The drapes lay in heavy ivory folds beside her feet. She stood among the folds and looked out, towards the quiet darkish foothills. She stood motionless, almost blending into the drapes. Her hands hung loose at her sides. Utterly motionless hands. She turned and came back along the room and walked past me blindly. When she was behind me she caught her breath sharply and spoke.
"He's in the sump," she said. "A horrible decayed thing.
I did it.
I did just what you said.
I went to Eddie Mars.
She came home and told me about it, just like a child.
She's not normal.
I knew the police would get it all out of her.
In a little while she would even brag about it. And if dad knew, he would call them instantly and tell them the whole story.
And sometime in that night he would die.
It's not his dying — it's what he would be thinking just before he died.
Rusty wasn't a bad fellow.
I didn't love him. He was all right, I guess.
He just didn't mean anything to me, one way or another, alive or dead, compared with keeping it from dad." "So you let her run around loose," I said, "getting into other jams."
"I was playing for time.
Just for time.
I played the wrong way, of course.
I thought she might even forget it herself.
I've heard they do forget what happens in those fits. Maybe she has forgotten it.
I knew Eddie Mars would bleed me white, but I didn't care.
I had to have help and I could only get it from somebody like him. . . .
There have been times when I hardly believed it all myself.
And other times when I had to get drunk quickly — whatever time of day it was.
Awfully damn quickly."
"You'll take her away," I said. "And do that awfully damn quickly."
She still had her back to me. She said softly now:
"What about you?"
"Nothing about me.
I'm leaving.
I'll give you three days.
If you're gone by then — okey.
If you're not, out it comes.
And don't think I don't mean that."
She turned suddenly.
"I don't know what to say to you.
I don't know how to begin."
"Yeah. Get her out of here and see that she's watched every minute.
Promise?"
"I promise.
Eddie — "
"Forget Eddie.
I'll go see him after I get some rest.
I'll handle Eddie."
"He'll try to kill you."
"Yeah," I said. "His best boy couldn't. I'll take a chance on the others.
Does Norris know?"
"He'll never tell."
"I thought he knew."
I went quickly away from her down the room and out and down the tiled staircase to the front hail.
I didn't see anybody when I left. I found my hat alone this time.