Lawrence Block - Masters of Noir - Volume 1

“...one of the most exciting women I’ve ever met,” he was saying, and as he spoke the words his hand closed possessively around her knee. His eyes were glued to her breasts. She knew that they would leave any moment now, that he was almost ready and almost convinced that she would now follow him to the ends of the earth if he were only to ask.

And indeed she would.

“Honey?”

She smiled expectantly.

“Would you like to have the next one up at my place?”

“Of course,” she said.

His bright blue eyes gleamed more than ever. How bright they were! She was actually in love with him now, in love with his eyes and the hunger and beauty in them.

As they stood up, she saw Mr. Baldy shake his head sadly. Mr. Dark Suit’s jaw fell slightly and he looked quite awkward, sitting precariously on his stool with his mouth half-open. Then Mr. Bright-Eyes slipped his arm easily around her waist and walked her to the door. She could feel their eyes watching her every step of the way, and it wasn’t hard at all to imagine the regret in their eyes — regret mixed with admiration for Mr. Bright-Eye’s technique.

He was smooth, all right. So very smooth, and while it was a shame that Mr. Dark Suit and Mr. Baldy were doomed to sadness for the evening, it simply couldn’t be helped.

And besides, wasn’t there a book about survival of the fittest or something? If they had Mr. Bright-Eyes’ finish they wouldn’t be sitting by themselves, with their eyes all afraid and beaten.

It was dark out, and Mr. Bright-Eyes seemed to be in a hurry, and as a consequence they were walking very swiftly toward his apartment. He said something about wasn’t it dark out, and she agreed that it was, and his arm tightened around her waist.

She leaned a little against him and rubbed her body against his. Walking as they were and with the night as dark as it was, it was hard for her to see his eyes. Each time when they passed a streetlamp she leaned forward a bit and glanced into his face, as if to reassure herself that his eyes still wanted her as much as they had.

In his apartment everything went very well. He told her how beautiful she was and she thanked him quite modestly, and they went to the bedroom and he took her in his arms and kissed her very expertly.

Then, after she had been expertly kissed, he bent over to remove the spread from the bed. It was at just that moment that she took the knife from her purse and plunged it into his back, right between the shoulder blades. One jab was enough; he crumpled up on the bed and lay very still, without a scream or a moan or any sound at all.

Afterwards, back in her own apartment, she put his eyes in the box with the others.

Dell Harper and his wife Julia left their pew and shoved through the nervously subdued congregation. Everyone somehow held themselves back enough to keep from running and shoving in an effort to get home for dinner, make that show, meet Marge or Suzie, reach the car before Dad. The organ continued to moan softly and the Reverend Holdsby appeared at the hall door, perspiring lightly, a fixed smile on his pale lips.

“Better carry Linda,” Harper said to his wife. “She’ll get herself stomped on. And for gosh sakes, get past Holdsby before he nails us about Christian Endeavor, or we’ll never get out to the glen.”

Julia Harper looked at her husband and scowled, but she said nothing. She grabbed three year old Linda, who at the moment was interested in the choir loft, picked her up, rested her on her hip.

They escaped to the main entrance hall, and headed for the door. Noon sunlight glared on the brick steps.

“There’s Tom Martin,” Julia said. She held Linda with one arm, jabbed at her hair with her other hand, and looked as if she wanted to smile.

“Now, for cripes’ sake,” Harper said. “Don’t start gabbing.”

Julia didn’t seem to hear him. Linda said something about, “Wanna fickle do, Mommy! Fickle do naw!”

“All right,” Julia Harper said. “We’ll be home in a little while. Then you can.”

Martin pinned them in a small bottleneck on the steps. “Only got a minute,” he said. “Nan’s waiting in the car. Why don’t you folks stop over this afternoon?” He paused, stripping cellophane from a cigar. “We could have some coffee and sandwiches later on — maybe play a few hands of bridge.” He bit off the end of the cigar, spat it across the church steps, and grinned at Julia.

Julia smiled back brightly, glanced at her husband.

Martin snatched the cigar from his mouth and motioned toward Linda. “Bring her along, too — of course.”

Harper checked his wrist watch. “Sorry as the deuce, Tom. We planned something else. Thanks, though — for asking.”

Julia patted Linda’s bottom, frowned, and chewed the edge of her lower lip.

“Oh?” Martin said.

“Little picnic — out to the glen.”

Julia spoke suddenly, a shade too loudly. “Why don’t you and Nan come along?” She said it to Martin, but she looked at her husband as she spoke.

Martin found a match, looked at it. “No — we can’t,” he said. “Feel kind of tired. Just want to lay around, anyways.”

“We’d better get moving,” Harper said.

“Maybe next Sunday?” Martin called.

Harper said nothing. Julia turned and flashed another smile back across Linda’s shoulder. They moved slowly through the sun-dappled church crowds into the parking area, located their Ford sedan.

“Wow,” Harper said. “Like an oven. Wait’ll I roll the windows down.”

Julia waited, holding Linda, looking at the bustle of the crowded parking area.

“Come on, will you?” Harper called with a trace of irritation. “You’re the one wanted to get out to the God damned glen. We’ll no more’n get there, we’ll have to come back. Get the lead out. It’s my only day off — you know that.”

Julia ignored his whining tone, slipped into the front seat with Linda, then allowed the three year old to climb over into the back.

Harper savagely started the engine and backed out, heading for the street. Julia adjusted her pale blue skirt over her round knees, patted the small and wilted corsage of flowers she’d made that morning.

“There’s Brady,” Julia said. “He’s waving, Dell.”

“Oh,” Harper said, flapping his hand without looking. “I’m hungry as a bear. You?”

“I suppose so.”

“What the hell’s the matter with you?”

“Nothing.”

“Something’s the matter. I can tell.”

Julia said nothing. She looked out the window and closed her eyes.

Linda was bubbling about something in the back seat, her round face mashed against the side window, the fingers of one hand curled into her pale yellow hair.

Harper turned onto Central a bit too speedily, narrowly missing the side of a city bus. A yellow and chrome hot rod roared past them, loaded with young laughing faces. The driver flipped the cut-out on the muffler twice.

“Juvenile delinquents,” Harper said. “My God, look how fast they’re goin! They don’t give a damn for anybody. The world’s crazy — I tell you, it’s crazy. Crazy kids. I’d just like to get close enough to one of them sharpies, by God.”

“What would you do, Dell?” Julia said, her eyes still closed, facing the window.

“They need a lesson, that’s what they need. A good lesson. Somebody show ’em what for. Drunk, an’ taking dope — like they do.” He lifted one hand from the steering wheel and squeezed it into a fist. “A good lesson — the old-fashioned way.”

Julia said nothing. They drove on home.