James Chase - Knock, Knock! Who's There?

Johnny grabbed his gun and holster, then supported by Freeman, he hopped through the living-room and out into the sunshine. Freeman steered him to the big lean-to behind the cabin.

“This is my snake house,” Freeman said. “You don’t have to be scared. They’re all in cages and can’t touch you.”

He manoeuvred Johnny into the semi-darkness and Johnny could hear the dry rattling sound a rattlesnake makes when alarmed. Freeman propped him up against the wall, then moving to a big eight-foot-high cage, he dragged it forward. Johnny saw the cage was alive with writhing rattlesnakes. Freeman caught hold of him and got him behind the cage and propped him against the wall.

“You’ll be okay,” he said. “Don’t worry. I’ll fix the bed. They won’t know you’re here,” then he moved the cage back on Johnny, wedging him against the wall and out of sight.

Johnny could smell the snakes. Their movements chilled him. Leaning hard on his sound foot, keeping his injured foot slightly off the ground, he set himself to wait.

Berilli, flanked on either side by Freddy and Jack suddenly came on the clearing and Freeman’s cabin.

For hours now they had combed the jungle and they were sick and tired of the search. They had become careless. Berilli had realized after three or four hours that Johnny could be lying, hidden, in any of the big thickets and by keeping still, they could have walked past him.

He realized this operation had been too hastily mounted. What they needed in this goddamn place was a dog to flush Johnny out. But now he was stuck with the operation and he was scared to go back to Massino and report no success.

He, Freddy and Jack had walked through the jungle for six gruelling hours. The only thing they had seen that moved was a snake. Then just when Berilli was about to call off the operation and admit defeat, they came on the clearing and the log cabin.

The three instinctively dodged back behind thicket.

“He could be here,” Berilli said.

They started across the clearing at the cabin, then they saw a tall, thin man, wearing shabby khaki drill come out of the cabin. He walked over to the well and began drawing water.

“Jack… you talk to him,” Berilli said.

“Not me, pal,” Jack said. “You chat him up… I’ll cover you.”

“So will I,” Freddy said and grinned. “You’re the boss, Lu.”

So Berilli moved out of the clearing, his heart thumping, wondering if Johnny was holed up in the cabin, taking aim at him through the slatted shutters.

Freeman looked up as Berilli approached him.

“Hi, stranger.” His voice was soft and calm. “Have you lost your way? I haven’t seen anyone this way for months.”

Berilli eyed him, keeping his gull behind him, out of sight.

“You live here?” he demanded.

“That’s right.” Freeman was perfectly at ease. “Jay Freeman: I’m the snake man.”

Berilli stiffened.

“Snakes? What do you mean?”

Patiently, Freeman explained.

“I collect serum for hospitals.” He paused, looking directly into Berilli’s suspicious eyes. “Who are you?”

“Have you seen a short, thick-set man with black hair, around forty years of age? We’re looking for him.”

“As I said, you’re the first human I’ve seen in months.”

Berilli looked uneasily at the cabin.

“You’d better not lie to me. If he’s in there, you’re in trouble and I mean trouble.”

“What’s all this about?” Freeman asked mildly. “Are you the police?”

Ignoring the question, Berilli signalled to the other two who came out from behind the thicket.

“We’ll take a look at your cabin,” he said to Freeman as Jack and Freddy joined him. “Go ahead, bright boy, and stop flapping with your mouth.”

Freeman walked into the cabin. Using him as a shield, Berilli entered behind him, his gun in hand, his heart pounding, while Jack and Freddy waited outside. After a quick search, pushing Freeman always ahead of him, Berilli came out of the cabin and into the sunshine. He shook his head at the other two.

“What is that?” he demanded, seeing the lean-to.

“My snake house,” Freeman said. “Have a look. I’ve just caught a cranebrake rattler. Have you ever seen one?”

Crouched behind the snake cage, Johnny heard every word and he thumbed back the safety on his gun. He could hear a soft whistling sound and he knew who was out there: Freddy, a Mafia killer and more dangerous than any of the snakes, writhing and rattling around him.

“Go ahead,” Berilli said and prodded Freeman with his gun.

Again sheltering behind Freeman, Berilli peered into the lean-to, saw the cages, smelt the snake smell and backed away.

He crossed over to Freddy and Jack.

“Let’s get out of here,” he said. “We could search this goddamn jungle for months and still not find him.”

“That’s the brightest thing you’ve said so far,” Jack said.

Freeman watched the three men move off into the jungle, then he fetched a bucket of water from the well and returned to his cabin. He waited some ten minutes, then leaving the cabin, he moved into the jungle as quietly and as swiftly as one of his snakes. Without being seen or heard, he caught up with the three men and watched them meet up with six other men, watched them talk, then saw them get into two cars and drive away.

Then he returned to his cabin to release Johnny from his hidingplace and assure him the hunt was over.

For eight, long boring days, Johnny remained in Freeman’s cabin. During this time his beard made progress and his ankle mended.

Looking at himself in the mirror in the shower room, he saw how the beard altered his appearance and he felt confident, unless he was examined closely, that no one-would recognize him. He had got Freeman to drive into town and buy him two sets of khaki drill, a bush jacket and a bush hat, together with toilet things, shirts, socks and a suitcase.

Although, from time to time, his ankle still ached, he could now walk fairly well and he felt it was time to move on. He decided to pick up a south-bound truck on the freeway and make his way to Jackson. He was sure Fuselli would give him shelter for a time, and then when the heat had cooled off, he would go back and collect the money. By that time, his grey-black beard would be impressive and he felt the risk of returning had to be taken. With some of the money he had taken from Sammy, he would buy a used car, and still have plenty in hand.

But first, he must have information.

So on the eighth day, now dressed in khaki drill and wearing the bush hat, he asked Freeman to drive him into town.

“I’ve got to make a phone call,” he explained.

Johnny hadn’t seen much of Freeman during his stay at the cabin. The snake man went off at dawn and seldom got back until dusk. They then spent a couple of hours together over supper and then both went to bed. But during those hours, Freeman never asked questions, talked easily about every subject under the sun and encouraged Johnny to read, and Johnny discovered the magic of books. The books he liked best were books on travel and sailing and Freeman had a good selection.

“Sure,” Freeman said. “Are you thinking of leaving? You can stay here as long as you like, Johnny.”

“I’ve got to get on.”

“I’ll miss you.”

This was the nicest thing anyone had ever said to Johnny and to hide his emotion, he gave Freeman a light punch on his arm.

“Yeah… that makes two of us, and I won’t forget what you’ve done for me. Now listen, I’ve plenty of money. I want you to have two hundred for all you’ve done for me. Buy yourself a telly or something to remember me by.”

Freeman laughed.