I drew her to me. “Well, it ain’t goin’ to do him much good now,” I said. “When the Feds, get on his tail that guy’s going to have a bad time. Listen, baby, suppose we put up at this town until the gang’s smashed up, then we can go back and get started again.”
She shook her head. “I can’t think now. Tell me about the woman… what happened, Nick? Have you told the police?”
I saw she wouldn’t relax until I told her the whole story. So, leaving out the messy details, I told her how I had come back to the lodge, how I had thought it was she who had been killed, how I had found Blondie and the whole set-up. She sat, hiding her face from me, crying softly.
“That’s how it was, honey,” I said. “You ain’t got anythin’ to cry about. Maybe she did come an’ warn you, but she had it comin’ to her. Blondie was a tough baby, you don’t have to mourn for her.”
Mardi put her handkerchief to her nose and looked at me with bright eyes. “What made her come like that, Nick?” she asked. “Why should she risk her life for—me?”
I leant forward and started the engine. “Search me,” I said. “I never would have thought she’d done a thing like that.”
As I began to roll the car, another thought struck me. “How did you know I’d be goin’ to Sarah Spencer’s?’
“I had to take the chance—I didn’t know, but I didn’t know where else to look for you. I thought if you got back to the lodge and found me gone you’d come on to her place.”
“That’s pretty cute of you, baby,” I said admiringly. “That’s pretty cute.”
We drove on after that in silence. I knew Mardi was still tense. I guessed the shock of hearing about Blondie’s death had shaken her pretty badly. I was glad when we ran into Plattsville and found a hick hotel that we could stop at.