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

shoulder and grasped the wheel. He twisted it sharply in the direction of the skid. The wagon straightened cumbersomely. Thoms dropped the wheel and reached past Denise. His fingers flipped off the ignition. The wagon bucked as its speed dropped sharply.
    Mallory shrugged.
    “That was foolish,” Graef said. “You can’t hurt us without hurting yourself.” He sounded thoughtful. “You had better chances before this. But you waited until I became curious about your briefcase. I find that interesting.”
    “Do we just sit here or do we go on?” Mallory demanded.
    “We go on, but more slowly—and carefully. There’s a town not far ahead, I believe.”
    Mallory started the car. Graef said, “Now give me the key to this case.”
    “No.”
    “Then I’ll cut it open. I’d be sorry to do that. It’s made of very fine leather.”
    “For heaven’s sake, give him the key,” Denise said.
    Mallory took his key case from his pocket and tossed it to Graef; then he kept his eyes on the road. The town Graef had mentioned was just around the next curve. Already the trees were beginning to thin out. Signs advertising a café and a sporting goods headquarters appeared at the roadside. An ancient truck made the curve and came lumbering toward them.
    Mallory could hear the lock snap open as Graef found the right key. He didn’t turn his head but watched the road doggedly with his jaws clamped together tightly. Ahead was a town with people. Once they were among them, he couldn’t see how Graef could continue to hold them prisoner. He thought about the gas station and the café, the two businesses in the settlement. And there were telephones from which to call the State Patrol.
    He glanced toward Denise. She was watching him intently; she seemed to know exactly what he was thinking. Her lips framed the word “no.” He could see a stirring of the old fear in her eyes, and it puzzled him.
    Graef said musingly, “Well, well, negotiable securities. How much do you have here, Mallory?”
    “Forty thousand dollars worth,” Mallory said.
    “An interesting item to take on a fishing trip,” Graef said. “Or were you going to cash them before you went into the mountains?”
    Mallory said, “No.”
    Graef shrugged. “Let me see your purse, Mrs. Mallory.”
    “Go to the devil,” Denise said.
    Graef said, “Nick, get me her purse.”
    “Give it to him,” Mallory said quickly.
    Denise said, “The name is Lawton. Mrs. Denise Lawton.”
    “That’s better,” Graef said. His voice was musing. “Lawton. Lawton. That name should mean something to me. I’ll have to see your purse after all, Mrs. Lawton.”
    Denise handed it to him. Mallory heard the click of the catch. He heard Graef rustling through the contents of the purse.
    “Ah,” Graef said. He chuckled suddenly. “Mrs. Rick Lawton. What do you think of that, Nick?”
    Nick Thoms said, “Ain’t that something!”
    Graef chuckled again. “You’ve got more nerve than I thought, Mallory. You not only steal forty thousand dollars from your employer, but you help yourself to a man’s wife. And a very tough man at that.”
    The chuckle left his voice. “I’m beginning to understand Mrs. Lawton’s earlier remark now. You thought we were sent by your husband, didn’t you?”
    Denise said, “What difference does it make now?”
    “I told you I like to know about the people I deal with,” Graef said. “Why were you afraid Rick Lawton would send someone after you?”
    Denise didn’t answer. Graef, Mallory thought, was smart enough to know that there was more here than appeared on the surface. And he was enjoying watching Denise’s apprehension as he probed into her past.
    Graef said, “Shall I guess? Lawton is a society gambler. But the word lately is that he’s trying to branch out. Isn’t that right?” He seemed to be addressing Denise.
    “I didn’t concern myself with his business,” she said tartly.
    Graef laughed at her. “What did you do, Mrs.