Chapter 65 winter escape

Johnny Kendall was the first to jump out of the police car and the first to run into the alley with a gun at hand.The ground was covered with snow, so it was easy to follow the escaped man's tracks.He was familiar with the surrounding terrain and knew that it was a dead end.The one he seeks cannot escape. "I'm a policeman!" he yelled. "Hands up! Come out!" There was no answer, only the sound of the wind passing through the alley, and the desperate breathing of a cornered man.Kendall heard Officer Racine's footsteps behind him and knew he too had his pistol drawn.The man they were looking for had smashed the window of a hotel down the street and made off with bottles of gin.Now, he cannot escape.

Overhead, a full moon suddenly emerged from the clouds, illuminating the whole alley blue and white.Johnny Kendall saw something shiny in the upraised hand of the man he was following twenty feet ahead.Johnny pulled the trigger of the pistol. Even as the target fell onto the fence at the end of the alley, Johnny continued to fire until a surprised Racine rushed over, knocked the gun out of his hand, and kicked it away. Johnny didn't wait for the department's investigation.Within forty-eight hours he had resigned from the police station and was driving west with a girl named Sandy Brown who had planned to marry within a month.Even with someone as close as Sandy, he didn't want to talk about it until the car had driven three hundred miles.

"He was an old drunkard, loafing about, drinking all day long. He smashed a window, stole the gin, and ran down the alley and drank like hell. When I saw him, he was holding up a bottle of wine, and I don't know how I thought it was—a pistol, or a knife.As soon as I fired the first round, I knew it was just a bottle, and I thought maybe I was angry with myself, or angry with the world, and kept shooting. "He was lighting a cigarette with shaking hands." If he hadn't been an alcoholic, I might have been tried by a grand jury! " Sandy is a quiet girl who rarely questions her loved ones.She was tall and thin, with dark brown hair cut short like a boy's, and her smile made men swoon.Her smile, and the look in the depths of her pale blue eyes, told people that Sandy hadn't always been quiet or a boy.

Now, sitting next to Johnny Kendall, she said, "He'd better be dead, Johnny. If he got drunk in that alley, he'd freeze to death." He moved the car slightly sideways to avoid the snow on the highway. "But, I shot him three times, just to be on the safe side. He stole some bottles of gin and I killed him for it." "You thought he had a weapon." "I didn't think so, not at all. Officer Racine said he knew a cop who was shot and maimed by a man who put up his hands and surrendered, and if I thought of anything then I think I thought of this thing."

"I still want you to stay and attend the hearing." "So they can officially fire me? No thanks!" Johnny smoked; opened the side window of the car, let the cold air blow through his blond hair, and drove for a while without saying a word.He was handsome, not yet thirty, and before that his manner had always been composed. "I don't think I'm the man to be a cop," he said finally. "What are you good for, Johnny? Across the country like this? Running around when no one's chasing you?" "We'll find a place to stay, I'll find a job, and we'll get married. You'll see."

"What can you do but run away?" He stared out at the snow. "I can kill," he replied. The name of that town is Seven Star Lake, which suits its past but not its present.The most obvious signs of the past can be seen everywhere, the frozen lakeside rows of old villas, and the dirt road that runs parallel to the modern highway with deep ruts. An hour away, but, in the post-war boom, it didn't turn into a hip suburban town. It's a quintessential Midwestern town, and maybe the atmosphere fascinates Johnny Kendall, or maybe he's just tired of the constant hustle and bustle. "Here it is," he said to Sandy, as they stopped at a gas station. "Let's stay here for a while."

"The whole lake is frozen over," she retorted, looking skeptical. "We don't swim." "Of course I don't swim, but a summer resort like this is colder than ordinary cities in winter, much colder." But they both saw that with the completion of the highway, it was more than just a summer resort.They can stay. They decided to temporarily live in a nearby motel, renting two adjoining rooms, since Sandy was reluctant to live with him until they were married.In the morning, Johnny was out looking for a job, and Sandy was out looking for a suitable apartment.The man shook his head mournfully as he found a third place. "Nobody here hires people in the winter," he told Johnny. "Except the sheriff. You're big, why don't you go try him?"

"Thanks, maybe I will," Johnny said, but he tried two more before going to the sheriff's office. The sheriff's name was Quindard, and he always talked with a cheap cigar in his mouth. He is a smart politician.Obviously, he was chosen by the rich people in Seven Star Lake. "Really," he said, sitting behind a desk littered with letters, reports and wanted lists. "I need someone. In winter we always hire someone to patrol along the lake and keep an eye on the villas. People leave valuable things in those old houses for the winter. They want those things to be protected."

"You haven't found anyone yet?" Johnny asked. "Up until last week, we had one." Sergeant Dudd did not elaborate further. Instead, he asked, "Ever been in the police force?" "I've been in the Eastern Police for over a year." "Why did you leave?" "I want to travel." "Married?" "As soon as you get a job, you're ready to get married." "It's only seventy-five dollars a week, and it's night shift. If you do a good job, I'll keep you on through the summer." "What is my job?"

“Every hour, a patrol car goes around the lake, checking the old cottages, keeping the kids from breaking in — that sort of thing.” "Have you ever had trouble?" "Oh, nothing serious has happened," said the sheriff, turning away quickly. "There's nothing you can't handle, you're a big man" "Do I have to carry a pistol?" "of course!" Johnny Kendall thought about it. "Okay," he said finally. "Let me try it." "Very well. You'll fill out some forms. I'll check with the police department in the east, but that doesn't stop you from getting to work right away. I've got a pistol for you here. I'll show you the patrol car, you tonight Let's get started."

Johnny reluctantly took the revolver, which wasn't the same make as the pistols he used in the East, but they were very similar.As soon as he touched the cold pistol, he remembered that night in the alley. He goes back to the motel and tells Sandy about it, and she just sits cross-legged on her bed. stared up at him. "Johnny, it's not a week. How did you pick up another pistol so soon?" "I'm not going to use it. I promise you, I'm not going to take it out at all." "What would you do if you saw a child breaking through the door?" "Sandy, it's work! It's the only job I know how to do. Seventy-five dollars a week and we can get married." "We can get married anyway. I got a job at the supermarket, too." Johnny stared out the window at the snow dotted on the hillside in the distance. "I already told him I accepted the job, Sandy. I thought you were on my side." "I'm on your side, I'm always on your side. But you killed a man, Johnny. I don't want this to happen again, for whatever reason. " "It won't happen again." He went to the bed and kissed her, their lips just touched lightly. That night, Sheriff Dudd took him around the lake, stopping at a few empty villas and teaching him how to spot break-ins.It was very cold at night, but a bright moon lit up the frozen lake.Johnny wears his own clothes, with only the badge and pistol identifying him as a police officer.The job was a bit tedious, but he liked it right away, and he listened carefully to the sheriff's instructions. "Every hour or so you do a round of patrols, and it takes about twenty minutes to do one round. However, don't be too rigid, lest others learn your patrol rules and know when you pass by a certain villa.Keep changing your patrol times and, of course, check the bars along the way.Especially on weekends, there are many teenagers who go to drink, and they often break into the house when they are drunk. " "They also come here in winter?" "This is no longer a summer resort. However, the owners of those villas don't believe it." They drove in silence for a while, the pistol heavy on Johnny Kendall's hip.In the end, he decided to tell the truth. "Sheriff," he began, "I have something to tell you." "What's up?" "You'll find out when you check with the Eastern Police. I killed a guy on duty. Just last week. He was a drunk, he robbed a hotel, I thought he had a gun. Just shot him dead.I resigned because they were investigating this. " Sheriff Dud scratched his bald head. "Ah, I don't think I have a bad opinion of you because of that. I'm glad you brought it up, though. Remember, the most dangerous thing you could possibly face here is a couple of drunk teenagers , you don't need a pistol against them." "I know." "Very well. Drop me off at the courthouse and you'll patrol alone. Good luck." An hour later, Johnny started his first solo patrol, mainly focusing on those villa areas, where the villas stood like sentinels to guard against intruders from the lake. At one point he stopped to look at four figures moving across the ice, but they were just kids skating. At the very end of the lake, he randomly inspected several villas.He then pulled over to a bar called the Blue Zebra.There are more cars in front of this bar than other bars, even outside the house, you can feel the happy atmosphere of the weekend.He opened his coat, revealing the police badge pinned to his jacket underneath.The bar was crowded, every table was full, but he didn't see any teenagers.Most of the customers are young people on a date, white-collar workers relaxing after a week of work, and occasionally middle-aged women. Johnny chatted with the owner and went outside, where he had nothing to do. The owner offered him a drink, but he declined, it was too early for a drink, and besides, he had just started work and he couldn't relax so early. As he was about to get into the car, someone called out to him at the door of the blue zebra: "Hey, Deputy Sheriff!" "What happened?" The man was tall and slender, not a few years older than Johnny.He walked slowly down the steps of the bar, without speaking, until he came within inches. "I just wanted to see you. I was working on this job until last week." "Oh?" Johnny didn't know what to say. "Old Dade didn't tell you why you fired me?" "No." "Ah, he fired me. Ask him why if you have time. Ask him why. Fire Milt Woodman. "He turned around with a smile and walked towards the bar. Johnny shrugged and got into the patrol car.This man, Milt Woodman, was suffering from the loss of his job, which had nothing to do with him.His thoughts drifted back to the future, to Sandy, who was waiting for him at the motel...she was sleeping when he got back to their room.He walked in gently, sat on the edge of the bed, and waited until she woke up.Her blue eyes opened quickly and she saw him. "Hey, how's work going?" "Fine. I think I'll like this job. Get up and watch the sunrise with me." "I have to go to work at the supermarket." "Nonsense! If we're both at work, I won't see you at all." "We need money, Johnny, we can't live here long, we can't afford it." "Let's talk about it later, okay?" He suddenly realized that he hadn't heard her smile in a long time, and it made him sad.Sandy's laugh is a very important part of who she is. The night went on much like the previous one, patrolling around the lake, stopping frequently at crowded bars to check in.Through the cloud of smoke he saw Milt Woodman again, but this time Milt did not speak. The next day, Johnny mentioned him to Sheriff Dade. "I met a guy on Friday night—a guy named Milt Woodman," he said. Dud frowned. "Did he trouble you?" "No. He just said he was free to ask why you fired him." "Do you want to ask me?" "No. It has nothing to do with me." Dud nodded. "It's all right. But if he troubles you again, let me know." "Why would he bother me?" Johnny asked, disturbed by Dud's words. "No reason. You just have to stay on your toes." The next night was Monday, and Johnny was off.He decides to celebrate and takes Sandy to the drive-in. On a Tuesday night, just after midnight, Johnny pulled into the parking lot of the Blue Zebra Bar. When the bar was almost empty, the owner offered him another drink, which he accepted. "Hi, Deputy," said someone behind him.He didn't have to turn around to know it was Milt Woodman. "My name is Johnny Kendall," he said as friendly as he could. "Good name. You already know my name." He giggled. "Your wife is very pretty. Saw you at the cinema last night." "Oh?" Johnny instinctively moved aside. Milt Woodman continued to smile. "Did Dade tell you why he fired me?" "I didn't ask him." Milt laughed. "Good boy! No prying. Keep that seventy-five-a-week job." He turned and walked towards the door. "goodbye." Johnny finished his drink and walked out with him.The air was wet, as if it was going to snow, and there was no moon in the sky.On the road ahead, the taillights of Woodman's car flicked on, then disappeared around the bend.Johnny had a sudden urge to follow the man, and he stepped on the gas to give chase, but when he came around the corner, there was nothing ahead.Woodman turned somewhere else. The rest of the week was uneventful, but on Friday he was taken aback. He could not sleep well during the day. He usually slept for four or five hours and woke up at noon.That day he decided to meet Sandy at the supermarket and have lunch with her.When he got to the supermarket, he found her chatting with someone at the checkout counter.That man was Milt Woodman, and they were laughing like old friends.Johnny walked around the block, trying to tell himself that there was nothing to worry about.When he got back to the supermarket, Woodman had left and Sandy was getting ready for lunch. "Who is your friend?" he asked casually. "What friend?" "I passed by a few minutes ago, and you were chatting with someone, and you seemed to have a good conversation." "Oh, I don't know a customer. He hangs around here a lot." Johnny never mentioned it again.He was surprised, however, that Sandy didn't rush him to get married that weekend.In fact, she never mentioned marriage at all. On Monday night, Johnny was off, and Sheriff Dade invited them to dinner at their house.It was a friendly gesture, and Sandy eagerly accepted it.Mrs. Dudd was a very pretty fair-haired woman in her thirties, and she was very attentive. After dinner, Johnny followed Dud into his basement workshop. "A place to kill time," the sheriff said to him.He picked up an electric drill and played with it lovingly. "I don't have much time here." "You're busy with work." Dud nodded. "Too busy. But I like what you do, Johnny, very much." "Thank you." Johnny lit a cigarette, leaning against the workbench. "Sheriff, there's something I want to ask you. I haven't asked it before." "What's up?" "Why did you fire Milt Woodman?" "Did he trouble you?" "No, not yet. I'm just curious." "Well. I don't think there's anything I can't tell you. He used to go out to the end of the lake by the blue zebra and park in the bushes. Then he'd take the girl into some villa and spend time with her there. In the middle of the night. I can't stand things like that. The guy's job is to protect those villas, not use them as his tryst places." "He's very popular with girls, isn't he?" Dud nodded angrily. "He's always been popular. He's just a useless drunk. I shouldn't have hired him at all." They went upstairs to the lady.They never talked about Woodman again, but Johnny saw him again at the Blue Zebra Bar the next night while on patrol.He waited on the side of the road until Woodman came out, and followed him to the bend where he had disappeared last week.Yes, he turned into a relatively narrow driveway, which led directly to the villa by the lake.There was a driveway between each row of villas, and Johnny followed it between the two villas. He smoked and considered what to do.His responsibility is to prevent irrelevant people from entering these villas, but, for some reason, he does not want to have a direct conflict with Milt Woodman just yet.Maybe he knew that the man would never be honest, maybe he knew he might have to use the pistol on his hip. So he didn't talk to Milt that night.Woodman takes no action. The next day, Sheriff Dade handed him a mimeographed list. "I've made a new phone list of addresses. All the houses are listed on it, along with numbers for pubs and places to check. Leave it to your wife so she can find you in the evening." Dud always referred to Sandy as Johnny's wife, though he should have known they weren't married. "You're still living in motels, aren't you?" "Yes," Johnny said... Dudd asked, "See Woodman?" "Saw him last night. Didn't speak to him." The sheriff nodded and said nothing. The next night, Johnny was getting ready to go out on duty, and Sandy seemed very nonchalant. "What's the matter?" he asked finally. "Ah, I guess it's too much work. People start doing their weekend shopping on Thursdays." "Is that guy here again? That's the one I saw you talking to." "I told you he came often. What's the matter?" "Sandy—" He moved towards her, but she avoided it. "Johnny, you're not what you used to be, you've changed. You've been a stranger since you killed that man. I thought you were really upset about that, but now you're holding a gun , to do this kind of work.” "I never took it out of the case!" "Not yet." "Okay," he said finally. "I'm sorry you think so. Let's talk in the morning." He stepped out, feeling the pistol touch his hip. It was very cold at night and it looked like it was going to snow again.He drove faster than usual, turning around in fifteen minutes, barely glancing at the crowded parking lots along the way.The conversation with Sandy troubled him.On a second patrol, he tried to locate Woodman's car but was unable to find it.Maybe his car is hidden next to the villa? He thought of Sandy again. Near midnight, with the moon shining through the clouds on the frozen lake, Johnny drove into town.Time was running out, so he came straight to the motel.Sandy's room was empty and the bed was clean and unslept. He drove back to the lake, looking for the lights of the cottage he knew Woodman had used.But those villas seemed to be dark, and no one was in them.Woodman was also nowhere to be found at the Blue Zebra Bar.He took a glass of drink from the manager and stood at the bar counter and drank slowly.His mood goes from bad to worse, and when a college student tries to buy his girlfriend a drink, Johnny throws them out of the bar because they're underage to drink.He'd never done anything like this before. Later, around two o'clock, he was checking on another couple parked on the side of the road when he saw Woodman's familiar car speed by.Next to him in the front row sat a girl with a large kerchief wrapped around her head.Johnny let out a slow breath.If that was Sandy, he'd kill her. "Where were you last night?" he had asked her in the morning, trying to look nonchalant. "I stopped by in the middle of the night to take a look." "I'm going to the evening movie." "What's wrong?" She lit a cigarette and turned away. "I'm tired of sitting here by myself every night. Can't you understand?" "I totally understand," he said. That evening, when night fell, he left his room early and drove to the old villa where the Blue Zebra Bar used to be.He parked the car in a place that Woodman had used and walked to the villa that was closer to him.It seemed normal there, with no signs of breaking in.He turned his attention to the villa on the other side of the drive. There, he found a window facing the lake open and climbed in. The interior was furnished like a country house, with large white cloths covering the furniture to keep the winter dust from falling on the furniture.He had never seen such an exquisitely furnished villa, but he didn't come to see the furniture.In the upstairs bedroom he found what he was looking for. Several beer bottles were neatly put together, but the sheets were not smoothed. He looked in the ashtray and saw the brand Sandy was smoking.It didn't prove anything, he wanted to tell himself. Not ironclad evidence.Then he saw the crumpled paper on the floor where she had put on her lipstick.He smoothed the paper, feeling very worried, but he already knew the answer.It was the mimeographed address card that Sheriff Dudd had given him two days before, and Sandy had slipped it into her purse. Well, now he knows. He left everything as it was and climbed out the window.Even Woodman did not dare to leave these things unpacked for a long time.He was going to be back, and he would be back soon—perhaps this evening.He dared not bring another girl until he had removed the marks left by the last girl.It must be Sandy again. Johnny drove to the Blue Zebra, drank a couple of drinks, and went on patrol.He had been looking for Woodman's car as he patrolled around the lake.In the middle of the night, he returned to the bar and asked the boss: "Did you see Woodman tonight?" "Woodman? See, he came in to smoke and drink." "thanks." Johnny went into the phone booth and called the motel.Sandy is not in her room. He left the bar and drove towards the villa.There were no lights, but he could see Woodman's car.They are there, yes. He parked his car at the end of the road and sat in it for a long time, smoking a cigarette.Then he drew the pistol from its holster and checked to see if it was loaded.Then he drove back to the Blue Zebra and had a couple of drinks. Woodman's car was still there when he got back to the villa.Johnny went to the front door and quietly opened the window. As he went up the stairs, he heard their whispers. The bedroom door was open, and he stood in the hallway for a moment, accustoming his eyes to the darkness.They did not hear his steps. "Woodman," he called. The man was startled when he heard someone calling him, and got up from the bed cursing. "damn it!" Johnny fired twice at the speech, heard the girl's terrified screams, and fired again.He kept pulling the trigger because there was no Officer Racine to knock the gun out of his hand this time.Nothing stopped him this time, and he fired all six bullets at the man in the bed. Then he dropped the pistol and walked over to strike a match.Milt Woodman was sprawled on the floor with his head in a pool of blood.The girl's body was motionless under the sheet, and he walked over cautiously. Not Sandy. It's the sheriff's wife, Mrs. Dudd. This time he knew he was done.This time he knew that there would be no next town, no new life. However, he had to continue to flee. ?