Junkie by Jonathan Craig

Author:Jonathan Craig
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Munsey's

CHAPTER ELEVEN. Bird in Hand

THERE were four of them outside—Mark Logan, another detective in plain clothes, and two harness bulls. Logan's bulging eyes were expressionless. His jaw was set in hard lines.

“Everybody inside,” he rasped.

Steve felt a firm pressure at the small of his back. He hesitated a moment and the pressure increased. Behind him, the harness cop said, “You heard the man!”

Steve stepped back into the room. The cop behind him slid his hand up under Steve's jacket and locked it around his belt. The belt drew taut across Steve's stomach.

“Hold still,” the cop said.

Kathy slumped down on the bed, one fist pressed against her mouth. Her voice was a thin wail. “Steve!”

Steve jerked forward. The belt doubled him over. The cop laughed softly. “Try that again and I'll use my billy.”

“Kathy,” Steve said, “don't say anything until I get you a lawyer.”

Mark Logan pushed past Steve. “All right, young lady,” he said tonelessly. “Get whatever things you have and come along.”

Kathy stood up and faced him. Her shoulders straightened and her lips formed into a thin red line. There were sudden fires behind the blue eyes.

“Make that man leave Steve alone!” she said.

Logan said, “We don't want to use force with you.”

“Let him alone!”

Logan stared at her a moment, then gestured to the harness cop.

“All right, Eddie, ease up a little.”

The hand withdrew from Steve's belt. Steve said, “Kathy, don't make it any worse for yourself.”

Her face was enigmatic as she came toward them. The man in plain clothes tried to take her arm but she brushed him away. For just a moment her eyes touched Steve's. Then she moved past him with her head high, a bold, defiant swing to her rounded hips.

To no one in particular, the harness cop said, “Lordy, what a hell of a lot of woman!”

“Take her on down,” Logan said. “I'll be along as soon as I have a little session with our friend here.” He glared at Steve and shook his head. “You've been a goddamn fool.”

The sight of Kathy being taken away to jail left Steve with the torturing reminder that he was responsible. If he had been as loyal to Kathy as she had been to him, none of this would have ever happened. He thought of the way her eyes had flashed when she told the harness cop to let him alone. He would always remember the way she had walked out of this room on tapering legs that didn't falter... the insolent flaunting of her hips.

Logan closed the door. “Let's have it, Steve.”

“Have what?”

“The whole story. Everything she told you. And I mean everything!”

“I'D leave that to her,” Steve said.

“Don't be so damned noble,” Logan told him. “You're not helping her any this way.”

Steve shook his head. “You'll have to ask her. She didn't tell me anything that would help. She didn't have anything to do with it though, Mark. I'm sure of it.”

Logan leaned against the dresser and studied Steve's face. He surprised Steve by not pressing him any further.

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