The Flesh of The Orchid Read Online Free Page B

think you’re up to?” he shouted at the girl. “Stop at once! My load’s loose and the cops are after us! Can’t you hear them? Stop, I tell you!”
    She paid him no attention, but sat behind the wheel like a stone statue, her foot slowly forcing the gas pedal to the boards, building up the speed of the engine, forcing the truck faster and faster until it began to sway dangerously. The wooden cases behind clattered and banged under the tarpaulin.
    “Have you gone crazy?” Dan bawled, frightened to touch her in case he caused her to swerve off the road. “You’ll have us over in a moment. Pull up, you little fool!”
    But she was deaf to him, and the truck hurtled on through the rain and the wind into darkness.
    Behind, the siren screamed at them, and Dan leaned out of the cab window, stared back the length of the swaying truck, rain beating on his face and head. A single headlight flickered behind them. Dan guessed they were being chased by a State cop on a high-speed motor-cycle. He turned back to the girl, shouted: “That’s a speed cop behind. He’s gonging us. You can’t get away from him. Pull up, will you?”
    “I’m going to get away from him,” the girl said, her voice pitched high above the roar of the engine and the wind. And she laughed that odd metallic little laugh that had already set his teeth on edge.
    “Don’t be a fool,” Dan said, moving closer to her. “We’ll only hit something. You can’t beat a cop in this truck. Come on, pull up.”
    Ahead the road suddenly widened.
    This is it, Dan thought. The cop will shoot past and turn on us. Well, it’s her funeral now. She’ll have to stand the rap. They can’t touch me. The mad, stupid, irresponsible little fool!
    It happened the way he thought. There was a sudden roaring of an engine, a dazzling searchlight of a headlamp and the speed-cop was past them; a broad squat figure in a black slicker, his head bent low over the handle-bars.
    “Now you’ve gotta stop,” Dan shouted. “He’ll sit in the middle of the road and cut speed. You’ll have to stop or you’ll hit him.”
    “Then I’ll hit him,” the girl said calmly.
    Dan peered at her, had a sudden feeling that she meant what she said.
    “Are you nuts?” he bawled, then his heart gave a lurch. Glenview! The tolling bell, someone’s been lucky to escape, the odd metallic laugh, I’m nobody from nowhere. Then I’ll hit him. She was crazy! A lunatic! The cop was after her to take her back to Glenview!
    Dan drew away from her, his eyes starting from his head, scared sick. He’d have to do something. She’d kill the cop, kill him and herself. She wouldn’t care what she did. If he could get at the ignition switch! But dare he try ? Suppose the move upset her, caused her to pull off the road? He looked through the cab window, his breath laboured, his heart hammering wildly against his ribs. They were climbing again. To their left was a white wood fence, guarding the long drop to the twisting road they had left miles behind. If she pulled to the left they were finished, but if she turned right they had a chance: a slim one, but they might get out before the gas tank went up.
    He became aware that the cop was signalling them to stop. The sign on the back of his carrier was flickering: Police. Stop!
    “You’ve gotta stop, kid,” Dan shouted desperately. “He doesn’t want you, he wants me. You’ve got nothing to be scared. The girl laughed to herself, leaned forward to peer at the flickering sign. She seemed to be aiming the truck at it.
    Dan saw the cop was reducing speed. The truck was creeping up on him. The great beam of the headlights was centred on his back.
    “The fool!” Dan thought. “He must know she’s nuts. He must know she’ll run him down.” And he leaned out of the cab and screamed at the crouching figure just ahead.
    “Get on! She’ll nail you, you goddamn fool! Get out of the way! She’s going to run you down!”
    The wind snatched the sound