heart was beating normally again and he could breathe regularly. There was a silly grin on his face which stubbornly refused to go away, but outside of that everything was perfectly normal.
And she was wonderful.
“I’m not frightened now, Johnny.”
He passed the cigarette to her. She took a deep drag and let the smoke out slowly. He watched the end of the cigarette glow when she drew on it. Then he took it from her and smoked.
“I was frightened all day,” she went on. “I don’t want anybody to kill me, Johnny. Is that silly?”
“Of course not.”
“I was frightened. So frightened. And I needed you. The fear must have had a lot to do with it. I wanted you this morning, at your apartment. You were barely awake and I wanted to take you back to bed. You could tell, couldn’t you?”
He didn’t answer. He thought about the sweet small sounds she had made while they were making love, about the delicious warmth of her spectacularly female body. Her reputation did not matter now. You could not judge her as you judged other women. She was a special creature, a creature built solely for love.
Which was enough.
More than enough.
“I wanted you all day long. I sat around with the door locked and I worried and wanted you all at once. I thought maybe you would get here early and we could… Do you see how shameless I am, Johnny? I wanted to knock off a quickie before the rest of the cast got here. Demure and ladylike, aren’t I?”
“You’re wonderful,” he said. He squashed the cigarette in an ashtray on the bedside table, then rolled over on his side and took her in his arms. His hands stroked her forehead, her cheek, the back of her neck.
“Wonderful,” he repeated.
“Sure. Wonderful Jan. A fine specimen of the female sex carried to its logical conclusion. A gal who reacts to any kind of tension by leching for the first man she sets her eyes on. A girl who thinks with another part of her anatomy instead of her brain.”
“I like that part of your anatomy.”
She didn’t laugh. “I’m a tramp, Johnny. Period. I’m a good actress and a good lay and that’s all I’m good for.” She sighed, then moved away from him. “You’d better get going, Johnny. You have to call that policeman. Craig?”
“Haig.”
“Go home, then. Call him and tell him all about it. Get the police working on it so that they can catch the murderer and we can all relax a little.”
He sat up on the edge of the bed and fumbled around for his clothing. “I’ll tell Haig to take his time,” he told her. “I’m in no hurry to catch the killer.”
“What?”
“Let him roam around for a few days,” he went on. “You see, you’re a lot of fun when you’re frightened. One perfect hell of a lot of fun.”
Her voice was soft. “I don’t have to be frightened to want you, Johnny Lane.”
“No?”
“No.” A soft chuckle. “You can drop around any time you want. You’re nice to have around, Johnny Lane.”
When he was dressed she wrapped herself in a bathrobe and walked to the door with him. “I want to be able to lock this after you,” she said. “I’m still a little nervous, I guess. At a time like this I’m glad I don’t live on the ground floor. And that there’s no fire escape handy. I used to worry about what would happen if there were a fire. Now I have other things to worry about, don’t I?”
He told her to keep the door locked and not to let anybody in. “Even if you know them,” he said.
“At this hour?” She pouted. “I wouldn’t let anybody into my apartment at night, Johnny. It’s after ten o’clock. What kind of a girl do you think I am, anyway?”
“A nice one,” he told her. He kissed her and she clung to him for a moment, then let him go. He opened the door and closed it after him, waiting in the hallway until he heard the click of the bolt sliding into place. Then he walked buoyantly to the stairs and down to the first floor.
The night had a cold edge on it. He stood
And she was wonderful.
“I’m not frightened now, Johnny.”
He passed the cigarette to her. She took a deep drag and let the smoke out slowly. He watched the end of the cigarette glow when she drew on it. Then he took it from her and smoked.
“I was frightened all day,” she went on. “I don’t want anybody to kill me, Johnny. Is that silly?”
“Of course not.”
“I was frightened. So frightened. And I needed you. The fear must have had a lot to do with it. I wanted you this morning, at your apartment. You were barely awake and I wanted to take you back to bed. You could tell, couldn’t you?”
He didn’t answer. He thought about the sweet small sounds she had made while they were making love, about the delicious warmth of her spectacularly female body. Her reputation did not matter now. You could not judge her as you judged other women. She was a special creature, a creature built solely for love.
Which was enough.
More than enough.
“I wanted you all day long. I sat around with the door locked and I worried and wanted you all at once. I thought maybe you would get here early and we could… Do you see how shameless I am, Johnny? I wanted to knock off a quickie before the rest of the cast got here. Demure and ladylike, aren’t I?”
“You’re wonderful,” he said. He squashed the cigarette in an ashtray on the bedside table, then rolled over on his side and took her in his arms. His hands stroked her forehead, her cheek, the back of her neck.
“Wonderful,” he repeated.
“Sure. Wonderful Jan. A fine specimen of the female sex carried to its logical conclusion. A gal who reacts to any kind of tension by leching for the first man she sets her eyes on. A girl who thinks with another part of her anatomy instead of her brain.”
“I like that part of your anatomy.”
She didn’t laugh. “I’m a tramp, Johnny. Period. I’m a good actress and a good lay and that’s all I’m good for.” She sighed, then moved away from him. “You’d better get going, Johnny. You have to call that policeman. Craig?”
“Haig.”
“Go home, then. Call him and tell him all about it. Get the police working on it so that they can catch the murderer and we can all relax a little.”
He sat up on the edge of the bed and fumbled around for his clothing. “I’ll tell Haig to take his time,” he told her. “I’m in no hurry to catch the killer.”
“What?”
“Let him roam around for a few days,” he went on. “You see, you’re a lot of fun when you’re frightened. One perfect hell of a lot of fun.”
Her voice was soft. “I don’t have to be frightened to want you, Johnny Lane.”
“No?”
“No.” A soft chuckle. “You can drop around any time you want. You’re nice to have around, Johnny Lane.”
When he was dressed she wrapped herself in a bathrobe and walked to the door with him. “I want to be able to lock this after you,” she said. “I’m still a little nervous, I guess. At a time like this I’m glad I don’t live on the ground floor. And that there’s no fire escape handy. I used to worry about what would happen if there were a fire. Now I have other things to worry about, don’t I?”
He told her to keep the door locked and not to let anybody in. “Even if you know them,” he said.
“At this hour?” She pouted. “I wouldn’t let anybody into my apartment at night, Johnny. It’s after ten o’clock. What kind of a girl do you think I am, anyway?”
“A nice one,” he told her. He kissed her and she clung to him for a moment, then let him go. He opened the door and closed it after him, waiting in the hallway until he heard the click of the bolt sliding into place. Then he walked buoyantly to the stairs and down to the first floor.
The night had a cold edge on it. He stood
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