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

know,” Jill said. “They think she stole the money while pretending to be looking for it.”
    â€œWere you here, Miss Kreeger?”
    â€œNo. They hauled me off in an ambulance before the questioning started. I just think that’s what it was. If I can think of it, they can think of it.”
    â€œWell, thanks, Miss Whatever-Your-Name-Is, thanks a lot. Here I save your life and you up and call me a thief.”
    â€œYou are a thief.”
    â€œDon’t you call me that! Don’t you do it!” And with that, Mom jumped up and ran at Jill. Jill rose from the sofa, waited till Mom was close to her, then let go with a slap that banged Mom down on the floor. I was blocked off by the table, but Bledsoe helped her up and led her back to her chair. “You rotten bitch,” snarled Jill. “You tried to get me killed, you—”
    â€œWill you cool it!” bellowed Bledsoe. “We have just a few minutes. Are you going to use that time to save your necks or to send all three to prison? Don’t you realize that that’s all it takes? That the three of you start working against each other, to land you all in the soup?”
    â€œNot me, I don’t think,” Jill told him, kind of waspish.
    â€œEspecially you, beautiful you.”
    â€œFor what?”
    â€œConspiring with Howell and Mrs. Howell to murder that guy for money. If it’s ever found, God help you—and especially God help Dave Howell.”
    â€œWhy especially Dave Howell?”
    â€œHe pulled the trigger on Shaw.”
    There was a long, dark silence. Then York strolled over behind the sofa. He leaned over Jill, gave her a pat on the cheek, and said: “Honey, he could be right. Perhaps—it’s up to you—but I was sent here to help however I could, and I feel I should say what I think. Perhaps you should take it easy.”
    Her face twisted up and she said nothing. Nobody said anything and a minute or two went by to the sound of Mom’s sniffling. Then two more cars pulled up outside, one behind the other.
    Edgren and Mantle got out of the first car, and a guy I didn’t know, but who looked like a college professor, got out of the second. When I stepped outside and Edgren introduced me, I knew who he was: Mr. Knight, of the state’s attorney’s office, the one who handled big homicide cases. He was pleasant enough, but it was Edgren who took charge when I brought the three of them in and introduced Knight to Jill, Mom, and the nurse, whose name I don’t remember. He knew Bledsoe and spoke to him pleasantly. I got some dining room chairs from Mom’s room, then we were ready to begin. Edgren led off with Jill, “Advising you of your rights: You don’t have to talk unless you so desire. You’re entitled to counsel, who may sit in with us now.”
    â€œMr. Bledsoe is my counsel.”
    â€œYou want to talk or not?”
    She turned, before answering that, to Mr. York, who squinched his eyes and said: “Just you don’t get excited.”
    She looked at him, at Bledsoe, and at Edgren, then said, “OK.”
    â€œSo,” Edgren said, “shall we begin at the beginning?”
    â€œWhere’s that?”
    â€œThe plane, I would say.”
    â€œOK, but I don’t like to remember those hours with that idiot waving his gun around and making them take us from Pittsburgh to Chicago and back, all the time explaining he liked me personally but would kill me just the same unless they did what he said, ‘exactly, exactly, exactly.’ He kept saying it over and over, like some kind of football yell. Then, once he strapped on his parachute, after making me stand with my back to him, over the money that they brought in a bag and that he strung over his shoulder by its canvas strap, he yelled into the first-class cabin: ‘Everyone down! Lean your head on the seat in front!’ When everyone did, he made me walk ahead to