Chapter 12

He had all the time in the world. It was too bad that they had found the girl's body; that meant he just had to be more careful, that was all. They didn't know his name; all they had was a rather vague description-something about his teeth and his size. That was all.

And there were a lot of men around town who looked like him. So he had nothing to worry about, really.

All he had to do was wait.

She had to come out sometime.

When it was past midnight and the lights went out in her window, he waited a little while more and then drove back to his room to get some sleep.

"I'll set the alarm for very early," he told himself. "Then I'll be back with more food and wait some more. I guess I scared her a little, the stupid woman. I'll just make her think I'm gone and when she comes out-and she's got to come out tomorrow-I'll just act nice to her and that way she won't get scared and I'll take her away with me."

It was simple in his mind. It had always been simple. It was that way because it was him against the stupid world, and he wasn't stupid, he told himself.

He knew all the answers.

And, smiling to himself and humming softly, he drove off.

Rene, standing in the dark of the room, looked out the window and saw him leave. She trembled violently, frightened to her very core.

"It's a trick," she told herself. "He's just gone around the corner to throw me off. Oh, my! What'll I do now?"

She threw herself on the bed fully clothed, afraid to sleep but too tired to keep awake, her mind filled with nightmares of the little man as he tortured her to death.

Then, as she fumbled in the half-world of semi-consciousness, she heard a tapping at her door. It was only a dream, she told herself. If she kept her eyes closed it would go away and she would be alone again.

"Go away," she moaned. "Go away and leave me alone...."

"Open up, Miss Clark. It's the police."

The police? No! It wasn't the police! It was that awful little man up to his scheming tricks again, trying to get to her, trying to get his hands on her, wanting to torture and kill her!

She sat straight up in bed, staring wide-eyed in the blackness. The pounding got louder, more insistent. She stumbled to her feet and groped her way to the phone. She had to call the desk, get some help fast before he broke down the door and....

The door opened, letting in the flood of light from the hallway. She opened her mouth to scream but then she saw not one man, but three.

"Take it easy, Miss Clark," spoke the youngest of the three, the handsome detective. "Remember us?"

It was Rocky Raven and Dave Jones. The other man she recognized as the desk clerk. She could do nothing but stare. Then her knees got weak very suddenly, dizziness seized her, and she saw the floor coming up to meet her in a rush.

Rocky caught her before she fell. He carried her to the bed and put her down gently.

"It's her, isn't it?" asked the clerk excitedly.

"It's her," responded Rocky, looking down at the girl.

"I thought I recognized her from the description on television," the clerk rushed on. "That's the model the killer was trying to get, isn't she?"

Dave nodded, watching Rocky rubbing the girl's wrists, seeing her eyes flicker open.

"Thanks for calling us," he said. "You've probably saved her life, the poor kid. Now leave us alone with her, please. We want to talk to her."

The detectives, alone now with Rene, waited for her to recover. After a long moment, she said, "I ... I thought you were ... him."

Rocky nodded. "We gathered that. Now why did you run off like that? Don't you know that our job is to protect you?"

"I was scared. Dale ... the radio said she was dead."

"I'm sorry. Her body was found just a little ' while ago. It could have been you, Miss Clark, and we want to keep it from happening to you."

Dave leaned close to Rene. We're not sure that the man we're looking for is the murderer, Miss Clark. We'd like to ask your help to make sure."

"My help?" Rene sat up. "What could I do to help?"

The two men had to concentrate to keep their minds on their work. Rene's skirt was hiked up above her knees, showing a milk-white expanse of thigh curving into the soft hips. The lace fringe of her panties peeked out enticingly.

Rocky bit his lip and looked away.

"I'm a cop on a job," he told himself. "I can't let this cute trick get to me, no matter how tempting she is. I'll lose my shield."

Aloud he said, "Here's how you can help us. That man's bound to try to get in touch with you again...."

"He has."

"What?" Both men chorused the word in amazement, coming to instant life. Rocky even forgot the tingling she had aroused in him.

"He called me here and asked me to go with him."

"Now take it easy." Dave swallowed hard. "Tell us all about it. How did he know you were here?"

"I don't know. But he called me from the lobby."

"When?"

"Right after I came here. This afternoon."

"What happened? What did he say? Did he give his name?"

"No. He just said he was a photographer. I got scared because he called me by my right name and I had registered under another. I told him he had the wrong girl and I hung up."

"Did he call again?" Dave asked. "No. But...." And her eyes widened in horrible memory.

"But what, Miss Clark?" Dave urged.

"He was waiting outside, leaning on a car, until after I put my light out at midnight."

"What kind of car?"

"Olds, I think. Black and dirty looking.

An old car."

Dave flashed a look at Rocky and the younger man picked up the phone and called the station. While he was giving the information on the Olds to the sergeant, Dave resumed his questioning.

"Did you get a look at him?" he asked.

Rene shuddered. "Yes. A little man. Kind of dark and rat-faced, with a pointed chin. And I saw he had a space between his front teeth."

"That's the one, all right. Did you get a look at his license number?"

Rene shook her head. "I didn't think to look at it"

Rocky was back saying, "Miss Clark, we want you to help us catch this man, and there's only one way we can do it. The next time he calls, you're to say that you'll go with him."

"What?"

Rene jumped to her feet, her mouth working speechlessly in fright.

"Now take it easy, Miss Clark," Dave said. "We'll have someone watching you every minute. You'll be perfectly safe."

"I'll be safe if I can get home to Easton," Rene cried.

"Maybe you will and maybe you won't" Rocky said. "He might follow you there. It seems he's got a hot desire for you." His eyes flickered over her lovely shape, resting on her full bosom and on the swell of her thighs.

Rene caught his look and felt the warmth creep into her body in spite of the fear that was also in her. The detective was young and handsome, and Oscar's lovemaking had only stirred the fires of her passion, a passion she had thought had been safely banked.

But now, with Rocky looking at her with eyes that seemed to be undressing her, with his words about the killer having a hot desire for her and his expression saying that the killer couldn't be blamed, she felt the stirring in her loins and in the nuts of her breasts.

She shuddered, her chin trembling, trying to remember that she was in love with Oscar, trying to fight the attraction she felt for the young detective who was now talking again.

"Besides," he said, "even if you get away from him, would you want to see him do the same terrible thing he did to your roommate to some other girl-to lots of other girls?"

"Of course not!" Rene exclaimed, finding her voice at last.

She looked straight at Rocky now and for that instant they seemed to be alone in the room-in the world. Dave wasn't even there.

And in that look she said to him, "Yes! Yes!"

Rocky understood and looked away, walking to the window.

"My goodness!" he exclaimed to himself. "That girl's got me lit up! No wonder the killer wants her! She's dynamite! I ... I've got to concentrate on my job ... not on the most gorgeous hunk of female I've ever seen!"

Dave said, "We'll get a policewoman over here to stay with you. And we'll have men outside waiting for him to show up."

"A policewoman?" Rene said, looking at the floor. "I wouldn't feel safe with a woman officer."

"They're very efficient, I assure you," Dave said. "They can handle anything that conies up."

Rene shook her head. "No. If I'm going to do this, I want a man around."

"All right," Dave agreed. " If that's the way you want it."

"That's the only way I'll do it," Rene said. She pointed to Rocky who was still at the window. "I want him."

Dave blinked his eyes and smiled to himself. The girl had a thing for his partner, all right. Well, if that was the only way she would play along with the police, they would have to agree with her conditions.

"You hear that, Rocky?" he said.

Rocky nodded, afraid to turn around and face them. "I'll park myself in the next room," he said. "And I'll have the desk connect the phones so I can hear anything that comes in to her."

"I'll make the necessary arrangements with the manager." Dave turned to Rene. "Now you mustn't be afraid. When that man calls you again, just say you'll go along with him. The point is that we don't have enough on him to convict him of murder. We have to nail him in the act, so to speak. Do you understand?"

Rene nodded. She was thinking more of the other detective now than she was of the killer and was ready to agree to anything. And, strangely enough, she felt safe now, too."

"Go with him," Dave continued. "We'll be following you all the way, no matter where he takes you. But don't give us away. We'll move in when it's necessary. And you won't get hurt, I promise you."

He moved to the door. "Rocky, I'd like to talk to you for a minute," he said, and stepped outside with Rocky following.

Alone with the young detective in the hallway Dave said, "You lucky stiff. That gal's ready to put out to you for nothing what the killer's ready to kill to get."

"Lay off," Rocky mumbled. "It's not that at all. The poor kid's just scared and wants a man cop. You heard her."

"Yeah. But she didn't want me, did she? Maybe I've got that married look about me. Just watch yourself, kid, and don't forget to keep one thing in mind."

"What's that?"

"When you want to grab anything that girl's got to offer, do it when you're off duty. Don't mix business with pleasure, especially cop business. In other words, keep your pants on."

He grinned, waved and walked off. Rocky opened the door and went back into Rene's room. The girl was sitting on the bed, her skirt carelessly exposing that delectable area of flesh again, her pointed, high boobs rising and falling with her breathing.

She looked at him, her eyes glazed and heavy! "Thank you for staying with me," she breathed. "I feel safe with you."

"I'll tell you something right out, Miss Clark," he said. "I don't feel safe with you."

She smiled and arched her back. The breasts thrust forward and she looked down at them and then moved her eyes slowly to his.

"You're safe," she smiled. "I wouldn't hurt you-much."

And she crossed her legs.

Rocky Raven was young, very young. He was so young, in fact, that the temptation was almost too strong for his rigid training and uncompromising code of conduct. He gulped, stared at the floor, almost twittered in his embarrassment and excitement.

"Miss Clark," he finally managed, "I shall have to ask you to remember that I am a police officer, acting in line of duty. Please, now, let's keep everything impersonal. We must both be wide-awake, so to speak, and keep our wits about us." His voice grew firmer as the thought really took hold on him. "One of the surest ways to endanger you-and me as well-is to let things get out of hand.

Rene smiled, then nodded solemnly. "Yes, sir, Mr. Policeman, you are absolutely correct. We must keep our heads, or something might happen to both of us. We mustn't risk anything...."

And with that, she stood up and walked slinkily toward him, her arms outstretched as if to embrace him.

Rocky gulped again, wondering how to stop her, short of belting her one. Apparently his little advisory speech hadn't meant a thing to her. He stepped back, reaching up to brush her arms away....

And the phone rang.

Rene stopped short, grimaced, pouted, and dropped her arms with a shrug. "Do I answer it, or shall I let you handle the thing?"

Rocky thought fast, then told her: "Answer it as usual, but I'll have my ear right next to the receiver. Hold it so that I can hear too."

Rene moved to the phone and gingerly picked it up.

"Hello...."

"Ah, Miss Clark, this is the manager speaking. I wanted to let you know I've made arrangements for your-er-friend to have the room next to yours. I'll have the key up there within two minutes."

"Uh-yes, yes, thank you very much. We'll expect it."

She hung up and turned to face Rocky, who had already moved away from her. He asked, "Was that really the manager's voice?"

"Yes, unfortunately for me," she smiled back.

"Well, when the knock comes on the door you let me answer it. You stand well clear and back into a corner on the hinge side of the door. Managers can be forced to say and do things they might not ordinarily do. It's probably all right, but I don't want to take any chances."

Rene seemed suddenly to have forgotten her efforts of seduction, and her face showed her realization of the little things that she had to be careful of, such as the innocent answering of a door.

"Okay, Rocky," she breathed. "Whatever you say, I'll do."

And when the knock did come, Rocky opened the door with his left hand, holding his .32 trained, through the door itself, onto whomever was outside.

A short, thin man looked up at him, holding a key in his hand. "Ah-you must be the partner of the gentleman who spoke to me downstairs a few minutes ago, yes?"

"Yes, if you're referring to a police officer. Is this the key to the room next door?" Rocky, behind the cover of the door panel, slipped his pistol back into its holster, having scanned the hall both ways over the top of the little man's head.

"Yes, sir, it is," the man replied," and it's a pleasure to do anything we can for the police department anything at all."

"Well, thank you very much, sir and I hope that we don't have any trouble in your place. I don't, in fact, think we will. I'm only here to make sure that nothing happens, either toward the house or its tenants." He wasn't sure just how much Dave might have told the man, and he. had no desire to give out unnecessary information.

However, Dave must have told the man encouraging things, because he just turned away, wishing Rocky a goodnight, and disappeared down the hall.

Rocky closed the door and turned to Rene, jiggling the key in his hand. "I'll be right next door and awake. If the phone rings I'll be on it before you will, so don't worry about answering. Just act normal and try to keep your voice regular and even. And if anyone should pay you a personal visit, I'll be listening for door noises and window noises. I'll be in here before anybody could get from the door to your bed." He grinned a little. "Makes me sound pretty fast, doesn't it?" Then he sobered again. "Miss Clark, I am fast, so don't worry about anything. Goodnight."

And he was gone before she had a chance to move or speak.