James Chase - Hit and Run

‘Of course he has the swim-suit and he’s seen the damaged car!’

‘We don’t know that for certain, Lucille!’ I said sharply, ‘If these two telephone calls are a preliminary softening-up process for blackmail, we may find he is going to threaten to tell your husband he saw us on the beach together. He may know nothing about the accident.’

She made an impatient movement.

‘What does it matter? Even if he doesn’t know about the accident, we’ll still lave to pay him if you don’t want to lose your job and I don’t want to lose Roger.’

‘Don’t be so sure about it,’ I said, staring at her. ‘We could go to the police. They know how to deal with a blackmailer, and they would keep us out of it.’

‘How can you talk like that?’ she said angrily. ‘He’s seen the car!’

‘We don’t know that. He might not have noticed it in the darkness. He might have searched the inside of the car, found your swim-suit and not noticed the damage.’

‘You’re talking for the sake of talking! I’m sure he knows about the accident!’

‘Then why didn’t he mention it? That would be a far more powerful lever for blackmail.’

She lay back as if suddenly exhausted, her hands dropping limply in her lap.

‘Have it your own way. I know you are wrong, but have it your own way. What are you going to do?’

‘Nothing about him for the moment. I admit he’s a complication, but he isn’t the main danger. The real danger comes from the police. Even if this fella does know about the accident, and he does try to blackmail us, we’ll probably be able to buy him off, but we won’t be able to buy off the police. They are the real danger.’

‘You said you would take the blame,’ she said sullenly. ‘The real danger for me is this man—not the police.’

‘I promised to keep you out of it, but I can’t guarantee to do it,’ I said quietly. ‘You were careless enough to leave your suim-suit in the car; if someone has taken it to the police, then I can’t keep you out of it. All I do is to swear I was driving, but it still makes you an accessory to manslaughter.’

She stared angrily at me.

‘I am sure this man has my swim-suit! I’m certain of it! I am certain he is going to blackmail us! What I want to know is are you going to pay him or must I go to Roger?’

‘Are you threatening me, Lucille?’ I asked quietly. ‘That sounded too like blackmail to me.’

She pounded her fists on her knees and cried: ‘I don’t care what it sounds like! I want to know what you intend to do when he makes his demand!’

‘I’m going to wait until he makes it.’

She sank back, her eyes smouldering.

‘I believe you’re trying to get out of taking the blame. You’re beginning to be sorry you made that promise. Well, you’re not going to get out of it!’

‘Do you ever think of anyone except yourself? Ever since this business started you haven’t given me a thought,’ I said, and I made no attempt to keep my disgust out of my voice. ‘All you have thought about is how you can wriggle out of this mess yourself.’

Her face hardened and she stared at me.

‘But for you, I wouldn’t be in this mess,’ she said in a cold, flat voice. ‘Why should I consider you?’ She looked away as she added: ‘It was your fault. It’s been your fault all along.’

I checked my rising temper.

‘Are you so sure about that, Lucille? Have you been all that innocent? You knew you were doing the wrong thing by persuading me to teach you to drive. You led me on. It was your idea for us to go down to that lonely beach. The way you have behaved was enough to make any man think you were easy game, and that’s what I thought.’

She turned scarlet.

‘How dare you say such a thing to me!’ she flared.

‘Oh, let’s skip it,’ I said impatiently. ‘Quarrelling won’t help. I have promised to keep you out of it, and if I possibly can; that’s what I’ll do.’

She leaned forward, her face white and tense.

‘You’d better keep me out of it! I don’t intend to lose Roger, and I don’t intend to go to prison simply because you behaved like an animal.’

I got to my feet and crossed to the window, turning my back on her. I was too angry to speak.

‘I’m going now,’ she went on after a long pause. ‘I’m not going to think any more about this. I’m going to leave it entirely to you. I have your promise, and I expect you to keep it.’

I turned.

‘Then you’d better snap out of that pipe dream,’ I said. ‘I’ve had as much as I intend to take from you. You’re nothing but a selfish, calculating, spoilt little bitch. You’re in this mess with me, and the sooner you realize it the less of a jam it will be for you if there is a showdown.’

She got to her feet.

‘I should have told Roger last night. I’m going to tell him right now!’

I had got beyond caring, and I smiled at her. ‘What’s that supposed to do? Make me cringe and fall on my knees in front of you? All right, if you want your precious and influential Roger to be in on this, then we’ll both go and tell him, and I’ll tell him the facts. I’ll tell him you forced yourself on me, you asked me to teach you to drive, you suggested a midnight swim, you tried to invite yourself to this bungalow disguised in a shady hat and sun-glasses because you didn’t want him to know you were going around with me. When I told you to ask his permission you said he was jealous and silly: those were your words, weren’t they? Come on, let’s go. Let’s tell him the facts and see how he likes them.’

She started to say something, then stopped. She remained motionless, staring at me, her eyes glittering, her fists clenched.

‘If you don’t want to come with me, then stay here,’ I said. ‘I’m going- I’ve had enough of this. One thing I’m damned sure about is I’m not going to be blackmailed by you! If you’re bluffing, then I’m going to call your bluff.’

I walked across the lounge, leaving her staring after me, walked into the hall and opened the front door.

‘Ches… please…’

She came running from the lounge and caught hold of me.

‘No… please…’

I looked down at her.

‘What a fool I’ve been,’ I said evenly. ‘What a mug I was to have fallen in love with you. Get away from me! If you want it the hard way, you can have it the hard way!’

‘I didn’t mean it,’ she said tearfully. ‘I’m sorry, Ches. You don’t know how frightened I am. I’m not going to tell Roger. I’m willing to leave it to you. I do trust you. I just don’t know what I’m saying or doing.’

I stared down at her.

‘Don’t you? I think you do. You keep shifting your attitude: first, you’re going to trust me, then you’re threatening me, then you’re going to run to your husband, then you’re trusting me again. Let’s get this straight, once and for all: do you want your husband in on this or don’t you?’

She shook her head.

‘No, Ches.’

‘You’re sure? You’re not going to change your mind and wave him in my face again?’

‘No, Ches.’

‘Are you willing to let me handle it?’

‘Yes, of course.’

‘Of course? You change your mind pretty easily, don’t you?

It wasn’t of course five minutes ago.’

‘Ches, please don’t be angry with me,’ she pleaded. ‘I honestly don’t know what I’m saying or doing. I’m so frightened.’

‘You’re saying a lot and you are doing nothing. Come back into the lounge. It’s time we really talked this thing out.’

She turned around and went back into the lounge and sat down. She put her elbows on her knees and rested her face in her hands. She made a dramatic picture, but I was beyond being impressed by dramatic pictures.