James Chase - I Would Rather Stay Poor

‘Okay, if you’re that gutless,’ Calvin snarled. ‘Go ahead, but why involve me? That letter of yours… do something about it. Look, I’ll…’

Kit’s jeering laugh cut across his frenzied voice.

‘That’s the trick in this,’ she said. ‘You thought you had it all fixed, but you’re not getting away with it… as I’m not getting away with it. When I go… you’ll follow. You shouldn’t have involved Iris in this. That’s something I’ll never forgive you for. We’ll settle this thing together… I’ll go first, but make no mistake about it, you’ll go second.’

Then for no reason that Calvin could see, her foot slipped and she dropped her bag as she snatched at the nearest steel pole. She missed and fell. Calvin involuntarily shut his eyes, feeling a cold wave of blood surge through him. He heard a loud moan come up from the crowd: a woman screamed. He forced himself to look.

Kit had fallen no more than ten feet. She had caught hold of a scaffolding pole and was now hanging in mid-air.

Calvin was now above her, looking down at her. He watched her swing herself from an impossible position into a safe position with the carelessness of a monkey swinging from tree branch to tree branch. In the moment that had chilled his blood, she was once again settling herself into the precarious safety of yet another apex of yet another triangle of steel.

The crane driver, watching all this with morbid fascination, expertly lowered the bucket so Calvin was again on the same level and facing Kit.

‘Did you think I was going to die?’ she asked. He could see she was completely unshaken. ‘Heights mean nothing to me. When I’m good and ready, I’ll let go, but I’m not ready yet.’

From her expression Calvin knew it was hopeless to try to persuade her into any sense. For a long moment, he tried to force himself to get out of the bucket and climb over the perilous rods to her, but he hadn’t the nerve. He was sure that if he did reach her, she would take him with her in a fatal drop to death.

‘For the last time, Kit,’ he said, ‘cut this out. We’ve everything to gain. Can’t you see… we can get away with it… it’s in the bag!’

‘Give me a cigarette,’ she said. ‘I’ve lost mine. I must have a cigarette.’

With a shaking hand, he took from his pocket his pack of cigarettes and carefully tossed the pack to her. His spine tingled when she let go of the steel rod to catch the flying pack. For a moment, she wobbled uncertainly, then she recovered her balance.

He pleaded: ‘Kit! Come on down. We can work this thing out together…’

She suddenly screamed at him in a voice that reached the crowd below, ‘Get the hell away from me! You can’t talk me into anything. Get away or I’ll jump!’

The sudden change of her expression, the glare in her eyes warned him he could do nothing with her. He waved to the crane driver, pointing down.

The crowd below gave a satisfied, sadistic sigh as Calvin was slowly lowered to the ground. The show was to go on.

Four hours later, Kit was still up there and the crowd, still fascinated, remained in the congested street.

During these four long hours a police officer, a doctor and finally a priest had gone up in the crane bucket, one after the other, to try to persuade her to come down. All of them had failed. She had remained there, indifferent to what they said, smoking a cigarette after cigarette and looking down at the sea of up-turned faces without any show of emotional stress.

Calvin sat on the stone edge of the town’s fountain. From this vantage point, he could see Kit clearly. With him was the sheriff and a doctor from the hospital.

‘If she stays up there until it is dark,’ the sheriff said, ‘we plan to rig a net under her. Then some of the boys will go after her. It’ll be tricky. I guess I’ll put a searchlight on her to blind her. She mustn’t see the boys fixing the net.’

‘I don’t think she’ll jump now,’ the doctor said in professional, pompous tones. ‘The longer she stays up there, the less likely she is to take the plunge. I agree about the net, but we’ll have to wait until it’s dark.’ He glanced at his watch. ‘Another five hours.’

Listening to them talk, Calvin thought: You two dopes don’t know Kit. She’ll jump, damn her! When she’s ready, she’ll jump and she won’t give you a chance to rig a net. This is her idea to make me suffer! I wish I knew if she had really written that letter! If she hasn’t I haven’t a care in the world, but if she has… I’m wasting time just sitting here. With all this fuss going on, I might be able to get out of town. I’d have a twenty-four-hour start on them. But could I get out? The road blocks are still in place. Without Easton to okay me, they’re certain to check the car, and then I’d be sunk.

He felt a sudden, over-powering urge to do something. The past four hours had strained his nerves to breaking point. He just couldn’t continue to sit there for another five hours before it was dark enough for them to try this cockeyed scheme of rigging a net.

He got to his feet. His fleshy face was congested, his eyes were wild.

‘I’m going up again,’ he said. ‘I can’t just sit here. This is driving me crazy.’

‘I don’t think it will serve any useful purpose,’ the doctor said. ‘I’d leave her alone, Mr. Calvin. When it’s dark…’

‘You’re not me!’ Calvin snarled. ‘That’s my future wife up there! I’m going to talk to her again.’

The doctor shrugged his shoulders.

‘Be careful. Standing like that in the hot sun for so long must have imposed a…’

‘Oh, stuff it!’ Calvin said and shouldering his way through the crowd he reached the bucket. The crane driver was still at his post, and as soon as he saw Calvin waving to him, he started the crane engine.

‘Hey! Calvin!’

Calvin turned. Easton, his fat face white, sweat streaming into his collar, came through the crowd and joined him.

‘I heard it on the radio,’ Easton spluttered. ‘I couldn’t believe it. I hopped in the car and here I am.’ He stared up. ‘Jeepers! What’s got into her?’

Calvin’s mind was busy. This was the man he needed to help him get out of Pittsville. He caught hold of Easton’s arm.

‘I’m glad you came,’ he said. ‘She’s gone crazy. She’s been up there four hours now. I’m going up there to see if I can persuade her to come down this time. I’ve already been up, but maybe this time, she’ll come down.’

‘Anything I can do?’ Easton asked, his eyes still rooted with horror at the figure perched far above him.

‘Maybe there is… will you stand by?’ Calvin said. ‘This is cracking me. I’m relying on you. Don’t go away.’

‘Like hell I won’t,’ Easton said, delighted that a guy like Calvin should want him. ‘You take it easy. I’m right with you.’

Calvin got into the bucket and waved to the crane driver. He was hoisted into the air. After what seemed an interminable time he was level with Kit. The sight of her alarmed him. The strain of standing for so long in that perilous position was telling on her. Her face was chalk white and drawn, but there was a hard glitter in her eyes that warned him she had still plenty of resistance left.

‘Hello,’ she said. ‘Are you enjoying yourself?’

‘Are you coming down?’ Calvin asked, a snarl in his voice. ‘Haven’t you had enough?’

‘Have you?’

‘Sure: I’ve had more than enough. Cut this out and come down!’

He saw her hesitate, then she said, ‘I don’t think I can. I’ve got cramp. I could use a drink!’ She stared at him. ‘If I come, will you help me?’

‘I’m not getting out onto those rods,’ Calvin said. ‘I wouldn’t trust you not to try to take me with you. I’m not helping you. You got yourself into this jam… get yourself out of it!’