the ice cold nude

“Sure, sure,” Pete mumbled hastily.

He did a good job all right—my hands strapped behind my back, both my ankles and my knees strapped tight together. The leather dug cruelly into my flesh and I figured I didn’t have a hope in hell of moving one solitary muscle even, until someone untied the straps again.

“Where will I put him, boss?” Pete grunted.

“In the bathroom with the broad,” Estell snarled. “Where the hell else? They can keep each other company, and we’ll leave the radio on when we go, in case they start yelling any.”

The giant picked me up like I was a trussed fowl, threw me over his shoulder, and carried me into the bathroom. There was a bath and shower combination; Patty’s wrists were strapped to the shower faucet and she . was standing with one side pressed against the tiled walL Pete propped me in a standing position against the side of the bath and chuckled loudly. “Ain’t nothing like being really clean, pal!” Then he nudged my shoulder with the palm of his hand and I toppled sideways into the bath, banging my head painfully against the side. I lay full-length with my head close to Patty’s feet, writhing impotently while the sound of his raucous laugh faded into the other room. The door slammed shut after him, and a few seconds later the radio flooded the whole apartment with loud jazz.

“Danny?” Patty’s voice sounded remote from where I lay. I squirmed a little, twisting my neck, until I could look up at her face.

“Yeah?”

“I’m terribly sorry I got you into this!”

“I wouldn’t worry about it, I told her in a slightly terse voice. “You didn’t have any choice.”

“You’re very kind,” she said softly. “That was the first thing I thought when I met you, do you know that? Under that awfully good-looking and tough guy facade, I said to myself, there’s a wonderful soft, kindly man!”

“I don’t wonder you get into this kind of trouble if you go around saying things like that to yourself all the time!”

I grated. “How about we try and figure a way out of this?”

“I’ve tried.” Her body jerked suddenly as she pulled against the straps that held her wrists to the faucet. “But I can’t loosen them at all.”

“Well, keep right on trying, Patty,” I snapped. “We don’t have too much time before the boys will be back

—and frankly, I don’t want to be here when they arrive.” “Maybe they won’t be back?” she said hopefully. “If your theory about that Mr. Byers is right, they’ll—” “They’ll be back,” I said bleakly. “You remember when Estell asked for Byers’ address and I read it out loud to him?”

“Of course, but what difference does that make?”

“It wasn’t Byers’ address I read out loud,” I snarled. “It belonged to one of the other finalists in the beauty contest. I bet she’ll be about as surprised as Marty and Pete when she opens the door.”

“You fool!” she almost spat the word.

“Maybe you’re right,” I acknowledged. “But keep pulling against that faucet while you call me names, honey, because time’s running out on us fast.”

Her body jerked frantically as she threw her weight against the straps for maybe a minute, then suddenly went limp. “It’s no good, Mr. Boyd!” she said tearfully. “They don’t give at all.”

“You could call me Danny, after all we’ve been through together,” I said. “And keep pulling away—it’s the only hope we’ve got.”

“I’ll try,” she said, and sniffed loudly.

“That’s the girl,” I said encouragingly.

The faucet made a faint clanking sound as she jerked the straps again. “These straps will cut right through my wrists if I keep on much longer!”

“So what’s losing a pair of hands compared with your whole life?” I snarled at her. “Keep pulling.”

Maybe five minutes later when I was about ready to tell her to turn on the faucet because death by drowning would be infinitely preferable to Pete, she suddenly yelled excitedly.

“Danny! They slipped a little.”

“So pull some more,” I said fiercely.

The clanking sound was stronger, then Patty suddenly squealed in triumph. “I did it! I did it! I’ve got my hands loose, Danny!”

“So don’t just stand there making a big deal of it,” I yelled at her. “Get me loose.”

She got down onto her knees awkwardly and after what felt like a hell of a long time, managed to get my wrists

fret. 1 massaged the circulation back into them, then undid the straps around my knees and ankles. My walk back into the living room was strictly Chaplinesque, until the blood had gone down to my toes and back up again a couple of times.

Patty sank wearily onto the couch and heaved an immense sigh of relief, then remembered too late that the sigh was not only audible but visible, too. Maybe she saw the look of admiration on my face, because she blushed a fiery red and covered herself with her arms.

“You know something, Patty?” I told her. “You have a beautiful body—you should be proud of it.”

For a moment a look of pride showed in her dark eyes. “Louise and I had exactly the same measurements," she said shyly. 44We could wear the same size dress and everything. We used to borrow each other’s clothes all the time and—” Her voice stopped suddenly and she fumed her head away. 1 figured the memory of how Louise had died was still a hell of a lot too close for comfort.

“We still have a problem that's likely to return pretty soon,” 1 said briskly. “So we’d better get the hell out of here fast before we have company.”

“But where—”

“HI get you a room at the hotel for the night,” I said. “1 don't want to bring the cops into this just yet— 1 want to get to Byers first.”

*'111 go get some clothes together and I guess I'd better put some on as well.” She looked down at herself, then added daringly, “I bet the clerk wouldn't give me a room if he saw me like this!”

“Don't sell yourself short, honey,” I said mildly, “he might give you a whole suite yet.”

“Danny!” She gave me a delighted smile, then vanished into the N*droom. I lit a cigarette while 1 waited and I was just mashing the butt when her head suddenly reappeared around the door.

“Danny,” she said excitedly, “I just checked my watch.”

“And how is it?—still working?” I growled.

“You don't understand!” If she stamped her foot I didn't hear it but then maybe she wasn't wearing shoes right then. “Ifs only fifteen minutes since they left." she continued rapidly. **and that address you gave them is a twenty-minute drive ax absolute minimum—one way. So they can't possibly get back in less than another Twenty-five minutes, not counting the time it takes them to realize you gave them the wrong address. Why don’t you go straight over to Byers' place now? You don’t need to wait for me—I can get a cab to the hotel. ”

“Sure, but—” I said doubtfully.

“But nothing.” Her voice was determined. “You do as I say, because you're only wasting time waiting here for me—m be at kast another ten minutes."

“Okay.” I finally agreed. “But you make that ten minutes an absolute deadline.”

“I wffl."

She suddenly darted out from behind the door and ran barefoot toward me. A sheer nylon slip openly proved the rest of her figure was equal to the perfection of what I had already seen. She ran straight into me, threw her arms around my neck, then kissed me fiercely on the mouth. For a short time we were molded together in a businesslike clinch. Then she broke free and ran back to the bedroom, her face glowing like a danger signal.

I walked out of her apartment with that old. old gag running through my mind—“When is a broad not a broad 0" Fd forgotten the punch line but it hardly mattered. and besides, I was punchy enough already. You never know where your fun's coming, and that's a fact.