Fris-Fris lifted his hands helplessly.?‘All right, baby, but you will never get him. The heat right now is terrible. Every cop…’ ‘Oh. wrap up! Get me a change of clothes - something dark and snap it up!’
Fris-Fris had a sudden idea. He was desperately anxious that Moe should escape. His black face lit up.
‘I have a girl’s outfit here, baby. It would fit you. How’s about it? I have a bce-hive wig too. I’ll get you up so your own mother wouldn’t know you.’
Moe stared, then nodded.?‘Now you’re talking,’ he said.
Forty-five minutes later, a slim Jamaican girl, her black bee-hive hair like a helmet, her blue and yellow dress caught tight at her waist, her bare feet in yellow sandals, walked out of Fris-Fris’ bar and along the waterfront.
She was carrying a large yellow and blue handbag: in the bag was a .38 automatic.?*****
Gina and Hardy lay on the big double bed. Hardy was a little drunk. They had just made explosive love, and now Hardy wanted to sleep, but Gina was restless and uneasy.
‘Let’s talk,’ she said, stretching her beautiful naked body the way a cat stretches. ‘Lee! I’m worried sick. They can’t do anything to you, can they, for killing that fat beast?’
‘No,’ Hardy said. ‘It’s routine stuff. Harry will take care of it. Don’t keep on about it. It was self-defence. Now, relax, can’t you? Let’s sleep.’
But it’s not ten yet.’ Gina said. ‘How can I sleep? Let’s go somewhere. Let’s go to the
Coral Club.’?Hardy opened his eyes and peered at her.?‘If you imagine I’m going out while that black thug is still loose, you’re nuts,’ he said.
Gina’s eyes opened wide.?‘You mean he might do something to you?’?‘What the hell do you think we have a cop outside the front door for?’ Hardy asked impatiently. ‘What the hell do you think we have two cops planted in the lobby downstairs for? They think he’ll come up here after me. He and Jacko were husband and wife.’ He sat up abruptly. ‘I wish to God I hadn’t shot that fat ape. I don’t know why I did it.’
‘But suppose they don’t find him?’ Gina asked, also sitting up, her eyes alarmed. ‘You mean we have to stay here until he is caught?’
‘Yeah. I’m not going out until they do get him, and they will. Every cop in town is after him.’
Gina got off the bed and walked across the room to where her wrap lay on the floor. Hardy studied her nakedness as she moved and as she bent to pick up the wrap. He had known more women than he could hope to remember. Not one of them excited him as Gina excited him.
‘Get me a drink,’ he said, lying back on the pillow.
Gina went into the kitchen, made two whiskies and added ginger ale and ice. She came back gave one glass to Hardy, then curled up in a chair near the bed.
‘Let’s get married, Lee,’ she said. ‘I’m sick of drifting around this way. Let’s get married. We could even have kids.’
Hardy stared at her in amazement, then laughed.?‘Coming from you that’s a riot. Kids? Who wants kids?’?‘I do,’ Gina said quietly.
After staring at her, Hardy became thoughtful.?‘Well, I don’t know.’ He shook his head, but Gina, watching him, saw the suggestion had made an impression.
‘We needn’t rush it,’ she said. ‘The kids I mean, but let’s get married.’?‘Why can’t you be happy as you are?’ Hardy asked, suddenly on the defensive. ‘Why should we get married?’
‘I’ve already told one lie for you that could get me into trouble,’ Gina said. ‘Now I have to tell another… that Jacko was going to kill me so you killed him first. That could also get me into trouble. I don’t like trouble, Lee. Why should I stick my neck out for you?’ She paused, then went on. ‘I’d cut my heart out for my husband.’
Hardy frowned up at the ceiling. Why not get married? Why not even have a couple of kids?
He suddenly relaxed and grinned.?‘Well, okay. Pekie, if that’s what you want,’ he said. ‘I could do worse. It might be an idea at that. Okay, as soon as this mess has been cleared up, we’ll do it.’
‘Don’t sound so damned enthusiastic,’ Gina said and giggled. This was the moment she had been plotting for now for the past three weeks.
‘What do you expect me to do?’ Hardy asked grinning. ‘Set fire to the joint?’
Gina gave an excited squeal and springing up, she threw herself on him, knocking his glass flying.
At this moment, a slim Jamaican girl walked down the alley at the back of Hardy’s apartment block. She moved quickly and silently, and no one saw her as she gently opened the door that led to the janitor’s office. She stepped into the corridor, shut the door and paused to listen. The janitor’s office was in darkness. A door at the far end of the corridor stood ajar, and a light came through into the corridor. Moving like a black ghost, she edged towards the stairs as a man in the room cleared his throat noisily. She kept on and reached the first floor. Here she paused as she could see the doorman reading a sporting sheet from behind the desk. She edged to the flight of stairs and again succeeded in moving out of sight without being seen.
On the second floor landing, she pressed the elevator button and when the elevator arrived, she entered and pressed the eighth floor button… one floor below Hardy’s penthouse. As the elevator took her swiftly upwards, she opened her bag and took from it a flick knife. She touched the button and a long, glittering blade sprang from the handle. The elevator came to rest and the doors swished open. Holding the knife out of sight by her side, she stepped out of the elevator and paused to listen. Hearing nothing, she again started up the stairs. As she reached the head of the stairs, a short, thickset man with cop written all over him, started down the corridor towards her.
‘You! Where do you think you’re going?’ he snapped, off his guard to see a Jamaican girl face him.
The knife flashed towards him and took him in the throat even as his hand began to move to the gun in his holster. He fell on hands and knees, gurgling. The Jamaican ran swiftly to him and lifting her heavy handbag, slammed it down on his head.
Moe… for it was Moe… stood staring down at the twitching body of the police officer. Then he bent, recovered his knife, wiped the blade clean on the dead man’s coat and returned the knife to the handbag. He then took out the gun and stepping past the dead man, he walked swiftly down the corridor to Hardy’s front door. He rang the door bell and stood, waiting, his bee-hive wig slightly askew, his lips drawn back off his teeth.
‘You dope! Look what you have done to my drink?’ Hardy was saying as the front door bell rang.
Gina stiffened and looked at Hardy. He sat up, then swung his legs off the bed and struggled into his dressing- gown.
‘Who’s that?’ Gina asked, her eyes growing wide.?‘That cop,’ Hardy said in disgust. ‘I bet he’s trying to cadge a drink.’ He started towards the bedroom door.
‘Lee! Don’t go! Let me go!’?‘Oh, relax!’ Hardy said irritably. ‘What are you worrying about? We are surrounded by goddamn cops.’
He went out into the lobby as the bell rang again.?‘Lee!’ Gina screamed as Hardy unlocked the front door. ‘Lee!’
The sound of three revolver shots crashed through the penthouse. There was a moment of silence, then the thud of a falling body.
Gina shut her eyes. With an agonised cry, she threw herself face down on the bed.
The two police officers on guard in the lobby were waiting for Moe as he came out of the elevator. It took five bullets to kill him and he died grinning, his bee-hive wig at the back of his head and his flowered dress rucked up around his black thighs.
A little before eight the following morning, Val surprised the hall-porter at the Spanish Bay hotel by coming on to the terrace, wearing slacks and a halter and carrying a heavy beach bag. He hurried towards her and she gave him a tight, forced smile.
‘I thought I’d have an early swim,’ she said as he took the bag. ‘It’s nice to have the beach to one’s self.’
The hall-porter, used to the idiosyncrasies of the rich, agreed. He watched her drive away, then shrugging, he returned to his post at the entrance to the hotel.
Val drove along the deserted beach road until she was out of sight of the hotel. She parked the car off the road, then carrying the beach bag, she walked down to the sea, slithering down the high sand dunes until she reached a secluded spot where no one could possibly see her.
She dumped the bag and walked around collecting dry wood that littered that part of the beach. In a while she had made a big pile of wood. From the beach bag she took a large bottle of lighter fuel and a newspaper. She soaked the paper with the fuel, pushed it under the pile of wood. Then she took from the beach bag, Chris’ blood-
