Girl on a Slay Ride by Louis Trimble Read Free Book Online Page A

have a remarkable memory.” He seemed to be addressing Mallory.
    Mallory watched the road as it curved away from the ocean. He said nothing.
    The small man leaned sideways, reaching across Denise to hold a hand out to Mallory. He said, “Give me the registration slip.”
    Mallory took the holder from around the steering post and put it in the man’s hand. After a moment, the man said, “C. R. Mallory, Portland, Oregon. Is that you?”
    “Yes,” Mallory said.
    “And this is Mrs. Mallory?”
    “Any objections?” Denise demanded. Her voice was brittle.
    Mallory hoped her fear and anger didn’t make her bitchy. She could be that way, he knew. She’d been working at it with him when the sedan caught them just after daybreak. In a way, he couldn’t blame her. She must have been under terrific tension for some time now. This new development wasn’t helping her any, he was sure. Just the same, he hoped she wouldn’t go out of her way to make these men angry. This wasn’t the time to make a move against them.
    He dropped a hand to her knee in warning. She was beginning to tremble again.
    “No objections,” the slender man said to her. “I just like to know the people I deal with.”
    He was silent a moment. Then he said, “My name is Miles Graef. My friend is Nick Thoms.” He made no effort to introduce the third man.
    Denise said, “Charmed as all hell, I’m sure.”
    Mallory grinned through his tension. Then he remembered Graef’s mud-and-ice eyes and he touched Denise in warning again.
    Graef said, “What line of work are you in, Mallory?”
    “Property management,” Mallory said.
    “In Portland, of course. Is it an interesting profession?”
    “It’ll do,” Mallory said.
    Denise said, “What’s your line when you aren’t out kidnaping people, Mr. Graef?”
    Despite his fear for her, Mallory had to admire her spirit.
    Graef laughed. “I’m in the investment business,” he said.
    Behind Mallory, Nick Thoms gave another of his gusty laughs.
    The fat man stirred. Mallory watched him in the rear-vision mirror. He opened his eyes and lifted his head. The eyes were a pale, almost colorless blue over an odd, milky whiteness. He ran his tongue over his out-turned lips, wetting them obscenely.
    “I’m hungry,” he complained. His voice still had that thin emptiness Mallory had noticed before.
    “We’ll eat in the first town,” Graef said. “Is this your annual vacation, Mallory?”
    “Yes.”
    “What’s your favorite fishing spot?”
    “They’re all good,” Mallory said.
    “He’s the cautious type,” Graef remarked to Thoms.
    “One of them guys that lives for his work,” Thoms said heavily.
    “I don’t connect that remark with what I said,” Graef answered sharply.
    “One of them guys that takes his business with him,” Thoms explained. “He brought a briefcase along on his fishing trip.”

Chapter VII
    M ALLORY’S stomach muscles knotted with anxiety. Denise’s leg came back against his, bumping sharply.
    Graef observed, “I wouldn’t have thought Mallory was that type.” Mallory watched him from the corner of his eyes. He could hear Thoms turning and saw him shove the briefcase into Graef’s hands.
    “People’s possessions tell a lot about them,” Graef said. His voice took on a thoughtful note. “I see that this is locked.”
    Mallory said nothing. He wondered if Graef had known about the securities all along and was playing with him, or if this interest in the briefcase was just another example of the usual Mallory luck.
    Graef said, “Give me the key, Mallory.”
    “No,” Mallory said.
    The wagon was at the beginning of a sharp curve. Mallory kept the wagon at fifty, slewing it into the curve. He let the wheel loosen under his fingers. The back end whipped toward the inside of the road. There was a shallow ditch on the far side of the shoulder. Mallory didn’t consider what he would do after the wagon slid into the ditch.
    Thoms pushed his arm over Mallory’s