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'Sure, Keith,' Ninotchka replied dryly. 'I understand.' | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.939202 | 6.5 |
'I'll see you on the plane later,' he went on. 'We'll talk up a storm then.' | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.939511 | 6.5 |
'Let's talk up a storm now,' I said. | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.939821 | 6.5 |
'For Christ's sake!' exploded Pandora to Pascall. 'Do I have to take this shit?' | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.94013 | 6.5 |
'Why not see what they want?' said Pascall. 'Then they'll go, I'm sure.' | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.940439 | 6.5 |
'Now that's how I always thought you rock and roll people would be,' I said. 'Nice and friendly, and lots of fun.' I pushed past Pascall and went straight over to the bar. 'Drink, Ninotchka?' | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.940749 | 6.5 |
'Sure. Vodka over.' | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.941058 | 6.5 |
I made her a drink and one for myself. The same. The two men stood looking at us. | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.941368 | 6.5 |
'Well, now you've got a drink, maybe you'll explain exactly what it is you want?' said Pandora, getting on his high horse again. | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.941677 | 6.5 |
'We've got something for you to listen to,' I said. | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.941986 | 6.5 |
'Side two of your new album. Tony Tune recorded it for Ninotchka.' | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.942605 | 6.5 |
Pandora looked bored. 'I've heard it before.' | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.942915 | 6.5 |
'Sure I'm sure. Listen, I don't know what you're playing at, but I've heard the album many times and I don't particularly want to hear it again. I'm getting packed if you hadn't noticed. We've got a plane to catch.' | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.943533 | 6.5 |
'Your flight's not until seven,' I said. 'You've got plenty of time. Besides, you're a VIP, Keith. You don't have to queue up with the riff-raff, do you? Anyway, I doubt if you'll be catching it. I hope you're insured for a no-show. I'm sure you are. You're very big on insurance, I hear.' | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.943843 | 6.5 |
I could tell he was getting annoyed. He wasn't used to not getting his own way. | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.944152 | 6.5 |
'Then listen to this.' I took the cassette out of my pocket and held it up for them to see. | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.944771 | 6.5 |
'I told you, I've heard it.' | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.94508 | 6.5 |
'But this has got a bonus track. Only available on this particular tape. The twelve-inch mix. Yeah, isn't that what you call it?' | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.94539 | 6.5 |
'Play it,' said Pascall. It was almost like he knew what was on it. Or at least knew that there was something on it that concerned him. Pandora sighed but didn't say anything. I went over to Keith's stereo. It was real fancy. More lights than Regent Street at Christmas time. But I figured it out. I put the tape into the machine and ran it back and found the end of the last track. | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.945699 | 6.5 |
'So?' said Pandora, as the recording reached the fade out. 'That's the end of it.' | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.946009 | 6.5 |
'One second,' I said. | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.946318 | 6.5 |
The song finished, and the short conversation began. When the tape deck clicked off Pascall looked well sick. | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.946627 | 6.5 |
'I would have thought it was obvious. You're discussing an attempted murder there. And a murder that was yet to happen.' | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.947246 | 6.5 |
'I would,' he said. | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.948175 | 6.5 |
'You're betting a lot of prison time, Keith, and old Louis there doesn't look any too happy. A couple of hours in an interview room with a hairy-arsed London copper should get him singing better than you can.' | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.948484 | 6.5 |
Pandora looked at Pascall. I think he got the picture. | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.948793 | 6.5 |
'Own up,' I said. 'You were clever, but you messed up.' | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.949103 | 6.5 |
'Yes,' I said. 'You got away with it before, didn't you?' | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.949722 | 6.5 |
Both Pascall and Ninotchka looked at me. Pandora didn't. | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.950031 | 6.5 |
'You killed your bass player in Colorado and stuck his head under a truck. Was he the first?' | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.95034 | 6.5 |
'Give me a break,' said Pandora. 'You're talking nonsense.' | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.951269 | 6.5 |
'I'd like to see you try and prove it. That was years ago.' | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.951887 | 6.5 |
'I don't have to prove it. We have the tape.' | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.952197 | 6.5 |
'Tapes can be faked,' said Pandora. | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.952506 | 6.5 |
'No,' said Ninotchka. 'The tape wasn't faked, and you know that. Don't you, Keith?' | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.952816 | 6.5 |
By this time Pascall was looking like a heart attack waiting to happen. His face was grey, and bubbles of greasy sweat had broken out on his forehead. 'Christ, Keith, I knew this would happen.' | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.953125 | 6.5 |
'Shut up, you fucker!' snarled Pandora. 'They can't prove zip.' | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.953434 | 6.5 |
'But they can stop us leaving. If the police start more questions, I don't think I can handle it.' | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.953744 | 6.5 |
'You prick,' said Pandora, and reached his hand into the Gladstone bag and pulled out a nickel-plated Colt Diamondback revolver with a short barrel and ventilated rib. | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.954053 | 6.5 |
'Put that away,' I said. 'Someone's liable to get hurt.' | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.954363 | 6.5 |
He stuck it in my direction. 'You,' he said, 'don't move.' | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.954672 | 6.5 |
'I'm not going anywhere,' I said back. | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.954981 | 6.5 |
'Are you armed?' | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.955291 | 6.5 |
'You should have been. That was a mistake.' | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.95591 | 6.5 |
'Not half as big a mistake as you're making,' I replied. But it was. A lot bigger. | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.956219 | 6.5 |
'Search him,' said Pandora to Pascall. He moved towards me. For one moment I thought he was going to step into Pandora's line of fire, and give me a chance. | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.956528 | 6.5 |
'Go round behind him,' barked Pandora. Pascall hesitated then did as he was told. | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.956838 | 6.5 |
'You'll never get away with this,' I said as Pascall clumsily frisked me. | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.957147 | 6.5 |
Pandora smiled. I didn't blame him. The line was out of a thousand bad movies. | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.957457 | 6.5 |
'He's clean,' said Pascall when he'd finished. | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.957766 | 6.5 |
'So what now?' I said. | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.958075 | 6.5 |
'Now you kill Louis and Ninotchka, and then yourself. I'll swear I tried to stop you. I'll be broken-hearted. You loved her, but she loved another. The papers will lap it up.' | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.958385 | 6.5 |
Pascall's mouth dropped open. You don't often see that, but it happened. | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.958694 | 6.5 |
'Grand opera,' I said into the silence. 'No, soap opera. No one's going to buy that, Keith. Are you crazy?' He didn't answer, but by the look on his face he was. Just a little. Anyone who gets his own way all the time is, I suppose. Maybe disappointment keeps you sane. Or maybe anything can drive you crazy in the end. | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.959004 | 6.5 |
'You can't...' said Pascall, and Pandora gut shot him. Pascall looked disbelievingly first at Pandora and then down at the neat hole just above his belt buckle. He touched the wound experimentally, opened his mouth to say something, but just let out a sound halfway between a belch and a moan and fell like a rubber man on to the carpet in front of us. Ninotchka screamed, but cut it off when Pandora looked at her through slitted eyes. | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.959313 | 6.5 |
'You've blown it, Keith,' I said. I hope I said it with more confidence than I felt. By my calculations I was the next in line to be dealt with. I just hoped I could get him to talk for a bit and that someone in the hotel had heard the shot. | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.959623 | 6.5 |
'No,' he replied. 'You've blown it. You blew it coming up here. You should have taken that tape to the police.' | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.959932 | 6.5 |
That was two mistakes I'd made. Two too many. | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.960241 | 6.5 |
'I'm sorry, Nin, I never wanted to hurt you,' he said. | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.960551 | 6.5 |
'Thanks, Keith,' replied Ninotchka. 'That makes me feel heaps better.' | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.96086 | 6.5 |
'And more insurance money for Keith. It just keeps rolling in, doesn't it?' I said. | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.961479 | 6.5 |
Pandora showed his big teeth in a grin and I dearly wished I'd kicked him in the head the time I'd had a chance. 'So how did it go, Keith?' I asked. | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.961788 | 6.5 |
'Did Bobby Boyle come to you, or did you go to him?' | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.962407 | 6.5 |
'He came to me.' | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.962717 | 6.5 |
'Handy that, the same time that you screwed up killing Shapiro.' | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.963026 | 6.5 |
'No. He'd been bugging me ever since we got here.' | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.963335 | 6.5 |
'What did he want?' asked Ninotchka. | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.963645 | 6.5 |
'His old job back. Drummer with the band. What a joke!' | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.963954 | 6.5 |
'The joke was on him, wasn't it?' I said. | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.964264 | 6.5 |
'It sure was. He even brought a pair of sticks with him so he could audition.' | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.964573 | 6.5 |
'And one of them got hammered into Turdo.' | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.964882 | 6.5 |
'So tell me, did he do the murders or did you?' | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.965501 | 6.5 |
'I did of course. Bobby wouldn't hurt a fly. He was just useful to have around.' | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.965811 | 6.5 |
'To act as the fall guy. Just like you said on the tape.' | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.96612 | 6.5 |
'But, Keith, if he'd been arrested, don't you think he might have mentioned your involvement? If only in passing?' The bastard was so pleased with himself he only needed the odd prompt to keep him going. | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.966739 | 6.5 |
'Are you serious? He didn't know what the fuck was going on. He was totally crazed. He was on another fucking planet, man. And even if something had got through to whatever he had between his ears instead of a brain, who would have believed him anyway? The guy had been in and out of the funny farm for years. He was a certified lunatic. Who do you think they would have believed? All that would have happened was that they'd've stuck him back in the rubber room where he belonged. It was just a bonus you two helped him take a dive. Got him out of my hair.' | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.967048 | 6.5 |
Literally the fall guy, I thought. 'A stroke of luck for you really,' I said. | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.967358 | 6.5 |
'Not for him.' | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.967976 | 6.5 |
'You bastard,' said Ninotchka through bloodless lips, and for a moment I thought she was going to go for him. So did he, and he turned the gun towards her. I caught her arm. 'Don't.' I said. | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.968595 | 6.5 |
'Good advice,' said Pandora, smirking. | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.968905 | 6.5 |
I ignored the comment. 'And it almost worked too,' I said. | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.969214 | 6.5 |
'It's still working.' | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.969524 | 6.5 |
'No,' I replied. 'It's all over, Keith. Give up.' | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.969833 | 6.5 |
'There'll be too many questions asked.' | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.970452 | 6.5 |
'I'll be long gone by then.' | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.970761 | 6.5 |
'If you really believe that, then you are fucked, son.' | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.971071 | 6.5 |
He shook his head. 'Long gone,' he said, again, almost dreamily. | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.97138 | 6.5 |
'Keith, what are you on?' asked Ninotchka. | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.971689 | 6.5 |
'Just his own damned ego,' I commented. | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.971999 | 6.5 |
Pandora grunted angrily and his eyes focused as he remembered where he was and what he was doing, and the gun that had been drooping slightly in his hand came up again. That was dangerous. I had to keep him talking. Play for time. | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.972308 | 6.5 |
'And it was you that got Valin to get rid of his security and his girlfriend the night he was killed?' I asked. | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.972618 | 6.5 |
'Correct again. I told him I had to see him privately on band business, and not to tell anyone else.' | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.972927 | 6.5 |
'And then you choked him?' | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.973236 | 6.5 |
'For the insurance money?' | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.973855 | 6.5 |
'But why kill Elmo? What had he done apart from supplying lousy drugs?' | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.974474 | 6.5 |
'He sussed out what was going on. Turdo must have said something. Not as stupid as he looked, was Elmo. He tried to put the black on me. Threatened to go to the cops. No chance. He was expecting a nice little bonus that night in the swimming pool. But he got more than he bargained for. And it would all have worked out nice if it hadn't been for you two. Everyone thought him and Turdo were killed by a lunatic with a grudge against the band. | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.974783 | 6.5 |
'He was. You,' I said. 'But poor Bobby got the starring role in that movie.' | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.975093 | 6.5 |
'Right,' he said, and as he did so the outside door to the suite opened and Andrea Batiste walked in. She stood disbelievingly in the doorway looking at us, and Pandora walked over and grabbed her arm and pulled her in. Never letting the barrel of the gun waver for a second. | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.975402 | 6.5 |
'What the hell's going on?' she said. | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.975712 | 6.5 |
'Just a glitch,' said Pandora. I really think he was beginning to enjoy the whole episode. | Zip Gun Boogie_nodrm | 0.976021 | 6.5 |
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