Read I'll Get You For This for Free Online Page B

peeping out from under the blanket was my Luger. They'd forgotten to pick it up, and when they'd covered Herrick, they'd covered the gun.
      Flaggerty was bawling at me. "Get up, you louse, or I'll boot you again!"
      "I'm getting up," I said, crawling slowly to one knee. I acted like I was half dead.
      The blood-smeared gun butt was six feet from me. I tried to remember if any of the dicks carried guns in their hands. I didn't think they did. They were all too cocky, now they were sure I was unarmed.
      Flaggerty booted me.
      I flopped over on top of Herrick. It gave me a funny feeling to lie on the body, stiff in death. My hand closed around the gun butt. It was slippery with blood, but I didn't care.
      I stood up.
    Flaggerty's face turned green when he saw the Luger. The other guys turned into waxworks.
    "Hello," I said. "Remember me?"
      I didn't point the gun at them. I held it loosely, and I stepped to the wall so I could see everyone in the room.
      "Well, come on," I said, smiling at them. "We were going to headquarters for fun and games."
      They didn't move or say anything.
      I looked over at Miss Wonderly. She was sitting on the edge of her chair, her eyes round with wonder.
      "Just a bunch of weak sisters playing at tough guys," I said to her. "You coming with me, baby?"
      She got up and came over. Her knees were knocking, and I put my arm around her waist.
      "Can you be useful?" I asked, pulling her against me.
      "Yes," she said.
      "Go into the bedroom and pack some of my stuff in one of the bags. Take the best stuff, and leave the rest, and hurry."
      She went past the waxworks without looking at them, and disappeared into the bedroom.
      "Any of you guys know how fast I can pull this rod ?" I asked cheerfully. "If you're curious, just give me the chance to show you," and I stuck the gun down the waist-band of my trousers.
      None of them moved. There were eight of them, and the stout woman. They were too scared even to bat an eyelid.
      I lit a cigarette and blew smoke at Flaggerty.
      "You boys have had your fun," I said, "and now I'm going to have mine. I came here for a vacation. All I wanted to do was to have a good time and spend my roll. But you thought you'd be smart. You wanted to murder Herrick because he was in your way. You picked me for the fall guy, and you nearly got away with it. If you hadn't been so dumb, you would have got away with it. You killed Herrick, but you haven't killed me, and you'll find I'm a lot harder to kill than Herrick. I'm going to find out why you wanted Herrick out of the way, and then I'm going to complete his job. I'm here until I've taken this town to pieces and found out what makes it tick. I'm here until I've bust your Administration wide open: try to stop me if you can. I don't like being crowded by a bunch of small-town yeggs. It hurts my pride."
      Still they didn't say anything.
      I beckoned to the Irish cop.
      "I want you, brother," I said.
      He came towards me like he was treading on egg-shells; his hands above his head.
      I let him get to within six feet of me, then I hauled off and busted him in the nose. He staggered back, banged into Flaggerty, and they both sat on the floor.
      They remained like that. The cop's nose began to bleed.
      Miss Wonderly came out of the bedroom, carrying one of my grips.
      "Wait by the door, honey," I said.
      I walked over to the window, pulled back the curtain, and collected the cigar box I'd hidden behind the pelmet. The box contained eighteen grand: my vacation money.
      Although I didn't even bother to watch them, they still didn't flutter a muscle. I guess my reputation stood pretty high in Paradise Palms or else they were plain yellow through to their jaegers.
      "We'll go," I said to Miss Wonderly.
      She opened the door.
      "So long," I said to Flaggerty. "Come after me if you feel like it. I'm itching to be forced into a fight, but I don't