“Don’t rush yourself,” Raven said with a little sneer. “It’s all the time I’ve got.”
Two guards led him to the chair and he sat down.
The Warden came close to him and whispered. Raven said in a hard voice, “Sure, I’ll say somethin’.”
He looked slowly at each face in front of him, until his eyes met Sadie’s. She looked at him with cold, implacable hatred, and he grinned.
“Well, boys,” he said, still keeping his eyes on Sadie, “this is my last little speech. I’ve had a nice run for my money an’ I ain’t scared of goin’. You all know what my racket was. If you guys didn’t want women, my racket wouldn’t have lasted long. Don’t forget that. All you smug−lookin’ heels who’ve come to see me burn are as much to blame as I am. You get tired of your wives an’ you want to have a fresh girl. So you come to me. That’s all it is. The supply can’t meet the demand. As long as you guys have the itch for a fresh girl, so will this racket go on. Nothin’ can stop it. Cops certainly can’t stop it. You can, but no one else. When you’ve all made up your minds to spend the rest of your nights with your wives, then girls won’t have to trade their bodies. But you’ll never do that. When I’m gone, someone else will take my place. There’s always a demand and someone’s gotta supply that demand.”
He looked round the room again and then his eyes met Davies. “Come on, pal,” he said, “get me outta here quick. These punks make me sick.”
The guards, while he had been speaking, had already strapped him to the chair. Davies fixed the electrode to his leg and then swiftly the baseball helmet was fitted on his head.
Raven drew a long deep breath. “It’s a pity I’ve got to leave my trains,” he said. “Let her rip.”
Davies had already stepped to the switch. He glanced at the Warden, who nodded. The switch went over and the lights dimmed. There came a sharp crackling sound and a whining cry of the current. Raven pitched forward, straining against the straps. A few sparks shot off the electrode on his leg, and a wisp of grey smoke appeared, coming from the top of the helmet.
Davies pulled the switch back so that Raven slumped limply in the chair, then, after a pause, the switch was thrown forward again. Raven once more plunged against the straps, only to sink back as the current was cut off.