1979 - You Must Be Kidding by James Hadley Chase Read Free Book Online

tomorrow he would see her again in the office. Sexually drained, Karen, to him, right at this moment, was a menace to his marriage and to his career.
    Then he thought of the bearded man they had encountered. If the police got onto him, and if he told them he had seen Karen and himself, then . . . !
    He wiped the sweat off his face.
    He was still sitting in the lounging chair when he heard Betty’s car. He drew in a deep breath and stood up.
    A few moments later Betty came in.
    ‘What happened, Ken?’
    He seldom saw Betty angry, but he saw the signs now.
    ‘I told Jack. I had a breakdown,’ he said quietly. ‘Was the party a success?’
    ‘Ken! Why didn’t you come? Everyone was asking. Mary was terribly upset!’
    ‘There was something wrong with the ignition. I’m sorry, honey. I was delayed more than an hour.’
    ‘But you could have come!’
    ‘Oh, sure. I could have come, but after the flop at the schoolhouse, after fiddling with the car, I just wasn’t in the mood. I’m sorry, but that’s how it was.’
    ‘A flop?’ Betty looked concerned.
    ‘You can say that again. After all the trouble I took, setting up five hundred chairs, I only got thirty-four people! Then when I got in the car, it wouldn’t start. There I was stuck! Hell! I was ready to flip my lid. I took out all the plugs and got in a mess. I just wasn’t in a party mood after all that.’
    ‘Didn’t you do any business?’
    ‘I got some of them to sign up, but what a flop! I came right back here to lick my wounds.’
    Betty went to him and put her arms around him. He ruffled her hair, feeling sure he had crossed the first hurdle.
    ‘Darling, I am so sorry. I thought it was going to be so good for you,’ she said.
    ‘You understand? I’m sorry too. I know I should have come, but I got so goddam depressed, I couldn’t face a party.’
    She moved away from him and gave him that lovely smile he so cherished.
    ‘Let’s go to bed. I’ll talk to Mary tomorrow.’
    While they were undressing, Betty asked, ‘What happened to Miss Sternwood?’
    Ken felt a tightening in his stomach.
    ‘She had a date. She went off before I tried to start the car,’ he said.
    Betty went into the bathroom for a shower. Ken got into bed and lay on his back, staring up at the dimly lighted ceiling.
    It’s going to work out, he told himself. His groin still ached from the beating he had had from Karen. He was now relaxing. Then Betty slid into bed and turned off the light. Her arms went around him and she moved close to him.
    ‘I’m turned on, darling,’ she said softly.
    For the first time since they had been married, Ken failed her.
    The following morning, Ken left Betty still sleeping, made himself a hasty cup of coffee, then drove to the office. Meeting Karen again was something he dreaded.
    He unlocked the office door and went into his office, turning on both the air conditioners. He was working on the contracts he had made with the parents from the school meeting when Karen arrived.
    ‘Hi!’ she said, pausing in his office doorway and she smiled. ‘No problems?’
    ‘No.’
    He looked at her. There she was in her skintight jeans, her sweatshirt that emphasized her provocative breasts, her eyes alight, but he got no buzz from her.
    ‘You look pale, Ken,’ she said. ‘We had a ball, didn’t we?’
    He pushed thirteen contracts across his desk towards her.
    ‘Would you record these, please? I’ll have the others ready in a while.’
    She laughed.
    ‘Sure.’ She came over and picked up the contracts. ‘Strictly business this morning, huh?’
    He didn’t look up, but frowned down at the contract lying before him.
    ‘Oh-ho!’ Again she laughed. ‘Mister guilty conscience. You’ll recover,’ and she walked back to her office, swinging her hips.
    Ken sat back. He must get rid of her, he told himself.
    This situation just couldn’t continue. But how? He sat staring into space, listening to the busy clack of Karen’s typewriter. How to