.
Peppi shrugged. “She thinks she can cut a guy. I tell her she can’t do it.”
Lew sneered. “Let her try,” he said. “It don’t matter if she makes a mess of this punk, does it?”
I began to sweat.
Lew went to the door and called in the other two birds who had been in Maddox’s office.
“Tie this lug up,” he said. “If he starts anything, beat his brains out.”
Before I could make up my mind what to do they grabbed me. I waited until they began to twist my arms behind me, then I let them have it.
I wrenched one of my arms free and slugged the bigger of the two guys in the eye, then as the other swung at me I stepped close and hit him low.
That was as far as I got. Lew came up and slammed me over the head with his gun-butt. By the time I’d cleared my head I was sitting in a chair trussed up like a Houdini act.
Peppi was looking at the clock. “We ain’t got a lot of time,” he said.
“It’s not going to take me long,” Lydia said. She held a thin, sharp knife in her hand. She looked across at me. “You won’t have many dates after this,” she said viciously.
“Let’s be reasonable,” I said hurriedly. “You wouldn’t really want to do that to me.”
She held up the knife, then she came over. “You won’t feet it for a while,” she said, standing over ime. “I’ve done it before.” Her face was white and stony and I could see she was - getting a big kick out of seeing me sweat.
Peppi said to me. “Are you talking?”
“I’m talking,” I said, shrinking away from the knife.
“Where’s the plate?”
I gave him Harriet’s address.
“Let’s go,” he said to Lew. “We’ve still got ten minutes.”
They made for the door.
“Hey!” I shouted, “don’t leave me with this dame. She might start something.”
Peppi paused and smiled at me, “She will,” he said, “maybe you won’t be in such a hurry to double-cross me next time.” He looked over at Lydia, “When you’re through, tell Toni to park him in the river.”
She nodded.
“We’ll be back pretty soon,” Peppi said, and they all went out leaving me with Lydia.
I admit, right at that moment I was losing a lot of weight. I strained on the cords that held me but I couldn’t budge them.
There was a cold efficiency about Lydia that told me she was going through with this.
She was batty, of course. As crazy as a bug, but that didn’t help me.
“Well,” she said, “we’re ready to go. All you have to do is to sit still. I’m quick and it won’t hurt for a few hours, anyway,” she chuckled. “Then it’ll hurt plenty.”
I believed her.
She came over and twined her long fingers in my hair. I rammed my chin on my chest so she couldn’t get at my face.
“Don’t make it difficult,” she said, pulling at my hair. It scared me to feel how strong she was.
I braced myself and kept my chin down. She kept pulling and it felt like the top of my head was coming off.
“Damn you!” she said suddenly and touched my ear with the knife.
I jerked away with a yell and the next second I was staring up at the ceiling with the knife hovering a few inches from my eyes.
Then the door burst open and Arym marched in.
Lydia released my hair and stood away. Arym stared first at me and then at Lydia, and I could have hugged her if I’d been free.
Lydia was the first to recover, “What do you want?” she said in a flat, sullen voice, “go away!”
“What do you think you’re doing?” Arym demanded, her eyes flashing. “What’s happening, Ross?”
“She’s going to mask my face,” I said feverishly, “it’s an old family custom.”
“Is she?” Arym laid her gloves and bag down on the table. She took off her hat with deliberation. “Not so long as I’m standing on my two feet,” she said.
“Get Out “Lydia said furiously, “you’ve no business being in here. Go upstairs and wait for Peppi. He wants
