Harry Harrison - Stainless Steel Rat 01 by The Stainless Steel Rat Is Born

Author:The Stainless Steel Rat Is Born [Born, The Stainless Steel Rat Is]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2011-02-15T22:52:38.193000+00:00

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Life had had far too many moments like this lately. I looked at the girl more closely as I eased the boat against the bank. She knew me, I should know her; smashingly good-looking, her blouse filled to perfection. Those tulip lips, her!-object of my wildest dreams. "Is that you Beth? Beth Naratin?" "How sweet of you to remember me!"

I was ready to jump ashore with the' mooring line, but she took it from my hand and tied it to the bollard there. Over her shoulder I saw the police cruiser go past and keep on cruising. Then glanced at The Bishop, who simply raised his eyes to heaven as she spoke.

"I said to myself, Beth, I said, that can't be Jimmy diGriz climbing out of that old MacSwineys van and wearing a cute little moustache. Not Jimmy who has been in the news so much lately. If it is, why don't I just mosey after him, for old times' sake. Then I saw you talk to this nice gentleman here, before you went off to the marina, so I just made up my mind to wait for you to come back. Going on a trip, are you?"

"No, no trip, just a little day excursion up the river and back. Nice seeing you again, Beth. "

That was the only nice part about this. Seeing her, I mean. The object of my childish worship. She had left school soon after I had entered-but she was hard to forget. Four years older than me, a real mature woman. That would make her twenty-one now. She had been head of her class, winner of the Beauty Queen of the Year.

With good reason. Now, old as she was, she was still a smasher. Her voice sliced through my memories.

"I don't think that you are being exactly truthful, Jimmy. Why with all these bags and things I bet that you are going on a long cruise. If I were you I would consider a long cruise a really good idea. "

Was there a different tenor to her voice with these last words? What did she want? We couldn't hang around here much longer. She made her wants clear when she jumped aboard, rocking the boat at its mooring.

"Always room for one more!" she called out cheerfully, then went to sit in the bow. I stepped ashore and grabbed up the bags. Then whispered to The Bishop. "She knows me. What do we do?"

He sighed in answer. "Very little that we can do. For the present we have a passenger. I suggest that we consider this problem once we are under way. After all-we have no choice,"

Too true. I passed our belongings over to him, then struggled to untie the black knot that she had tied in the line. Gave the Lucky Bucks a kick out with my foot, jumped aboard, and took the wheel. The Bishop carried the cases below as I switched on the power and headed downstream. Away from Biliville, Macswineys and the law.

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