The Black Lizard Big Book of Black Mask Stories
- Автор: Adams Cleve F., Babcock Dwight V.
- Год: 2010
- Язык: английский
- Год: A Vintage Crime/Black Lizard
- ISBN: 978-0-307-45543-7
- Жанр: Криминальные детективы
Электронная книга - «The Black Lizard Big Book of Black Mask Stories». Краткое содержание книги:
Black Mask was the apotheosis of noir. It was the magazine where the first hardboiled detective story, which was written by Carroll John Daly appeared. It was the slum in which such American literary titans like Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler got their start, and it was the home of stories with titles like “Murder Is Bad Luck,” “Ten Carets of Lead,” and “Drop Dead Twice.” Collected here is best of the best, the hardest of the hardboiled, and the darkest of the dark of America’s finest crime fiction. This masterpiece collection represents a high watermark of America’s underbelly. Crime writing gets no better than this.
“Yes, sir.”
“Well, come along!” he said, starting off.
And I said:
“Yes, sir,” as I dragged along after him.
And then, suddenly, I threw up my arms and slipped out of my coat. It was a cold night, and he had thick gloves on, and hadn’t been able to get a good grip on my body.
Sparton just had time enough to say:
“Well, I’ll be—” as if he was displeased, when I turned the corner. In two minutes I passed the last house and the last street lamp in town and was looping across the dark meadow. Then I beat it into the wood.
It was as dark as blazes (only blazes is awfully light), and I had a job finding the path even with my pocket flashlight. I reckon it must have been after eight o’clock when I went flying over the stump where I found Jane sitting the day before; and when I reached the sharp corner in the path just this side of the cabin and started to go straight ahead, it was almost nine. I’ve got so I can tell time by the stars and things.
And then I slowed down. I wanted to go faster; I knew I ought to go faster; and the path was wide and clear — but I just couldn’t make it. I don’t know why, but my feet just dragged as if they were tied to a ball and chain.
And when I came in sight of that cabin, standing black and quiet underneath the trees at the end of the path, I just had to pinch myself in the back to make me go on.
The front window was just beside the path. I opened it and stuck my head in. I couldn’t see anything. It was just all black.
And yet I couldn’t help turning my head and looking to the left. It was black and silent like the rest. But I knew I was looking at the screen; and beyond that screen—
Well, I turned around and gave a last look at the outdoors, at the black, bare trunks and limbs, sticking up into the dark sky. There were five miles of thick woods between me and any other living human being.
I was thinking of that when I hoisted myself up to the window sill, and my arms sort of wobbled and I fell back again.
“Come on, you yellow baby!” I sneered at me.
Then I gave a big jump up and landed clear through on my nose.
I sat up in the dark, listening, while it got all quiet again. Then I stood up and felt around for the candle and lighted it.
Nothing had changed. The fire had gone out and my chair stood beside it. It was facing the screen as I left it... And there was the screen, keeping Jane’s body in her own part of the room.
I set the candle on the table and the wind blew it and made big, funny shadows on the ceiling. But I didn’t want to close that window. I knew there wasn’t anything but black woods all around. But that was better than being shut up alone with... Jane.
I stood a long while looking at that big staring screen. I started to go over to it, and then I decided I ought to eat my supper first. I reckon it was just an excuse, but I hadn’t eaten anything since Jane and I had our supper the night before, and I suddenly found I was mighty hungry.
So I got the pail and unlocked the door and felt my way through the dark until I found the stream. Then I came back.
I’d left the door open, so’s I could see, but I wished I hadn’t. The path was oblique, so all the time I walked up it, I was just looking at that screen, standing there, and just a tiny bit of white — the bed.
Well, after I got in and closed the door, I sat down and carefully washed my potatoes. (I don’t usually do that.) Then I started to pare them. (I don’t do that, either.) I reckon I spent an hour doing that... But all the time I was looking at the screen, that was so silent and big, and thinking of what was on the other side of it.
Then I got down and looked under the bed to see if there was something else to eat, although I knew there wasn’t.
Finally I stood up and looked at the screen.
“Now, see here, crazy!” I said. “Dead people can’t hurt you! You’ve got to go right over there and show Jane you’re a man!”
I stood a second getting up nerve. Then, suddenly, I walked over to it and peeked.
She was lying just as I left her, with the wind coming through the window over her head and blowing her pretty hair.
And she was staring up at me, sort of reproachfully.
I felt terrible. First, I’d let her get killed without lifting a hand. And then I was so scared and addle-headed I’d run off and left her body lying there.
“I’m awfully sorry, Jane,” I whispered. “I’ll fix you nice, now, and then in the morning, after I testify, I’ll tell them about you and we’ll come up and bury you.”
Then I pulled the bedclothes down and made her all straight. I folded her arms across her breast and covered her up again. I started to close her eyes, but I couldn’t seem to get up nerve enough for that. Then I stood looking at her.
The candle was on the other side of the screen and she and I were in a shadow. Finally I leaned over the bed to put down the window. It was awfully black outside!
I just had my fingers on the window, when I heard a little noise.
I listened a minute. It was just the wind in the trees, I told myself. They were making that noise that cold branches make when the wind blows.
“Yes, that’s all it is,” I said to myself; “so don’t get so scared.”
And while I was saying it, I knew it was something else.
...It was footsteps, creeping along through the trees behind the cabin!
Well, I came from behind the screen and went to the middle of the room. And then I stood there, staring like a gawk and wondering what I ought to do. From the corners of my eyes I could see the gloomy room with the shadows moving back and forth as the candle flickered. And straight ahead of me I was looking at the middle window that I had left open.
...And while I looked there, a man passed in front of it, on his way to the door!
Well, I stood there, trying to think of something to do. Then I started to run and lock the door and shut the window. But I hadn’t put one foot forward, when I saw the handle move.
Slowly the door opened and a man looked in!
He was a big woodsman with a fur cap and a thick black beard. He had on a mackinaw and heavy woolen gloves. And he had a knife in his belt.
He stood looking at me for a moment without saying a word. Then he stepped inside and shut the door.
“How d’y!” he said.
I made a little noise with my mouth. It was funny and dry. I reckon I must have been thirsty.
The man looked around. His eyes rested for a minute on the screen and I thought I’d drop. Finally he looked back at me.
“You live here?” he asked.
“Sometimes.”
“Alone?” And his eyes squinted as he looked at me.
I wet my mouth with my tongue. Then I said:
“I got a friend staying with me.”
The man sort of frowned.
“Where is he?” he asked.
“My friend’s right around here.” Which was true. Jane was right behind the bed.
The man looked around again. Then he looked back at me. And he sort of smiled.
“Well, will you give me some supper?” he asked. “I’m starved... I’ll pay you for it.”
“Do you like potatoes?” I said.
“Pretty well.”
“All right. Stick around.” I was acting perky, but I wasn’t feeling that way at all.
I had already built my fire, and put the potatoes in, and now they were boiling merrily. I got a fork and jabbed it into them to see if they were done.
While I was doing it, I heard the window close. I swung around.
The man was looking at me.
“It’s coming up cold,” he said. But a funny little smile flickered around the corner of his mouth. And then: “Is that window behind the screen closed?” he asked, taking a step forward.
“Yes, it is! It’s shut tight!” I said, feeling sort of pale.