Mourn the Hangman Read Online Free PDF

fists do to me? Stella has done all the hurt that can ever be inflicted on me, Blake, and she did it a long time ago.”
    “I want to know if you saw her?”
    Reeder laughed at him. “You want to know if I killed her, don’t you? That’s what you want to know, isn’t it?”
    “How long did you stay over in Gulf City?”
    “There’s no use asking me any more. I’m not going to tell you. I don’t want you to find out who killed Stella. That’s the kind of revenge that pleases me. You and Stella. So damned happy. I hope you never find who killed her. Never know the truth about why she died.”
    Blake stared at him. “Are you crazy? Why shouldn’t Stella and I have been happy? What did it have to do with you? You and Stella were divorced before I even met her.”
    Reeder smiled thinly. “I lost Stella. I hated her. Now you’ve lost her. That’s good enough for me.” He clenched his pale fists. “You want the truth about her, Blake? I met her during the war. I was a lieutenant in the Air Corps. I was stationed in Alabama. She’d once won a beauty contest and half the men in the camp were in love with her. We became engaged. A week before we were to be married, she ran off with another officer on Saturday. She came back on Monday. She didn’t even ask if I wanted to break the engagement. She just sent the ring back. I stayed away until Wednesday. That doesn’t seem very long to you, does it, Blake? Well, every hour had sixty long minutes in it. I was sick and crazy. I went to her and begged her to marry me. She said she didn’t love me. I told her I knew it would be different after we were married. It was different, Blake. A hell of a lot different. It was worse. She began to drink. I suspected her of running around. I hired detectives. They could never prove it. But she wouldn’t stay home. I learned to hate her. I sent her to a hospital when her drinking got out of hand. They cured her of drinking, but she wouldn’t come back to me.” A savage smile of pleasure worked across Reeder’s lips. “I don’t leave you much, do I, Blake?” He nodded with grim satisfaction. “That’s the way I want it. That’s why I hope you never find the man who killed her. It matters to you. You’re a tough guy. And you want vengeance. Well, I hope you. never find him. This proves to me that Stella wasn’t happy with you — or faithful to you. I hope you live with that the rest of your life.”
    “I’ll find him,” Blake said.
    “You still want to find him? After what I’ve told you?”
    “What you’ve told me proves you’re a creep. All I know is that Stella and I were in love. So Stella had dates before you were married. Is that unheard of? Other girls have done it. So she started drinking after you were married? Maybe living with a jerk like you did that to her. I know what she was to me. That’s all that matters. I’ll find him. God help him when I do. God help you if I find out you did it.”
    Reeder stood up. “You can get out now.”
    Blake motioned toward the telephone. “I’d like to call a cab.”
    Reeder smiled. “Let me do it for you.” He dialed a number, gave his address, replaced the receiver. “They’ll be here for you in a few minutes. I’m sorry, you’ll have to wait for it outside. On the sidewalk.”
    “That’s all right with me. You can go to hell, Reeder.”
    “I’ve been there for a long time, Blake. If you’ll just close the front door on your way out, please.”
    He went back to his desk. He was leaning over the telephone, dialing a number as Blake went out the front door. Blake shrugged. To hell with him.
    Blake let the front door click shut after him. He crossed the front porch. The sick-sweet smell of honeysuckle was stifling. He hurried down the steps and out along the walk to escape it. The cloying fragrance trailed after him like something unwholesome. It was as though Reeder walked beside him in the chilled darkness. God! No wonder Stella hit the bottle. Living