He Won't Need it Now Read Online Free PDF Page B

underworld went out with the Ark. Get wise to yourself, redhead.”
     She drew away from him. “What are you going to do?” she asked, her voice a little flat and toneless.
     Duffy scratched his head. “This is a hell of a night,” he said, then he stood very still, his fingers spread through his hair. “I wonder...” he broke off, looking at Annabel. “It looks to me that Morgan wants you to take the rap for Cattley's murder,” he said, speaking rapidly, “it fits, by God!” He was getting quite excited. “Listen, baby, how's this for a theory? Morgan gets me to photograph you and Cattley. Cattley gets smacked down by one of Morgan's mob just outside your door and tossed down the shaft. I get my camera pinched containing the photos. All Morgan has to do is to threaten to turn the pictures over to the cops for you to dive into your deposit account and fork out plenty.”
     Annabel was scarcely breathing. “Will you help me?”
     Duffy said, “I can't help myself, can I?”
     “You're being nice, aren't you?”
     “Nice, hell! I took the photos, didn't I? I've got to do something to square that.”
     She dropped into the arm-chair, and held her hand over her eyes. Duffy looked at her and then fetched another glass from the wagon. He poured in three fingers of Scotch and then filled his own glass. He came over to her. “Can you drink this stuff?” he said.
     She took the glass from him. “I don't want it,” she said.
     “You'd better get a little drunk,” he said, “you've got a nasty job on your hands.”
     She looked at him and he jerked his head at the door. “J guess we've got to get rid of Cattley.”
     She said, “Can't you do it?”
     He grinned mirthlessly. “You're in on this, too, sister,” he said. “I'm helping you, but I ain't taking any rap.”
     She drank the whisky neat and he gave her a cigarette.
     “In a couple of hours that bird's going to get as stiff as a board. I guess he won't be too nice to handle like that. Now, we could pack him in a bag without much fuss.”
     She shuddered.
     “It beats me where the hell we're going to plant him.” Duffy began to pace the floor. “He's got to remain planted and he ain't going to be found. As soon as they turn him up, then those photos will come into the market. It's the only way we can beat their game ”
     He looked at her. “Go and get dressed,” he said.
     She got out of the chair and moved over to the bedroom. “Give me a trunk, if you've got one,” he said.
     She paused. “There's one in here,” she said.
     He followed her into the bedroom. She pointed to a large wall cupboard and he opened the door. In the corner was a small black cabin trunk. It was covered with labels. There seemed to be every hotel under the sun advertised on its black shiny sides. He looked at it and then he said, “You've got about.” She didn't say anything. He hauled the trunk out and dragged it into the sitting-room.
     “You got a sheet of mackintosh that I could wrap him in?” he called.
     She came to the door. “Mackintosh?”
     “He's going to mess this trunk without it.”
     She went across to another door and disappeared. He could hear her rummaging about, then she came out with a large luggage wrap. “Will this do?”
     “Yeah.” He took it from her.
     “Don't say 'yeah',” she said.
     He stood holding the mackintosh. “What's it to you?”
     “It's tough.”
     He stood staring at her. “Suppose it is tough,” he said, “isn't this a hell of a time to start a crack like that?”
     “Do you think so?”
     He let the luggage wrap slide out of his hands on to the floor. He could see her eyes were completely blank. She was hissing a little through her teeth. She fumbled with the girdle