‘Yes! I know he does,’ she cried, her voice suddenly loud and harsh. ‘I know he can’t bear to see me, and I’m glad. Do you hear? I’m glad!’
‘It’s time you stopped kidding yourself,’ he said, keeping his voice down, watching her, very confident as he swayed backwards and forwards on the balls of his feet. ‘It’s time you faced up to it, baby. Your racket was washed up when he married that blonde.’
‘I’m not going to talk about it!’ she cried. ‘I’ve had enough of this, Caesar. And don’t call me baby. It’s vulgar and hateful.’
‘If we don’t talk about it now, it’s the last time we talk about anything,’ he said, crossed the room to take a cigarette from a silver box on a distant table. ‘But please yourself.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘It’s plain enough, isn’t it? I’m handing in my nice knee boots and peak cap tomorrow. I’m through with standing outside your gate, I’m through with creeping up the back stairs to your room. That’s what it means.’
She gave a sudden harsh laugh. It wasn’t a pleasant sound.
‘And I suppose you’ll give up all this?’
‘If you mean this house and all its junk, then you’re right for once, baby.’ He lit a cigarette, released a stream of smoke down his thin nostrils. ‘I quit unless we marry.’
‘I can’t marry you, Caesar,’ she said. ‘Not so long as he lives. I can’t do it.’
‘Do you think anyone will want to marry you by the time he’s dead?’
‘Why can’t we go on as we are? You have everything you want, haven’t you? You have your freedom. I don’t interfere with you.’
He walked up to her, caught hold of her wrist and jerked her to him.
‘I’m sick of being your bedroom lackey,’ he told her.
She slapped his face. The sound of her palm against his tight, brown cheek was as loud as a pistol shot.
They stood looking at each other, then he released her wrist and, with a sneering little grin, moved away from her.
She sat down abruptly as if the strength had gone out of her limbs.
‘I didn’t mean to do that,’ she said. ‘I’m sorry.’
‘You don’t think I care, do you?’ he said, and laughed. ‘I had you on the raw that time, baby. It gives me a bang to see you squirm. Sooner or later this had to come to an end. Well, I guess this is the payoff. I’m through.’
‘Don’t talk like that. You don’t mean it. You’re angry. I’ll go now. We can talk about it tomorrow.’
‘You talk about it tomorrow. I shan’t be here.’
He pitched his cigarette into the fireplace. Her eyes went from him to the smouldering cigarette, and her lips tightened. When he was sure she was looking at the cigarette he put his foot on it and smeared it on the tiles.
‘Like that,’ he said softly.
‘Caesar, please...’
‘Like that,’ he replayed. ‘You and me — like that.’
There was a long, tight silence.
She said after minutes, ‘You’ll miss this house and the money. You’ll miss everything I do for you.’
‘Baby, how you love to kid yourself. Miss this house and your money? This isn’t the only house and you aren’t the only girl with money. You don’t really think that, do you?’
‘Let’s not go on with this anymore, Caesar,’ she said, clenching her fists and sitting bolt upright.
‘We’re going on with it. I can find another girl as good as you and as rich as you tomorrow. It’s easy This town is crammed with girls like you. Girls who like a guy with a little muscle to fool around with; who like to buy him suits and lend him a house and snap their fingers at him when they want him: and you know why they want him, don’t you? I don’t have to go into that side of it, do I?’ He laughed. ‘Rich, pampered girls with nothing better to do than buy a man because he’s got muscles. Well, you’re not the first, baby, and you won’t be the last. If you want to keep me, marry me. Marry me so I can get my hooks into your money, and that’s the only reason why I’d marry you.’
‘Did you say I wasn’t the first?’ she asked, her eyes closed and an exhausted look on her face. She had dropped back into the chair while he was speaking, and there was a grey, sick look on her face.
‘Certainly I said you weren’t the first, and you won’t be the last either.’
‘Yes,’ she said softly. ‘I may be the last.’
‘Don’t count on it, baby. Don’t count on it.’
He finished his drink, yawned, ran his fingers through his hair.
‘Well, I guess I’ll go to bed. I’m sick of this. You’d better run off home.’
Her eyes opened.
‘And tomorrow?’ she asked in a cold, brittle voice.
‘I shall be the hell out of here tomorrow.’
She got slowly to her feet.
‘You really are going away?’
‘What’s the matter with you?’ he asked roughly. ‘Don’t I talk plain enough for you? I’m through. I’m quitting. I’m taking a powder. I’m leaving you flat. I’m giving you the brush-off. Now do you get it? I’m shaking the dust of this love nest off my feet. I’m going to forget the way you look, the way you act, the things you say, and baby, it’s going to be a long and beautiful vacation.’
She stood motionless, a feverish look in her eyes.
‘Did you say that to Anita?’ she said.
Mills gave her a quick, searching look, then laughed.
‘You’re no fool, are you? So you knew about her? Well, she didn’t last long, and she wasn’t much anyway. She hadn’t your youthful enthusiasm.’ He turned away to pour another drink. ‘Why don’t you give Franklin a chance?’ he asked, and laughed again. ‘Franklin’s old but I bet he’s keen.’
She had turned slightly, her back to him, her hand unfastening the clip on her bag. She dipped into the bag and lifted out a .25 automatic. The heavy nickel plate on the gun reflected in the lamplight, sending bright flashes across the ceiling.
Mills heard the snick of the safety catch as she thumbed it back, and swung round as she pointed the gun at him.
‘You’re not going away, Caesar,’ she said softly.
She had her back to me now. I couldn’t see the expression on her face, but I could see Mills’s expression. The confident smile slid off his face the way a fish slides off the fishmonger’s slab. He stood very still, scarcely breathing, his eyes opening wide.
‘You’d better put that gun away,’ he said, stiff-lipped and whispering. ‘There might be an accident.’
‘There’s going to be one,’ she said, and began to back slowly towards the casement window. ‘Oh, yes, Caesar, there’s going to be an accident all right. Don’t move. I know how to use this thing. A millionaire’s daughter has so many opportunities to do things: shooting with this toy is one of them. I’m a pretty good shot, Caesar.’
‘Now, look, baby...’
‘I told you not to call me that. Keep quiet and don’t move. It’s my turn to talk now.’ She was by the window, within three feet of me. I could smell the perfume in her hair, see the feverish glitter in her eyes. I kept as still as a corpse and as quiet. I didn’t know how quick she could be. The slightest movement from me might bring her swinging round and shooting at the same time. I was too close for her to miss The thought made me sweat a little.
‘I knew, sooner or later, this would happen,’ she said. ‘I knew, sooner or later, I should have to do this. You’re not the type, Caesar, to keep a bargain. But you’re handsome and strong and you’re fun sometimes: but not always. You’re not always fun. Every once in a while your mean, hateful, dirty little ego gets the better of you. And don’t think you ever fooled me. You didn’t. I knew about Anita. I watched you two together. What a swine you are, Caesar, What a fine, handsome swine you are.