She must have seen him jump, and he tried to smile and cover it up. He said, "You've got a better taste in jewelry than that statue of yours, if you don't mind my saying so."
And she smiled too, and said, "Kali is the goddess of the Thugs, you know. Each skull represents one of her victims."
Jerry stood up. She didn't try to hold him.
'The Thugs are stranglers, you know. They kill as a sacrifice. The cult was supposedly stamped out many years ago, but it still has its devotees. My late husband was a believer. He chose me as a bride because he looked upon me as a reincarnation of the goddess. Quaint, isn't it?"
Jerry looked at the necklace. She was close enough for him to make a grab for her, so he wasn't afraid. Besides, the servants were gone.
"So you killed him, huh? And you've been going around ever since, knocking guys off and adding to your string of pearls. That's what you did to the Greek, and to Sweet William. You're crazy as a bedbug."
The Ranee laughed. "How utterly absurd!" she said.
"Like hell it is," Jerry said. "You just got me up here because you were scared I'd kick up a fuss if Sweet William didn't come back. And maybe you had some loony idea of making me number thirteen in your necklace. Well, let me tell you — "
But Jerry Gibson never got a chance to tell her. Because all at once the servants were back, and one of them was holding his arms and the other one was wrapping something tight around his neck, something that squeezed and squeezed.
Jerry's eyes began to bulge. The last thing he saw was the string of pearls around the Ranee's neck. It wasn't really a necklace, of course. He knew that now.
It was more like a choker.
Notes for FINAL RECKONINGS
Mannikins of Horror,
Weird Tales
Copyright © 1939, renewed 1967 by Robert Bloch.
Almost Human,
Fantastic Adventures
Copyright © 1943, renewed 1971 by Robert Bloch.
The Beasts of Barsac,
Weird Tales
Copyright © 1944, renewed 1972 by Robert Bloch.
The Skull of the Marquis de Sade,
Weird Tales
Copyright © 1945, renewed 1973 by Robert Bloch.
The Bogey Man Will Get You,
Weird Tales
Copyright © 1946, renewed 1974 by Robert Bloch.
Frozen Fear,
Weird Tales
Copyright © 1946, renewed 1974 by Robert Bloch.
The Tunnel of Love (as "Hell Is My Legacy"),
New Detective
Copyright © 1948, renewed 1976 by Robert Bloch.
The Unspeakable Betrothal,
Avon Fantasy Reader #9
Copyright © 1948, renewed 1976 by Robert Bloch.
Tell Your Fortune,
Weird Tales
Copyright © 1950, renewed 1978 by Robert Bloch.
The Head Man,
15 Mystery Stories
Copyright © 1950, renewed 1978 by Robert Bloch.
The Shadow from the Steeple,
Weird Tales
Copyright © 1950, renewed 1978 by Robert Bloch.
The Man Who Collected Poe,
Famous Fantastic Mysteries
Copyright © 1951, renewed 1979 by Robert Bloch.
Lucy Comes to Stay,
Weird Tales
Copyright © 1952, renewed 1980 by Robert Bloch.
The Thinking Cap,
Other Worlds
Copyright © 1953, renewed 1981 by Robert Bloch.
Constant Reader,
Universe
Copyright © 1953, renewed 1981 by Robert Bloch.
The Pin,
Amazing Stories
Copyright © 1954, renewed 1982 by Robert Bloch.
The Goddess of Wisdom,
Fantastic Universe
Copyright © 1954, renewed 1982 by Robert Bloch.
The Past Master,
Blue Book
Copyright © 1955, renewed 1983 by Robert Bloch.
Where the Buffalo Roam,
Other Worlds
Copyright © 1955, renewed 1983 by Robert Bloch.
I Like Blondes,
Playboy
Copyright © 1956, renewed 1984 by Robert Bloch.
You Got to Have Brains,
Fantastic Universe
Copyright © 1956, renewed 1984 by Robert Bloch.
A Good Imagination,
Suspect
Copyright © 1956, renewed 1984 by Robert Bloch.
Dead-End Doctor,
Galaxy
Copyright © 1956, renewed 1984 by Robert Bloch.
Terror in the Night,
Manhunt
Copyright © 1956, renewed 1984 by Robert Bloch.
All on a Golden Afternoon,
Fantasy & Science Fiction
Copyright © 1956, renewed 1984 by Robert Bloch.
Founding Fathers,
Fantastic Universe
Copyright © 1956, renewed 1984 by Robert Bloch.
String of Pearls,
The Saint
Copyright © 1956, renewed 1984 by Robert Bloch.