do, Jack?” Abbie asked. “Ain’t you going to lock him up? My God, I don’t want the crazy ba—”
“Yes,” I said roughly, still thinking about the girl. “I’m taking him out. Give him a chance to get his shoes on. I’ll be back here in about ten minutes, and while I’m gone don’t let that girl out of here! And don’t let anybody in.”
“All right, but—”
“Look,” I said. “Don’t let anybody in! And I mean anybody. Tell ‘em you’re dead, or the girls have gone to summer camp or the country club, or anything. But keep ‘em out.”
I motioned for the big kid to go on ahead of me and we went out and got in the car. “Where we going?” he asked. “Jail,” I said, turning the car around. I could see his face begin to harden up again. “I reckon I’ll get worked over when you guys get me in there—for fighting a cop. I’ve heard about that.”
“You won’t if you keep your big mouth shut,” I said.
“You mean you ain’t going to tell ‘em?”
“No,” I said. “Just keep clammed up and don’t say anything to anybody. Especially about that girl.”
“I’ll get her yet,” he said, with that tight sing to his voice.
“Shut up,” I said. “Look. That’s probably the stupidest thing in the world, making a statement like that. If anything ever happens to that girl, you’ll go to the chair for saying what you just said if anybody can prove it. What’d she do to you, anyway?”
I shot a quick glance at him. His face was all screwed up as if he couldn’t make up his mind whether to fight again or to cry. “She’s a lousy, chippy little—”
“Never mind what she is. What did she do?”
“Me and her was married about eight months ago. We run off. Then her old man caught us and had it un-nulled because she ain’t but fifteen.”
“She’s what!”
“She ain’t but fifteen. I told her I’d wait around till she was old enough to get married proper and they couldn’t un-null it on us, but she run off with another fella, an old guy twenty-five or thirty that didn’t want to marry her.”
“You’re sure that’s how old she is?” I asked. “Yeah. Of course. Ain’t I knowed her since she was a little girl? I always figgered on marrying her.”
“All right,” I said, easing through the traffic in the square. “You just keep your mouth shut and you won’t get in any trouble.”
I turned him over to Cassieres and called Buford from the jail. “Lorraine back yet?” I asked when he answered. “She’s just coming in now. How’d you make out? Did you get it straightened out?”
“Part of it,” I said. “Can you meet me in front of the jail? Right now?”
“I’m on my way.” He hung up.
In about two minutes his car pulled up behind mine. I went back and leaned in the window. “What is it?” he asked quietly, looking worried. “I’ve got the guy in there,” I said. “He’s just a kid about nineteen or twenty and he’s all right, but he’s off his rocker about the girl. I think I’ve got him shut up so he won’t do any talking. But here’s the thing. It’s that girl. She’s fifteen.”
“Sweet Jesus! If Soames ever—”
“I know. And it’s straight too. The kid says he’s known her all his life. We’ve got to get her out of there. You got any money on you?”
“A hundred or so. Can you handle it all right?”
“I think so. I’ll take her down the highway and put her on a bus.”
“She’ll just wind up in another cat house somewhere else. So you know about not buying her a ticket into some other state, don’t you?”
“Yes,” I said. “I’m not going to buy her a ticket of any kind if I can help it. I think I know a way to handle it.”
“So she won’t come back?”
“There’s no way to guarantee that. If I work it right, though, she probably won’t.”
He took out his wallet and handed me a couple of fifties and some twenties. “There’s a hundred and sixty. Jack, I’m glad there’s somebody around that
“Yes,” I said roughly, still thinking about the girl. “I’m taking him out. Give him a chance to get his shoes on. I’ll be back here in about ten minutes, and while I’m gone don’t let that girl out of here! And don’t let anybody in.”
“All right, but—”
“Look,” I said. “Don’t let anybody in! And I mean anybody. Tell ‘em you’re dead, or the girls have gone to summer camp or the country club, or anything. But keep ‘em out.”
I motioned for the big kid to go on ahead of me and we went out and got in the car. “Where we going?” he asked. “Jail,” I said, turning the car around. I could see his face begin to harden up again. “I reckon I’ll get worked over when you guys get me in there—for fighting a cop. I’ve heard about that.”
“You won’t if you keep your big mouth shut,” I said.
“You mean you ain’t going to tell ‘em?”
“No,” I said. “Just keep clammed up and don’t say anything to anybody. Especially about that girl.”
“I’ll get her yet,” he said, with that tight sing to his voice.
“Shut up,” I said. “Look. That’s probably the stupidest thing in the world, making a statement like that. If anything ever happens to that girl, you’ll go to the chair for saying what you just said if anybody can prove it. What’d she do to you, anyway?”
I shot a quick glance at him. His face was all screwed up as if he couldn’t make up his mind whether to fight again or to cry. “She’s a lousy, chippy little—”
“Never mind what she is. What did she do?”
“Me and her was married about eight months ago. We run off. Then her old man caught us and had it un-nulled because she ain’t but fifteen.”
“She’s what!”
“She ain’t but fifteen. I told her I’d wait around till she was old enough to get married proper and they couldn’t un-null it on us, but she run off with another fella, an old guy twenty-five or thirty that didn’t want to marry her.”
“You’re sure that’s how old she is?” I asked. “Yeah. Of course. Ain’t I knowed her since she was a little girl? I always figgered on marrying her.”
“All right,” I said, easing through the traffic in the square. “You just keep your mouth shut and you won’t get in any trouble.”
I turned him over to Cassieres and called Buford from the jail. “Lorraine back yet?” I asked when he answered. “She’s just coming in now. How’d you make out? Did you get it straightened out?”
“Part of it,” I said. “Can you meet me in front of the jail? Right now?”
“I’m on my way.” He hung up.
In about two minutes his car pulled up behind mine. I went back and leaned in the window. “What is it?” he asked quietly, looking worried. “I’ve got the guy in there,” I said. “He’s just a kid about nineteen or twenty and he’s all right, but he’s off his rocker about the girl. I think I’ve got him shut up so he won’t do any talking. But here’s the thing. It’s that girl. She’s fifteen.”
“Sweet Jesus! If Soames ever—”
“I know. And it’s straight too. The kid says he’s known her all his life. We’ve got to get her out of there. You got any money on you?”
“A hundred or so. Can you handle it all right?”
“I think so. I’ll take her down the highway and put her on a bus.”
“She’ll just wind up in another cat house somewhere else. So you know about not buying her a ticket into some other state, don’t you?”
“Yes,” I said. “I’m not going to buy her a ticket of any kind if I can help it. I think I know a way to handle it.”
“So she won’t come back?”
“There’s no way to guarantee that. If I work it right, though, she probably won’t.”
He took out his wallet and handed me a couple of fifties and some twenties. “There’s a hundred and sixty. Jack, I’m glad there’s somebody around that
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