have a pot to plant petunias in.”
“Is there any reason,” Key said carefully, “why you can’t help me with this?”
“I don’t want to get into any trouble.”
“No trouble. I just need to speak to her.” He turned his head to one side. “Why should she be trouble for you?”
“Well, to tell the truth, she was only a kid when we took up together, and we crossed the state lines. I think there’s some kind of law about that.”
“That’s right—it’s called the Mann Act. I understand she was only fifteen when she ran off with you.”
Alarms went off in Bannister’s head, and he clamped his lips together. “That was a while ago, and you can’t prove anything.”
“Look, Mr. Bannister, I’m not trying to prove anything. I’m just trying to find the girl, and I think the situation will be a help to her. I can’t force you to tell me anything, but you must have felt something for her at one time. If you did, you can help her by helping me.”
Bannister picked up a jug of orange juice and poured some into a tumbler. He drank it, then set the glass down, seeming to come to a decision. “She’s a wild broad, Key. A good-lookin’ woman. But I’m tellin’ you she doesn’t care about anything! ”
“What do you mean by that?”
“I mean she’s kind of nutty. Oh, she can be as sweet as sugar one minute, but what a temper. Why, I’ve seen her cryin’ over a dead bird and not ten minutes later hit a guy with a blackjack. You know she carries a blackjack?”
“No, I didn’t know that.”
“Well, she does, and she knows how to use it too.” He reached up and rubbed his temple as if it were sore. “She laid me out cold one time. Believe me, I never forgot it.”
Francis followed the flight of a small bird that swooped over the pool. “Do you have any idea where she is?”
“We got in a fight, and she split on me. Just walked out with nothing more than the clothes she had on. I’ll give Ruby this, she never asked me for money. I gave her things, but she never asked for them.”
“When did she leave you?”
“Almost a year ago—no, more than that. Probably fourteen months. Yeah, that’s right. She found me with another woman, and I thought she was gonna kill us both. But she just gave me a look that would burn a hole in steel and walked out. Never even said good-bye.”
“You don’t know where she went?”
“Oh, sure,” Bannister said. “I looked around for her and found out she took off with a biker.”
“You mean a motorcycle rider?”
“That’s right. One of the real tough ones, from what I hear. A guy named Hack Keller.”
“And you never saw her after she left?”
“Yeah, as a matter of fact, I did once. I heard she was at this carnival doing an act with Keller, so I went to catch it.”
“An act? What sort of act?”
“Oh, you’ve probably seen them. It’s this big round steel thing called the Ring of Death. A guy on a motorcycle starts it up on the bottom and runs it up around the walls.” He made a face. “Pretty hairy, if you ask me. They could get killed doin’ that.”
“And you saw Ruby there?”
“I’ll say. After Keller got through runnin’ around like a squirrel on a treadmill, he stopped his cycle and Ruby rode in on another motorcycle. She had on black leather. I’m tellin’ you, she was a knockout. Her helmet was off, and that hair of hers could knock your eyes out.”
“What color is her hair?”
“Strawberry blond, and it’s the real thing. I know that for a fact. Anyway, she brought in that cycle and both of them started up around the cage. They went around together at first, and then Keller reversed so that the two of them were going in opposite directions.” Bannister shook his shoulders. “I wouldn’t get in a thing like that if they gave me the state of New York!”
“Did you talk to her after the show?”
“Yeah, just for a minute. I went around to their trailer, butI didn’t get anywhere. She took one look at
“Is there any reason,” Key said carefully, “why you can’t help me with this?”
“I don’t want to get into any trouble.”
“No trouble. I just need to speak to her.” He turned his head to one side. “Why should she be trouble for you?”
“Well, to tell the truth, she was only a kid when we took up together, and we crossed the state lines. I think there’s some kind of law about that.”
“That’s right—it’s called the Mann Act. I understand she was only fifteen when she ran off with you.”
Alarms went off in Bannister’s head, and he clamped his lips together. “That was a while ago, and you can’t prove anything.”
“Look, Mr. Bannister, I’m not trying to prove anything. I’m just trying to find the girl, and I think the situation will be a help to her. I can’t force you to tell me anything, but you must have felt something for her at one time. If you did, you can help her by helping me.”
Bannister picked up a jug of orange juice and poured some into a tumbler. He drank it, then set the glass down, seeming to come to a decision. “She’s a wild broad, Key. A good-lookin’ woman. But I’m tellin’ you she doesn’t care about anything! ”
“What do you mean by that?”
“I mean she’s kind of nutty. Oh, she can be as sweet as sugar one minute, but what a temper. Why, I’ve seen her cryin’ over a dead bird and not ten minutes later hit a guy with a blackjack. You know she carries a blackjack?”
“No, I didn’t know that.”
“Well, she does, and she knows how to use it too.” He reached up and rubbed his temple as if it were sore. “She laid me out cold one time. Believe me, I never forgot it.”
Francis followed the flight of a small bird that swooped over the pool. “Do you have any idea where she is?”
“We got in a fight, and she split on me. Just walked out with nothing more than the clothes she had on. I’ll give Ruby this, she never asked me for money. I gave her things, but she never asked for them.”
“When did she leave you?”
“Almost a year ago—no, more than that. Probably fourteen months. Yeah, that’s right. She found me with another woman, and I thought she was gonna kill us both. But she just gave me a look that would burn a hole in steel and walked out. Never even said good-bye.”
“You don’t know where she went?”
“Oh, sure,” Bannister said. “I looked around for her and found out she took off with a biker.”
“You mean a motorcycle rider?”
“That’s right. One of the real tough ones, from what I hear. A guy named Hack Keller.”
“And you never saw her after she left?”
“Yeah, as a matter of fact, I did once. I heard she was at this carnival doing an act with Keller, so I went to catch it.”
“An act? What sort of act?”
“Oh, you’ve probably seen them. It’s this big round steel thing called the Ring of Death. A guy on a motorcycle starts it up on the bottom and runs it up around the walls.” He made a face. “Pretty hairy, if you ask me. They could get killed doin’ that.”
“And you saw Ruby there?”
“I’ll say. After Keller got through runnin’ around like a squirrel on a treadmill, he stopped his cycle and Ruby rode in on another motorcycle. She had on black leather. I’m tellin’ you, she was a knockout. Her helmet was off, and that hair of hers could knock your eyes out.”
“What color is her hair?”
“Strawberry blond, and it’s the real thing. I know that for a fact. Anyway, she brought in that cycle and both of them started up around the cage. They went around together at first, and then Keller reversed so that the two of them were going in opposite directions.” Bannister shook his shoulders. “I wouldn’t get in a thing like that if they gave me the state of New York!”
“Did you talk to her after the show?”
“Yeah, just for a minute. I went around to their trailer, butI didn’t get anywhere. She took one look at
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