“Taking in a show,” she answered.
“Yeah? What else!” Durgan, giving way to pent-up rage, leaped across the room and seized Madge by the shoulders. She looked frightened for a moment, and threw an appealing glance toward Mike Wharton. Then she met Durgan’s fierce gaze.
“You’ve been playing me phony, huh?” he growled. “Running out with some other guy? If I thought you were—”
His huge, coarse hands crept toward the girl’s throat. Madge uttered a startled cry as she tried to shrink away.
“You’d better not try anything like that!” threatened Durgan. “Remember what they call me — Killer! It’ll be too bad for any guy that gets fresh with my moll! It’ll be too bad for you, too!” He relaxed his grip and added: “I’m just warning you! That’s all!”
“You won’t catch me with any other guy,” replied the girl. “I’m sour on all them — since I took up with you.”
“Yeah?” Durgan’s eyes flashed maliciously. “Fine time for you to be talking this way. You know what happened tonight? All three of my garages got blown up — that’s what!”
“I’m supposed to cry about it, I guess.”
With an oath, Killer Durgan seized Madge and flung her across the room. The girl fell against a chair, knocking it over on the floor.
Durgan followed, mouthing oaths, and kicked the girl ferociously. Madge screamed. Durgan struck her face with his open palm, and she fell, moaning, on the floor.