I guessed the man on the desk was Rube Starkey. I looked at him with interest. He was small; small-boned but sinewy. His face was pockmarked, his eyes flat and black, his mouth lipless. He was dressed in a white flannel suit, and a white slouch hat was pulled well over one eye, giving him a racy, jaunty look. But there was nothing jaunty about his expression.
The man behind Audrey Sheridan was in the same class as Jeff Gordan — big, brainless, apish and tough.
“Spewack,” Jeff said to Starkey, and jerking his head at me.
“What do you want?” Starkey said, looking at me with hard, calculating eyes.
I eyed him back. “What goes on?” I said. “You’re not mayor yet, Starkey; you’d better cut this stuff out. Let her go!”
Jeff pulled me round by grabbing my shoulder. I saw his fist coming up from his ankles and I swayed my body to the right. I felt the draught of wind as his fist whistled past my ear, then I hit him in the belly, and as he came forward I socked him in the jaw.
The gun fell from his hand and I made a dive at it. Starkey got there first. He must have moved with the speed of a lizard. His hand whipped it up as I reached him. He tried to turn, but I was on top of him. I socked him in the body, grabbed him by his belt and arm and tossed him at the other thug who was pounding across the room to get at me. They went down in a heap, upsetting Audrey Sheridan. They all sprawled on the floor together.
I had no time to jump them as Jeff came at me. His face was congested and his eyes bloodshot. I stepped inside a haymaker he sent over, socked him with a left and a right and stopped a bang in the ribs that shook me to the toes.
I backed away as the other thug scrambled to his feet. Both of them came at me. I pushed a chair in Jeff’s way, took a punch on the shoulder from the other thug and socked him between the eyes.
I saw Starkey had got to his feet, and as the other two started on me again he called them off. They drew back and we all eyed each other.
Starkey had a flat automatic in his hand. “Stay where you are,” he said, in a furious hissing voice.
“You can’t use that heater here,” I said. “If you want me, you’ll damn well have to come and get me.” Whipping round, I snatched up a bowl of flowers and threw it at him. He only saved himself by falling flat on his face.
The other two nearly fell over themselves trying to get at me. I dodged round the desk, snatched up the telephone and hit Jeff across his face with it as he rushed me. He blundered back with a howl of pain and cannoned into the other thug. I picked up a chair and stood by the window.
“Now listen, you swine,” I yelled at them. “Make one move and the chair’ll go through the window. That’ll bring a cop, and I’ll pin an assault charge on you that even Macey won’t be able to lift.”
Growling like an animal, Jeff prepared to charge me, but Starkey shouted: “Hold it!”
Once again we all eyed each other.
“Tell those jerks to get the hell outa here,” I said to Starkey. “I want to talk to you and talk to you alone.”
His white pockmarked face was expressionless. After staring at me for a long minute he suddenly said, “Beat it,” to the others.
When they had gone, I put down the chair: “Someone’s trying to frame you for murder,” I said. “Even Macey can’t help you if the frame’s good enough.”
Starkey said nothing. He straightened his coat, put on his hat again and went over and sat in a chair. He nodded his head at the girl lying on her side, still tied to the chair.
I went over to her and fiddled at the knots.
“Watch him and don’t bother about me,” she whispered.
That advice came about a split second too late. Starkey, reaching forward with the speed of a striking snake, kicked at my temple. His hard pointed shoe crashed against my head and I fell flat on Audrey Sheridan.
Dimly I heard Starkey’s voice, high-pitched with excitement, shout: “Nail him, you lugs!”
Then hands seized me, dragged me to my feet, and before I could clear my head something exploded on my jaw and I crashed against the wall. I slithered to the floor, peered up at the savagely grinning face of Jeff Gordan and blocked his foot with my arm as he kicked at me.
I grabbed his leg before he could get out of the way and shoved it hard in his direction. He waved his arms, cursed and went over backwards. I was nearly on my feet when the other thug drove at me. He tackled me, his shoulder catching me in the belly, his arms around my hips. I crashed to the floor, slammed hard at his face, and saw Starkey, holding his automatic by the barrel, running at me. I tried to twist away, but the butt of the gun caught me on the top of my head. Lights flashed before my eyes and then I slipped off into darkness.
I couldn’t have been out for more than five minutes. I became aware of someone tying my hands behind my back and of the burning pain that crawled up my arms as the cord bit into my flesh.
A hand came out of the mist, fastened onto my shirtfront and dragged me to my feet. My legs bent, but the hand kept me from falling. I shook my head and Jeff Gordan came into my vision. lie shook me gently backwards and forwards, then his hand came up and he slapped my face three times. They were hard, heavy slaps and they made my eyes water.
I mumbled curses at him and he slapped me some more, dragged me to a chair and slammed me down into it. Then he went out of my vision.
I sat slumped in the chair, a curtain of red before my eyes. I wanted only to get at Gordan and hammer him until there was nothing left of him. I wanted to take Starkey and beat his head on the corner of the desk and see the white mess of his brain spew out on the carpet. Even though I was dazed and pain crawled through my body, I was conscious of hating these men as I had never hated anyone before.
A sudden sharp cry snapped me out of my rage. I looked up, screwed up my eyes in an effort to focus, saw figures in a mist which suddenly cleared away.
Gordan and the other tough had got Audrey Sheridan pinned across the desk.
Her coat was off and Starkey was holding a lighted cigarette on her arm.
The two of them had all they could do to hold her. One pulled down on her legs while the other held her arms. Her back was arched over the desk and her body squirmed as the glowing end of the cigarette burnt her.
I drew a deep breath, kicked away the chair and reeled over to them. My shoulder caught Starkey and sent him staggering back. He turned viciously, sidestepped the kick I aimed at him and his sharp, bony knuckles thudded into my face. I went over and hit the carpet. Almost before I lit, I caught his legs between mine and shoved on a lock. He came down close to me, hissing like an angry snake. He tried to reach my face with his fists but he was just out of range. I put more pressure on the lock and his face turned green. Then he began to beat on the carpet, squealing to Jeff for help.
Jeff let go of Audrey and came at me. I gave one more squeeze to the lock, heard Starkey catch his breath and tried to twist away from Gordan’s foot that whistled at my head. I only got a quarter of the steam in the kick but it was enough to stun me. I relaxed limply on the carpet.
The rest of what happened was like a dream. I was only half-conscious of it, but enough to know what happened without being able to do anything about it.
When Gordan let go of Audrey’s hands, she sat up and did something to the other thug. He fell down on his knees, holding his hands to the back of his neck, making a whining sound. She slid off the desk.
I avoided Starkey’s rush, and tossed a heavy ashtray through the window. The crash of breaking glass was followed by a silence you could cut with a knife.
Then Starkey said: “You’ll be seeing me again.” The vicious anger in his voice came through the, mists that clogged my brain and chilled me. A boot crashed into my side and then a door slammed.