Part 19 (2/2)
”Name?” I asked again.
”La Verne Talley,” she said. ”I'm his second cousin.”
”What times does he usually get back from town?”
”Oh, not never before one or two o'clock.”
Trudy lashed out at her. ”Shut up, you stupid punching bag!”
”What's her name?” I asked.
”Trudy Hewlett. She ain't no kin.”
I turned and looked at Trudy. ”Gertrude Hewlett. Gertrude Haines. You people never learn, do you?”
She cursed me.
”And this one?” I continued, nodding to T.J. ”What's his name, and his kin rank, and what does he do when he's not throwing acid?”
”T.J. Minor,” she replied. ”He's a first cousin. He gen'ly sharecrops, but he had a little trouble up in Georgia and had to leave. Me an' him's engaged. We're goin' to run the motel for Pearl-”
Trudy tried to reach her, the tendons standing out in her neck as she screamed, ”You dim-witted cow, shut up!”
I shoved her back and faced the big girl again. ”That's a lovely watch you've got there. Is it the one Pearl gave you?”
She held out her wrist and gazed at it fondly. ”No, Frankie give it to me. . . . Oh, it was before me an' T.J. got engaged.”
”Pearl didn't give you one?”
She shook her head at me as if I weren't very bright. ”Pearl? He ain't about to give no watch. He says what the h.e.l.l, it don't cost you nothin'. He give Trudy one, but I reckon that was for something else.”
”Yes,” I said. ”I guess it was.”
I had to subdue the raging Trudy again. I pushed her harder, and she sat on the floor beside the jukebox.
”All right, La Verne,” I said, ”where do you sleep? Upstairs?”
”Umh-umh,” she replied. ”But like I said, TJ.-” She broke off and appraised me thoughtfully. ”Hmmm.”
”No,” I said, ”what I meant was you'd better go up to your room and go to sleep. Things are going to get a little rough around here, and you'll be safer out of the way.”
16
The jukebox had stopped its plaintive moaning. The room was silent, and very hot under the naked lights. I could hear La Verne going up the stairs to her room. Trudy sat staring at me like some wild animal, while T.J. stirred and pushed his shoulders against the wall, trying to sit up.
I went over to the desk, picked up the little fan, and plugged it in. As I'd already known it would, it ran with a rough whirring sound just like the one in the phone booth at Ollie's bar. Emery dust in the bearings, I thought. I unplugged it and tossed it back on the floor.
”What time is it?” I asked Trudy. She spat at me.
I called Georgia and she hurried in. She looked anxiously at me, and then at the others, and I saw the quick recognition in her eyes as they came to T.J.
”I want you to meet some very charming people,” I said. ”That's the acid artist, of course. And the hard, gem-like flame is Trudy Hewlett. She's the girl who phoned me how to get out to that old barn.”
”I think I feel a little sick,” she whispered.
”Oh, don't be hasty or intolerant,” I told her. ”He gave her a nice wrist-watch.”
”Bill, don't-”
”You kill me,” Trudy said. ”You really do. Squares!”
”Is there anything we can do?” Georgia asked.
”Why not call the cops?” Trudy asked. ”That'd be a shrewd move.” She was beginning to regain some of her confidence now. After all, squares never did anything to you, and when they couldn't call the police they were helpless.
”We've got a chance,” I said. ”It's still not much, but it's better than it was. You wait outside, and if a car turns in, warn me and then get out of sight. I'm ready to use that phone now, but we haven't got much time left.”
She went out. I perched on the corner of the desk, took Redfield's gun from my pocket, and showed it to them. ”You're just about to learn how it gets when squares are pushed too far. If either of you makes a move, you'll be gut-shot before you get off the floor.”
T.J. said nothing. Trudy made her lip noise again, but stayed where she was. I looked up Calhoun's home number, breathed a prayer he'd be there, and dialed. The phone rang, and then again. I'd just about given up hope when he picked it up. ”Calhoun.”
”This is Chatham-”
He interrupted. ”Listen. I don't know where you're calling from, and I don't want to know. But if you're not out of this County yet, get out!” get out!”
”I didn't do it. You know that.”
”I don't think you did, but that's not the point. Don't you know what'll happen if they bring you in? He's half out of his mind. I've tried to get through to him; it's impossible. I just asked him to calm down a little and he almost hit me in the face with a gun.”
”I can't make it out of the State,” I said. ”And that's the only thing that'd do any good.”
He sighed. ”No. They've got everything blocked, and he's pretty sure you're still here in the area. He's called in the Deputies from the other towns and they're taking the whole place apart.”
I know,” I interrupted. ”But never mind. Have you had a chance to get anything on that job I asked you about?”
”Sure. I called up there long distance, just in case you did have something up your sleeve. The supermarket didn't have a burglar alarm. The one at the jewelry store was installed by an outfit called Electronic Enterprises, in Orlando.”
I sighed. ”And by a man named Strader.”
”G.o.d, are you sure?”
”Yes.”
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