Just Another Sucker (8 page)

‘Be reasonable, Harry, for heaven’s sake!’ Renick said. ‘The old gang’s gone. This is a big opportunity. We don’t know what it’ll pay yet, but it’ll be good money. Meadows knows all about your case and your reputation as a newspaper man. If we can get a grant for the salary, and we’re pretty sure we can, the job’s yours.’

It crossed my mind that here was my chance to drop this kidnapping stunt and get down to a solid job of work. I hesitated, thinking of the fifty thousand dollars. With that amount of money behind me, I could be my own boss.

‘I’ll think about it,’ I said. ‘Maybe the old gang has gone, but I’m still not sold about working for the City. Anyway, I’ll think about it.’

‘But don’t you think you should take it?’ Nina said anxiously. ‘It’s work you like and you…’

‘I said I’d think about it,’ I said curtly.

Renick looked disappointed.

‘Well, all right. Of course it’s not certain we’ll get a grant, but if we do, we’ll want a quick decision.

There are a couple of other guys after the job already.’

‘There always are,’ I said, ‘Thanks, John, for the offer. I’ll let you know.’

He gave a helpless little shrug, then got to his feet.

‘Okay. I must get moving. I just dropped in to tell you. You give me a call.’

When he had gone, Nina said, ‘You’re not going to turn this offer down, are you, Harry? You must see…’

‘I’m going to think about it. Come on, let’ s go to bed.’

She put her hand on my arm as she said, ‘If they get the grant, I want you to take this job. We can’t go on much longer like this. You must get settled.’

‘Will you let me handle my own life?’ I said sharply. ‘I said I would think about it, and that’s what I’m going to do.’

I went into the bedroom, and after putting the tape I had recorded into a drawer, I got undressed.

I could hear Nina moving about the kitchen, clearing up. I got into bed.

Again I balanced this offer of Renick’s against Rhea’s fifty thousand dollars. Maybe this grant wouldn’t jell. Maybe something would turn sour with the kidnapping. I would have to wait and see.

Maybe with any luck I might land both Renick’s offer and Rhea’s money.

Nina came in. I pretended to be half asleep. I watched her undress through half closed eyes. She got into bed beside me and turned off the light. When she moved close to me, I shifted away. I felt such a heel, I couldn’t bear to have her touch me.

The next day was Thursday. Nina wanted the car as she had some pots to take down to the shop.

There was nothing for me to do, so I hung around the bungalow and I kept thinking of Odette.

By now my first feeling of guilt had worn off. I had told myself as I had driven from the cabin last night that when we met again, there would be no repetition of what had happened. This was my first slip; there wasn’t going to be another, but this morning, as I mooned around the bungalow, I found myself thinking differently.

I was now telling myself it couldn’t possibly hurt Nina if I again made love to Odette. The time to have stopped was the first time; the second time made no difference. Once you did it, you had done it. I even began to imagine I had enjoyed Odette’s savage, primitive embrace, and as the hours dragged by, I found myself waiting impatiently for tomorrow night.

Later in the day, I went to the bank and lodged the tape with the other one, then I went to the beach cabin and spent the rest of the day swimming and sitting in the sun, my mind gradually becoming obsessed with Odette.

The following morning, as we were finishing breakfast, Nina said, ‘Have you decided about John’s offer?’

‘Not yet,’ I said, ‘but I’m considering it.’

She stared steadily at me and I had to shift my eyes.

‘Well, while you are making up your mind,’ she said, ‘there are three bills that must be paid. I haven’t the money.’ She dropped the bills onto the table. ‘The garage man won’t let us have any more gas until we have settled his account. The electricity bill must be paid or we’ll be without light. The grocery bill must be settled. They won’t give us any more credit.’

I still had sixty dollars left from the hundred Rhea had paid me. At least I could take care of the grocery and the electricity bills.

‘I’ll fix these,’ I said. ‘The garage man must wait. Have we any gas?’

‘About half a tank.’

‘We’d better use the bus whenever we can.’

‘I have four pots to deliver tomorrow. I can’t use the bus.’

There was a sharp note of exasperation in her voice I had never heard before. I looked at her. She faced me, her dark eyes unhappy and angry. The prick of conscience made me angry too.

‘I didn’t say you couldn’t use the car,’ I said. ‘I just said when we could we’d better use the bus.’

‘I heard you.’

‘All right then.’

She hesitated. I could see she wanted to say something further, but instead, she turned and left the room.

I felt bad. This was the nearest we had ever come to a quarrel. I left the bungalow and walked to the bus stop. I settled the two bills: that left me with fifteen dollars. At the end of the week Bill Holden would want the rent for the cabin, but with any luck, I would be worth fifty thousand by then.

I spent the rest of the day at the beach cabin, swimming, lounging in the sun and watching the clock, counting the minutes to the time when Odette would come up the veranda steps.

Again the beach became deserted soon after half past eight. I was now sitting on the veranda, as tense as any schoolboy waiting for his first date.

A little after nine o’clock, she came out of the darkness. As soon as I caught sight of her, I was out of my chair, stupidly excited, my heart thumping, and as she came up the steps, I caught hold of her, my hands gripping her arms, pulling her to me.

Then I got a shock.

She put her hands on my chest and gave me a hard shove, sending me backwards.

‘Keep your paws to yourself,’ she said in a cold, flat voice. ‘When I want you to paw me, I’ll tell you,’ and she walked past me into the cabin.

I felt as if I had come under a douche of icy water. I felt suddenly deflated and horribly cheap. After a moment’s hesitation, I followed her into the cabin and shut the door.

She was wearing powder blue slacks and a white pleated shirt. Her black hair was caught back by a white bandeau. She looked very desirable as she curled herself up on the settee.

‘You should never jump to conclusions, little man,’ she said and smiled. ‘You mustn’t ever take any woman for granted. You amused me the other night, but you don’t amuse me tonight.’

This was my moment of truth. I could have killed her. I could have taken her by force, but those words put a picture of myself in a frame. They were needles, pricking a balloon.

I sat down. With an unsteady hand, I lit a cigarette.

‘I’m glad I’m not your father,’ I said. ‘That’s one thing I’m really glad about.’

She giggled, drawing smoke down into her lungs and expelling it through her pinched nostrils.

‘Why bring my father into it? You’re just mad at me because I’m not the easy toy you thought I was.

They all say the same: stupid, unsuccessful men with the sex itch.’ She smoothed down her dark hair as she stared mockingly at me. ‘Now we have got over all that, shall we talk business?’

I hated her then more than I thought it possible to hate anyone.

I had trouble in opening my briefcase and taking out the papers on which I had written my questionnaire. My hands shook so badly, the papers made a rustling noise.

‘I’ll ask the questions,’ I said, my voice scarcely under control, ‘you give me the answers.’

‘You don’t have to get upset, little man,’ she said. ‘You’re being very well paid.’

‘Shut up!’ I snarled at her. ‘I don’t want any of your cheap remarks,’ then I began to fire questions at her. ‘Why did she go to the Pirates’ Cabin?’ ‘What was the room like in which she was imprisoned?’

‘What was the woman like who fed her?’ ‘Did she see anyone else besides this woman while she was in the farmhouse?’ and so on and so on.

Her answers were slick and smooth. Not once did she hesitate nor make a mistake.

We kept at it for over two hours. During those hours of intensive questioning, she never once put a foot wrong.

Finally, I said, ‘You’ll do. Just so long as you don’t alter the story and you watch out for traps, you’ll do.’

She gave me a small, mocking smile.

‘I’ll watch out fop traps… Harry.’

I got to my feet.

‘Well, okay, then we’re ready for Saturday. I’ll be at the Pirates’ Cabin at nine-fifteen. You know what to do.’

She uncurled herself off the settee and stood up.

‘Yes, I know what to do.’

We looked at each other, then her expression softened, and smiling, she moved towards me, that thing in her eyes.

‘Poor little man,’ she said. ‘Paw me if you want to. I don’t really mind.’

I waited until she was in range, then I slapped her face, hard. Her head jerked to one side. Then I slapped her again.

She stepped back, her hands going to her flaming cheeks, staring at me, her slate eyes glittering.

‘You stinker!’ she said shrilly. ‘I’ll remember that! You rotten stinker!’

‘Get out!’ I said. ‘Before I hit you again!’

She moved to the door, swinging her neat hips. At the door she paused and turned to stare at me.

‘I’m glad I’m not your wife,’ she said. ‘That’s one thing I’m glad about,’ then she suddenly giggled and turning, ran out into the moonlight and scampered away across the hard, damp sand.

I felt such a heel, I could have cut my throat.

I

When I got up on Saturday morning, there was a hint of rain in the air. I was nervous and uneasy. All my doubts about this job came crowding up out of my sub-conscious. It was only the thought of the money that stiffened my jittery nerves.

‘I’ll be late tonight,’ I told Nina who was preparing breakfast. ‘This is the last night of the traffic count.’

She looked anxious at me.

‘Will you be seeing John today?’

‘I’ll see him on Monday. If he had any news for me he would have telephoned.’

She hesitated, then asked, ‘Are you going to take the job, Harry?’

‘I think so. A lot depends on what they will pay.’

‘John said the salary would be good.’ She smiled at me. ‘I’m so glad. You really have been worrying me.’

‘I’ve been worrying myself,’ I said lightly. ‘I’m taking the car tonight. It’s going to rain.’

‘There’s very little gas, Harry.’

‘That’s okay. I’ll fix it.’

Later, I went down to the beach cabin. I had just got into my swim trunks when Bill Holden appeared in the doorway.

‘Hello there, Mr. Barber,’ he said. ‘Are you keeping the cabin on for another week?’

‘I guess so,’ I said. ‘Maybe not for the whole week but at least until Thursday.’

‘Would you like to settle for this week?’

‘I’ll settle tomorrow. I’ve left my wallet at home.’

‘That’s okay, Mr. Barber – tomorrow’s fine.’

I stared out at the grey, heavy sky.

‘Looks like rain. I guess I’ll have a swim before it starts.’

Holden said he thought it would hold off until later, but he was wrong. I had just come in from the swim when the rain started.

I settled down in the cabin with a paper-back. The beach was now deserted. That suited me. I hoped the rain would go on all day.

Around one o’clock, I went over to the restaurant which was empty and ate a hamburger and drank a beer, then I returned to the cabin. As I pushed open the door, the telephone bell rang.

It was Rhea on the line.

‘Is everything arranged?’ she asked. There was an anxious note in her voice.

‘On my side, it’s arranged,’ I said. ‘I’m ready to go. Everything now depends on Odette.’

‘You can depend on her.’

‘Well, fine. Then at eight-forty-five, I’ll start things moving.’

‘I’ll telephone you tomorrow at eleven o’clock.’

‘I want some money,’ I said. ‘I have to pay for the rent of this cabin. Maybe it would be better if you came down here tomorrow morning. I’ll be here.’

‘I’ll do that,’ she said and hung up.

I remained in the cabin for the rest of the day. The rain beat down on the roof. The sea turned slate grey. I tried to concentrate on the paper-back, but it was impossible.

Finally, I got up and prowled up and down and smoked endless cigarettes, watching the time and waiting, waiting and waiting.

When at last the hands of my wrist watch showed eight-thirty, I left the cabin and ran across the wet sand to the Packard. It was still raining, but more lightly. I drove to a drug store in the main street of Palm City. By the time I had parked and had walked through the drizzle to the drug store, it was close on eight-forty-five.

I called Malroux’s residence.

Almost immediately the call was answered.

‘Mr. Malroux’s residence,’ an English voice announced. ‘Who is this, please?’

‘I want Miss Malroux,’ I said. ‘This is Jerry Williams.’

‘Will you hold the line, Mr. Williams? I’ll see if Miss Malroux is available.’

I held the line, aware that I was breathing over-fast.

There was a longish delay, then Odette’s voice said brightly, ‘Hello?’

‘Is anyone listening?’

‘No. It’s all right. Hello, Harry.’ There was a caress in her voice. ‘You’re the only man who has ever dared to hit me. You are quite a character.’

‘I know. Watch it I don’t hit you again. You know what to do? I’ll be at the Pirates’ Cabin in twenty minutes. The Packard will be parked on the far right-hand side of the parking lot. The dress will be on the back seat. You haven’t forgotten any of the details?’

‘I haven’t forgotten.’

‘Then get moving. I’ll be waiting for you,’ and I hung up.

It took me a quarter of an hour, driving fast to reach the Pirates’ Cabin. The parking lot was pretty full, but I managed to park the Packard where I had told her it would be. There was no parking attendant and that suited me. Someone was playing a squeeze-box and singing. I could see through the windows that the bar was crowded.

I sat in the Packard and waited. I was pretty tense. Every car that came into the park made me stiffen.