To Borrow Trouble by Miriam Borgenicht

Author:Miriam Borgenicht [Borgenicht, Miriam]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Endeavour Media
Published: 2019-02-20T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

He walked slowly through the downtown streets; the disguise had given him a new and comfortable hold on time. A woman sweeping the sidewalk in front of a grocery store looked up unsmiling as he walked by, and the absence of that smile told him what he wanted to know. He was no longer the sweet-looking Al Hemp—that ridiculous woman had done a good job. Policemen could wear themselves out looking for a fellow with slender cheeks, blond hair, a guileless look.

But inside the guile was unchanged—no one could tamper with that. He felt confidence returning: all he had to do was plan his strategy, step by step. Right now, he needed two things: Rosie and money. The second was easier—he had always been able to improvise the quick snatch, the speedy theft. He was out of practice, but that just gave more zest to it; any time tonight he could pick up what he needed to tide him over till he and Rosie did the big job.

But how to let Rosie know, when police were waiting to intercept his call? How to arrange to meet her? He was halfway through his supper at the Allentown Diner before he realized that he was looking at it wrong. The question was, what would Rosie be arranging? Where would she be planning to meet him? If Mrs. Lenning knew Rosie’s boy friend was wanted, Rosie knew it too—no doubt about that. Rosie subjected every working of that household to her shrewd scrutiny; it was, indeed, what had made him uneasy. It had made him uneasy, but tonight it would pay off. At this minute she would be looking for him. She would be waiting—the thought came to him suddenly—at the corner in front of the drugstore where three months ago they had met.

Of course: What more reasonable place? Every time she passed it, she would make some remark: My best corner, she would say. He could picture her there now, in her sleeveless black dress, her high-heeled shoes; he could also picture the way she had been on that first night three months back. He had been behind her in the drugstore; she had bought half a dozen items, and they were being laboriously wrapped by the sallow-faced man behind the counter. Then, more laboriously, the fellow started figuring what she owed. Seven, plus eight, carry five … a strained whisper accompanied his struggles. Finally, he looked up. “Seven-eighty-seven,” he said. Rosie opened the hand which had been resting on the counter the whole time, and there it was: a five, two one’s, a fifty-cent piece, a quarter, a dime, two pennies. All the time that man had been computing, murmuring, she had had it counted out. Not by the fraction of expression on her pretty face did she show her contempt, but she didn’t bother to flash any smiles either. He bought his own toothpaste and followed her out to the bus stop. “A real whiz with figures, aren’t you?” he said.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.