by J. T. Edson
‘I don’t usually ride on them and I’ll admit I’m not exactly thrilled over the idea of having to do so now,' the blonde replied, showing considerable distaste for the prospect. ‘But there just isn’t any other way for me to leave and I can’t wait to get away from this terrible little town. It’s always so dead. Nothing ever happens here!’
‘I know just how you feel about wanting to leave, my dear,’ Mervyn claimed truthfully and with considerable feeling. However, his ego caused him to continue, ‘But something has been happening here over the past few days.’
‘What was it?’
‘The trial at the courthouse. You must have heard about it?’
‘Oh, that!’ the blonde sniffed, making no attempt to conceal her disinterest. ‘The people I’ve been staying with could talk about little else. Which only goes to show what a more dead than alive dump this town is. Was the trial what brought you here?’
‘No,’ the attorney lied, not entirely displeased by the question. ‘I’ve just stayed overnight visiting with some business associates and, by a most fortunate coincidence, I’m going to Austin myself.’
‘You are!’ the blonde gasped and, looking eager, went on, ‘Why isn’t that a coincidence. Do you live there?’
‘No, but there are a few meetings I have to attend in the Capital,’ Mervyn asserted and, putting on his most charming and gallant manner, he offered, ‘Perhaps you’d like to come in the car with me?’
There was no greater truth in the attorney’s explanation of why he had to visit Austin than there was when he disclaimed any connection with the trial. He had only made the decision to travel to Austin on learning that this was the young woman’s destination and, drawing conclusions aided by his experience of reading emotions gained in the courtroom, he guessed she would find the invitation attractive. Being of a most lecherous disposition, he was eager to take advantage of the opportunity which he felt sure was being presented.
‘Oh, could I?’ the blonde inquired, her demeanor suggesting a blend of hope and willingness. ‘Please!’
‘I’d be only too delighted to have your charming company during the drive, my dear,’ Mervyn declared, and continued in what seemed to be a matter-of-fact tone, so as to help pave the way for acquiring the benefits of his “generosity”. ‘From what you said just now, I assume that you don’t know anybody in Austin and haven’t arranged to stay anywhere in particular?’
‘I don’t know a soul there and, as this will be my first visit, I haven’t the slightest idea of where to stay,’ the voluptuous young woman confirmed, as the attorney had hoped she would. ‘But I’m sure there must be some—suitable—hotels there in which I can find a room?’
‘There most certainly are, my dear,’ Mervyn confirmed, having noticed the slight pause and emphasis on the word, “suitable”. ‘And, unless you feel I’m being too forward, perhaps you will allow me to suggest the most—suitable—when we arrive?’
‘Why that’s most considerate of you, sir!’ the blonde enthused. ‘I’m sure a gentleman like yourself will know all the best places.’
‘I most certainly do, my dear,’ Mervyn affirmed, once more drawing a most satisfying conclusion from the way in which the answer to his suggestion had been phrased. ‘And you can rely upon my recommendation. In fact, the hotel I have in mind is so—suitable—I’ll be staying there myself.’
‘Oh, I’m so pleased to hear that!’ the young woman declared. ‘I don’t know about you, sir, but I’ve always hated being in a hotel, or town for that matter, where I don’t know anybody to show me the sights.’
‘One should never miss seeing the sights, particularly in such an attractive and historically interesting city as Austin,’ Mervyn conceded. ‘And, unless you have other plans, I’d be delighted to show them to you.’
‘I haven’t any plans at all and I’d be grateful to you if you would,’ the blonde stated. Then, studying the attorney’s left hand speculatively for a moment, she continued, ‘But what will your wife say?’
‘My wife?’ Mervyn repeated, in a tone which suggested no such person existed.
‘Yes,’ the blonde replied. ‘I mean, she might not understand if she was to hear that we’d arrived together and you were spending your time—showing me the sights.’
‘Don’t let that cause you the slightest concern, my dear!’ Mervyn suggested with—as he never allowed his marital status to deter him from indulging in the kind of association he was envisaging—such sincerity that he might have been speaking the truth. Exhibiting the left hand and silently blessing his habit of always removing his wedding ring when away from home, he continued, ‘I’m not married.’
‘You’re not?’
‘No. The right girl just hasn’t come along so far.’
‘I know how you feel, neither has the right man for me—yet,’ the blonde sighed, but with an expression of calculation coming to her face. After a moment granted to let the attorney absorb what she had said, she put on a winning smile and said, ‘And, as we’re both single, everything is quite proper!’
A growing sense of satisfaction was doing much to remove the final rumblings of the attorney’s bowels. He considered that his affairs had definitely taken a turn for the better since his arrival in the parking lot.
Not only was the young woman attractive in the way Mervyn preferred, he felt sure she would be forthcoming sexually. What was more, while she might not have been born and raised in the Back Bay district of Boston, she had the bearing and demeanor which would make her passably acceptable at a certain, very discreet, hotel in Austin which catered for the kind of clandestine visit he was anticipating.
There was, Mervyn concluded, an added bonus. As the blonde was unaware of his true identity, providing he took a few precautions during their brief association, he was confident he could prevent her from finding out who he was and being able to name him as the father if she should become pregnant.
‘Then it’s all settled, my dear,’ the attorney announced, gesturing with the small bunch of keys he had taken from the right side pocket of his flannels. ‘And, just as soon as I’ve put your suitcase in the trunk, we’ll be on our way.’
‘And just where the hell do you-all reckon you’re fixing to take my wife, duhhh?’ demanded a deep—if somewhat slurred—voice which throbbed with anger, before the loading of the young woman’s solitary piece of baggage could be carried out.
‘Oh lord!’ the blonde yelped, her right hand fluttering to her bosom and her tone becoming filled with fright. ‘It’s Joe, my husband!’
Ten – The Gentleman’s Telling the Truth
Looking around quickly as he heard the menacing words and the young woman’s reply, Reece Mervyn lost all his feelings of licentious anticipation!
Having succeeded in crossing the parking lot of the Palace Hotel so quietly that his presence had remained undetected until it was announced, the cause of the change in the attorney’s attitude was already passing in front of the Packard Single-Eight convertible coupe. Even without the substance of the question he had asked, his physical appearance was every bit as threatening as the words had sounded. Furthermore, the response from the blonde and her all too obvious fear suggested there could be grave cause for concern over his arrival.
Standing some three or four inches over six foot in height, despite being built on massive lines, the newcomer conveyed an impression of unhealthy corpulence rather than hard-fleshed fitness. Well-worn and far from clean, his clothing implied that he might be a cowhand. However, the material of his grubby gray flannel shirt was stretched tight and his bulging paunch hung over the waist band of his patched Levi pants in a way which indicated he was little used to strenuous activity. Furthermore, he was bare-headed and his shaggy, coarse-looking brown hair was far longer than considered acceptable by members of that hard-riding fraternity. Nor was the kind of bushy and unkempt beard he sported any more favored by them. 50 Apart from concealing enough of it to prevent his exact age and looks from being determined, bey
ond a general implication that he was not old, the untidy hirsute appendage did nothing to improve his sweat-dappled and scowling face. The most prominent feature of it was a large and bulbous nose reddened by either the sun or, Prohibition notwithstanding, frequent consumption of copious quantities of hard liquor. Covered by black leather riding gloves, which were the newest items of his attire, his big hands dangled loosely by his sides. Rather than walking in an agile or sprightly fashion, he shambled as cumbersomely as a grizzly bear on its hind legs.
If the newcomer’s demeanor was any guide, he was in no better mood than a male member of the species, Ursus Horribilis, when freshly emerged from a winter’s hibernation. For all that, although Mervyn was momentarily far too disconcerted to give the matter any attention, it was surprising that one who appeared so ungainly could have approached without his footsteps being overheard.
In exculpation, however, the attorney had been far too engrossed in the conversation with the curvaceous blonde and too busy contemplating the possibilities it suggested to have paid any attention to what was going on around him.
‘Well, you god-damned, fancy-dressed, city slicker!’ the bulky man rumbled, in a Texas drawl with much the same kind of intonation actors frequently employed when portraying the role of a dull-witted country bumpkin, as he came to a halt just beyond reaching distance. His blue eyes were fixed on Mervyn’s face and he never so much as glanced at the young woman. He went on speaking without waiting for a reply. ‘Didn’t you hear me, duhhh?’
‘I—!’ the attorney commenced, but was not allowed to go any further.
‘So just where the hell’ve you talked this lil gal of mine into going with you, duhhh?’ the newcomer interrupted.
‘You appear to be laboring under a serious misapprehension, my good man!’ Mervyn declared, making an effort and forcing himself to adopt the kind of superior tone and demeanor that experience in the courtroom had taught him was most likely to produce the effect he was seeking when trying to overawe and quell a truculent, if poorly educated, witness for the prosecution. ‘The young lady merely stopped to ask if I could tell her the correct time, that’s all.’
‘Just stopped to ask you for the time, duhhh?’ the newcomer challenged, glowering in obvious disbelief. ‘What do you reckon I am, duhhh, stupid?’
‘Now, Joe!’ the young woman put in placatingly, if without any great conviction. ‘The gentleman’s telling the truth!’
‘Then what you all dressed up and got your suitcase with you for, duhhh?’ the burly man countered, showing not the slightest sign of being mollified or convinced by the explanation and pointing almost lethargically at the object in question. ‘You’re figuring on running away again, that’s what you’re doing. And this duded-up, “mother-something” city slicker’s helping you.’
‘I’m not!’ the blonde contradicted.
‘You for certain sure ain’t, duhhh!’ the bulky man rumbled, before Mervyn could add an equally untruthful disclaimer to the accusation. Reaching out clumsily with his right hand, he grabbed the young woman by the right wrist and continued,
‘’Cause you’re coming back home where you belong, see!’
‘Let me go!’ the blonde yelped. When the request was ignored, she turned her gaze to the attorney. ‘Don’t let him make me go with him, sir. I do so want to go and see the sights in Austin with you!’
‘So that’s the way of it, duhhh?’ the newcomer growled, in a tone suggestive of having had his suspicions confirmed. He gave his captive a shove and released his hold on her wrist as he was speaking, so that she was propelled towards the back door of the hotel. With this done, he swung to face the attorney and, lifting his big fists, he announced in a threatening fashion, ‘Now see what it gets you, duhhh. Here I come, ready or not!’
Regardless of the indication given by the blonde that she was still willing to accompany him to Austin, which he had thought to be most ill-advised and inconsiderate under the circumstances, Mervyn had had no intention whatsoever of intervening. It was however not the discovery that he was in error where her marital status was concerned which was causing him to refrain from taking her off, for he possessed the kind of mentality which found an additional erotic satisfaction from having sexual intercourse with a woman he knew to be married, considering such an act to be a demonstration of his superiority over the husband he was helping to cuckold.
But in this case, even though the affair had not been consummated, the attorney realized he could be facing grave danger!
Nor did Mervyn believe that, where such an obviously dull-witted and antagonistic hayseed was involved, he would be able to talk himself out of his predicament!
Watching the bulky newcomer lumbering closer and commencing such a slow and clumsy round-house punch he might as well have announced verbally how he intended to attack, the attorney felt relieved!
While the situation was still not entirely free from peril, it was clearly less serious than Mervyn had anticipated.
Mervyn had been a boxer of more than average ability during his days at law school, adding as a precaution a knowledge of rough-house tactics which would have caused his immediate disqualification if he had employed them in a formal bout. Despite having given up the kind of rigorous training schedule required to ensure complete physical fitness when he had become well established as a lawyer, because it called for an abstinence from the pleasures of the flesh to which he was growing attracted, he still worked out in the gymnasium often enough to feel confident he could cope with such an unscientific adversary.
What was more, the attorney concluded that—in addition to gaining some satisfaction for the various humiliations he had suffered recently without being able to retaliate—beating the hulking brute to a pulp for what would pass as self-defense might produce another benefit. He believed the blonde would be so grateful for her salvation that, particularly if she was offered the protection of his legal prowess, she would present herself to him all the more readily as recompense for his services.
Such was the utter lack of competence being displayed by the enraged newcomer that Mervyn not only found time to draw his satisfying conclusions, but was able to decide upon the most suitable tactics for dealing with the situation.
Ducking under the blow without the slightest difficulty, so slowly was it approaching, the attorney shot forward his left fist. He was aiming for what his instincts as a fighter suggested would be the target best suited to his needs. That bulging belly would be so soft it could not absorb or stave off the kind of punishment he was intending to inflict. Being struck there would render the recipient incapable of fending off the continuation of the attack which Mervyn was intending to deliver. He would be able to carry out the battering without risk of reprisals.
Filled as he now was with a rosy glow of self-assurance and confidence, all Mervyn’s earlier misgivings had left him. When the burly man had arrived, he was perturbed by the knowledge that they and the blonde were alone in the parking lot, even though the presence of witnesses would be at the best a mixed blessing. For anybody who came on the scene would almost certainly have taken the part of the newcomer, particularly if they had been present at the courthouse and shared the general trend of public sentiment. Even if the arrival had been a policeman or a deputy sheriff, he might have favored the local resident; or used the “enticement” of the wife as an excuse not to intervene if he tried to avenge himself upon the person supposedly responsible for her defection.
But now, as he saw the situation, the attorney had no doubts about his delight at the lack of witnesses. He considered this meant he would be able to work off the animosity he felt towards the people of Falls County without interference and earn the gratitude of the voluptuous young woman. Unless he was mistaken, the latter was going to prove even more enjoyable than inflicting a savage beating on her husband.
Up to a point, the intentions of the attorney were faultless in their conception and delivery!
Driven-with all the strength, weight and pre
cision Mervyn could muster, his knotted fist flew straight to its assigned and unprotected target!
At which point, things began to go wrong!
On making their contact, Mervyn’s knuckles did not sink deep into the expected flabby and yielding flesh!
Instead, the impact was against something beneath the tightly stretched material of the big man’s grubby shirt which had a similar consistency to the dummies packed with coir used for tackling training in the game of football!
While the recipient took a long and rapid pace to the rear, that was the only noticeable effect. He neither gasped, grunted, winced, nor gave any other discernible indication that the retreat was caused by pain from the blow.
Although a realization that something was radically wrong suddenly burst into the attorney’s head, it arrived just an instant too late for him to be able to avert the continuance of the line of action to which he had committed himself. Mervyn’s other fist was already rising with the intention of meeting the victim’s jaw after the first punch had caused him to bend at the waist and present it as a target. Unfortunately, despite the follow-up blow having been thrown with a similar skill to that of its predecessor, the anticipated presentation of the chin failed to materialize.
Not only had the big man contrived to withdraw in an erect posture, he proved he was in no way incapacitated!
Swaying his torso to the rear a trifle with a deft ease which was surprising when compared with his earlier lethargic movements, the newcomer caused the second blow launched by Mervyn to miss. Carried onwards by its impetus, the fist flashed by a couple of inches in front of his face and continued to rise. Having carried out the evasion successfully, still showing not the slightest trace of his previous clumsiness, he brought his clenched right hand around and up very swiftly.