Free No Orchids for Miss Blandish by James Hadley Chase Page A

cops starting up the stairs towards him.
    Sweat was running down his face now. This was getting much too hot for comfort, he was thinking.
    He whipped around and noiselessly entered the first room near him. The light was on in the room. A woman was leaning far out of the window, looking down at the commotion going on in the street below. He could only see her pyjamaed back and legs, and even under this pressure, he found himself thinking she had a nice shape.
    He closed the door and tiptoed across to the woman. He stood close to her, waiting. She must have sensed she was no longer alone for she suddenly straightened and whirled around.
    Eddie pounced on her; one hand clamped over her mouth, the other gripped her wrists.
    "Make a sound and I'll break your neck!" he said, holding her against him.
    She stared up at him. She was only a kid: she couldn't have been more than eighteen. Her blue eyes opened very wide. She looked so scared he thought she was going to faint.
    "Take it easy," he said. "I'm not going to hurt you if you don't make a noise."
    She leaned heavily against him, closing her eyes. He could hear the sound of voices and tramping of feet coming along the passage.
    He gave the girl a little shake.
    "The cops are looking for me," he said. "You'll be all right if you don't make a noise and do what I tell you. Come on, get into bed."
    He carried her over to the bed and slid her under the sheet.
    "Don't make a sound," he warned as he took his hand from her mouth.
    "I--I won't," she said breathlessly, staring up at him.
    "Good girl."
    He turned off the light, plunging the room into darkness. He lay down on the floor by the side of the bed away from the door.
    "If they come in here and find me," he said, drawing his gun, "there's going to be shooting and you could get damaged. So don't start yelling."
    "I won't," the girl said, more confidence in her voice now.
    He could hear doors opening and people talking excitedly. It sounded as if the cops were going from room to room.
    "It's up to you, baby," he said from the floor, "to stall them if they come in here." He slid his hand under the sheet and took her hand in his. He was surprised she squeezed his hand and he winked to himself in the darkness. "You don't have to be scared of me."
    "I'm not scared," she said.
    They waited. He could hear her fast breathing and his own heart beats.
    Suddenly heavy footfalls sounded outside. The door opened cautiously. Eddie lifted his gun. The girl gripped his hand hard. The beam of a powerful flashlight swung around the room. The girl gave a little scream. "Who is it?" she quavered. The light fell on her.
    "Police," a voice growled from behind the light. "You alone in here?"
    "Yes... what is it?"
    "A couple of gunmen loose," the cop said. "Nothing for you to worry about. You should lock your door, miss."
    The door closed and the heavy footsteps receded.
    Eddie drew in a deep breath. He let go of the girl's hand, got to his feet and went over to the door and turned the key in the lock. He came back to the bed and sat on the floor.
    "Thanks, baby," he said. "You did a nice job. I'll stay here until it's quiet, then I'll beat it. Relax, you don't have to worry about me."
    The girl didn't say anything. She stared curiously at him, just able to make him out in the dim light coming through the uncurtained window.
    After some minutes, Eddie found the floor getting hard. He got up and sat on the end of the bed.
    "I'm getting calluses," he said, grinning. "You get off to sleep if you want to."
    "I don't want to sleep," the girl said. "You scared the life out of me, but I'm not so scared now."
    "That's fine," Eddie said. "I scared the life out of myself too."
    The sounds in the building had died down. Some of the police cars were moving off. He wondered if Flynn had got away. He guessed he had. Flynn knew how to take care of himself.
    After a long pause, the girl said, "It was just like a movie. All that shooting... if you hadn't held my hand I