Read Online The Postman Always Rings Twice by James M. Cain - Free Book Online

ought to seen the other one. I was beat up pretty bad, myself."
          "Los Angeles?"
          "Once. But that was only three days."
          "Chambers, how did you come to go to work for Papadakis, anyhow?"
          "Just a kind of an accident. I was broke, and he needed somebody. I blew in there to get something to eat, and he offered me a job, and I took it."
          "Chambers, does that strike you as funny?"
          "I don't know how you mean, judge?"
          "That after knocking around all these years, and never doing any work, or even trying to do any, so far as I can see, you suddenly settled down, and went to work, and held a job steady?"
          "I didn't like it much, I'll own up to that."
          "But you stuck."
          "Nick, he was one of the nicest guys I ever knew. After I got a stake, I tried to tell him I was through, but I just didn't have the heart, much trouble as he had had with his help. Then when he had the accident, and wasn't there, I blew. I just blew, that's all. I guess I ought to treated him better, but I got rambling feet, judge. When they say go, I got to go with them. I just took a quiet way out."
          "And then, the day after you came back, he got killed."
          "You kind of make me feel bad now, judge. Because maybe I tell the jury different, but I'm telling you now I feel that was a hell of a lot my fault. If I hadn't been there, and begun promoting him for something to drink that afternoon, maybe he'd be here now. Understand, maybe that didn't have anything to do with it at all. I don't know. I was stinko, and I don't know what happened. Just the same, if she hadn't had two drunks in the car, maybe she could have drove better, couldn't she? Anyway, that's how I feel about it."
          I looked at him, to see how he was taking it. He wasn't even looking at me. All of a sudden he jumped up and came over to the bed and took me by the shoulder. "Out with it, Chambers. Why did you stick with Papadakis for six months?"
          "Judge, I don't get you."
          "Yes you do. I've seen her, Chambers, and I can guess why you did it. She was in my office yesterday, and she had a black eye, and was pretty well banged up, but even with that she looked pretty good. For something like that, plenty of guys have said goodbye to the road, rambling feet or not."
          "Anyhow they rambled. No, judge, you're wrong."
          "They didn't ramble long. It's too good, Chambers. Here's an automobile accident that yesterday was a dead open-andshut case of manslaughter, and today it's just evaporated into nothing at all. Every place I touch it, up pops a witness to tell me something, and when I fit all they have to say together, I haven't got any case. Come on, Chambers. You and that woman murdered this Greek, and the sooner you own up to it the better it'll be for you."
          There wasn't any grin creeping over my face then, I'm here to tell you. I could feel my lips getting numb, and I tried to speak, but nothing would come out of my mouth.
          "Well, why don't you say something?"
          "You're coming at me. You're coming at me for something pretty bad. I don't know anything to say, judge."
          "You were gabby enough a few minutes ago, when you were handing me that stuff about the truth being all that would get you out of this. Why can't you talk now?"
          "You got me all mixed up."
          "All right, we'll take it one thing at a time, so you won't be mixed up. In the first place, you've been sleeping with that woman, haven't you?"
          "Nothing like it."
          "How about the week Papadakis was in the hospital? Where did you sleep then?"
          "In my own room."
          "And she slept in hers? Come on, I've seen her, I tell you. I'd have been in there if I had to kick the door down and hang for rape. So would you. So _were_ you."
          "I never even thought of