Free 1953 - The Things Men Do by James Hadley Chase

let you have the rest of it next month. I've leased a bit of the garage to a radio firm and, believe it or not, they're paying fifteen quid a week for the privilege."
    Bill whistled.
    "Nice going. Sure you won't hang on to this a little longer?"
    "Take it, Bill. I don't like owing you money."
    "Please yourself." He put the notes into his pocket "What was up with you on Saturday night, Harry?"
    I grinned, but I couldn't meet his eyes. I lit a cigarette to cover up my embarrassment.
    "Made a bit of a fool of myself, didn't I? I was just telling Ann. You see I was fixing up this radio deal. They wanted to see me on Saturday night. I didn't want to tell Ann until I was sure it was going through. So I pretended I had a breakdown call. Damn silly come to think of it. Ann spotted I wasn't telling the truth."
    Bill gave me an old-fashioned look.
    "So did I. You're not cut out for those stunts, Harry. You didn't make our evening a very pleasant one. Ann was worried sick: so was I."
    I began to feel irritated.
    "You two fuss too much about me. I just wasn't sure if I was going to pull off the deal. I didn't want Ann to be disappointed."
    "Don't get your shirt off," Bill said and smiled. "Well, you did pull it off. Congratulations. They must be suckers to pay all that money for a piece of this garage. Why, there's an empty shop up the street . . ."
    I was getting fed up hearing about this empty shop.
    "I know. Ann was telling me. It's their business if they want to come here, isn't it?"
    He was quick to spot my irritation.
    "Lucky for you, anyway. By the way, Harry, who are these people? What's the firm's name?"
    I suddenly realized with a sense of shock that I didn't know the name.
    "The chap's name's Dix: Ed Due. The company's making a new kind of T.V. set. It's secret at the moment. They'll be doing experimental work here."
    "But what do they call themselves?"
    "I don't know." I felt my face redden. "They're a small company: just starting."
    "Doesn't sound as if they'll last long, paying out all that money for a piece of this garage. Well, I suppose they know their own business best. Probably a racket to evade paying excess profits or something like that."
    "That's the way I figured it."
    He stubbed out his cigarette, stroked the side of his blunt nose, and then looked up with an apologetic grin.
    "Sorry if I'm butting it, Harry, but I shouldn't pull that stunt of yours again. Ann was pretty sick about it."
    Again I felt a wave of irritation run through me.
    "Don't drive it into the ground, for goodness' sake. Ann and I have talked it over. You don't have to worry about it."
    "Just thought I'd mention it." He got to his feet. "Well, I'm off home now. Be seeing you, Harry."
    I walked with him to the entrance to the garage.
    He paused by the Jaguar.
    "So she is garaging her car here," he said.
    "That's right." I tried to sound casual, but I knew I wasn't making a job of it.
    He looked at me.
    "Some girl, Harry. The sort of girl that would give any man ideas: she gave me a few myself."
    "Did she?"
    "A girl like that wants watching. Take my tip and watch her."
    "You buzz off, Bill." My smile was fixed and my irritation was fast turning to anger. "Watch her yourself if you want to.
    I've got a business to look after."
    "Did you meet Dix through her, Harry?"
    "What the hell do you mean?" I said, feeling blood rush to my face.
    "It's obvious, isn't it? You don't think you fooled me on Saturday, do you?"
    "Now look, Bill
    "I'm looking and I don't like what I'm seeing. See here, Harry, you're due for a straight talking to. You're shaping to make an ass of yourself over that girl."
    "I don't know what you mean. If you can't talk sense you'd better clear off!"
    "Don't let's get angry about this, Harry. It sticks out a mile. You saw that girl on Saturday, didn't you? Maybe you did see Dix, but she was there too. I know the signs. When a man wants a woman as badly as you want her, he looks the way you looked on Saturday. I'm going to tell you