| Show clothesline and aroll of adhesive tape He dragged his victim over to the bed and with in effort hoisted him onto it He tied Kirk's hands behind him bound his feet securely taped his mouth shut and ran a strip of tape across his eyes From the closet he took Kirk's suitcase Into it he threw all his victim’s possessions The last item he put in was the camera He closed the lid snapped the clasps straightened up He walked over to the bound man on the bed tested the tension in the cords that held him Then he went out quickly dosing the door and locking it from the outside A moment later he came out of the house He lit a thin black cigar In front of the house opposite a workman was loading the concrete a wheelbarrow The Cuban walked blocks into building up to him "Gardella inside?" The workman shook his head "Gone down to the store in a big hurry Some sort of trouble down there -- broad-shoulder- ed The Cuban looked at the blocks “Wbit’s all this?" The workman shrugged "Fell off truck seems like Had Mr Gardella's car blocked He couldn't move ’em 'count of his back hurtin’ him so bad So he holloed for me to help him" a The Cuban snorted skeptically "His back’s hot that bad He blew tome reflective smoke into the humid air and nodded toward the house “Grimes In there?" "Don’t know for sure" The Cuban tossed his cigar away He went up on the porch rang the bell A woman's voice said sharply "Who is "Lopez I have to see Grimes It’s important hair The door was opened by a girl with face She laid insolently dark eyes a “What’s so important about The Cuban reached out and patted her scarred cheek “I’ll tell that to Grimes chiqmta hr blue-bla- pock-mark- ed hr She slapped his hand away "He's in the cellar” She moved away down the dim hallway swinging her hips The Cuban watched her smiling sardonically When she was out of sight he opened a door and descended a steep flight of steps At the bottom he hesitated wrinkling his nostrils: the air had a stale fetid odor as of animals caged or human beings crowded into too small a apace for too long a time Around the walls were tiers of bunks all empty At the far end of the cellar under a dangling lightbulb a huge man in a cap sat at a table In front of him was a metal strongbox open Beside the box was a bottle and beside the bottle a glass half full of amber liquid The big man pushed back hit cap and light slanted down across his meaty sunburned face He said "Who in here let Lopez?" roughly you The Cuban moved forward with his step "I was looking for your partner Captain But perhaps Continued on next page you’re the man I ought long-visor- light-foot- ed 31 |
