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

cops good and sore. Then you had to take that Malibu Lake Road, so she could see Malibu Beach. Wasn't that an idea, now. Eleven o'clock at night, and she was going to drive down there to look at a bunch of houses with waves in front of them. But you didn't get there. You stopped. And while you were stopped, you crowned the Greek with one of the wine bottles. A beautiful thing to crown a man with, Chambers, and nobody knew it better than you, because that was what you crowned that railroad dick with, over in Oakland. You crowned him, and then she started the car. And while she was climbing out on the running board, you leaned over from behind, and held the wheel, and fed with the hand throttle. It didn't need much gas, because it was in second gear. And after she got on the running board, she took the wheel and fed with the hand throttle, and it was your turn to climb out. But you were just a little drunk, weren't you? You were too slow, and she was a little too quick to shoot the car over the edge. So she jumped and you were caught. You think a jury won't believe that, do you? It'll believe it, because I'll prove every word of it, from the beach trip to the hand throttle, and when I do, there won't be any clemency for you, boy. It'll be the rope, with you hanging on the end of it, and when they cut you down they'll bury you out there with all the others that were too goddam dumb to make a deal when they had the chance to keep their neck from being broke."
          "Nothing like that happened. Not that I know of."
          "What are you trying to tell me? That _she_ did it?"
          "I'm not trying to tell you that anybody did it. Leave me alone! Nothing like that happened."
          "How do you know? I thought you were stinko."
          "It didn't happen that I know of."
          "Then you mean she did it?"
          "I don't mean no such a goddam thing. I mean what I say and that's all I mean."
          "Listen, Chambers. There were three people in the car, you, and she, and the Greek. Well, it's a cinch the Greek didn't do it. If you didn't do it, that leaves her, doesn't it?"
          "Who the hell says anybody did it?"
          "I do. Now we're getting somewhere, Chambers. Because maybe you didn't do it. You say you're telling the truth, and maybe you are. But if you are telling the truth, and didn't have any interest in this woman except as the wife of a friend, then you've got to do something about it, haven't you? You've got to sign a complaint against her."
          "What do you mean complaint?"
          "If she killed the Greek, she tried to kill you too, didn't she? You can't let her get away with that. Somebody might think it was pretty funny if you did. Sure, you'd be a sucker to let her get away with it. She knocks off her husband for the insurance, and she tries to knock off you too. You've got to do something about that, haven't you?"
          "I might, if she did it. But I don't know she did it."
          "If I prove it to you, you'll have to sign the complaint, won't you?"
          "Sure. _If_ you can prove it."
          "All right, I'll prove it. When you stopped, you got out of the car, didn't you?"
          "What? I thought you were so stinko you didn't remember anything. That's the second time you've remembered something now. I'm surprised at you."
          "Not that I know of."
          "But you did. Listen to this man's statement: 'I didn't notice much about the car, except that a woman was at the wheel and one man was inside laughing when we went by, and another man was out back, sick.' So you were out back a few minutes, sick. That was when she crowned Papadakis with the bottle. And when you got back you never noticed anything, because you were stinko, and Papadakis had passed out anyhow, and there was hardly anything to notice. You sat back and passed out, and that was when she slid up into second, kept her hand on the hand throttle, fed with