The on-side wheels sank into the quagmire, but the off-side wheels took hold.
Holding her breath, feeling sweat running down her face and back, she slightly accelerated. She had to use all her strength to keep the jeep from sliding. She could hear mud and water churning under her, then, with a jerk, the jeep came through and she was clear.
While Sheila was continuing the drive down to the fishing lodge, finding the road much easier now to cope with, the telephone bell rang on Grace Adams’s desk.
With a work load spread out on her desk, she snatched up the receiver with an impatient exclamation.
“What is it?”
“Mr Gene Franklin is calling, Miss Adams,” her secretary said. “Okay to put him through?”
“Go ahead.” There was a click, and Franklin came on the line.
“Hello there, Grace,” he said. “I guess S. S. H. has left by now.”
“He’s in Hollywood. What is it?”
“Bad news, I’m afraid.”
“That’s something I could well do without,”
“Yes. Perry’s wife is joining him at the fishing lodge.”
“God almighty!” Grace exploded. “How do you know?”
“It was the merest chance. I flew down to Jacksonville yesterday to get Perry to sign the contract and I ran into Sheila. She told me she intended to surprise Perry and spend a couple of weeks with him. I knew that this was the last thing S. S. H. would want. It was pouring with rain, so I arranged to put her up at my motel, gave her dinner, and for a nickel she would have jumped into bed with me. It looked fine until I began to sell her the idea she’d be wiser to leave Perry alone and go home, then she turned ugly. Nothing short of knocking her on the head and kidnapping her would have worked. No one, repeat no one, including S. S. H. can handle this obstinate little bitch.”
“So you’re telling me she’s with him?”
“She must be. The road conditions are bad. She rented a jeep and left about half an hour ago. With luck, she could get bogged down, but it’s my bet she will get to Perry.”
Grace Adams drew in a long, exasperated breath. “You know what this means? There’ll be no movie! With her bothering Perry, he won’t do any work.”
“Why did the goddam sucker marry that little bitch?”
“We won’t go into that. I’ll contact S. S. H. He’ll love it!” and she slammed down the receiver.
Feeling triumphant, Sheila steered the jeep along the narrow, mud-soaked road, driving slowly and carefully. Another ten minutes’ driving brought her in sight of the river. She smiled to herself. A hellion? Again she smiled.
Obstacles were made to surmount! She nodded. How right! Then she saw the fishing lodge. She recognized it from Perry’s description.
Here I am, she thought, then, unaware that she was being watched by Hollis perched in the tree, she steered the jeep to the front door and cut the engine.
She sat for a long moment, looking at the lodge. Well, she thought, it is certainly primitive. It flashed through her mind whether she would be able to put up with living there for a couple of weeks. It would be utterly dull, utterly isolated. If she could not stand it, she told herself, she could drive to Miami where the bright lights always beckoned. But right at this moment she felt the need to have Perry’s arms around her, to sit with him and talk about herself.
He was the only one who would listen. All her women friends only half listened, waiting for a chance to jump in and tell her their troubles. Her men friends never listened. They nodded, smiled with sympathy and waited for the chance to tell her what great guys they were. But not Perry. He always listened and understood.
She jumped out of the jeep and ran to the front door of the lodge.
There was a heavy iron handle. What a surprise for Perry! she thought. She would take him to bed the moment she had had a bath. Then, lying in his arms, she would tell him about this bastard Hart and the private eye. She would even tell him about that awful Lucan.
She turned the door handle to find the door locked. She now saw the curtains were drawn at the three big windows.
Was Perry there? she wondered. God! What a flop if she had come all this way and he wasn’t there! She rapped on the door. Waited, then rapped again.
She heard the lock click back and her face lit up.
Perry!
The door opened.
The man she longed to talk to, the only man who understood and was kind to her stood before her.
The expression on his white drawn face sent a chill through her.
“Oh, God, no!” he exclaimed. “Oh, Sheila! What are you doing here?” His expression was something right out of a horror movie. It was all there: fear, terrible tension and despair.
“Perry, darling!” She rushed to him and threw her arms around him, hugging him. “I know I shouldn’t have come, but I needed you so much. Darling, tell me you are glad to see me!” As she clung to him, over his shoulder, feeling his body trembling, she saw Jim Brown, standing just behind her husband, an evil smile on his face and a gun in his hand.
Perry felt fingers, like steel claws, clamp on his shoulders. With a violence he didn’t think possible, he felt himself thrown aside.
He thudded against the wall of the lobby. Sheila, still clinging to him, went with him. Together, they slid to the floor.
Jim Brown kicked the front door shut and pushed the bolts home. He moved away, his gun now back in its holster, and watched Perry and Sheila disentangle themselves and shakily stand up.
“What the hell is this?” Sheila shrilled. “Who’s this jerk? What’s happening?”
More slowly, despair in his heart, Perry straightened up. He looked helplessly at Sheila, seeing her enraged expression, and he said quickly, “Careful, darling. This man is dangerous.”
“You said it, buster,” Brown snarled. “Now, this is your wife... right? She’s stuck her pretty nose where it isn’t wanted... right? So no tricks, buster.” He grinned evilly. “You two could share a double funeral.”
With an effort, Perry composed himself. “Okay, Jim. There’ll be no tricks.” Brown nodded.
“That’s what I like about you, Perry. You’re a guy I can deal with. Right. Take your wife in there and spell it out to her. I’ve things to do in the kitchen. You’ve got king-sized prawns. I am good with them. We’ll all have them for supper.”
“What is this?” Sheila screamed. “Who is this man? What’s going on?”
Perry gently took her arm. “Let’s go in and sit down, Sheila.”
“I want to be alone with you! Get rid of him!”
Brown gave a barking laugh. “She’s real dumb, isn’t she? Get her in there or I’ll kick her in!”
The snarl in his voice scared Sheila. With a long look at him, she let Perry lead her into the big living room. He sat by her side on the settee.
Brown appeared in the doorway.
“No tricks, Perry.”
“No.” Brown nodded, then moved into the kitchen and out of sight.
“Perry! What is this?”
He put his hand on hers. “Don’t talk. Just listen. I am a hostage. Now you, coming here, are also a hostage. This man is being hunted by the police. He killed six people two nights ago. He is as dangerous and vicious as a cobra.”
“Six people?” Sheila stared at him, her eyes round.
“Yes. Now, darling, please listen. He must be some kind of psychopath. The only way we can handle him is to be relaxed and nice to him. When I say nice, I mean don’t say anything that could antagonize him. Do you understand?”