I pushed open the gate and went up the cement walk to the house. I stood still on the walk at the foot of the porch steps for a long moment. My heart was thumping uneasily and I had the kind of sickish feeling one has when one is going to have a tooth drawn. No sound came from the house, which was dark except for another pale square card nailed on its door.
I moved silently to the door and listened. I could hear nothing. I went to a window and then to another. I tried both windows and the door. They were all locked.
I stood there wondering what to do. Had Marian come to this empty, lonely-looking house? Had she entered or had she gone away when she found no one was living in it? I wasn’t taking any chances. I had to get in and see for myself.
I fiddled with one of the windows and slipped back the catch. The window went up slowly with my push and didn’t make much noise doing it. I peered into the darkness and smelt the dank, musty smell of a room that hadn’t been occupied for a long time.
With my gun in my right fist I stepped over the sill, down into the room. The bare boards creaked under my weight and the air in the room stifled me.
A full minute of breathless listening got me nothing. Holding my gun ahead of my body, I began exploring the joint. Nothing but the floor came under my feet as I edged my way forward. My groping left hand felt nothing until it touched a wall from which hung strips of wallpaper which rustled under my fingers. I seemed to have crossed a room that was empty.
I moved along the wall, hunting for a door. Half a dozen of my undersized steps brought me to one. I leaned against it, listened and heard nothing.
I found the knob, turned it softly and eased the door back. As I stood peering into the darkness, trying to get my eyes used to the murk, I heard a car coming down the street. It was travelling slowly, and as it approached the house it slowed right down, finally stopping outside.
Four quick strides took me to the window. I could see the outline of the taxi, but it was now too dark to see anything more. I caught a glimpse of a figure getting out of the taxi and the cab door slammed. Then the figure came hurrying up the cement walk. A moment later a key turned in the lock and the front door opened.
I slid across the room to the door and stood behind it. I heard the front door close and footsteps sounded in the lobby. A light showed under the door and the doorknob rattled. Then the door opened and I smelt lilac.
I wasn’t surprised. I guessed it was Audrey Sheridan as she came up the cement walk. Keeping close to the wall, I shoved my gun into my hip pocket and waited for her to come in.
The beam of the flashlight crept around the peeling walls. A large spider with gigantic legs scurried away from the light, lost its hold on the wall and fell with a little plop to the floor.
I heard Audrey catch her breath in a shudder of horror. I grinned to myself. She was going to get a bigger scare than that.
Then she was in the room. I could see her clearly outlined against the beam of the flashlight. She was trousered and her hair was caught up in a silk handkerchief.
I didn’t give her a chance to get set, but launched myself at her knees. She gave a little scream as we went down together. For a minute we were a silent tangle of kicking legs and flailing arms. I was scared stiff she’d start some of her jiu-jitsu stuff, so every time she tried to free her arms I smothered her, by lying across her face and pinning her arms to the floor.
“Sister,” I said, “you’ll save yourself a lot of damage if you’ll relax.”
Instead, she bit my chest and I yelped, pulling away from her.
She got one hand free and it swished past my face with force; as it came back again, I grabbed her wrist and twisted her arm behind her. Then pulling her up, I turned her over and slammed her face down on the floor. I jammed my knee between her shoulders and nailed her.
“Behave yourself,” I panted, “Or I’ll really get tough with you.”
I heard her catch her breath and she relaxed. “You’re hurting me,” she said in a small voice.
I didn’t ease up. “It’ll be a change,” I said, sitting across her knees, but still holding her arm screwed up behind her right shoulder blade. “The last time we had a romp, you tossed me against a brick wall.”
“And I’ll do it again,” she said, her voice suddenly furious. “Let me go, you big beast!”
“Start whenever you’re ready,” I said casually, and put on a little pressure.
She gave a cry. “Don’t!” she implored. “You’re hurting!”
“It’s about time you met someone your own weight,” I told her. “You’ve been having it all your own way. Now, you talk, or I’ll tear your arm off!”
“You and who else?” she asked, and giggled.
I also had to grin. “Are you going to behave?” I asked. “Will you sit up and be a good girl if I let you?”
“I’ll sit up when I like and I’ll behave as I like,” she said defiantly, “and it’ll take more than a big jerk like you to stop me!”
I put my hand on her head and pushed her nose on the floorboards. “Don’t talk so big,” I said, “or I’ll dust the whole of this joint with you.”
God knows what happened then. She suddenly heaved and next second I was lying on my back with my neck caught between her ankles and she was putting on a squeeze that pretty near throttled me.
I’d done a little all-in wrestling in my time and that was something I understood. I had her shoe off and was among her toes before she knew what I was at. She broke the lock and wriggled away from me and for a moment I lost her in the darkness.
I sat up panting, my ears pricked, waiting for her to jump me.
Then suddenly she laughed. “Pax,” she said. “Please, pax.”
“Sure,” I said. “These little bouts with you are shortening my life. It isn’t natural for a girl to be so rough. Come and sit down beside me. And if you don’t keep your hands to yourself, I’ll call a cop.”
I heard her move towards me and then the flashlight went on. I turned and found her behind me. I also found I was sitting on a floor inches thick with dust and I hurriedly got to my feet.
We stared at each other in the beam of the flashlight. We were both covered in dust and Audrey’s face was smeared with long streaks of dirt.
“I guess we do look a couple of bums,” I said. “What do you think you’re doing here?”
“I might ask you that,” she returned, “but I’m not inquisitive. Let’s say hello and good-bye without any further talk.”
“No,” I said. “This nonsense has been going on too long. You’re not leaving here until you promise to give me that picture of Dixon you pinched off me. It’s entirely due to you I’m getting nowhere in this case. If I had that picture I’d have found the girls by now.”
“Oh no, you wouldn’t,” she said, keeping just out of my reach. “You think you could have forced Starkey into the open with it, don’t you? Well, I’ve tried, and it didn’t work.”
“You tried?” I exclaimed. “You mean to say you were crazy enough to tell Starkey you’ve got it?”
She nodded. “I’m afraid so,” she said ruefully. “That’s why I’m lying low for a while. I didn’t think he’d dare to start anything with me.”
“I bet you’ve found out different,” I said grimly. “It beats me you’re still alive.”
“I know he’s kidnapping these girls,” she said in a quick burst of confidence. “And I thought I’d make him produce them if I threatened him with the picture.”
“Well, you’re wrong,” I said. “Starkey hasn’t anything to do with the kidnapping. I’m sure of that. All you’ve done is to put yourself in a hell of a spot.”