Wild Town by Jim Thompson

Author:Jim Thompson [Thompson, Jim]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Police Procedural, Detective and mystery stories, Mystery & Detective, Political, Hard-Boiled, Fiction, Women Sleuths, Crime, General
ISBN: 9780679733126
Publisher: Vintage Books
Published: 1993-01-04T04:54:23.562000+00:00

12

The place was a few miles outside of Ragtown; there are places like it near almost every town and city. Areas densely overgown with trees, cluttered with shrubs and bushes, laced with a winding maze of footpaths and car tracks. They are isolated, yet easily accessible. They have various names, all carrying the same slyly lewd connotation.

… The two "girls"-women of about thirty-had draped their clothes over some convenient tree limbs. Now, stripped to their slips, they shivered in the chilly West Texas morning.

"Wonder what's keeping those guys?" grumbled the girl called Peg. "Why the hell couldn't they undress here, like we did?"

"Now, honey" murmured her companion, Gladys. "Real swell fellas like that, you can't ask a lot of questions. You don't find guys every day that pop for twenty bucks."

"Yeah. I guess… You s'pose our purses are all right in the car, Glad?"

"Why not? The fellas are lockin' it up tight, aren't they?"

"Well, I wish I'd brought my coat with me, anyhow. I paid five hundred bucks for that hunk of fur, and-"

"And what did I pay for mine, hon? Exactly the same, wasn't it? We both started saving for 'em at the same time. Now, you know we wouldn't want to drag those nice coats around these bushes."

"But I'm cold, darn it! I'm absolutely freezing!"

"Well, now, you won't be very long, hon. The fellas are bound to-"

The sudden roar of a motor drowned out her sentence. A lessening roar as a car was slammed into gear and driven away The girls looked at each other dumbfounded. They broke into curses, scampered a few futile steps in pursuit. Then, weeping, they fell into one another's arms.

Ed and Ted Gusick were stripping the purses as they drove. Slowing down, they tossed them into the bushes, then gathered speed again. And then, as they neared the highway, Ted suddenly slammed on the brakes.

A man had stumbled out of the underbrush, tumbled directly in the path of their car. He lurched to his feet again-a man in shape only-a ragged, bedraggled, stinking bundle of filth. Cursing frightfully he wobbled toward them.

"Friggers! Caught you, didn't I? Up'n the goddamned floor, an' no friggin' around about it!"

"Listen, Mr. Westbrook…" Ted and Ed eased out of the car, watching him cautiously "It's me-you know, Ted Gusick. And here's Ed, right here with me. Now-"

"No 'scuses!" Westbrook bellowed. "Makes no difference who y'are. Either y'cut the stuff'r-I'll show you, by God!"

He came at them in a rush. Ted tripped him nimbly Ed caught him under the arms, and lowered him gently to the ground.

He began to cry, sobbing out curses as the tears streamed down his bristled, filth-smeared face. Ed looked worriedly at his brother.

"Jesus," he whispered. "What are we gonna do with him, Ted?"

"Do with him? Why we're gonna take him with us, you jerk."

"But-what then? I mean, what are we gonna do?"

Ted didn't have the slightest idea. Being at a loss for one-and in typical Gusick fashion-he responded with a kind of self-righteous abuse.

"I

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