The Nothing Man by Jim Thompson Read Free Book Online

other, and we're going to have each other. I've tried your way. Now you're going to try mine. I'm going to-I'm going to make you, Brownie!"
    "Spread it all out," I said. "Lay the cards down."
    "I-cards?"
    "Card, then. Lem Stukey. Either I do as you say, or you get tough. You get me or you have a little talk with Lem."
    She drew her head back, looked into my face, frowning. I d-don't understand. What would I-?"
    "He's been in touch with you, hasn't he? He sent you the dough to come back here on?"
    "We-eli, he-he-" She blushed. "Well, he was just being nice. Just because he liked me."
    I laughed.
    "Well, he was-he does!" she snapped. "What's so funny about it?"
    "Nothing," I said. "But that's the deal, isn't it, El? You have to tell me, you know. You can't make threats without showing what you're threatening."
    "But I haven't-" She paused; she was silent for several seconds. "What if I-how could I threaten you with that?" she said, in a half-shamed voice. "It isn't any crime. You couldn't help-"
    "You know what I mean," I said. "You know what I'm like. You know what newspaper business is like. It's a closed world; there's no place you can go where you're not known. Put it in plain language. Put yourself in my place. How long could you live in a world where everyone knew you didn't have a pecker?"
    "Brownie! That's dir-"
    "You mean it's funny," I said. "Sure it is. You could even catch the doctors and nurses in the hospital grinning about it. You know I couldn't take it, El. You may not know that I might not get the chance to take it. Because there are a hell of a lot of places that wouldn't hire me. That's right; that's straight from the case histories. They're afraid of you. They figure you're not normal."
    "But-listen to me, Brownie! I-"
    "That's what you're threatening me with," I said. "You'd do that to me, or you'd let Lem do it. Put me under his thumb for keeps. You'd take away the only thing I have left, the little pride and integrity that gives me an excuse to go on living. You love me-you can't love anyone else, you say-and you'd do that to me?"
    "No!" She gripped me fiercely. "No, I won't, Brownie, I won't have to because-No, I won't do it, honey! I didn't know what I was thinking about! I've just been kind of crazy and lonely and hopeless-feeling, and-" Her voice trailed off.
    After a moment she said reproachfully, a trifle angrily, "After all, I could get a divorce on those grounds. That would be a lot worse, wouldn't it?"
    You see? She didn't know what she was going to do. How, then, could I?
    "Yes," I said. "That would be worse. You wouldn't get the nice chunk of change you can get out of Lem."
    "I-You've got a lot of right to talk about him," she said, "after the way you've acted. You're the one that's always running people down. Even if I did tell him, what makes you think he'd-"
    "For God's sake!" I said. "What are you saying, Ellen? First, you don't have anything to threaten me with. Next, you have something but you're not going to use it. Then, you're going to use it-you're going to pass it on to Lem- but he isn't going to. You don't make sense from one minute to-"
    "Oh, sure!" she said sullenly. "You're a genius, and I'm a dumbbell. Well, maybe I'm not as dumb as you think."
    "Let it go. It's no use," I said.
    "Whatever I got out of Stukey it wouldn't be enough! After all I've been through!"
    "No," I said. "It wouldn't be enough."
    I sat up and uncorked the bottle. I took a drink, replaced the cork, and fumbled for a cigarette. I didn't have any with me, of course, any dry ones. They were back in the car. I reached out to the reading stand, took a cigarette from her package, and lighted it.
    "Brownie-" She sat up, too, half sat up, with her legs folded under her.
    "Yes?" I said.
    "You know I wouldn't do that, don't you?" She smiled at me brightly. "It's like you say. How could I when I love you so much? And-but, oh, Brownie! Let's go back together! Please, darling. It won't make any difference, and even if it