"Be straight with me, doll. What's going on here?" Rick asked. He poured two glasses of sherry, imagining she'd prefer that over the hard whiskey he usually stocked for himself.
"Oh, Rick. I'm not sure I know anymore."
"All right, we'll go through this nice and slow. What's your name? I know you aren't Delilah Morgan, so who are you?"
She looked up with him with her big blue eyes. Rick believed that, for once, he was looking at the person she really was.
"My name is Laura--Laura Hunt."
"Now that's a good start, Laura. The man that was tailing you--the man in the hat, who was he?"
"I don't know."
"You don't know? I saw the look on your face when you spotted him. It was horror, Laura, like you'd seen the Devil himself in that train station, and you're telling me you've never seen him before?"
"I didn't say that, Rick. I've seen him before, all right, but I don't know who he is."
Rick pulled two cigarettes out of the metal case on his desk and struck a match, lighting them both at once. Laura grabbed one quickly and took a long drag.
"How did you know Delilah?"
"We were roommates once, back when I first moved to the city. We were studying to become nurses for awhile. I needed a place to stay, and she had one. I moved out a year ago when I was offered a job as a secretary at a doctor's office in Kingston."
"Nursing fell through, eh?"
"I was never the studying type. Besides, the pay in Kingston was great--double the best job I could find here in the city."
"So what brought you back?"
"It was Delilah. We always kept in touch. Every Tuesday night, I'd call her up. Every Friday, she'd call me. Three weeks ago, a Friday night came and went, and she never called. I knew something was wrong. I could feel it. The next day I bought a train ticket back to the city, and I've been here ever since."
"So I'm guessing she was in trouble after all?"
Laura nodded.
"There was a man," she said. "His name's Tony. That's all I know."
Rick pulled a notepad from the top shelf of his desk, leaving the cigarette to dangle from his lips. "Go on."
"By then Delilah had her job with the bookie. It wasn't the greatest job in the world, but it paid good money just the same. Tony was trouble to begin with, but when he found out what Delilah did for a living, he turned into a completely different man. He cooked up a plan and forced her to go along with it."
"But it turned out the bookie was working for Big, right? Must've spooked 'em pretty hard," Rick added.
Laura nodded. "Delilah, at least, but Tony, he wasn't phased at all. He still wanted to go through with it. He thought they could run. She tried breaking it off then and there, but it didn't take. Tony wasn't the sort of man to take no for an answer."
"So that's when you came to me?"
"That's right. Delilah found a new apartment, but she was afraid to leave. Tony was out to get her, and Big wanted his money back. She wasn't about to set foot outside her door again, not until everything was squared away, so I volunteered to do the legwork."
"And you've been running ever since."
"It sure feels that way," she said. "I took the money back to Mr. Big and tried to explain everything that happened. I think he believed me. He sure was interested in Tony."
"So what about your disappearing act the other morning? Where does my gun come into the picture? And why were you so hot after that hairbrush?"
He spoke without emotion, and it worried her. She imagined it was the same monotone he used when questioning a perp. He had a voice like a spade--dull, flat, but with a pointed edge that had a way of digging beneath the surface.
"It's not what it looks like, Rick. I told you I was falling for you, and that was the truth. But I was scared--scared that you'd fall in love with a phantom. I know it looks like I've used you, and I'm sorry if you feel that way. But I needed your help, and I couldn't let anything slip. I only had the one gun, and Delilah... well, toward the end she was worried that Tony had caught on. She thought he might've found her. So I took your gun and gave it to her, and can you blame me for wanting to hide that brush? I'm already a suspect in the eyes of the law. There's no need making things more difficult than they already are."
"All right," said Rick. "When was the last time you saw her?"
"Late last night. I was staying here longer than I expected, so I had to make a trip back to Kingston to pick up a few things."
"Did you hear from her after that? Any phone calls?"
"No. I heard the news this morning when I got back."
"You got any proof you were out of town when she was killed?"
"I have the stubs from my train tickets somewhere. You need to see them?"
"I don't," said Rick. "The cops might, though."
"Then you believe me?"
"You've got a way of playing me like a fool, doll, but this time I really do believe you. One more question, though."
"Anything." She sat up straight, her cigarette resting daintily between her fingers.
"This Tony--you ever see him?"
"I'm not too sure, but I think I have."
"He look anything like the joker that was tailing you tonight?"
"That was him, all right. Like I said, I was never properly introduced, but my gut tells me that that's Tony."
"When did you see him before?"
"Four, maybe five days back. He was following me down Broadway, or at least I imagined he was. Something about that character's face gave me the creeps. But I... I... oh lord, Rick! I led him straight to her!" she exclaimed. She slumped over Rick's desk, sending her glass of sherry to the floor, where it shattered into a hundred little, jagged pieces.
"It was me after all, Rick. I killed her. Maybe I didn't pull that trigger, but I led him straight to her. Now he's after me."
"He's not going to hurt you now," said Rick.
"Maybe he should. Maybe I deserve it."
"All you deserve is some peace and quiet and maybe another glass of sherry. We'll stay here for the night. If he's smart he won't come near you, not with me around."
She wiped the tears from her eyes. "Oh, Rick, you're so good to me. I don't know how I could ever repay you."
"Don't worry, doll. I'll think of something."
"I feel like I'm in heaven, Rick. I feel like I'm knocking at the gate, just waiting for them to let me in."
"They'll let you in, sweetheart. When your time finally comes, years down the line, they'll let you in. After all, heaven's for the angels."
He grabbed her by the shoulders, took a long look in her eyes, and kissed her. She could feel his strength, his passion, and somehow she knew that everything would be all right.
"Oh, Rick. I'm not sure I know anymore."
"All right, we'll go through this nice and slow. What's your name? I know you aren't Delilah Morgan, so who are you?"
She looked up with him with her big blue eyes. Rick believed that, for once, he was looking at the person she really was.
"My name is Laura--Laura Hunt."
"Now that's a good start, Laura. The man that was tailing you--the man in the hat, who was he?"
"I don't know."
"You don't know? I saw the look on your face when you spotted him. It was horror, Laura, like you'd seen the Devil himself in that train station, and you're telling me you've never seen him before?"
"I didn't say that, Rick. I've seen him before, all right, but I don't know who he is."
Rick pulled two cigarettes out of the metal case on his desk and struck a match, lighting them both at once. Laura grabbed one quickly and took a long drag.
"How did you know Delilah?"
"We were roommates once, back when I first moved to the city. We were studying to become nurses for awhile. I needed a place to stay, and she had one. I moved out a year ago when I was offered a job as a secretary at a doctor's office in Kingston."
"Nursing fell through, eh?"
"I was never the studying type. Besides, the pay in Kingston was great--double the best job I could find here in the city."
"So what brought you back?"
"It was Delilah. We always kept in touch. Every Tuesday night, I'd call her up. Every Friday, she'd call me. Three weeks ago, a Friday night came and went, and she never called. I knew something was wrong. I could feel it. The next day I bought a train ticket back to the city, and I've been here ever since."
"So I'm guessing she was in trouble after all?"
Laura nodded.
"There was a man," she said. "His name's Tony. That's all I know."
Rick pulled a notepad from the top shelf of his desk, leaving the cigarette to dangle from his lips. "Go on."
"By then Delilah had her job with the bookie. It wasn't the greatest job in the world, but it paid good money just the same. Tony was trouble to begin with, but when he found out what Delilah did for a living, he turned into a completely different man. He cooked up a plan and forced her to go along with it."
"But it turned out the bookie was working for Big, right? Must've spooked 'em pretty hard," Rick added.
Laura nodded. "Delilah, at least, but Tony, he wasn't phased at all. He still wanted to go through with it. He thought they could run. She tried breaking it off then and there, but it didn't take. Tony wasn't the sort of man to take no for an answer."
"So that's when you came to me?"
"That's right. Delilah found a new apartment, but she was afraid to leave. Tony was out to get her, and Big wanted his money back. She wasn't about to set foot outside her door again, not until everything was squared away, so I volunteered to do the legwork."
"And you've been running ever since."
"It sure feels that way," she said. "I took the money back to Mr. Big and tried to explain everything that happened. I think he believed me. He sure was interested in Tony."
"So what about your disappearing act the other morning? Where does my gun come into the picture? And why were you so hot after that hairbrush?"
He spoke without emotion, and it worried her. She imagined it was the same monotone he used when questioning a perp. He had a voice like a spade--dull, flat, but with a pointed edge that had a way of digging beneath the surface.
"It's not what it looks like, Rick. I told you I was falling for you, and that was the truth. But I was scared--scared that you'd fall in love with a phantom. I know it looks like I've used you, and I'm sorry if you feel that way. But I needed your help, and I couldn't let anything slip. I only had the one gun, and Delilah... well, toward the end she was worried that Tony had caught on. She thought he might've found her. So I took your gun and gave it to her, and can you blame me for wanting to hide that brush? I'm already a suspect in the eyes of the law. There's no need making things more difficult than they already are."
"All right," said Rick. "When was the last time you saw her?"
"Late last night. I was staying here longer than I expected, so I had to make a trip back to Kingston to pick up a few things."
"Did you hear from her after that? Any phone calls?"
"No. I heard the news this morning when I got back."
"You got any proof you were out of town when she was killed?"
"I have the stubs from my train tickets somewhere. You need to see them?"
"I don't," said Rick. "The cops might, though."
"Then you believe me?"
"You've got a way of playing me like a fool, doll, but this time I really do believe you. One more question, though."
"Anything." She sat up straight, her cigarette resting daintily between her fingers.
"This Tony--you ever see him?"
"I'm not too sure, but I think I have."
"He look anything like the joker that was tailing you tonight?"
"That was him, all right. Like I said, I was never properly introduced, but my gut tells me that that's Tony."
"When did you see him before?"
"Four, maybe five days back. He was following me down Broadway, or at least I imagined he was. Something about that character's face gave me the creeps. But I... I... oh lord, Rick! I led him straight to her!" she exclaimed. She slumped over Rick's desk, sending her glass of sherry to the floor, where it shattered into a hundred little, jagged pieces.
"It was me after all, Rick. I killed her. Maybe I didn't pull that trigger, but I led him straight to her. Now he's after me."
"He's not going to hurt you now," said Rick.
"Maybe he should. Maybe I deserve it."
"All you deserve is some peace and quiet and maybe another glass of sherry. We'll stay here for the night. If he's smart he won't come near you, not with me around."
She wiped the tears from her eyes. "Oh, Rick, you're so good to me. I don't know how I could ever repay you."
"Don't worry, doll. I'll think of something."
"I feel like I'm in heaven, Rick. I feel like I'm knocking at the gate, just waiting for them to let me in."
"They'll let you in, sweetheart. When your time finally comes, years down the line, they'll let you in. After all, heaven's for the angels."
He grabbed her by the shoulders, took a long look in her eyes, and kissed her. She could feel his strength, his passion, and somehow she knew that everything would be all right.
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