Nightfall by David Goodis Page A

still around. “Suppose we both calm down and then maybe nothing will happen.”
      “Should I put on the radio?”
      “No,” John said. “I'll entertain you. I'll tell you a little story. Once upon a time there were three bad men. They were very bad. They robbed banks. In Seattle they robbed a bank and got away with three hundred thousand dollars in thousand-dollar notes. Then they stole a station wagon and scooted out of Salt Lake City. Then they were chased and they had to go fast. They went so fast that their station wagon smashed up. But a kind man came along and helped them out. He had a blue automobile and he was very good-natured about the whole thing.”
      From the back seat Pete's voice came whining in, “I don't see why you have to tell him about the three hundred grand.”
      “I'll tell him what I feel like telling him,” John said. “I got the funny feeling he's going to be with us for a while.” He turned to Vanning. “How about it? Would you like that?”
      “I'd love it,” Vanning said.
      “Turn off at the next crossing,” John said. “There's a road brings us into Leadville. There's a doctor in Leadville—anyway, I think it was Leadville—it was a long time ago, but this doctor, if I remember correctly, he was willing to talk business. Anyway, we'll try Leadville.”
      A quarter of an hour later the blue convertible arrived in Leadville and cruised around for a while, and John was trying to remember where the doctor was located.
      Finally they pulled up in front of a hotel and John went in and came out a few minutes later and they went on down the street, made a turn, stopped in front of a wooden structure that had given up the fight a long time ago. John got out of the car, looked up and down, waited for two middle-aged women to cross the street and go on to another street, and then he gestured to Pete. While Pete carried Sam out of the car, John entered the dead house, his gun nudging Vanning, who walked along just a bit ahead of him as they came into the hallway.
      The doctor wanted five hundred dollars now and another five hundred to be paid in three weeks, at which point Sam would be ready to travel again. John paid the doctor and then he and Vanning and Pete left the house and got back into the car.
      “Now we'll go to Denver,” John said.
      They arrived in Denver just as the sun was starting to drop. They went into a small hotel in a shabby part of town and they were given a fairly large room on the third floor. John sent a boy out for liquor. The boy came back with liquor and ice and bottles of ginger ale and several packs of cigarettes. John gave the boy a dollar bill and Vanning looked at the boy, but the boy was looking at the dollar bill and then the boy was walking out of the room, the door was closing, the door was closed, the room was quiet.
      John opened a bottle and went to work with ice and ginger ale. Pete was stretched out on the bed, and every few moments Pete would complain about Sam and whine that he didn't like the Sam angle. Finally John told Pete that if he didn't keep quiet he would be hit over the head with a liquor bottle.
      “I can't help worrying,” Pete said.
      “Go out and get some air,” John said. “Do your worrying outside. No. Wait a minute. I have another idea. Stay here. Hold the gun on him a minute. I want to look in the bathroom.”
      “What's in the bathroom?” Pete said.
      “Usually a skylight, when it's on the top floor.”
      Pete looked at Vanning, pointing the gun at Vanning. “We ain't on the top floor.”
      “I'll make sure,” John said. “Hold the gun on him.”
      John went into the bathroom, came out and said, “It's all right. No skylight, no windows.” He smiled at Vanning. “Get in there.”
      Vanning walked into the bathroom. They closed the door