Figure it Out For Yourself полностью

Barratt arched his back, shot away from me and dropped down on hands and knees. He tried to rise, flattened out, dragged himself to a half-sitting position as the square-shouldered man sprang at him and hit him again.

All this took about five seconds. The girl was still trying to strangle me and now she started to scream. I rolled over on my face, bringing her uppermost. I felt her being wrenched away and I staggered to my feet, as, screaming wildly, she flew at the square-shouldered man, her fingers clawing at his face.

He stood his ground, swept her hands away and hit her very hard on the temple with the sandbag. She dropped at his feet as if she had been pole-axed

He bent over her, lifted an eyelid, straightened and grinned at me.

'Hello. You seem to be having quite a time. I heard you yell. Was he going to knife you or were you two playing a game?'

I wiped my face and the back of my neck with my handkerchief before saying, 'He seemed a little worked up. I don't think he knew what he was doing. He's hopped to the eyes.' I looked a little anxiously at the naked heap of arms and legs on the floor. 'You hit her pretty hard. I hope you haven't damaged her. She belongs to a client of mine.' He waved an airy hand.

Don't worry about her. You have to treat these junkies rough. Besides, I've had a bellyful of them these past three days. They've been fighting and screaming at each other non-stop, and I like my sleep.'

I continued to wipe my face and neck. I was sweating quite a lot. The long carving knife on the carpet gave me the horrors.

'You live here?' I asked.

For my sins. Just across the way. Nick Perelli's the name, in case it interests you.' I told him who I was.

I'm grateful to you. If you hadn't hit that goon he would have stuck that knife into me.'

Perelli smiled. His swarthy, thin face had a jeering, humorous expression. He wasn't a badlooking guy: a little like George Raft, come to think of it. His clothes were good, and he wore them well.

'So you're the fella who runs Universal Services, are you? That's a nice racket. Wish it belonged to me.'

'It has its low moments. This is one of them. I'd like to put it on record if there's anything I can do for you now or in the future, let me know. It'll be on the house, and you'll get our Grade A service.'

'I'll remember,' he said, and grinned. 'Right now I'm pretty well fixed, but you never know.' He stuck his toe into the girl's side and gave her a little nudge. 'Is this one of the services?'

'One of the less pleasant ones. I came here to take her back to her father.'

Think he'll be pleased to have her back? I wouldn't be if she belonged to me. I wouldn't want her back if she was going away with a yacht.'

I fetched the blanket and dropped it over her.

'Her old man's only one degree better than she is. What's the bouncer downstairs going tosay when he sees me carrying her through the lobby?'

'Maxie?' Perelli laughed. 'He'll hang out the flags. He's been longing to get rid of her, only Barratt scares him. I'm on my way to meet my girl. We can go down together. I'll see he doesn't bother you.'

'Fine,' I said. 'I'd hate to be run in for kidnapping after what I've just been through.'

'The bathroom's through there if you want to tidy up,' he said, pointing. 'You look a bit of a wreck. I'll watch her until you get back.'

I went into the bathroom and repaired the damage as best I could. Even after a wash and I had pinned up the torn lapel I still looked as if I'd been wrestling with a wild cat.

I came out, gathered up the unconscious girl in the blanket and heaved her over my shoulder.

'Nice if she comes round in the car.'

'She won't,' Perelli said with confidence. 'When I sap them, they stay sapped.'

We got her into the elevator without anyone seeing us.

'Do you usually carry a sandbag when you go to meet your girl friend?' I asked as the elevator sank between floors, He grinned.

'Never without one. I play cards for a living, and a cosh is the best way to settle postmortems. I get quite a few.'

'Well, you certainly know how to use one.'

There's nothing to it. The secret is to hit them hard. A tap only makes them mad.'

The elevator came to a silent stop and we marched out into the lobby.

The girl behind the desk started out of her chair and gaped at us. Her hand fluttered along the desk and one finger poked into the bell-push. The bouncer in the bowler hat materialized from behind his pillar like a jack-in-the-box. He look one look at me and the girl draped over my shoulder, made a growling noise deep down in his throat and started purposely towards me.

'All right, Maxie; relax,' Perelli said. 'We're only clearing out a little garbage. There's no need to get excited.'

Maxie stopped in mid-stride. He stooped to peer at the girl, and as soon as he recognized her he lost his belligerent look.

'Oh, her! Where are you taking her?'

'What do you care so long as we take her?' Perelli inquired.

Maxie chewed this over in his mind.

'I guess that's right. Hasn't Barratt got anything to say about her going?'