Реймонд Маршалл - The Paw in the Bottle

Julie snatched up her hat and coat and moved quickly to the door, but Hewart stepped in front of her.

‘Now, wait a minute,’ he said, an ugly glint in his eyes.

‘I don’t know anything about the rings. Would you please mind out of the way, Mr. Hewart? I want to go home.’

‘Not just yet. I’m being patient with you, Julie, because I like you. But you’re making a damn fool of yourself over this fella. I don’t miss much that goes on here. I’ve seen you talking to him and putting on airs. You’re trying to hook him, aren’t you? You watch out. Gleb knows all about women; he specializes in them. You leave him alone. You can get plenty of other fellas without taking on a rat like Gleb. He never did any girl any good.’

‘Oh!’ Julie exclaimed furiously. ‘How... how dare you talk to me like that! Get out of my way!’

‘I’m warning you,’ Hewart said, losing patience. ‘You’re not leaving here unless you hand over those rings, and if I have to take ’em from you, you’ll get the sack.’

‘You’re not having them, and I don’t want your rotten job! I can always get another! I’m not scared of you, you old bully!’

Seeing her white, furious little face, her determined attitude and her clenched fists, Hewart was struck with admiration. He burst out laughing.

‘Come on, Julie, don’t be a little fool. You’ve got a lot of nerve, and you and me can get on well together. Hand over those rings, and we’ll forget the whole business.’

‘I tell you I don’t know what you’re talking about. I haven’t the rings, and if I had I wouldn’t give them to you!’ Julie snapped, and darted past him.

Hewart caught hold of her, and holding her wrists in one hand he ran his other hand over her body.

‘How dare you!’ Julie stormed, struggling to break his hold. ‘Let me go or I’ll scream the place down.’

‘Scream away,’ Hewart panted. His face was congested. ‘If the bogies come I’ll tell ’em Gleb gave you the rings and you’ll be for it. Stand still and stop struggling. You’ve got ’em on you — I know.’ His questing fingers felt the little bulge of the package. ‘Ah! Here they are. Now stop fighting. It won’t get you anywhere.’

But Julie struggled and kicked. Her toeless shoes made no impression on Hewart’s thick legs and she couldn’t get her; hands free. As he began to pull up her skirt, she let out squeal of outraged fury.

‘Well, I am surprised at you, Sam,’ Harry said as he pushed’ open the door. ‘You could get six months for half what you’re doing.’

Hewart released Julie as if she had suddenly become red hot. Harry leaned against the doorway, his hat cocked rakishly over one eye, his hands in his pockets, a hard, cynical expression in his eyes.

‘How did you get in here?’ Hewart asked feebly. He was frightened, not liking the look Harry gave him. There was a half-concealed threat in the clenched fists hidden in the pockets.

Julie staggered away from Hewart; her face was white, and her eyes blazing with fury.

‘You rotten swine! How dare you touch me!’ She rounded on Harry. ‘It’s all your fault! Hit him! Did you see what he was doing to me? Hit him! Make him pay for it!’

Harry regarded her with frank admiration. He liked to see a girl in a rage, and Julie’s rage was a real pippin, he thought.

‘Keep your hair on, sweetheart,’ he said with a grin. ‘You wouldn’t want me to hit an old man, now, would you? You come along home with me. He didn’t do you any harm.’

‘I’ll teach him to put his dirty paws on me!’ Julie screamed, and snatched up a four pound jar of honey and threw it at Hewart. The jar caught him in the middle of his chest and sent him reeling back. As she turned for another missile, Harry, gasping with laughter, caught hold of her and bundled her out of the room.

‘Lock yourself in, Sam!’ he shouted. ‘I can’t hold her for long, and she’s after your blood!’

The door hastily slammed and the key turned.

Julie, panting with rage, wrenched free and hammered on the door.

‘Let me in, you dirty old goat! I haven’t finished with you yet. I’ll kill you for this!’

‘You get out!’ Hewart shouted through the door panels. ‘You’re sacked, see? I don’t want to see you again. You hop it or I’ll call the police.’

‘I’ll give you in charge!’ Julie screamed back. ‘I’ll have you up for assault, you—! You won’t get away with this! Don’t you think you will!’

‘Come on, Julie,’ Harry said persuasively, but he kept at a safe distance. ‘Leave the old geezer alone. You’ve given him a fright, and he won’t try that on again.’

She turned on him.

‘You’ve lost me my job!’ she exclaimed. ‘It’s all very well for you to stand there grinning. What am I going to do now?’

Harry was thinking, ‘I said something would turn up, and it has. It couldn’t have worked out better.’

‘What are you going to do about it?’ Julie demanded, calming down. She suddenly realized what it would mean not to work at the café again. To find another job worth twelve pounds a week would be impossible. ‘Oh! Damn you! I wish I’d never seen you. I wish I hadn’t helped you.’

‘Now don’t get excited. Come on. We’ll talk this over. I have a car outside. I’ll take you home.’

She went with him because she didn’t know what else to do. If she had been alone she would have gone back to Hewart and apologized. But Harry pushed her along, his hand on her elbow. He had got her away from Hewart, and he had no intention of letting her get back again.

‘Don’t you worry,’ he said, pausing beside a big Chrysler car, parked under a street light. Julie noticed it had ‘Hackney Carriage’ number plates. ‘In you get. Where do you live?’ keep the car on the road without the cops asking me where I get the petrol from.’

‘Is this your car?’ she asked, startled.

‘Course it is. The plates don’t mean anything except I can.’

She looked at the long, glittering bonnet and the big head-lights.

‘If he can afford to run a car like this,’ she thought, ‘maybe he has money. He must have. I’ll see what I can get out of him.’

‘Wake up, dreamy. Where do you live?’ he asked, and pushed her into the car.

‘Fulham Palace Road,’ she said, settling herself on the broad, comfortable seat.

‘What have you got — rooms?’ He got in beside her, and trod on the starter.

‘It’s a self-contained flat.’

‘Share it with anyone?’

‘No. You want to know a lot, don’t you?’

‘A proper Nosey Parker I am,’ he returned with a laugh, and drove rapidly through the deserted streets. Neither of them said anything until they stopped outside her flat, then he said, ‘This it? Right. Let’s go in. I could do with a cup of tea.’

‘You’re not coming in and you’re not having any tea,’ Julie snapped. ‘And if you want those rings back you’ll have to pay for them.’

He twisted round to look at her. He was smiling, but his eyes had hardened.

‘But I want to talk to you. We can’t talk here. Now, be nice and invite me in.’

‘I’m not in the habit of inviting men into my flat at this hour. I want fifty pounds for the rings. You won’t get them until you give me the money.’

He whistled softly under his breath.

‘Have a heart, kid. Fifty quid! Why, the damn things aren’t worth that.’

‘They’re worth a thousand, and you know it. Bring the money to-morrow morning or I’ll sell them.’ She jerked open the car door, ran up the steps, opened the door before he could move.

‘Hey Julie!’ he shouted.

‘Tomorrow morning or you won’t see them again,’ she said triumphantly, and slammed the door.