The Criminal Read Online Free PDF Page A

gone for good. You're just one more animal in the herd… Raise?"
    "We were talking about it a while back," I said. "Putting me up to three-fifty. I don't want any credit for doing what I'm paid to do- doing my job-but I did think of the angle on this city stadium deal and-"
    "I'm giving you credit for it, Al. Full credit," he said. "We'll keep thinking about the raise."
    It was after five, and everyone but us had left. I let him out of the office, and then I locked up and started home.
    All and all, it had been a good day.
    Pretty good, that is.

3
    MARTHA TALBERT
    Well, actually! I honestly thought I was going to fly to pieces. The one morning when I simply couldn't let myself get unnerved.
    I was hoping I could get Al out of the house before Bob came down, and I did everything but shove him out the door. But, no, it was no use. He had to choose that morning to take his time, and Bob had to choose that one to hurry. So they were both at the breakfast table at the same time, and goodness! I can't tell you what it did to my nerves. It's bad enough at other meals, but breakfast-honestly! I thought I was going to go crazy. And me in my change of life.
    They seemed to be getting along all right, but I knew it couldn't last. I knew that, sooner or later, Al would say something sharp to Bob and Bob would say something back, or he wouldn't say anything which always makes Al worse than when Bob does say something. So I waited for it to happen. I hovered around them, smiling and trying to talk, and generally acting like a Gonmolian idiot or whatever you call them. I wished it would happen so they could just get it over with and I wouldn't have to wait any more. I actually think sometimes that the waiting is worse than the other.
    Well, they finally finished breakfast, thank goodness, and if they'd taken another five minutes I'd have been in hysterics. Al asked me if I was feeling well when he kissed me good-bye, and Bob said, "Gee, Mom, why don't you lie down a while." And I don't remember what I said, but it was probably something silly. I felt like a balloon, all swelled up and getting bigger and bigger every moment. I thought I was going to explode.
    They went off down the street together, talking just as pleasantly as you please, and I could feel the blood rushing into my face and I felt like I was choking. I don't think I've ever been so angry in my life. I'll tell you, if I could have got my hands on those two right then I'd've shook 'em until their teeth rattled. I mean, well, here they'd put me through all that strain and then they hadn't done anything! They'd-they'd- oh, well! What's the use talking about it?
    I peeked out through the living room drapes, watching them until they were out of sight, and then I just fell down on the lounge and started bawling. Actually. You'd have thought I'd been killed the way I was bawling. So finally I looked up into the hall mirror and my eyes were all red and my nose looked like a tomato or something, and I stopped crying and began to laugh. And then I felt a lot better.
    I went out into the kitchen and had a cup of coffee. I started to fix myself a bite of breakfast, because I was feeling a little hungry now, and right away I broke a whole dozen eggs.
    I don't know why Al does things like that. For a man who's supposed to be smart, and of course he is smart, he can do some of the foolishest things. Now, he knows that I always put the egg carton right on the edge of the top refrigerator shelf. That way, you know, I know it won't take much for them to fall out, so I watch them to see that they won't fall out. But what does he do but come along and stick them way back to the rear on the bottom shelf; and naturally I can't imagine what in the world. I can't see them anywhere. So I began pulling shelves out, right and left, and oops! there went the eggs. All over the floor.
    I don't know why Al does those things.
    Fortunately, I'd mopped late the night before, so I scraped the eggs up into a