1944 - Just the Way It Is (25 page)

Duke grinned. He pulled his coat on one side and showed a silver badge. ‘I’m deputy sheriff up here and I’ve requisitioned Pinder’s End. Laugh that off.’

Korris raised his shoulders. ‘Don’t be a dope,’ he said. ‘Someone’s going to get hurt if you play around like this. There’re women and kids up there. You don’t want anything to happen to them, do you?’

Duke shook his head. ‘They’ve gone,’ he returned, feeling in his pocket for his cigar case. He selected a cigar without taking his eyes off Korris. ‘If you want a fight you can have one. Take a look at the place. We’re preparing for a war. The only thing

we ain’t got at the moment is someone to fight. We’ve got everything else except aircraft and artillery. We make up for that by having a lot of ambition.’

Korris sat staring at him. His eyes gleamed with fury behind his spectacles and Duke thought he was going to start something there and then, but Korris controlled himself. ‘If we start on you,’ he said, ‘we don’t let up. You’d better quit this fooling before anything happens. It’ll be too late to be sorry then.’

Duke blew a cloud of smoke in his face. ‘Be your age,’ he said. ‘Why, Kells and me could take your bunch without getting out of bed. Scram! And keep scramming. When you get back, you might tell your boss that we know all about Noakes’s little nest egg. If anyone’s going to have it . . . we are!’

Korris said to the driver, ‘Okay, turn her round and let’s go.’ He leaned out of the car. ‘We’ll be seeing you,’ he said. ‘Leave a will some place handy. I’ll get it fixed for you.’

Duke watched the car bump down the dirt road and then grinned at Kells. ‘Well, there you are,’ he said. ‘Now Mr. Korris’ll beat up as many toughs as he can and call on us about dusk. Then we’ll have some shooting practice.’

Kells sneered. ‘I’ve a hell of a thirst,’ he said. ‘You don’t want me to hang around here anymore?’

‘Come back with me,’ Duke said. He turned to the other two. ‘You guys stay here. If you see anything fire a burst in the air. Then if that don’t stop ‘em, let ‘em have it. I’ll get you relieved in another hour.’

He set off once more across the fields. ‘I’ve got Lorelli and the boy looking for the money,’ he said to Kells. ‘It may take a few days. You know, I don’t think it’s going to be very hard to stop Korris. Not if we plan things right.’

Kells grunted. He eyed the fellows digging in the field. ‘What’s the idea?’

‘Machine gun nests,’ Duke grinned. ‘That ought to stop ‘em.’

They walked back to the house and Duke called Casy. ‘Get a man up on the roof, Casy,’ he said. He ought to see right down to Fairview. Tell him to holla if he sees cars coming out. And get water into the house. That’s a thing we can’t do without.’

Casy went off and Duke and Kells entered the house.

They found Clare busily loading clips into a stack of rifles and sorting out rounds of ammunition to go with each rifle. She didn’t look up as Duke came in and he didn’t say anything.

Kells said, ‘You know, I’m beginning to get a kick out of this. If we don’t have a battle, I’ll be disappointed.’

‘You won’t be disappointed,’ Duke returned. ‘Can you see a guy like Spade passing up five hundred grand?’

‘I can’t see Korris passing it up,’ Kells returned. ‘And if Spade’s anything like him, I guess you must be right.’

‘We’ll go upstairs and see how they’re getting on,’ Duke said.

They found Lorelli, streaks of dirt across her face, her eyes smouldering with annoyance, standing in the middle of the room, surveying it defiantly.

Joe sat on the window still and smoked. He glared at Duke as he came in.

‘Well, have you found anything?’ Duke asked, looking at the loosened boards and the walls that had been hacked and holed in a number of places.

‘There’s nothing here,’ Lorelli said in disgust. ‘If we had the plan that Paul grabbed, we might get somewhere.’

‘Well, we ain’t got it,’ Duke reminded her. ‘So we’ll just have to go on looking. Okay, you two, you knock off. Kells and I’ll have a look. Suppose you get the food end of this business organized. There are about thirty-six of us and we’ll all want feeding. Check the stores and if you want anything take Joe and a gun and get everything before dark. Take my car.’

‘And leave you alone here?’ Lorelli shook her head. ‘What do you take me for? If you find the money, you’ll scram out of here and leave us flat. I’m not as soft as all that.’

Duke smiled at her. ‘You’ve got such a trusting little nature, haven’t you?’ he said. ‘Take Joe and get out. I’m running this outfit and you take orders from me and you’ll like ‘em.’

Lorelli looked at Joe. ‘Did you hear that?’ she asked.

Duke stepped past her, grabbed Joe by the scruff of his neck and ran him out of the room. He paused at the top of the stairs. ‘On your way, handsome,’ he said, and tossed Joe down the stairs.

As Joe banged and crashed his way from stair to stair, Clare ran out in alarm. She gave Duke one horrified look and ran to Joe.

‘Are you hurt?’ she asked. She drew back startled, as she met his murderous look.

He got slowly and painfully to his feet and faced Duke, who was leaning over the banisters, a grin on his face. ‘Come up and I’ll do it again,’ Duke said.

Joe didn’t move. He took no notice of Clare, who seeing he wasn’t hurt swept round on Duke. ‘What kind of a bully do you think you are?’ she demanded, hotly.

He turned back into the room, without even looking at her. Lorelli backed hastily away.

‘You going quietly?’ he said, easing his muscles. ‘Or do you want me to sling you out the same way?’

‘I’m going,’ she said, and whipped across the room to the door. ‘If you gyp me out of my share, I’ll cut your lights out!’ and she was gone.

Kells grinned. ‘Quite the dictator, ain’t you?’ he said. ‘Now what do we do?’

Duke took off his coat. ‘We look for the dough,’ he said. ‘Come on,’ and he began shifting the lumber into the middle of the room.

‘They’ve looked here,’ Kells complained. Why not try the other room?’

‘I fancy this spot,’ Duke returned. ‘But you go next door and see what you can find.’

‘Okay,’ Kells said. ‘What do I use? My bare hands?’

Duke was systematically hacking the plaster down from the walls with the crowbar. ‘Don’t be a sissy,’ he said. ‘Use your teeth.’

TWENTY-SIX

B
y nightfall, Pinder’s End had been converted into a fort. Duke, tired and dirty and what was worse, unsuccessful, went round the outposts just before sunset. He made sure that everyone was on their toes and knew what they had to do. Then he returned to Casy’s house and washed in the sink.

Clare and Lorelli were dishing up supper. Lorelli had recovered her good humour and was singing under her breath. She had laid in a big stock of food and with Clare’s help she had coped with the large quantities needed to feed so many.

‘So you didn’t find anything,’ she said, pushing Duke out of the way so that she could get at the sink.

‘Nope,’ Duke returned, wiping his face off with a towel. ‘Did it ever strike you that there might not be anything here? We’ve only got Bellman’s word for it.’

Lorelli dumped the big iron saucepan into the sink and began dishing up. ‘It’s going to give me an outsize pain if there isn’t,’ she returned. ‘I’m relying on my share. What’s going to happen to me if I don’t get it?’

‘Well, you can go to work,’ Duke said, grinning. ‘You might do quite well if you picked the right kind of job.’

She scowled at him and carried a large dish of meat to the table. ‘I don’t like your jokes,’ she said, shortly.

Throughout the evening, Clare had ignored Duke. She had been a help. She had loaded all the guns and handed them out. She had helped prepare the supper, but she had hardly spoken a word to anyone,

Kells, Duke, Joe and Lorelli sat down at the table but Clare moved out on to the porch. She stood looking across the darkening field and finally sat down on the dusty stoop, her hands supporting her face.

Lorelli said, What’s the matter with her? You’d think she was a deaf-mute.’

‘Leave her alone,’ Duke said shortly.

They ate in silence for a time then he said, ‘You ought to know where Schultz’s likely to hide. Can you give me a line?’

Lorelli paused with her fork suspended. ‘Why, I think. . .’

‘Shut your trap,’ Joe snarled. He looked over at Duke. ‘I’m getting Schultz,’ he said. ‘You lay off. I’ve been wanting to fix that rat for a long time.’

Duke saw it wouldn’t get him anywhere to press the question. He shrugged. ‘Schultz’s above your weight, sonny,’ he said. ‘You’d better leave him to me.’

‘Him?’ Joe laughed and went on eating.

‘Never mind about Schultz,’ Kells said. ‘What about this dough? We’ve been through the house and nearly wrecked it. There ain’t a sign of it.’

‘Maybe it’s buried in the garden,’ Lorelli said, stretching for the salt. ‘You any good at digging?’

Duke grinned at Kells’ look of alarm ‘It’ll be good for your figure,’ he said to Lorelli.

‘Don’t you worry about my figure,’ Lorelli said, quickly. ‘I know what’s good for it without digging.’

Joe scowled round at them. ‘Talk,’ he said, bitterly. ‘Talk, that’s all you guys do. Why don’t you use your heads? We might be years before we find the dough.’

Duke shifted from the table. ‘Okay,’ he said. ‘You start. Don’t forget we’ve got Korris on our hands. What do you think?’

Joe looked at him, his eyes glowing. ‘I’ll get after Schultz,’ he said, ‘I know where I can find him I’ll get the plan from him and then we’ll get some place. I’ve been thinking and I guess I know where I can pick him up. If I get the plan you’ll have to give me a couple of grand before you make the split.’

Duke glanced over at Kells. ‘Like the idea?’

Kells hesitated. ‘I’d better do the job,’ he said. ‘This jerk’s got a damaged hand. Schultz’ll want fixing.’

‘That’s what I think.’

Joe sat motionless, his white, stony face expressionless. ‘I do it, or no one does it,’ he said. ‘I know where I can pick the punk up. You don’t.’

Duke made up his mind quickly. He didn’t think Joe would be much use if it came to a fight with Korris, but, he could see the boy had such a hatred for Schultz that he might bring it off. He nodded. ‘Okay, get going. Take my car and be careful.’

Joe kicked back his chair. ‘I’ll be careful,’ he said, and smiled wolfishly.

Looking at him, with the plaster across his nose and his hard, stony eyes and thin mouth, Duke didn’t envy Schultz.

Lorelli suddenly stood up and joined Joe. ‘I want to go with him,’ she said. ‘He can’t drive the car and I could help him.’

Duke glanced at Joe. ‘Do you want her?’ he asked.

‘Why not?’ Joe tried to sound casual, but Duke caught the eagerness in his voice.

‘I thought you didn’t trust me,’ he said to Lorelli. ‘Suppose we turn up the dough when you’ve gone. How do you know I won’t gyp you?’

‘Talk sense,’ Lorelli said, watching him with intent, frightened eyes. ‘We’ve looked all day. We’ll never find it without the plan.’

Duke eased himself away from the table. ‘I’m beginning to think we’ll never find it with the plan,’ he said.

Joe said, ‘You smart punk,’ and an automatic sprang into his hand.

Duke tried, but he was a shade late. His fingers were pulling his gun as Joe fired.

There was a sharp, vicious crack and flame, then he found himself on the floor with the chair on top of him. Pain stabbed his shoulder and he lay there, waiting for Joe to shoot again.

He heard Clare scream and he heard Joe shout in an unnaturally high-pitched voice, ‘Freeze!’

Kells sat at the table, his eyes bolting out of his head. The whole thing had happened so quickly and so unexpectedly that he was completely dazed.

Clare ran over to Duke and knelt at his side. She saw blood running down his sleeve and she tried to lift his head.

Joe swept Lorelli to the door, keeping his eyes on Kells. ‘Start anything and see what you get,’ he said.

Kells sat, with his hands on the table, gaping at him.

Duke said to Clare, ‘It’s okay . . . don’t get excited,’ as Joe and Lorelli backed out of the room, slamming the door behind them.

When Duke spoke, Clare flushed and let go of him. ‘I thought. . . I thought he had. . .’ she stopped.

Duke shouted to Kells, ‘What the hell are you waiting for? Get after them, you slow-witted monkey.’

Kells came to life. Jerking out his gun, he rushed across the room and threw open the door. He heard Duke’s car start up and he blundered out into the darkness.

He was met by gunfire, but the car was already moving fast and he didn’t even hear the bullets as they passed well overhead.

He steadied himself against the doorway and fired after the car. Then a new sound startled him. A burst of machine gun fire came from the front of the house.

He could no longer see the car, so he stopped firing and listened.

The night seemed suddenly full of rifle and machine gun fire. Korris and his mob had arrived.

He ran back to the house where he found Duke sitting up, his coat off and Clare bandaging his arm.

‘They’ve got away,’ he said, breathlessly. ‘And Korris is moving in.’

Duke looked at Clare. She was close to him and her hair touched his face. ‘Can you hurry?’ he said, ‘I’ve got to get going.’

She wound the bandage skillfully over a pad she had put on the wound. ‘You can’t go out with this,’ she said, handling him as if he were made of china.

‘I’m okay,’ Duke returned. He looked at Kells. ‘How many are there?’

‘I don’t know,’ Kells said, peering through the slit in the sandbags. ‘It’s dark out there.’ He glanced back over his shoulder. ‘You hurt bad?’

‘No . . . a couple of inches lower and I might have been. I didn’t know the little rat could pull a gun as fast as that.’

‘What’s the idea?’ Kells said, still watching out of the window. ‘What did he have to do that for? Gone crazy or something?’

‘Those two have got the dough,’ Duke said, grimly.

Kells nearly fell over. He left the window and came close to Duke. ‘What dough?’

‘Noakes’s nest egg,’ Duke said, getting to his feet. ‘All right, honey,’ he said to Clare. ‘Don’t worry. I’m okay now.’