Comes the Dark Stranger - Jack Higgins [16]
6
JOE WILBY lived in Gower Street, a row of crumbling terrace houses near the centre of town in a slum area that was due for demolition. Number fifteen looked as if it might fall down at any minute and the front door was boarded up.
Shane followed a side passage that brought him into a backyard littered with empty tins and refuse of every description. There was a light in the back window and he mounted four stone steps and knocked.
Footsteps approached and the door opened a few inches. A woman’s voice said, ‘Who is it?’
‘I’m looking for Joe Wilby,’ Shane said. ‘I’m an old friend of his.’
There was the rattle of a chain and the door opened. ‘You’d better come in,’ she said and walked back along the gloomy corridor.
Shane closed the door and followed. He wrinkled his nose at the stale smell compounded of cooking odours and urine and shivered in distaste. The woman opened a door, clicked on a light and led the way into a room at the far end of the corridor. It was reasonably clean and comfortable with a carpet on the floor and a double bed against the far wall.
She turned to face him, a large, heavily built woman, nearer forty than thirty and running dangerously to seed. She was still handsome in a bold, coarse sort of way and a sudden smile of interest appeared on her face.
‘I’m Joe’s wife - Bella,’ she said. ‘He’s not in at the moment. Is there anything I can do for you?’
There was an unmistakable invitation in her voice and he grinned. ‘My name’s Shane,’ he said. ‘Martin Shane. I was in Korea with your husband. I was just passing through town and I thought I’d look him up.’
‘Well, that’s nice,’ she said. ‘Joe never says much about his war service.’ She sat on the edge of the bed and smiled. ‘Give me a cigarette and come and sit down and tell me all about it.’
She patted the bed beside her and Shane obliged. The gaudy house-coat she was wearing, fell open when she crossed her knees revealing black stockings with white flesh bulging over their tops.
‘So you and my Joe were in Korea together?’ she said when her cigarette was lit. ‘That was a long time ago.’
Shane nodded. ‘I’ve been abroad for a good few years. Just got back to England last week.’
She reached over and squeezed his hand. ‘That’s a good enough excuse for a little drink, isn’t it?’ She crossed the room to a cupboard, took out a bottle of gin and two glasses and filled them. She came back to the bed, gave Shane one of the glasses and sat down. ‘Here’s how,’ she said and swallowed the gin.
Shane sipped a little of his and grinned. ‘Where is Joe this afternoon - working?’
She shook her head. ‘He works evenings as a barman at one of the clubs in town. He’s where he is every afternoon at this time. Swilling beer in the local boozer.’
Shane tried to sound sympathetic. ‘That must get pretty boring for you.’
She swayed towards him, her mouth slightly parted and placed a hand on his thigh. ‘You’ve no idea how boring it can be,’ she said softly.
The outside door crashed open and she moved away quickly as steps sounded in the corridor. As she stood up, the door opened and Wilby lurched into the room.
He was an ox of a man with arms that almost hung down to his knees. His face was sullen and bloated with whisky and he stood there swaying, a nasty gleam in his eye as he looked at them.
‘So this is what goes on when I’m out of the way.’
Bella moved towards him and said smoothly, ‘This is an old friend of yours, Joe. I’ve been entertaining him till you got back.’
He grabbed hold of her hair, wrenching back her head. ‘That’s a likely tale,’ he said and then Shane got to his feet and turned so that Wilby could see his face.
There was a moment of utter silence as Wilby’s jaw dropped and his face turned a sickly green colour. ‘Shane!’ he said stupidly. ‘Martin Shane!’
‘Yes, Joe, it’s me,’ Shane said.
For a moment longer Wilby stared at him and then he flung his wife through the open door