Микки Спиллейн - The Long Wait

I wanted to answer her, but there wasn’t any room for words. Her mouth was a fiery cushion against mine, her body a warm curve that melted and flowed into mine, pressing so tightly I could feel every tremor that ran in excited little ripples from her lips to her feet.

My fingers caught in her hair and pulled her head back. “You’re a good kid, Wendy,” I grinned at her.

She didn’t grin back. The corners of her eyes tilted with an obscure humor, but that was all. “Good? You know how good I am. I was good then I grew up. By the time I got smart it was too late. I was a tramp and I’m not making any bones about it. Take a long look, Johnny, and you’ll see it all, every bit of it. You’ll see a gal who’s been kicked around and did a lot of kicking herself. Now I put on an act that shows a little skin and I’m some sort of a success and until you came along I was pretty contented. I have a house, a car and a couple of good friends and I thought I had enough. See what you did to me?”

“Nuts, you’re still a good kid.”

This time she did grin. Just a little. “I can’t be. If I was I wouldn’t be so stupid and so perfectly frank as to stand here telling you that I was a tramp and almost in love with you to boot.”

I tried to say something, but she wouldn’t let me get in a word. “Don’t worry about it, Johnny. Let me be stupid, but don’t feel sorry for me. If there’s any loving to be done, let me do it I’m not that stupid. I won’t tie you down no matter how many kisses you want. Is that plain enough?”

For a good ten seconds I did nothing but stand there and look at her. It was the first time her soul was in her face and it wiped out all the hard lines around her eyes. I said, “Yeah... I guess it is.”

“By the way... I have news about your Vera West.”

I hardly heard her. “Tell me.”

“I asked around like you told me to and one of the entertainers saw her up at the State Capital a few years back. She was playing around with some local character.”

“How’d they know it was Vera?”

“Because she had seen her with Servo when she was booked in some of the clubs in Lyncastle.”

I grunted something and nodded. When I thought about it I said, “Was that before or after she broke up with him?”

She pinched her tongue between her teeth, then, “When she vanished she vanished completely, didn’t she?”

“Looks that way.”

“Then it must have been before.”

I thought it over but my mind couldn’t fit it in anyplace. So she took a flyer on Lenny and so what. Maybe she was tired of his games. I shoved her away gently, holding her out where I could look at her. “Keep asking. Maybe something good’ll turn up. Sure you won’t change your mind about tonight?”

“Please... not tonight.”

I liked that about her, too. I tossed the butt into an ash tray and opened the door. The tail end of the waltz rushed in on a wave of applause, echoing off the walls. When I looked back she was still standing there watching me. “Kid,” I said, “I’m not so interested in virgins that I’d trade a real woman for one.”

He smile was beautiful this time. Then she stuck her tongue out at me and I shut the door.

Louie met me coming out and waved me over to the bar for a drink. Without being told the bartender shoved some thing that bubbled under our noses and we raised the glasses in a silent toast. Louie smacked his lips and crooked his head at me. “Tell me something. You take Wendy away from here?” He caught the question in my glance and added, “I see her watch you alla time. Me, I know. I have the wife. Lots of pretty girls before that too, you betcha!” He let out a series of grunts and patted himself in the belly in pleasure.

“Look, Louie, you don’t want to lose her, do you?”

“Hell, Wendy goes and my trade goes too.” He grunted again. “Maybe not. Men, they like to see the naked women. Sometimes I don’t think they care what she’s like as long as she’s female.”

“You’re quite a philosopher. Wendy’s not a naked woman.”

“Sure, that’s even better. She’s better’n a stripper. Let her show one extra inch and these men think they really see something... Not so good to show it all at once. Wendy, she’s a good girl.” He peered at me knowingly.

“That’s what I told her, Louie.”

“She’s had it rough you know.”

“Sure.”

“But she’s a nice girl. You understand?”

“I understand.”

“You treat her rough and you know what happen. You understand that, too?”

If he hadn’t been so damn serious he would have sounded funny. Like her father or something. I raised the glass and drained down the last of the bubbly water. “Don’t worry, Louie, she won’t get treated rough. I kind of like the kid, see?”

“Sure, Johnny. I know. Me, I guess I worry too much. She’s here long time now. We two good friends. Old Nick, he’s good friend too. In that town back there...” he waved a thumb over his shoulder, “... is all kinds of no-good things. Here it’s pretty good and we like it that way. You know.”

I played with the glass a little bit. The bartender tried to fill it up but I held my hand over the top. “You know much about those bad things, Louie?”

“Some. I don’t shop for trouble. I see who goes in and who comes back. Lotsa trade goes through this place.”

“You know a guy named Eddie Packman?”

At first I didn’t think he was going to answer me, then he said, “Why?”

“He’s a wise guy.”

“He’s a tough guy too.”

“Not that tough. Know where I can find him?”

“He’s gotta joint...”

“Nope. He’s on the town tonight.”

“Then he’s gotta woman. You go to the Ship’n Shore. You find him there. He’s a big stuff with a woman. Always he has one two feet bigger than him. You taking Wendy?”

“No.”

“That’s good. You find trouble with somebody else.”

“Yeah, Wendy suggested the same thing. Okay, Louie, thanks for the info. I’ll see you later. Take care of my girl.”

I slid off the stool and waited for a couple to unblock the aisle. Louie’s beefy fingers snagged my arm. “Johnny... you ever kill anybody?” His voice was almost lost in the hubbub.

My face tightened up all by itself and my stomach felt hollow. It was something I didn’t like to answer, but the answer must have been right there because he added, “You get tough with this Packman... somebody die all right. Somebody get killed quick.”

I nodded and he let go of my arm. “It won’t be me,” I said.

“No, it won’t be you, Johnny.”

The band started another noisy piece that cleared the bar of dancers long enough for me to squeeze through. I stopped by the door and lit another smoke, trying hard to unscramble the ends and put them together long enough to lead me some-wheres.

Somebody wanted me out of the way. Somebody put a thousand bucks in the pocket of a guy who tried to do it. That somebody could be Packman, and if it was Packman he could supply a lot of answers. Like where was Vera West, for instance.

My mind started turning over fast and I dug some change out of my pants. There was an empty row of phone booths off to one side and I grabbed the one on the end. The operator took my nickel for the unlisted number in the red light section, then rang it twice until that voice sounding like a tall, cool drink said hello.

I said, “I’m the guy who pulled the tassel, remember?”

Her laugh was the drink spilling over. “Yes, I certainly remember. You seemed startled.”

“I never pulled a tassel before.”

“What a pity.”

“Look, you said you’d ask around...”

“That’s right, I did. Do you...” she hesitated a moment, “think we can discuss the matter in say, a half hour?” In the background I heard the low murmur of voices and the chink of ice in a glass. I caught it fast.