room.
Cubitt stood watching Schultz uneasily, shifting his eyes to Lorelli and Joe and then back to Schultz.
Lorelli and Joe might have been dead. They remained still, hardly seeming to breathe.
Then Schultz sighed and opened his eyes. ‘Okay, Cubitt,’ he said, fumbling in his pocket. ‘Keep your peepers open. I want to hear everything that goes on up there.’ He pulled out a roll of greenbacks and peeled off several. He gave them to Cubitt who
grinned at him.
‘I’ll watch it, boss,’ he said, tipping his hat. ‘Anything else I can do?’
Schultz waved him away. ‘No, but watch out. Don’t talk, just watch out and phone me if anything happens.’
‘I’ll do that,’ Cubitt returned. ‘Good night, boss.’
‘Wait,’ Schultz pointed at Joe, ‘he’ll drive you back.’
Cubitt stared. ‘Me?’ he said, as if he could hardly believe his ears.
Schultz nodded. ‘Something may have happened while you’ve been over here. Check up and tell Joe.’ He looked at Joe sleepily. ‘Go with him. Hang around until he’s had a chance to look round and then come back.’
Joe said sullenly, ‘It’s late.’
‘It’ll be later still when you come back,’ Schultz returned. ‘Beat it.’
Cubitt and Joe went out of the room.
Lorelli fussed her curly, blue-black hair with her finger ends. ‘What did Korris want to shoot at Bellman for?’
Schultz didn’t say anything. He sat with his head on one side listening for the sound of the car. He didn’t move or say anything until the engine started, the gears engaged and the roar of acceleration had died away. Then he looked over at Lorelli and smiled.
Lorelli had never seen him look quite like this before. He frightened her. She stood up and stretched. ‘I think I’ll go to bed,’ she said, patting her mouth to conceal a nervous yawn. ‘Is Maestro sitting up?’
‘So Harry Duke went to see Bellman,’ Schultz said, taking his glass and moving to the sideboard. He began to mix himself a stiff drink.
Lorelli watched him and edged towards the door.
‘I think I’m angry with you,’ Schultz said, softly. He squirted soda into his glass. ‘I think I’m very angry with you.’
‘What have I done?’ Lorelli asked, her hand on the door handle.
Schultz sipped his whisky and looked at her. His eyes rested on her face for a second and then shifted to her hand. He beckoned to her. ‘Come here,’ he said, gently. ‘I want you.’
Lorelli remained where she was. Her hand turned the handle and the door opened an inch. She was ready for flight.
Schultz laughed. It was a low rumble of sound like thunder in his belly. ‘All right. Stay where you are.’ He waddled over to his armchair and sat down. ‘But I want to talk to you.’ He drank half the whisky and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. ‘You telephoned Harry Duke, didn’t you?’
Her eyes opened. ‘I did?’ she repeated. ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’
‘You’re a pretty little liar.’ Schultz seemed to have recovered his good humour. ‘But you see Duke told me.’
Lorelli said, ‘Why should I telephone him and about what?’
‘You’ve made things awkward for me,’ Schultz went on, as if she hadn’t spoken. ‘You’ve made Duke curious. That’s bad. Duke can’t keep out of anything. He never could.’ He finished his whisky and sat holding the glass, smiling at her. Then he pushed his great legs out and sat lower in the chair. ‘Duke’s the kind of fella a girl like you would fall for. I don’t know why, but there it is. Some people might think it odd a guy like me should bother with orchids. It’s just the way it is. You should never have spoken to Duke. Of course, I’m to blame, I shouldn’t have told you about Bellman, but then I was crazy to trust you.’ He sat forward abruptly. ‘Why did you tip him off, you little fool?’ he snarled, his rage burning in his eyes. ‘I could have got his mind off Bellman.’
‘I don’t know what you’re
Cubitt stood watching Schultz uneasily, shifting his eyes to Lorelli and Joe and then back to Schultz.
Lorelli and Joe might have been dead. They remained still, hardly seeming to breathe.
Then Schultz sighed and opened his eyes. ‘Okay, Cubitt,’ he said, fumbling in his pocket. ‘Keep your peepers open. I want to hear everything that goes on up there.’ He pulled out a roll of greenbacks and peeled off several. He gave them to Cubitt who
grinned at him.
‘I’ll watch it, boss,’ he said, tipping his hat. ‘Anything else I can do?’
Schultz waved him away. ‘No, but watch out. Don’t talk, just watch out and phone me if anything happens.’
‘I’ll do that,’ Cubitt returned. ‘Good night, boss.’
‘Wait,’ Schultz pointed at Joe, ‘he’ll drive you back.’
Cubitt stared. ‘Me?’ he said, as if he could hardly believe his ears.
Schultz nodded. ‘Something may have happened while you’ve been over here. Check up and tell Joe.’ He looked at Joe sleepily. ‘Go with him. Hang around until he’s had a chance to look round and then come back.’
Joe said sullenly, ‘It’s late.’
‘It’ll be later still when you come back,’ Schultz returned. ‘Beat it.’
Cubitt and Joe went out of the room.
Lorelli fussed her curly, blue-black hair with her finger ends. ‘What did Korris want to shoot at Bellman for?’
Schultz didn’t say anything. He sat with his head on one side listening for the sound of the car. He didn’t move or say anything until the engine started, the gears engaged and the roar of acceleration had died away. Then he looked over at Lorelli and smiled.
Lorelli had never seen him look quite like this before. He frightened her. She stood up and stretched. ‘I think I’ll go to bed,’ she said, patting her mouth to conceal a nervous yawn. ‘Is Maestro sitting up?’
‘So Harry Duke went to see Bellman,’ Schultz said, taking his glass and moving to the sideboard. He began to mix himself a stiff drink.
Lorelli watched him and edged towards the door.
‘I think I’m angry with you,’ Schultz said, softly. He squirted soda into his glass. ‘I think I’m very angry with you.’
‘What have I done?’ Lorelli asked, her hand on the door handle.
Schultz sipped his whisky and looked at her. His eyes rested on her face for a second and then shifted to her hand. He beckoned to her. ‘Come here,’ he said, gently. ‘I want you.’
Lorelli remained where she was. Her hand turned the handle and the door opened an inch. She was ready for flight.
Schultz laughed. It was a low rumble of sound like thunder in his belly. ‘All right. Stay where you are.’ He waddled over to his armchair and sat down. ‘But I want to talk to you.’ He drank half the whisky and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. ‘You telephoned Harry Duke, didn’t you?’
Her eyes opened. ‘I did?’ she repeated. ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’
‘You’re a pretty little liar.’ Schultz seemed to have recovered his good humour. ‘But you see Duke told me.’
Lorelli said, ‘Why should I telephone him and about what?’
‘You’ve made things awkward for me,’ Schultz went on, as if she hadn’t spoken. ‘You’ve made Duke curious. That’s bad. Duke can’t keep out of anything. He never could.’ He finished his whisky and sat holding the glass, smiling at her. Then he pushed his great legs out and sat lower in the chair. ‘Duke’s the kind of fella a girl like you would fall for. I don’t know why, but there it is. Some people might think it odd a guy like me should bother with orchids. It’s just the way it is. You should never have spoken to Duke. Of course, I’m to blame, I shouldn’t have told you about Bellman, but then I was crazy to trust you.’ He sat forward abruptly. ‘Why did you tip him off, you little fool?’ he snarled, his rage burning in his eyes. ‘I could have got his mind off Bellman.’
‘I don’t know what you’re
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