Ed McBain - See Them Die

"Hey, where you going?" he said.

"Home."

"Why? I only just found you."

"I have to get dressed," the girl said.

"You look dressed fine to me," he said, and his eyes traveled the length of her body, pausing on the soft swell of her breasts beneath the light-blue sweater, the abrupt curve of her hips against the black skirt.

"I have to get dressed," the girl repeated blankly, seemingly embarrassed by his scrutiny.

"Well, that can wait, can't it?" he asked.

The girl seemed very puzzled. "What do you want?" she said.

"Well ... uh ... don't you know?"

"No?" the girl said, and again she raised her voice at the end of the word so that it sounded like a question.

"Well ... I was talking to a fellow last night. It was really very early this morning. Downtown. In a bar."

"Yes?"'

"And he said I should come up here."

"What for?"

"He said I'd find you here," Jeff said.

He looked at her, and he thought, Well, he didn't exactly say I would find you here, because no one ever expects to find something like you, no one ever really expects to come across something like you ever in his life.

"He didn't say that," the girl said.

"Yes. Yes, he did."

"What was his name? The man who told you about me?"

"I don't remember," Jeff paused. "I was drunk."

"Are you drunk now?"

He smiled tentatively. "Sober as a judge."

"And this fellow told you about me? He said you would find me?'

"Well ... not exactly. I mean, I didn't expect anyone as ... as pretty as you. But he said—"

"What did he say, exactly?"

"He said I should go uptown..."

"Yes?"

"And I should look for a place called La Gallina."

"La Ga— oh." She paused and looked at him more closely. "I see. Yes. Now I understand."

"Good. I got to admit, you're really something. I mean a guy just doesn't expect ... I mean, I'm not trying to say anything against what you do, or anything like that ... but ... well, you know, it's just unusual, that's all. To find one as pretty as you."

"Thank you," the girl said. She smiled. "I think you've made a mistake."

"This is La Gallina, isn't it?" Jeff asked, looking at the gilt lettering on the plate-glass windows again.

"Oh, yes. This is La Gallina."

"And you did come out of there, didn't you?"

"Yes, I certainly did."

There was a strange twinkle in her brown eyes. He looked at her suspiciously and realized she was trying to suppress a laugh.

"You do work in there?" he asked. "Don't you?"

"I do."

"Well, what's so funny?" he said, beginning to get slightly annoyed.

The girl would not allow the laugh to escape her mouth. "Nothing," she said. "Nothing." — "Well, then, all right," he said.

"All right," she answered.

They stood staring at each other, Jeff trying to figure out what was so goddamned funny, and the girl trying her best not to laugh.

"Well?" he said at last.

"Well what?"

"Well, let's go to bed."

"You and me?"

"Well, sure, you and me. Who did you think I meant?"

The girl shook her head. "No. I don't think so."

She started to move away from him, and he caught her arm, stopping her.

"Why not?"

"Well..." Again, she held back a laugh. She thought for a moment, and then said, "I guess I don't like sailors."

"That's no attitude," Jeff said, grinning. "Some of my best friends are sailors."

"No," the girl said, shaking her head. "No. Sorry. No sailors." She saw the disappointment on his face and quickly added, "Besides, I'm too high."

"High?"

"Yes, my price. My ... uh ... my fee?" She made it sound as if she were asking him what the correct word should be.

"Well, how high is high?" Jeff asked, beginning to bargain.'

"A lot." The girl considered the question gravely. "More than you earn in a week."

"How much is that?"

"Very, very high," she said.

"Well, how much? Can't you tell me? Boy, you sure act strange for a..."

"I told you," the girl said. "Very very very high." She seemed at a loss for words. She struggled with her thoughts and then desperately said, "What's the highest you ever paid?"

"Twenty. But that was on the Coast. On the Coast..."

"I'm much higher than that," she said quickly, seemingly relieved.

"Forty?"

"Higher."

"A hundred?" he asked, appalled.

"Goodness," the girl said, her eyes twinkling again. "Do I look like a common streetwalker?"

"Well, no, no," he said hastily, "you don't. But a hundred dollars, God, I..."

"I didn't say a hundred. I said higher."

"I haven't even got twenty," he said despondently. "You see, I was in a poker game and..."

"Well, there are other girls," she said curtly. "Goodbye."

She turned on her heel and began walking up the street. Jeff watched her and then, galvanized into sudden action, he yelled, "Hey! Wait!" and ran after her.

"What is it?" she said.

"Listen, can't we talk this over?"

"Why?"

"Well, I ... I think you're pretty."

"Thank you."

"I mean it. I'm not just saying it so you'll..." He paused. "I mean it."

"Why don't you go home, sailor?" she said kindly, her face suddenly turning so tender that he wanted to kiss her right then and there in the street, even though you weren't supposed to kiss girls like this, still he wanted—

"Home?" he said. "Hell, I live in Colorado. Listen, can't we talk this over?"

"Sailor—"

"Jeff."

"Jeff, all right, Jeff, I'm not what you think. I'm not what the fellow sent you uptown for."

"Huh?"

"I cook for La Gallina and some of the other bars. They have steam tables. I prepare the food for them."

"You pre— oh." He paused. "So you were in there..."

"Getting things ready for when they open," the girl said, nodding.

"Oh." He paused again. "And all that business about price..."

"I was fooling you."

"Oh. Well, I'm sorry."

"That's all right. I'm sorry I fooled you."

"Oh, that's all right." He studied her soberly. "You're still very pretty."

"Thank you."

"Do you ... do you have to run off?"

"I have to get dressed. I'm going to church."

"I'll go with you," he said quickly.

"Are you Catholic?"

"Presbyterian. I'll go with you anyway. I've gone to all kinds of religious services in the Navy. I'm something of an expert. You see, I do it to get out of work parties. Whenever I'm on a work party and they announce like, 'All people of the Jewish faith, prepare to leave the ship for religious services,' I all of a sudden become a person of the Jewish faith. I'm just sorry there aren't less work parties and more religions."

The girl shook her head. "I would feel funny."

"Are you religious? Is that it?"

"I suppose so. Yes."

"Well, I mean, the church won't fall down or anything if I walk into it. Believe me. I've been inside Catholic churches before. It's a nice service." He nodded, thinking over the various services he had been to.

"I would still feel funny," the girl said. She looked at him in indecision, and then made a slight movement of departure.

"Look," he said. "Look ... don't run off."

"Why not?"

"I don't know."

"You'll be busy," she said. "La Gallina opens at noon."

"Well, that ... you know, it's not that important."

"Isn't it?"

"No, it isn't," he said firmly. "Look, won't you ... won't you stay with me?"

The girl looked at her watch. "I have to go," she said. "I want to catch the eleven o'clock Mass."

"Will you meet me after church?"

"Why should I?"

"I want you to. Don't you want to?"

The girl hesitated. Then she said, "Yes, I do."

"Then why don't you?"

"Are you on a ship?"

"Yes. Look, will you..."

"What kind?"

"A destroyer."