Read Online 1944 - Just the Way It Is by James Hadley Chase - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: James Hadley Chase
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it sharply behind her.
EIGHT
W ithout taking his eyes off Schultz, Harry Duke slid into the room. He put his hand behind him and pushed down the window and adjusted the blind.
Schultz seemed paralysed. He knelt there, his knee still pinning Lorelli flat on the floor, and slack rope still in his thick fingers. Only his eyes were alive and they regarded Duke murderously.
Duke had opened his coat so that Schultz could see the leather gun holster that was strapped under his arm. He was careful not to take his eyes off Schultz. He knew that the fat man could move very quickly when he wanted to.
‘I hope I ain’t in the way,’ he said, leaning against the wall. ‘Anyone but me would think you were going to kill that girl.’
Schultz still knelt there blinking at him without saying anything.
Duke said softly, ‘Get away from her, will you?’
Schultz suddenly expelled a little hiss of breath through his teeth and let the rope slip out of his fingers. He stood up slowly and passed his hand over his fat, sweating face. ‘Hello, Harry,’ he said, in a strangled voice. ‘You quite startled me.’
‘Sorry about that,’ Duke returned, still watching him closely. ‘The next time I’ll give you a ring and let you know I’m coming.’
Schultz waddled unsteadily across the room and refilled his glass. He drank the whisky greedily, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, then sank down slowly in his armchair. He sat looking at Duke, his hands shaking and his saucer-like eyes blinking.
Duke moved farther into the room. ‘Look, Paul,’ he said. ‘Don’t do anything dumb. I mean, don’t try and pull a gun or start anything. I’ve had more practice than you and it wouldn’t mean a great deal if I killed you.’
Schultz’s face grimaced into a lopsided grin. ‘I ain’t tired of life yet,’ he said. ‘I wouldn’t start anything.’
‘Just thought I’d tell you,’ Duke said. ‘You were being dumb just now,’ and he looked down at Lorelli. ‘You were being very dumb. What did she do to annoy you?’
The fat man shifted his eyes and said nothing.
Lorelli gave a little sigh and moved uneasily.
‘Maybe I’d better take that necktie off before she wakes up,’ Duke said, kneeling down beside her. ‘It’d be a shock for her if she found she had so nearly handed in her pail.’
‘I wasn’t going to kill her,’ Schultz said, hastily, ‘I just wanted to scare her.’
‘You’re a thorough sort of guy, Paul. Nice ideas you’ve got locked up in that skull of yours.’ Duke gently levered the noose loose from Lorelli’s neck and then slipped it over her head. He worked with his left hand only. His right hand rested on his knee.
He tossed the rope across the room and then turned Lorelli gently over on her back. As he was doing this, Schultz’s hand suddenly jerked behind him. His heavy automatic was halfway from his hip pocket when he found himself staring down the barrel of a .38 which Duke produced from nowhere.
‘More practice, Paul,’ Harry Duke said, evenly. ‘Take your hand from behind you very slowly and drop that gun.’
Schultz snarled at him, but the automatic fell on the floor with a little thud.
‘Kick it over here,’ Duke went on, ‘I’ve a good mind to smack you for that, Paul. What’s the matter with you? Gone crazy or are you just tired of life?’
He picked up Schultz’s automatic as it slid over to him and put it in his pocket.
Schultz suddenly relaxed in his chair with a little shrug. ‘It’s a pity you interfered Harry,’ he said. ‘You’re going to upset a lot of people and in the end you’ll be sorry. You’ve only won the first round. There’s a lot of rounds left.’
Duke was looking down at Lorelli curiously. ‘Now, where have I seen her before?’ he asked. ‘Quite a looker, ain’t she? Well, I’m glad I came along when I did. You shouldn’t waste women like this, Paul. There are other guys who could do with ‘em, you know.’
Lorelli
EIGHT
W ithout taking his eyes off Schultz, Harry Duke slid into the room. He put his hand behind him and pushed down the window and adjusted the blind.
Schultz seemed paralysed. He knelt there, his knee still pinning Lorelli flat on the floor, and slack rope still in his thick fingers. Only his eyes were alive and they regarded Duke murderously.
Duke had opened his coat so that Schultz could see the leather gun holster that was strapped under his arm. He was careful not to take his eyes off Schultz. He knew that the fat man could move very quickly when he wanted to.
‘I hope I ain’t in the way,’ he said, leaning against the wall. ‘Anyone but me would think you were going to kill that girl.’
Schultz still knelt there blinking at him without saying anything.
Duke said softly, ‘Get away from her, will you?’
Schultz suddenly expelled a little hiss of breath through his teeth and let the rope slip out of his fingers. He stood up slowly and passed his hand over his fat, sweating face. ‘Hello, Harry,’ he said, in a strangled voice. ‘You quite startled me.’
‘Sorry about that,’ Duke returned, still watching him closely. ‘The next time I’ll give you a ring and let you know I’m coming.’
Schultz waddled unsteadily across the room and refilled his glass. He drank the whisky greedily, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, then sank down slowly in his armchair. He sat looking at Duke, his hands shaking and his saucer-like eyes blinking.
Duke moved farther into the room. ‘Look, Paul,’ he said. ‘Don’t do anything dumb. I mean, don’t try and pull a gun or start anything. I’ve had more practice than you and it wouldn’t mean a great deal if I killed you.’
Schultz’s face grimaced into a lopsided grin. ‘I ain’t tired of life yet,’ he said. ‘I wouldn’t start anything.’
‘Just thought I’d tell you,’ Duke said. ‘You were being dumb just now,’ and he looked down at Lorelli. ‘You were being very dumb. What did she do to annoy you?’
The fat man shifted his eyes and said nothing.
Lorelli gave a little sigh and moved uneasily.
‘Maybe I’d better take that necktie off before she wakes up,’ Duke said, kneeling down beside her. ‘It’d be a shock for her if she found she had so nearly handed in her pail.’
‘I wasn’t going to kill her,’ Schultz said, hastily, ‘I just wanted to scare her.’
‘You’re a thorough sort of guy, Paul. Nice ideas you’ve got locked up in that skull of yours.’ Duke gently levered the noose loose from Lorelli’s neck and then slipped it over her head. He worked with his left hand only. His right hand rested on his knee.
He tossed the rope across the room and then turned Lorelli gently over on her back. As he was doing this, Schultz’s hand suddenly jerked behind him. His heavy automatic was halfway from his hip pocket when he found himself staring down the barrel of a .38 which Duke produced from nowhere.
‘More practice, Paul,’ Harry Duke said, evenly. ‘Take your hand from behind you very slowly and drop that gun.’
Schultz snarled at him, but the automatic fell on the floor with a little thud.
‘Kick it over here,’ Duke went on, ‘I’ve a good mind to smack you for that, Paul. What’s the matter with you? Gone crazy or are you just tired of life?’
He picked up Schultz’s automatic as it slid over to him and put it in his pocket.
Schultz suddenly relaxed in his chair with a little shrug. ‘It’s a pity you interfered Harry,’ he said. ‘You’re going to upset a lot of people and in the end you’ll be sorry. You’ve only won the first round. There’s a lot of rounds left.’
Duke was looking down at Lorelli curiously. ‘Now, where have I seen her before?’ he asked. ‘Quite a looker, ain’t she? Well, I’m glad I came along when I did. You shouldn’t waste women like this, Paul. There are other guys who could do with ‘em, you know.’
Lorelli
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