The Paw in the Bottle
- Автор: Чейз Джеймс Хэдли
- Год: 1949
- Язык: английский
- Год: Jarrolds
- Жанр: Криминальные детективы
Электронная книга - «The Paw in the Bottle». Краткое содержание книги:
Harry blew his nose loudly. He had been holding his handkerchief to his face in the hope that the porter wouldn’t get a good look at him.
‘She’s expecting me,’ he said. ‘It’s all right. Top floor? Thanks.’ He walked quickly to the lift and pressed the automatic button.
While he waited he had a creepy sensation that he was being watched, but he didn’t look round. Sweat began to trickle down the back of his neck and he mopped himself with the handkerchief.
The lift doors opened and he stepped inside. As he pressed the button indicating the top floor he took a quick look round the lobby. It was deserted. The porter had returned to his office. He drew in a quick breath of relief and leaned against the side of the lift as it shot him to the top floor.
Leaving the lift, he ran down the two flights of stairs that brought him to the landing leading to Wesley’s flat. He looked up and down the deserted passage, then walked to the front door and rang the bell.
There was a long, unnerving pause before Julie opened the door. She stared at him, white faced, her eyes wide with fear.
‘All right, Julie,’ he said, trying to sound brisk. ‘Let’s go.’ He pushed past her into the flat and shut the door. ‘Come on, kid. Let’s make it snappy.’
But she could only stare at him. He was wearing a dark overcoat and a slouch hat pulled low over his eyes. A black silk scarf hid his chin. She could see sweat trickling down the side of his face from under his hat and his eyes burned feverishly.
‘Harry!’ she exclaimed, backing away. ‘Please don’t go through with this!’
He caught hold of her arm and bustled her, protesting weakly, down the passage to Blanche’s bedroom.
‘Now, take it easy,’ he said, far from easy himself. ‘This has got to be quick. In and out, see? Get the safe open, kid, as fast as you can.’
She was sick with fright, expecting any moment for the police to appear. She couldn’t move, but stared at him with eyes like holes in a sheet.
‘Harry! Why did you come! I told you to stay away!’ she cried, wringing her hands.
He caught hold of her.
‘Come on; for God’s sake stop talking and get this damned safe open,’ he said feverishly, and shook her.
‘But Harry...’ she wailed.
‘We’ll talk when we get outside.’ He was controlling himself with difficulty. ‘Come on, get it open.’ He shoved her before the quilted wall. ‘Turn off the alarms. There’s one behind the bed, isn’t there? Turn it off.’
It suddenly occurred to her that if he didn’t take the furs the police couldn’t do anything to him. She could swear that he had come to see her and then they would have no case against him.
‘Harry! Listen, you mustn’t take anything. Please go. I’ll even come with you if you’ll go now.’
He rounded on her. His own nerves were at breaking point. He had never before wasted so much time on a job.
‘Turn the blasted alarm off!’ he shouted at her. ‘And stop talking!’
‘But Harry, you don’t understand...’ she began, but cursing under his breath he caught hold of her arm and gave her a stinging slap across her face.
‘Pull yourself together, you little fool!’ he exclaimed furiously. ‘Open that safe!’
She stepped back, her hand going to her face. She realized at once that he had struck her because he was frightened, but in spite of that she couldn’t forgive him. If he could do that to her after he had told her he loved her, what was his love worth, she thought.
‘All right,’ she said bleakly. ‘Don’t say I didn’t warn you.’
Harry was now so jittery he nearly struck her again. He had been in the flat for over ten minutes and the safe wasn’t opened yet.
‘Get on with it,’ he said frantically. ‘We’ve got to get out of here.’
She went to the head of the bed, moving like an automaton, and turned off the alarm. Then she went into the bathroom and turned off the second alarm. As she came out of the bathroom he again implored her to hurry.
Without quite knowing what she was doing she opened the safe. Harry gaped at the row of fur coats when the steel doors slid back. As soon as she had turned off the light that operated the photo-electric cell, he jumped forward, scooped up an armful of the furs and rushed from the room. She heard him push up the panel covering the service lift in the kitchen. Suddenly she felt she was going to faint and clutched hold of a chair to steady herself.
Harry came in, grabbed another armful of furs and rushed out again. He worked like lightning, not paying her any attention. There was nothing she could do now, she thought, gripping the back of the chair. In a moment or so the police would burst in and that would be the end of Harry.
Then something happened that rooted her to the floor and sent blood from her heart.
There was a sudden shrill scream that echoed through the flat, immediately followed by the crash of gunfire.
Julie found herself at the door, peering fearfully into the passage.
Harry was standing a yard or so from the front door, which stood open. He was staring down at something at his feet, something his body blocked from Julie’s view. Nearby lay an automatic pistol; smoke drifted lazily from its muzzle.
‘Harry!’ Julie cried, and Harry, suddenly galvanized into life, slammed and bolted the front door. As he moved, Julie caught sight of a little doll-like figure lying on the floor. It was Blanche.
Julie screamed as she saw blood running down the side of Blanche’s face, forming a crimson halo round her fair hair.
There came a tremendous crash on the front door, which bulged, creaked, but held.
Harry sprang back, turned and came rushing down the passage towards Julie. His eyes were bolting from his head; his colourless face dreadful to look at.
Julie shrank away from him.
‘You shot her!’ she gasped, throwing out her hands to keep him off. ‘Harry! keep away!’
‘You know I didn’t!’ Harry gasped, grabbing hold of her. ‘I was in the kitchen. I’ve never carried a gun in my life. Julie! You’ve got to tell them. I... I didn’t do it!’
Then the front door burst open and three police officers came charging down the passage.
Harry flung Julie out of his way, darted into the kitchen, but he hadn’t taken a step or two before he was pulled down, his frantic struggles smothered by many hands.
Julie heard him yell, ‘I didn’t do it! I swear I didn’t do it. It’s not my gun!’ and then everything went dark and she seemed to be falling into a bottomless pit.
VI
Theo was hauling himself up in the service lift when he heard the shot and he immediately jammed on the flimsy brake, stopping the lift. He was only a few feet below the service hatch that Harry had left open. The light from the kitchen reflected down the shaft, and by peering through the opening between the shaft and the lift, he could see part of the kitchen ceiling.
He heard Julie’s wild scream and the crash as the front door of the flat was forced open, and he cursed, knowing that something had gone badly wrong.
The lift was operated by pulling on a rope from below. It was also possible, but not easy, to operate the lift by pulling on the rope that ran inside the lift. Theo had found it hard work hoisting himself up by hand, but he had kept at it, sweating and swearing, because he knew it was vital to silence Julia. And now this must happen just when he was within a few feet of his destination.
He suddenly heard the sounds of a violent struggle, then Harry’s voice, strident with panic, yelclass="underline" ‘I didn’t do it! I swear I didn’t do it! It’s not my gun!’
Theo’s face set.
‘Someone’s got shot,’ he thought. ‘This is where I get the hell out of here!’
Over-anxious to get away before anyone spotted him, he released the brake before getting a grip on the rope. Instantly the lift fell like a stone between the floors. Theo made a desperate grab at the brake and slammed it on, but the impetus of the lift was too much for it and it snapped.