doesn't get tired, never sleeps. He doesn't even want a cut of the swag. Whatever I tell him, he believes. And he obeys.
"I've lined up lots of jobs for the future. We'll hide out here. I'll case the jobs, then send Junior out and let him go to work. You and Lola and I are gonna be rich."
Fat Charlie's mouth quivered for a moment. He gulped and tugged at his collar. His voice came hoarsely.
"No, Duke."
"What you mean, no?"
"Count me out. It's too dangerous. You'll have to lam out of here with Lola and the robot. I'm getting jumpy over all this. The law is apt to pounce down any day here."
"So that's it, eh?"
'Partly." Fat Charlie stared earnestly at Duke. His gaze shattered against the stony glint of Duke's gray eyes.
"You ain't got no heart at all, Duke," he croaked. "You can plan anything in cold blood, can't you? Well, I'm different. You've gotta understand that. I got nerves. And I can't stand thinking about what that robot does. I can't stand the robot either. The way it looks at you with that godawful iron face. That grin. And the way it clanks around in its room. Clanking up and down all night, when a guy's trying to sleep, just clanking and clanking—there it is now!"
There was a metallic hammering, but it came from the hall outside. The ancient floors creaked beneath the iron tread as the metal monstrosity lumbered into the room.
Fat Charlie whirled and stared in undisguised repulsion.
Duke raised his hand.
"Hello, Junior," he said.
"Hello, Duke."
"I been talking to Charlie, Junior."
"Yes, Duke?"
"He doesn't like to have us stay here, Junior. He wants to throw us out."
"He does?"
"You know what I think, Junior?"
"What?"
"I think Charlie's yellow."
"Yellow, Duke?"
"That's right. You know what we do with guys that turn yellow, don't you, Junior?"
"Yes. You told me."
"Maybe you'd like to tell Charlie."
"Tell him what we do with guys that turn yellow?"
"Yes."
"We rub them out."
"You see, Charlie?" said Duke, softly. "He learns fast, doesn't he? Quick on the uptake, Junior is. He knows all about it. He knows what to do with yellow rats."
Fat Charlie wobbled to his feet.
"Wait a minute, Duke," he pleaded. "Can't you take a rib? I was only kidding, Duke. I didn't mean it. You can see I didn't. I'm your friend, Duke. I'm hiding you out. Why, I could have turned stoolie weeks ago and put the heat on you if I wasn't protecting you. But I'm your friend. You can stay here as long as you want. Forever."
"Sing it, Charlie," said Duke. "Sing it louder and funnier." He turned to the robot. "Well, Junior? Do you think he's yellow?"
"I think he's yellow."
"Then maybe you'd better—"
Fat Charlie got the knife out of his sleeve with remarkable speed. It blinded Duke with its shining glare as the fat man balanced it on his thumb and drew his arm back to hurl it at Duke's throat.
Junior's arm went back, too. Then it came down. The steel fist crashed against Charlie's bald skull.
Crimson blood spurted as the fat man slumped to the floor.
It was pretty slick. Duke thought so, and Junior thought so — because Duke commanded him to believe it. But Lola didn't like it.
"You can't do this to me," she whispered, huddling closer to Duke in the darkness of her room. "I won't stay here with that monster, I tell you!"
"I'll only be gone a day," Duke answered. "There's nothing to worry about. The roadhouse downstairs is closed. Nobody will bother you."
"That doesn't frighten me," Lola said. "It's being with that thing. I've got the horrors thinking about it."
"Well, I've got to go and get the tickets," Duke argued. "I've got to make reservations and cash these big bills. Then we're set. Tomorrow night I'll come back, sneak you out of the house, and we'll be off. Mexico City next stop. I've made connections for passports and everything. In forty-eight hours we'll be out of this mess."
"What about Junior?"
"My silver stooge?" Duke chuckled. Til fix him before we leave. It's a pity I can't send him out on his
"I've lined up lots of jobs for the future. We'll hide out here. I'll case the jobs, then send Junior out and let him go to work. You and Lola and I are gonna be rich."
Fat Charlie's mouth quivered for a moment. He gulped and tugged at his collar. His voice came hoarsely.
"No, Duke."
"What you mean, no?"
"Count me out. It's too dangerous. You'll have to lam out of here with Lola and the robot. I'm getting jumpy over all this. The law is apt to pounce down any day here."
"So that's it, eh?"
'Partly." Fat Charlie stared earnestly at Duke. His gaze shattered against the stony glint of Duke's gray eyes.
"You ain't got no heart at all, Duke," he croaked. "You can plan anything in cold blood, can't you? Well, I'm different. You've gotta understand that. I got nerves. And I can't stand thinking about what that robot does. I can't stand the robot either. The way it looks at you with that godawful iron face. That grin. And the way it clanks around in its room. Clanking up and down all night, when a guy's trying to sleep, just clanking and clanking—there it is now!"
There was a metallic hammering, but it came from the hall outside. The ancient floors creaked beneath the iron tread as the metal monstrosity lumbered into the room.
Fat Charlie whirled and stared in undisguised repulsion.
Duke raised his hand.
"Hello, Junior," he said.
"Hello, Duke."
"I been talking to Charlie, Junior."
"Yes, Duke?"
"He doesn't like to have us stay here, Junior. He wants to throw us out."
"He does?"
"You know what I think, Junior?"
"What?"
"I think Charlie's yellow."
"Yellow, Duke?"
"That's right. You know what we do with guys that turn yellow, don't you, Junior?"
"Yes. You told me."
"Maybe you'd like to tell Charlie."
"Tell him what we do with guys that turn yellow?"
"Yes."
"We rub them out."
"You see, Charlie?" said Duke, softly. "He learns fast, doesn't he? Quick on the uptake, Junior is. He knows all about it. He knows what to do with yellow rats."
Fat Charlie wobbled to his feet.
"Wait a minute, Duke," he pleaded. "Can't you take a rib? I was only kidding, Duke. I didn't mean it. You can see I didn't. I'm your friend, Duke. I'm hiding you out. Why, I could have turned stoolie weeks ago and put the heat on you if I wasn't protecting you. But I'm your friend. You can stay here as long as you want. Forever."
"Sing it, Charlie," said Duke. "Sing it louder and funnier." He turned to the robot. "Well, Junior? Do you think he's yellow?"
"I think he's yellow."
"Then maybe you'd better—"
Fat Charlie got the knife out of his sleeve with remarkable speed. It blinded Duke with its shining glare as the fat man balanced it on his thumb and drew his arm back to hurl it at Duke's throat.
Junior's arm went back, too. Then it came down. The steel fist crashed against Charlie's bald skull.
Crimson blood spurted as the fat man slumped to the floor.
It was pretty slick. Duke thought so, and Junior thought so — because Duke commanded him to believe it. But Lola didn't like it.
"You can't do this to me," she whispered, huddling closer to Duke in the darkness of her room. "I won't stay here with that monster, I tell you!"
"I'll only be gone a day," Duke answered. "There's nothing to worry about. The roadhouse downstairs is closed. Nobody will bother you."
"That doesn't frighten me," Lola said. "It's being with that thing. I've got the horrors thinking about it."
"Well, I've got to go and get the tickets," Duke argued. "I've got to make reservations and cash these big bills. Then we're set. Tomorrow night I'll come back, sneak you out of the house, and we'll be off. Mexico City next stop. I've made connections for passports and everything. In forty-eight hours we'll be out of this mess."
"What about Junior?"
"My silver stooge?" Duke chuckled. Til fix him before we leave. It's a pity I can't send him out on his
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