Recoil by Jim Thompson

said.
    “But why did you buy it—a jalopy like that—when the state lets you have a first class car for nothing?”
    “It’s simple enough,” I said. “Since I don’t need it for myself, I obviously intend to resell it. I’m pretty handy with tools. I can fix it up in my spare time and make a little money on it.”
    “Well…” She stared at me suspiciously.
    “That’s what I intend to do, Miss Briscoe.”
    “Now,” she nodded. “That’s what you intend to do now. What did you—did you honest-to-God buy that car, Red?”
    “I don’t understand.”
    “I don’t either. But let it go. Get that car off the lot today. And don’t lose any time about re-selling it.”
    “Yes, ma’am,” I said. “Do you want me to drive back to town ahead of you?”
    “That won’t be necessary,” she snapped. And then her voice and her face softened. “I’m trying to help you, Red, and that’s all I am trying to do. Why don’t you give me a chance?”
    “Yes, ma’am?”
    “Come out of it! For God’s sake come out of your shell before you rot in it.” She put a hand on my knee and leaned toward me. “I’m sure you’re in a jam, a damned bad one. Tell me about it.”
    “There’s nothing I can tell you,” I said.
    “There. You see? You don’t even have to think any more; you slide off center automatically. Doc’s got you mixed up in something, and you don’t know how to get out of it, hasn’t he?”
    “Why should Doc do that?”
    “Red—!” She sighed and removed her hand. “Suppose I said this to you. Suppose I told you I knew you were on the level and wanted to stay that way and any trouble you were in wasn’t your own fault.”
    “There’s nothing to tell at the moment,” I said carefully. “But something might come up…”
    “Yes, Red?”
    “I understand you always keep your word,” I said. “You always make good on a threat or a promise. So make that supposition of yours a little more specific, and I’ll believe you. Tell me you’ll trust me to do what I have to, what I think is right, and that you’ll keep me from going back to Sandstone.”
    “Well,” she laughed, irritatedly, “that’s a pretty big load to buy blind, Red.”
    I nodded. “But no bigger than the one you’re asking me to buy.”
    “Yes, it is. You see, Red, there’s such a hell of a lot more involved than just you and me. For almost ten years, now, Doc’s crowd has been riding high and handsome. This time, in this coming election, it looks like they’re going to lose out. They’re getting desperate. They’re looking for some way to discredit me. You could be it.”
    “I don’t see how I could be used,” I said. “Anyway, I’ve been given to understand that you can stay in office as long as you want to.”
    “I’ve stayed in for thirty years, but that doesn’t mean I can keep on doing it. And when I go, whatever small reform element there is goes with me. A first-class scandal will put any office-holder in the street—and the straighter he’s been the harder it’ll hit him. He’ll either lose out entirely or he’ll have to do so much horse-trading that he won’t be able to do anything in his job.”
    “But—”
    “Yeah, I know. I didn’t sign your parole. But I did consent to it, and you’re my obligation. Let you get in a really bad scrape, and it’ll come back on me. Let me get it in the neck, and the whole reform slate will collapse. That automatically leaves Doc’s crowd in the saddle. This is a one-party state. The people don’t vote for candidates, they vote against them.”
    “I understand,” I said. “But how am I going to be used to discredit you?”
    “I don’t know, Red. But I can think of any number of things you could do that would pull the trick. That’s why I want you to level with me. And I’ll go along with you as far as I can, Red. That’s a promise.”
    She stood up tiredly and began brushing at her perpetually wrinkled skirt. The sun was full out by now,