The Picture Ranch 64

'You hol' down her good arm 'n' make dam' sure she don't move her laigs.' Moose winked. I held her arm and leaned over her thighs and got a glare from the stricken woman. Moose was the other side, rubbing more cocaine over the swelling round the dislocated collar-bone.

'Good job she sweatin' like a ruttin' hawg, make the powder work faster, maybe.' Moose dusted off his hands, as dainty as 'Babe' Hardy making his point to Stan Laurel. He leaned in, looking Caruso in the eye,

'Won't hurt a bit, Ma'am,' before he did some weird manipulation. I couldn't rightly say whether there was a pop or a crack, but there was definitely a very loud scream.

'I didn't say it wouldn't hurt a lot though, Ma'am.'

I figured it was a good time to ask a few questions, but Miss G came in with a roll of bandage big enough to wrap up Karloff from head to foot, with some left over. I guessed a horse needed a big bandage. Moose moved Caruso's back slightly away from the wall and told me to hold her still. Miss G had broken out the bandage and handed it to Moose, who immobilised the shoulder and then made a sling out Miss G's head-scarf.

It was time for those questions.

‘Who was it?' I made a move towards Caruso's collar-bone. She flinched, I would have too.

'Who was who?'

'Told you to get rid of me.'

'I don't know.'

'Remember that not hurting a bit moment?' I felt Miss G's hand on my shoulder.

'Leave this to me,' she said. I didn't feel inclined to, but she yanked her hand back hard and I fell over on my ass.

Eleanor Gräfenberg had one of her dinky pistols out again, pointed at Miss Caruso’s left eye-ball.

'Do you know a man named Dean?'

The next thing Miss Caruso said came out all in a rush and I wondered if some of the cocaine had got into her bloodstream.

'I don't know him but Lucky does and he told me to wait for a phone call from him about the man delivering the powder and when he called he said I wasn't to ask questions but get rid of the delivery man out in the desert.'

Miss G waved the pistol towards me, so I guess she was a little agitated,

'Him? Did he say his name?'

'Well no, no he didn't, I just thought the usual guy couldn't make it. Either way, I wasn't going to cross Dean, 'cause that woulda meant crossing Lucky. That's unlucky, or it shoulda been, for you at least, Not-Rogers.' She looked like she was going to laugh, but thought better of it.

'We get other stuff delivered out here. We take it out and bury it.' Caruso turned her head to me,

'Didja see the map? X marks the spot.'

This time she did laugh, and I was glad it hurt.