Rainbow's End by James M. Cain Read Free Book Online

what the reason was, and I didn’t argue much but stood by the side of the car, talking through the window, with the nurse leaning forward to hear and Mr. York speaking up now and then. In a minute or two another car drove up and Mr. Bledsoe got out. I introduced him, and he took off his hat politely and said: “Let’s go inside.”
    â€œWhen the officers come,” said Jill. “If you want to go in Mr. Bledsoe, please do, but we’re staying here—”
    â€œI said, let’s go in,” Bledsoe snapped. “They’ll be here any minute, and we have to talk— now !”
    â€œWell, who are you,” snapped York, “to be telling this girl what she does?”
    â€œJames J. Bledsoe, attorney at law, representing Mr. Howell. I suggest that Miss Kreeger accept me as counsel too. She’s in trouble and time is running short.”
    â€œTrouble?” said York. “ Trouble ? Here she’s the heroine of the year and you try to say she’s in trouble.”
    â€œIf Mantle says so, she is.”
    Jill drew a blank, looking first at me and then at York. “Who’s Mantle?” he asked.
    â€œI think she knows.”
    â€œWhat’s this about?” snapped Jill. “What in the hell’s it about? I never heard of Mantle.”
    By that time I was nudging Bledsoe who was staring at Jill. I took him aside and whispered: “She’s not the one Mantle knows.” Suddenly he backed water, apologizing as hard as he knew how, but insisting all over again that Jill “could be in trouble” and begging her to come in, “so we can get together on what we tell the police when they come.”
    Jill looked at me. When I nodded, York saw me do it. He whispered something to her and she said: “OK.” But she flinched when she put her weight on her feet, and once more I carried her. She put her right arm around my neck.

7
    I INTRODUCED MOM WHO took charge. She pointed at the armchair for Jill, the sofa for me and herself, and various chairs for the nurse, York, and Bledsoe. But I set Jill down on the sofa, camped beside her myself, and let everyone else, including Mom, find places where they could. Bledsoe got to the point at once: “Let’s get going. What’s Mantle suspicious about?”
    â€œWhat ain’t he suspicious about?” asked Mom. “He’s a rat. He suspicions everyone—for no reason.”
    Bledsoe eyed her, comprehending at last what his friend had heard on the phone but hadn’t rightly got the point of. But when he looked at me, I sidestepped. “Well, I wouldn’t know,” I faltered.
    â€œDave! You do know. Spit it out!”
    â€œThe little he said,” I told him, “he seemed to think it funny I killed Shaw around 5:30 and didn’t call in until 6:00. I explained to him the shape Miss Kreeger was in, how I was actually afraid she would die—”
    â€œI would have,” she cut in.
    â€œWell, she could have,” said the nurse. “She was in dreadful shape when we got her. She’s in pretty bad shape now .”
    â€œWhy didn’t you call, Mrs. Howell?” Bledsoe asked. “Did Mantle go into that?”
    â€œI explained it to him over and over,” Mom answered. “That I was out looking for the money, to find it and claim the reward. I started looking right off, and that’s why I didn’t call. It wasn’t my fault it wasn’t there. I found them the parachute, though—a lot of thanks I got.”
    Bledsoe thought this over and asked: “Is that what you told Mantle?”
    â€œEdgren did the talking.”
    â€œEdgren, then?”
    â€œWhat else was there to tell him?”
    He thought some more, then asked me: “So what’s Mantle suspicious of? Or Edgren? Or whichever it is?”
    â€œI don’t know.”
    â€œCome on, Dave, let’s have it.”
    â€œPerhaps I might