A Hell of a Woman (Crime Masterworks) by Jim Thompson Read Free Book Online Page A

had had any real dough, it would be different. If she'd had thousands instead of hundreds-enough to do something with, you know, enough so's you wouldn't mind sticking your neck out-well, I'd have known exactly what to do, then. She was a rotten, worthless old bitch. She had something coming to her, and I was just the boy to deliver it. And-and, hell! There didn't have to be much risk. Some, sure, but not much. Because Pete Hendrickson had something coming to him, too; and if he wasn't built to be a fall guy I'd never seen one.
    Yes, sir, I knew just how I'd use Pete. A plan popped into my mind almost without me thinking. But for a few hundred-huh-uh. Or even a few thousand. When and if I ever pulled anything like that, I'd be playing for the jackpot. One big haul, and then Mona and- Suddenly, I thought of something.
    "Baby," I said. "Mona, honey. Does your aunt have some other money around the house? I mean, if she hardly ever digs into this cache in the basement-"
    "Well," she hesitated, "I guess she must have; she keeps it in her room, probably. I don't know because the door's always locked, and she's never let me go in there."
    "Uh-hmm," I said. "She must have quite a bit, wouldn't you say? After all, she's got the day to day expenses of the two of you, and-"
    "They're not very much, Dolly. We eat mostly rice and beans, and things that are cheap. I have to shop all around-buy stuff that the stores are about to throw out. We don't spend hardly anything."
    "Yeah, but still…"
    "D-dolly… " She drew closer to me. "I didn't wwant to tell you, but-I've had to do that-you know-a lot. I've had to do it for a long time. She's m-made me, and that's where…"
    Jesus! It made me sick to think about it. Hustling this kid, making her hustle since she'd really been a kid…
    "Never you mind, honey," I said. "You won't have to do it any more, so you just don't think about it. I don't."
    We were almost there, almost to the stores where I was supposed to let her out. She started getting the shakes again.
    "Do I have to, Dolly? C-can't we just take the money, and-"
    I shook my head. "No, baby, we can't. I mean, we really can't. We'd have to travel-we'd have to do plenty of traveling. We'd have to have money to live on. We just couldn't make it on this. It just ain't enough, know what I mean?"
    "Well… "She sat up on the seat, turned and looked at me eagerly. "I could get the rest, Dolly. There's a lot more, and I could get it, too."
    "Huh! But you said-"
    But she hadn't said that. I'd just assumed that she'd cleaned out all the old girl's cash. It was what I'd have done, if I'd been in a taking mood, and I supposed she had, too.
    So there was more-a lot. But maybe there wasn't. What did a lot mean to a kid like this?
    My hands were shaking on the wheel. I gripped it tighter, fighting to keep the excitement out of my voice.
    "Now, let's just keep calm, baby," I said. "Old Dolly's in the saddle, and there's nothing to get up in the air about. N-now-now, how much is there? Tell papa, baby. What do you m-mean when you say a-"
    "Well She chewed her lip, frowning. "I'd have to count off for what I gave the man at the store, and this that I-"
    "For God's sake!" I said. "Don't stop to do arithmetic problems! Spit it out! Just give it to me in round numbers."
    She gave it to me.
    My hands jerked on the wheel. I almost ran up on the curb.
    "M-Mona," I said. "Baby, child. Sweet thing. Say that again."
    "A hundred-will it be enough, Dolly? A hundred thousand dollars?"

8
    I SAT AND stared at her, kind of stunned, and she looked at me, anxious eyed, her breasts rising and falling. We were like that for a minute or two, her staring at me hopefully and me too shocked-stupid to say anything. And then her face went dead again, and she said I'd better take her on home.
    "It's all right, Dolly. I'm not afraid any more. She'll k-kill me, and then it'll all be over with and-"
    "Hush your mouth, honey child," I said. "She isn't going to kill anyone. She