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“You know I get a thrill out of hearing your voice when you get

business-like,” she said. “It’s like being in a movie with Humphrey

Bogart.”

“You remember what Bogart did to Bacall?” I asked, advancing

and making faces at her.

“I seem to remember it wasn’t very polite,” she said, backing

hurriedly away.

I grabbed her, did what Bogart had done to Bacall, asked her how

she liked it.

“I’d forgotten,” she sighed, holding me close. “Much more,

please.”

I had a sudden idea. “‘Fell me, honey, did you ever meet a guy

named Jacobi at the club?”

She shook her head. “You mean the one who was murdered? “

Oh, no, I didn’t know him, but I knew his wife, Selma. She used to be

one of the girls at the club before she married him. She was a sweet

kid and crazy about George. I haven’t seen her since he was killed. I

don’t know where she’s living. I wanted to see her because I knew

she’d be terribly cut-up at losing George, although he wasn’t a great

loss as far as I could see.”

“Selma Jacobi,” I said thoughtfully, “maybe she fits in this puzzle,

too.”

Crystal tightened her grip around my neck. “Could we forget all

this just for a little while?” she pleaded. “I don’t believe you care for

me one little bit. All you’re interested in is your horrid old puzzles.”

“Not all the time,” I said.

“Could we have a little fun this very moment?” she asked, pressed

her lips on mine.

We had fun.

Chapter XIV

THEY were waiting for me as I came out of Crystal’s flat. I guess I

asked for it. I should have been on my guard after Bradley’s threat,

but the hectic couple of hours I’d spent with Crystal had numbed me,

and I stepped into the dark street without the slightest suspicion of

what was coming to me.

It happened so quickly that I could only give a strangled shout

before something crashed down on my head and I blacked out.

I recovered to find myself lying on the floor of a fast moving car,

an evil smelling rug over my head and shoulders, someone’s heavy

feet on my chest. My head ached, and the rug threatened to stifle me.

I lay still, tried to make out what had happened. I guessed this was

Bradley’s idea of teaching me to mind my own business. I wasn’t

happy, wondered where I was being taken, and if I was going to have

my throat slit. Cautiously I moved my hands. They were free and so

were my legs. Maybe whoever had cracked me on the head had

underestimated the thickness of my skull.

The two feet lifted, thumped down on me again.

“Keeps quiet, don’t he?” a voice said.

“I ‘ope you didn’t bash ‘im too ‘ard, Joe,” another voice said.

“Not me,” Joe said. “I only patted ‘is ‘ead with my fist. ‘E’ll be orl

right once I tug ‘is ears a bit.”

I grimaced. Having my ears tugged was not one of my favourite

pastimes.

“We oughter be there by now,” the second voice went on. “ ‘Ere,

Bert, ‘ow much farther is it?”

“Just ‘ere,” the first voice said. “This’ll do, won’t it?”

“Yes, this is orl right,” Joe said.

The car slowed, bumped over uneven ground, stopped. “Nice

quiet spot wid no one to interfere wid us,” Bert remarked.

Three of them, I thought. Well, three were better than four. I lay

still, waited developments.

Boots trod on me; the car doors opened; feet scraped on gravel.

“Get ‘im out, and be careful ‘e ain’t foxing,” Bert said. ‘Ere, Joe,

you ‘andle ‘im. Ted and me’ll stand by just in case ‘e stares any funny

business.”

“I ‘ope ‘e does,” the man called Joe replied. “I don’t like bashing a

bloke in cold blood.”

I began to like Joe a little.

The other two laughed. “That’s a good ‘un,” Bert sneered. “I ain’t

so particular, nor’s Ted. Are you, Ted?”

“I’m looking forward to bashing the

,” Ted said cheerfully. “I

ain’t ‘ad any exercise for the past two weeks.”

Hands grabbed my ankles. I was dragged bodily out of the car. My

shoulders hit on the running-board, but I managed to keep my head

clear as I thudded to the ground. I remained still, waited patiently for

someone to take off the rug.

“You sure you didn’t ‘it ‘im too ‘ard?” Ted asked. “ ‘E’s a bit

quiet.”

“But not for long, matey,” Joe said. “Let’s ‘ave a look at ‘im.”

The rug was dragged off. I felt the cool night air on my face.

Cautiously I looked between half-closed lids. I could see three massive

figures standing over me, stars and a dark sky above me, trees and

bushes near by. It seemed to me I was on some sort of common.

“Strike a match, Ted,” Joe growled, bending over me, “and let’s

‘ave a look at ‘im.”

I tensed my muscles, waited.

The feeble flickering light from the match lit up Joe’s broad,

broken features. He looked like an all-in wrestler. He had the kind of

puss you dream about after a lobster supper. He knelt beside me,

took hold of my chin between fingers that felt like iron. I didn’t dare

wait any longer. Whipping back my knees and twisting sideways, I

jack-knifed into him with my feet, catching him in the middle of his

chest. It was like kicking a brick wall.

With a roar of rage and surprise, he shot over backwards.

I squirmed around, got up on my hands and knees.

One of the other massive shapes came at me. He leapt high into

the air and descended feet first-the old, spectacular all-in wrestling

pounce that looks so easy but isn’t. I had a split second to get out of

the way. I managed it, swung a wild punch at the man’s head as he

thudded into the soft soil a half a foot away from me. The guy’s skull

was made of stone, and I felt a jar run up my arm as my fist

connected.

I was on my feet now. The third man had arrived with a crouching

rush. He caught me on the shoulder with a half-arm swing that sent

me spinning backwards. I steadied up, ducked a haymaker that

started from his ankles, socked him in the left eye with everything I

had.

I didn’t wait to see the effect, but turned on my heel and

scrammed across the thick grass.

The common was as flat as a plate, seemed to stretch for miles.

Apart from bushes and an occasional tree there was no cover,

nowhere to hide. It looked as if my only chance of escape was to run

and keep running. I dug my elbows into my sides, tore across the

grass, hoped -I was in better condition than the other three.

Wild yells and oaths followed me, then silence. I ran on until I

heard the car start up, then looked over my shoulder.

They weren’t going to run after me. They preferred the easy way.

They were coming after me by car.

Although the grass was thick, it was quite possible to drive a car

over it. I knew in less than a couple of minutes they’d be all over me.

I slowed down, but kept moving. I didn’t want to be breathless

when they did catch up with me, but I wasn’t anxious to come to grips

with them any sooner than I could help. My future didn’t look too

good. Maybe they wouldn’t kill me, but they’d do the next best thing.