No Orchids for Miss Blandish Page 2

"Okay," Riley said. "Now crowd her!"

  The needle of the speedometer moved to eighty-five and then to eighty-eight. The Lincoln held the road without any roll. The wind began to whistle and the trees took on a smudged look. The distance between the two cars remained the same.

  "What are you playing at?" Riley said, staring at Old Sam. "I said crowd her!"

  Old Sam shoved the gas pedal to the boards. The Lincoln crept up a few yards, but the Jaguar surged forward and the distance widened.

  "She's too fast for this crate," Old Sam said. "We're not going to catch her."

  The cars were now traveling at over eighty miles an hour. The Jaguar was steadily pulling away.

  Suddenly Old Sam saw his chance as they approached a fork in the road.

  "Hang on!" he yelled, slammed on his brakes and flung the wheel over. The tires screamed on the tar and the Lincoln spun around, skidding into the rough. Bailey was thrown off the rear seat. He felt the Lincoln lurch, then the off-wheels rise and slam back on the road. The car shuddered as Old Sam released the brakes and stepped down hard on the gas. He crashed over the grass verge, bumped and banged crazily across the rough ground and shot onto the road again.

  By cutting off the corner, he was now in front of the Jaguar.

  Bailey scrambled back on the seat, swearing and groping for his gun.

  "Nice work," Riley said, leaning out of the car to look back.

  Old Sam, watching the Jaguar in his driving mirror, began to zigzag about the road, slowing down and forcing the Jaguar to slow down. Finally the two cars stopped. As Bailey jumped out of the Lincoln, Miss Blandish began to turn the Jaguar. He reached her just in time. He leaned into the car, snapped off the ignition, then threatened her with the gun.

  "Get out!" he shouted. "This is a stick-up."

  Miss Blandish stared up at him. Her large eyes were wide with shock. MacGowan opened his eyes, and slowly sat up.

  Riley, watching, remained in the Lincoln. He leaned out of the window, his sweating hand on his gun. Old Sam nervously opened the car door, ready to get out.

  "Come on! Come on!" Bailey snarled. "Get out!"

  Miss Blandish got out of the car. She didn't look frightened, but she was startled.

  "What is all this?" MacGowan mumbled. He got out of the car, wincing and holding his head.

  "Take it easy," Bailey said, threatening MacGowan with the gun. "This is a stick-up."

  MacGowan sobered. He moved closer to Miss Blandish.

  "Hand over the necklace, sister," Bailey said. "Quick!"

  Miss Blandish's hands flew to her throat. She began to back away.

  Bailey cursed. He was beginning to lose his nerve. A car might pass any moment, and then they would be in trouble.

  "Hand it over or you'll get hurt," he snarled.

  As she still backed away, he strode up to her with three quick strides. He had to pass close to MacGowan who suddenly came alive and slammed a punch at Bailey's head.

  Bailey staggered, lost his balance and fell heavily. His gun slipped from his hand.

  Miss Blandish stifled a scream. Riley didn't move. He thought Bailey could handle it. He didn't want either Miss Blandish or MacGowan to be able to identify him if the thing turned sour. He told Old Sam to watch the girl.

  Old Sam shuffled over to Miss Blandish. She didn't seem to notice him. She was staring at Bailey who was up on one knee, cursing and shaking his head. Old Sam stood by her sheepishly, but he was ready to grab her if she tried to get away.

  Bailey looked at MacGowan who came forward unsteadily, still drunk, but full of fight.

  Bailey was up to meet him. He hit MacGowan on the side of his neck. It wasn't a good punch and it scarcely stopped MacGowan who slammed in a right to Bailey's stomach. Bailey grunted and went down on his knees. This punk certainly could punch. Why didn't Riley come? Before he could get up MacGowan had hit him on the side of the head and Bailey rolled on the grass.

  Cursing, Riley got out of the car.

  Bailey's hand touched his gun. He grabbed it, then as MacGowan moved towards him, he lifted the gun and pulled the trigger.

  The bang of the gun made Miss Blandish scream. She covered her eyes.

  MacGowan clutched at his chest, then he fell in the road. Blood showed on his white shirt.

  Bailey got to his feet as Riley ran up.

  "You crazy sonofabitch!" Riley snarled. He bent over MacGowan, then he looked up at Bailey who had come closer and was staring down at MacGowan, his face slack with fright. "He's dead! You jackass! What did you kill him for? Now you have started something."

  Bailey hooked his finger in his collar and jerked at it savagely.

  "Why didn't you help me?" he mumbled. "What else could I have done? It wasn't my fault."

  "Tell that to the judge," Riley snarled. He was badly scared. This is a murder rap now, he was thinking. We'll all burn. If they catch us...

  Bailey looked at Miss Blandish who was staring at MacGowan's body. He said to Riley, "We'll have to knock her off. She knows too much."

  "Shut up!" Riley said. He was staring at Miss Blandish. An idea had suddenly dropped into his mind. Here was a chance of getting into the real money. This girl's father was worth millions. He would pay anything to get her back safe. "She's coming with us."

  Miss Blandish suddenly broke free from Old Sam. She spun around and began to run down the road. Cursing, Riley ran after her. She heard him coming and she began to scream. He caught up with her, grabbed her arm and as she turned, he hit her hard on the side of her jaw. He caught her as she slumped forward. Picking her up, he carried her to the Lincoln and bundled her in on the back seat.

  Bailey came up.

  "Now wait a minute..."

  Riley turned on him, snarling. He grabbed Bailey by the front of his shirt.

  "Keep out of this!" he raved. "You've landed us in a murder rap! If they catch us, we'll all burn. From now on, you do what I tell you! Get his body off the road and the car out of sight! Hear me?"

  The viciousness in his voice startled Bailey. He hesitated, then as Riley released him, he went back to where Old Sam stood like a pole-axed bull.

  He made Old Sam help him put MacGowan's body in the Jaguar, then he drove the car off the road into the wood.

  The two men came running back to the Lincoln.

  "You're nuts to snatch this girl," Bailey said as he got in beside Old Sam. "We'll have the Feds after us. How long do you imagine we'll last?"

  "Shut up!" Riley said violently. "Now you've killed that guy, we daren't sell the necklace. Where do you imagine we'll get money from unless it's from Blandish? He's worth millions. He'll pay anything for the girl. It's our only chance. Now, shut up!" To Old Sam, he said, "Get moving. We'll go to Johnny's place. He'll hide us."

  "Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Old Sam asked as he started the car.

  "We've got nothing to lose thanks to this sonofabitch," Riley said. "I know what I'm doing. Get going."

  As the car gathered speed, Riley turned to where Miss Blandish lay slumped in the corner of the car. He took the necklace from around her neck.

  "Got a light?" he asked Bailey.

  Bailey took a flashlight from his pocket and turned it on. Riley examined the diamonds in the beam of the flashlight.

  "They sure are something," he said, awe in his voice. "But I'm not going to try to sell them. If Blandish wants them back, he'll have to pay for them. It'll be safer that way."

  Bailey shifted the light so it played on Miss Blandish. She was still unconscious. In spite of the dark bruise on her face where Riley had hit her, Bailey thought she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

  "Some dish!" he said, speaking his thoughts aloud. "Is she all right?"

  Riley looked at the unconscious girl. His eyes hardened.

  "She's all right," he said. He stared at Bailey. "And for the record, she's going to stay all right so don't go getting any ideas about her."

  Bailey turned off the flashlight.
r />   The car roared on into the darkness.

  3

  A mile outside La Cygne, Old Sam said, "We want gas."

  "Why the hell didn't you fill up before we set out?" Riley demanded violently.

  "How was I to know we were going to Johnny's?" Old Sam whined.

  Bailey turned his flashlight on Miss Blandish. She was still unconscious.

  "She'll be okay," he said. "There's a gas station just ahead."

  At the next bend in the road they saw the lights of the gas station. Old Sam pulled up by the pumps. A boy came out of the office, rubbing his eyes and yawning. He started to fill the tank. Riley leaned forward, screening Miss Blandish from him. He needn't have bothered. The boy was half silly with sleep. He didn't once look into the car.

  Suddenly the lights of a car appeared around the bend in the road. A big black Buick pulled up close to the Lincoln. The arrival of this car startled the three men. Bailey dropped his hand on his gun.

  There were two men in the Buick. The passenger got out. He was a tall, heavily built man with a black snap brim hat pulled low over his eyes. He looked with sharp interest at the Lincoln. He spotted Bailey's quick movement and he came over.

  "You nervous or something?" he asked in a hard, aggressive voice as he stared intently at Bailey.

  It was dark and none of the men could see each other distinctly.

  Riley said, "Beat it, fella, nothing's biting nobody."

  The big man peered in his direction.

  "That sounds like Frankie," he said and laughed. "For a moment I thought it was some big shot shooting his mouth off."

  The three men in the Lincoln stiffened. They looked across at the Buick. The driver had turned on the dash light so they could see him. He was covering them with a shotgun.

  "Is that you, Eddie?" Riley said, his mouth turning dry.

  "Yeah," the tall man said. "Flynn's nursing the cannon so don't start anything you can't finish."

  "We're not starting anything," Riley said hurriedly. He cursed their luck to have run into one of the Grisson gang. "I didn't recognize you."

  Eddie shook a cigarette from his pack and struck a match. Riley hurriedly moved his body to screen Miss Blandish but Eddie saw her.

  "Some babe," he said, lighting his cigarette.

  "We've got to get going," Riley said hurriedly. "See you sometime. Get going, Sam."

  Eddie rested his hand on the car door.

  "Who is she, Riley?"

  "She isn't anyone you know. She's a friend of mine."

  "Is that a fact? She seems unnaturally quiet."

  "She's drunk," Riley snarled, sweat running down his face.

  "You don't say!" Eddie pretended to be shocked. "I bet I can guess who made her drunk. Let's have a closer look at her."

  Riley hesitated. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Flynn get out of the Buick; the shot gun pointed directly at him. Reluctantly, Riley leaned back. Eddie took out a powerful flashlight and shone the beam onto the unconscious girl.

  "Very nice," he said appreciatively. "You ought to be ashamed, Riley, making a nice girl like that tight. Does her ma know where she is?" He stepped back, blowing tobacco smoke into Riley's face. "Where are you taking her?"

  "Home," Riley said. "Let's skip the comedy, Eddie. We've got to get moving."

  "Sure," Eddie said, stepping further back. "I wouldn't be in her shoes to wake up and find myself with a car load of monkeys like you three. Beat it."

  Old Sam let in the clutch and the Lincoln shot out into the highway. It went off down the road with ever-increasing speed.

  Eddie watched them go. He took off his hat and scratched his head. Flynn put the shotgun back into the car and came over. He was a little man with a thin pointed face that made him look like a ferocious rat.

  "What do you make of that?" Eddie asked, puzzled. "Something's in the wind."

  Flynn shrugged his shoulders.

  "We should care."

  "You mean you should care," Eddie said, "but then you haven't my brains. What were those cheap mugs doing with a babe like that? Who is she?"

  Flynn lit a cigarette. He wasn't interested. They had driven up from Pittsburgh and he was tired. He wanted to go to bed.

  Eddie went on, "She's been socked in the jaw. Don't tell me a small timer like Riley has snatched her. I can't believe he'd have the nerve. I'm going to have a word with Ma."

  "Oh, for Christ's sake!" Flynn grumbled. "I want some sleep tonight even if you don't."

  Eddie ignored him. He went over to the boy who had been staring, his eyes round with fright.

  "Where's your telephone?"

  The boy led him into the office.

  "Okay, buddy, go rest your ears outside," Eddie said as he sat on the desk. When the boy had gone, he dialed a number and waited. After a delay Doc's voice boomed over the line.

  "I'm talking from the filling station outside La Cygne." Eddie said, speaking fast and keeping his voice low. "Riley and his mob have just pulled out. They had a girl with them: high class stuff and I mean just that. She's way out of their class. Riley said she was drunk, but she looked as if she'd been socked on the jaw. It's my guess Riley's snatched her. Tell Ma, will you?"

  Doc said, "Hold on." After a long delay, he came back on the line. "Ma wants to know what she looks like and how she was dressed."

  "She's a redhead," Eddie said. "She was more than pretty: better looking than most movie stars. I've never seen a better looking girl. She had one of those long, thin, aristocratic noses and a high forehead. She was wearing a white evening dress and a black wrap, and they cost plenty."

  He could hear Doc talking to Ma and he waited impatiently.

  "Ma thinks it might be the Blandish girl," Doc said, coming on the line. "She was going to the Golden Slipper out at Pine Valley tonight and she was wearing the Blandish necklace. I can't imagine Riley going for a job that big, can you?"

  Eddie's mind worked fast.

  "Ma could be right. I thought there was something familiar about the girl. I've seen pictures of the Blandish girl and come to think of it, this girl looks like her. If Riley's got her and the diamonds--he's got plenty."

  Suddenly Ma's harsh violent voice came over the line. "Is that you, Eddie? I'm sending the boys down right away. Meet them at Lone Tree junction. If Riley's got the Blandish girl, he'll take her to Johnny's place. There's no place else for him to take her. If it's the girl, bring her back here."

  Eddie said, "Anything you say, Ma. How about Riley's gang?"

  "Do I have to tell you everything?" Ma snarled. "Use your head and get going!"

  The line went dead.

  Eddie hurried out to the Buick. He gave the boy a dollar, then he got into the car beside Flynn.

  "Let's go," he said, his voice excited. "Ma is sending the boys to meet us. She thinks Riley has snatched the Blandish girl!"

  Flynn groaned.

  "She's nuts. Those cheap hoods wouldn't have the nerve to snatch a purse let alone the Blandish dame! Where are we going, anyway?"

  "Lone Tree junction, then on to Johnny's place."

  "Goodbye sleep," Flynn said savagely. "That's close on a hundred goddamn miles." He sent the car moving onto the highway.

  Eddie laughed.

  "You can sleep anytime," he said. "I want another look at that babe. Get going!"

  Flynn shoved the gas pedal to the boards.

  "That's all you think about--women!"

  "What else is better to think of?" Eddie asked. "It's women and money that make the world go round."

  4

  Dawn was breaking over the hills as the Lincoln climbed the long steep hill that led to Johnny's hide-out.

  Old Sam drove carefully. He was tired, but he didn't want to admit it. He was always scared these days that Riley would get rid of him for being too old. Bailey and Riley kept looking through the rear window of the car to make sure no one was following them. They were both nervous and their tempers were short.

  Miss Blandish sat as f
ar away as she could from Riley. She had no idea where she was being taken. None of the three men had spoken to her since she had recovered consciousness. She was frightened to draw attention to herself by asking questions. She was sure that by now her father would have alerted the police and they would be looking for her. It could be, she tried to assure herself, only a matter of time before she was found, but in the meantime, what was going to happen to her? This was a thought that kept intruding into her mind, filling her with dread. She had no illusions about these men who were with her. She could see how frightened they were. The two younger men, she thought, were the ones to beware of.

  During the long drive, Riley could think of nothing but the menace of the Grisson gang. He was sure that Eddie would tell Ma Grisson about the girl. Ma was the smartest and most dangerous member of the gang. He was sure she would guess who the girl was. She would know about the diamonds too. What would she do? The chances were she would send her gang after them. Would she guess they were going to Johnny's place? He doubted this. Johnny only worked with the small timers. A gang as big as the Grisson gang wouldn't have dealings with a rummy like Johnny.

  He would have to work fast, he told himself. As soon as he had got the girl under cover, he must contact Blandish. The quicker he got the money and the girl back to Blandish the safer it would be for him.

  Old Sam swung the Lincoln onto the narrow dirt road that led directly to Johnny's place. He reduced speed, and after driving a mile or so, they came upon Johnny's shack, a two-storied wooden building, screened by trees. Leading to it was a rough path that had been cut through the undergrowth.

  Old Sam pulled up and Bailey got out.

  "See if he's around," Riley said, staying where he was. He fingered his gun, looking nervously at the undergrowth.

  Bailey went over to the shack and hammered on the door.

  "Hey, Johnny!" he shouted.

  There was a pause, then Johnny opened the door. He looked at them suspiciously.

  Johnny was pushing seventy. He was a tall, skinny old man with a drink-sodden face and dim, watery eyes. At one time, years ago, he had been one of the best safe men in the business, but drink had ruined him.

  He looked at Bailey, then over at the car. His eyes took in Miss Blandish.