tucked down in the back of the car.”
“Not bad,” said the little man with the gray hair. Nellie had begun to wonder if he and the tall, skinny one had voices. “No follow-up on this blond. And nobody ever again sees your girl friend from Brown’s. So she finally takes the rap for opening Brown’s safe and conking Brown’s man. Not bad.”
“Oh, Smitty!” Nellie silently urged.
Then something happened that seemed to turn the blood in her veins to ice water. The leader got up; and, as he did so, the luminous dial of his wrist watch showed. Nellie saw the time.
Not fifteen minutes had elapsed since her radio to the big fellow! She couldn’t have been unconscious for more than a minute or two, and she’d thought it had been at least a quarter of an hour. Smitty and Cole couldn’t possibly get there for another half-hour, Nellie realized.
She had to stall. She made as much noise as she could against the gag, and pointed to her mouth, indicating that she wanted to say something.
The tall, skinny fellow looked at the one called Nailen. The man with the twisted nose shook his head.
“If you take it off, she’ll yell.”
“Maybe she’s got something to say that we oughta hear,” suggested Baby-face.
“What?” shrugged Nailen. “We don’t care what she’s got to say. All we care about is that she’ll never say anything. Come on. Bring her back.”
So that was out, Nellie thought. No soap on that stall. But she had to pass some more time!
Baby-face got her by her dainty ankles, and the tall, thin man took her by the shoulders. They carried her to the kitchen, and Nailen softly opened the door to the back yard.
Nellie kicked out with all her strength.
The chubby man fell to his knees, rasping out a savage but muted oath. Then he hit Nellie in the jaw, and tightened his hold on her ankles.
Nellie’s head rolled groggily. She was in no shape to try any more kicks as they took her to the carriage house.
There was a high board fence around the back yard, rickety but with no planks off. The next houses were fifty yards away, with lots of trees in between. No one could see back there.
Nailen shoved and strained till he got the rusted sliding door of the garage open. Baby-face and the thin fellow dumped Nellie on the greasy, splintery floor, just inside the garage and in the center of the doorway. Nailen went out and, an instant later, Nellie heard the sound of a starter and then a car motor.
A moment afterward she saw a big bulk roll smoothly toward the open doorway. She was lying straight across the doorway. The car slid toward her, with its front tires, to her wide eyes, looking nine feet in diameter. They almost touched her!
With a convulsive movement, Nellie snapped around lengthways, so that the car straddled her. Baby-face swore, and Nailen leaned out the car window and looked back. He saw what had happened and swore, too.
“You damn fools!” he raged. “Hold her, can’t you. She’s as slippery as an eel!”
He backed the car for another try. This time Baby-face held her head, and the thin man clasped her legs, ready to release her at the last minute. The fellow with the wispy gray hair was plucking at his lips with shaking fingers and looked sick.
The car rolled forward a second time.
So this is it, Nellie thought. All of us have played around with the grave. This time it catches up! This—
The rolling car stopped. “What the—” came Nailen’s bewildered voice at the wheel.
“There’s a beam under your rear wheels,” Baby-face called softly. Then he stopped, realizing there’d been no beam there before.
The realization came’ too late to do anybody any good. Something like lightning on two legs streaked up to the open car window. A long arm snaked in and coiled around Nailen’s throat.
The car jerked as his foot slid off the accelerator. It climbed halfway up the twelve-inch beam under the rear wheels, looking as if it would climb all the way and rush forward on Nellie.
“Not bad,” said the little man with the gray hair. Nellie had begun to wonder if he and the tall, skinny one had voices. “No follow-up on this blond. And nobody ever again sees your girl friend from Brown’s. So she finally takes the rap for opening Brown’s safe and conking Brown’s man. Not bad.”
“Oh, Smitty!” Nellie silently urged.
Then something happened that seemed to turn the blood in her veins to ice water. The leader got up; and, as he did so, the luminous dial of his wrist watch showed. Nellie saw the time.
Not fifteen minutes had elapsed since her radio to the big fellow! She couldn’t have been unconscious for more than a minute or two, and she’d thought it had been at least a quarter of an hour. Smitty and Cole couldn’t possibly get there for another half-hour, Nellie realized.
She had to stall. She made as much noise as she could against the gag, and pointed to her mouth, indicating that she wanted to say something.
The tall, skinny fellow looked at the one called Nailen. The man with the twisted nose shook his head.
“If you take it off, she’ll yell.”
“Maybe she’s got something to say that we oughta hear,” suggested Baby-face.
“What?” shrugged Nailen. “We don’t care what she’s got to say. All we care about is that she’ll never say anything. Come on. Bring her back.”
So that was out, Nellie thought. No soap on that stall. But she had to pass some more time!
Baby-face got her by her dainty ankles, and the tall, thin man took her by the shoulders. They carried her to the kitchen, and Nailen softly opened the door to the back yard.
Nellie kicked out with all her strength.
The chubby man fell to his knees, rasping out a savage but muted oath. Then he hit Nellie in the jaw, and tightened his hold on her ankles.
Nellie’s head rolled groggily. She was in no shape to try any more kicks as they took her to the carriage house.
There was a high board fence around the back yard, rickety but with no planks off. The next houses were fifty yards away, with lots of trees in between. No one could see back there.
Nailen shoved and strained till he got the rusted sliding door of the garage open. Baby-face and the thin fellow dumped Nellie on the greasy, splintery floor, just inside the garage and in the center of the doorway. Nailen went out and, an instant later, Nellie heard the sound of a starter and then a car motor.
A moment afterward she saw a big bulk roll smoothly toward the open doorway. She was lying straight across the doorway. The car slid toward her, with its front tires, to her wide eyes, looking nine feet in diameter. They almost touched her!
With a convulsive movement, Nellie snapped around lengthways, so that the car straddled her. Baby-face swore, and Nailen leaned out the car window and looked back. He saw what had happened and swore, too.
“You damn fools!” he raged. “Hold her, can’t you. She’s as slippery as an eel!”
He backed the car for another try. This time Baby-face held her head, and the thin man clasped her legs, ready to release her at the last minute. The fellow with the wispy gray hair was plucking at his lips with shaking fingers and looked sick.
The car rolled forward a second time.
So this is it, Nellie thought. All of us have played around with the grave. This time it catches up! This—
The rolling car stopped. “What the—” came Nailen’s bewildered voice at the wheel.
“There’s a beam under your rear wheels,” Baby-face called softly. Then he stopped, realizing there’d been no beam there before.
The realization came’ too late to do anybody any good. Something like lightning on two legs streaked up to the open car window. A long arm snaked in and coiled around Nailen’s throat.
The car jerked as his foot slid off the accelerator. It climbed halfway up the twelve-inch beam under the rear wheels, looking as if it would climb all the way and rush forward on Nellie.
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