James Chase: Miss Shumway Waves a Wand

“Hey!” I shouted, “don’t leave me with this dame. She might start something.”

Peppi paused and smiled at me, “She will,” he said, “maybe you won’t be in such a hurry to double-cross me next time.” He looked over at Lydia, “When you’re through, tell Toni to park him in the river.”

She nodded.

“We’ll be back pretty soon,” Peppi said, and they all went out leaving me with Lydia.

I admit, right at that moment I was losing a lot of weight. I strained on the cords that held me but I couldn’t budge them.

There was a cold efficiency about Lydia that told me she was going through with this.

She was batty, of course. As crazy as a bug, but that didn’t help me.

“Well,” she said, “we’re ready to go. All you have to do is to sit still. I’m quick and it won’t hurt for a few hours, anyway,” she chuckled. “Then it’ll hurt plenty.”

I believed her.

She came over and twined her long fingers in my hair. I rammed my chin on my chest so she couldn’t get at my face.

“Don’t make it difficult,” she said, pulling at my hair. It scared me to feel how strong she was.

I braced myself and kept my chin down. She kept pulling and it felt like the top of my head was coming off.

“Damn you!” she said suddenly and touched my ear with the knife.

I jerked away with a yell and the next second I was staring up at the ceiling with the knife hovering a few inches from my eyes.

Then the door burst open and Arym marched in.

Lydia released my hair and stood away. Arym stared first at me and then at Lydia, and I could have hugged her if I’d been free.

Lydia was the first to recover, “What do you want?” she said in a flat, sullen voice, “go away!”

“What do you think you’re doing?” Arym demanded, her eyes flashing. “What’s happening, Ross?”

“She’s going to mask my face,” I said feverishly, “it’s an old family custom.”

“Is she?” Arym laid her gloves and bag down on the table. She took off her hat with deliberation. “Not so long as I’m standing on my two feet,” she said.

“Get Out “Lydia said furiously, “you’ve no business being in here. Go upstairs and wait for Peppi. He wants me to do this.”

“He’s mine,” Arym said, moving towards Lydia. “No one touches him but me.”

Lydia went for her with the knife.

I yelled a warning, but it wasn’t necessary. Arym was quite capable of taking care of herself. She simply vanished in a puff of white smoke.

Lydia stopped in her rush with a startled scream. She looked around the room, her knife held ready and her eyes wild.

Just behind her a large vase containing flowers suddenly floated off the table. It shot high into the air and descended on Lydia’s head. She flattened out on the floor and the vase flew in a hundred pieces.

“And that’s that,” said Arym’s voice.

Invisible hands gathered the flowers into a bunch and laid them on Lydia’s chest.

“She only lacks a wooden overcoat,” Arym said, suddenly reappearing. “But I haven’t time for that now.”

I felt unnerved. “I just can’t get used to your tricks,” I said, staring at Lydia with morbid fascination.

“Didn’t you like that little exhibition?” Arym asked, not without pride.

“I thought it was swell,” I said, “but I can’t stand a lot of it. Look, sweetheart, will you untie me?”

“Oh, no,” Arym said firmly, “I want to talk to you first.”

“But we haven’t time,” I said desperately. “Peppi’ll come back any minute.”

She shrugged, “I couldn’t care less about that,” she returned, putting her arm round my neck. “I can do to Peppi what I did to her and think nothing of it.”

“Arym, you must let me loose,” I said feverishly, “I want you to do something for me.”

“I know,” she said, “but you’re going to hear what I want first.” She sat on my knee and began fondling my ear. That’s a thing I can’t stand, but I wasn’t in the position to tell her so.

“You’re going to marry me.”

I stared at her, “Of all the crazy things!” I said angrily. “This is no time for fooling.”

“But, I’m not fooling,” she said, “you’re marrying me or it’ll be the last thing you refuse me.”

“I’m marrying Myra,” I said, trying to push her away, “Be reasonable for the love of mike. Myra’s desperately ill. She needs you. You can’t refuse to help her.”

“I know all about that,” she said carelessly, “I’ve just come from seeing her. She knew what was happening here and she sent me to get you out of the mess. I agreed on one condition—that she would give you up. Well, she’s given you up. If you want me to save her, you must promise to marry me.”

“I’m not going to,” I said, hardly believing my ears. “Of all the dirty tricks! You ought to be ashamed of yourself.”

“Don’t get upstage,” Aryrn said, putting her face against mine. “I’ll let Peppi handle you, if you don’t play along with me. And I’ll let Myra fend for herself, too.”

I drew a deep breath, “You can’t do this,” I said, “think what it means. You don’t really think you could hold me to such a marriage. Why I’d leave you in a week. What do you think I am—a mouse?”

A look of doubt came into Arym’s eyes, “But, don’t you like me a little?” she pleaded, hugging me to her.

“I like you all right,” I said, “you’ve got everything Myra has except her nice nature. That’s something you’ll never have.”

“I could be nice to you,” she wheedled, “and you would be good for me.” I had a sudden idea.

“I’ll agree on one condition,” I said.

She looked suspicious, “What condition?”

“You return to Myra, give up your body and I’ll marry you both.”

“No,” she said, getting off my knee. “I want to have a body of my own.”

“But, you’ll never really be happy,” I urged, feeling that I was persuading her. “It’s the only way you’ll ever get me. If you can’t share me with Myra then I’m through with you.”

She began to pace up and down. “You don’t understand what this means to me. As I am now, I can do what I like, go where I like and love whom I like.”

“And where’s it getting you?” I asked. “Can’t you see it’s the only possible way out? Ask yourself, have you been happy? You’re only half yourself. Myra has all the good qualities. If you go back to her you’ll be complete and you’ll have me.”

She stopped pacing and stared at me. “You devil,” she said, “I hadn’t thought of it like that. You’re right. I have missed Myra. I’ve missed tempting her to do the wrong things. I’ve missed fighting with her. I guess I’m being a sucker, but I’ll do it, if she’ll have me back.”

“I warn you,” I said, “you’re going to behave. No more stealing. I’ll be around to keep you in order.”

“I’ll do it—for no other man in the world but you,” she said, and picking up the knife she cut me free.

I stood up with a grimace. “We must get over to Myra,” I said, stamping life into my legs.

“I’ve left her too long as it is.”

“Don’t fuss,” she said. “She’ll be all right.”

I suddenly remembered Whisky. “My goodness!” I said hobbling to the telephone. “Maybe Peppi’s cutting poor old Whisky’s throat right now.”

“You worry too much,” Arym said calmly. “He’ll have his throat cut sooner or later, he’s that kind of a dog.”

I got through to police headquarters.

When Summers came on the line I shot him the story. “Get a squad over there,” I said feverishly, giving him Harriet’s address. “And make it snappy. You’ll have Kruger and his mob on ice if you get that picture.”