Thieves Fall Out (17 page)

When at last she was herself again, she smiled wanly, brushing the tears from her face. “I am very silly,” she said. “But there is so much that is so awful, at times I don’t think I can stand it another minute. First, Dachau and my father, and then the world after the war, and then this country where I…where I’m trapped, too, worse even than you. At times I feel as though I were being slowly strangled to death.”

“We’ll leave, Anna. I can get the rest of the money they owe me, I think, and then we’ll have enough to get a ship from Alexandria to Naples. It’ll be easy. Then we’ll go home and you’ll forget all about everything.”

But she only sighed. “I was weak. Forget what I said. I have a job to do and so have you. When they are done we can think about leaving. Not until then.”

Pete was puzzled. “I thought you said—”

“I wanted you to quit? Yes, I do. I wish for your sake that you would give the necklace to the Rastignac woman, but I am afraid that if you did you would still be as marked as you are now, perhaps more so, because then Said would suspect you of treachery and long before you left Egypt he would have you killed. I know their kind so well. They are the same in every country. I first knew such people in Hamburg after the war, when I went there to sing. I found out soon enough what the world was like—our world in this awful time, at least. They are in control, everywhere. Worse men than Hitler, for he at least had an ideal, terrible as it was. Worse because they have no pity, only hate for the world they mean to own, to steal from the rest of us. And that’s why, if I had to lose my life for anything, I should give it gladly if I thought I could kill even one of these monsters as a warning to all the others.” She stopped, her face flushed; then she laughed with embarrassment. “I am now making speeches like a politician. Forgive me, Peter.”

“I know what you mean.” And he did; what she had said with such passion moved him. It was a rare thing, this abstract love for justice that she had, but chilling, too; she was no longer the Anna he had known when she talked like this.

She finished her dressing. They talked more quietly, more practically of his problem. “You must be on your guard every minute, my darling. Especially with the Rastignac woman.”

“Jealous?”

She smiled. “Well, yes, now that you mention it. I have seen her once or twice, though we’ve never met. She is lovely but bad. You know she was the Nazi Raedermann’s mistress. Now she is the mistress of Said.”

This was news. “How do you know that?”

“I thought everyone knew it. I travel in high circles.” She smiled wryly. Pete remembered what he had said to Said about Hélène. What a fool Said must have thought him! He writhed in memory. He was also alarmed. If Said thought he was interested in Hélène and that Hélène might return that interest, it could complicate a tangled situation even more, might tangle it fatally.

“I wish you’d told me that earlier.”

Anna was amused. “You mean that she was my—predecessor in your affections?”

“Not even close,” he said grimly. “But I made a crack or two to Said about her. I hope he didn’t resent it.”

“He won’t if he needs you. They put their personal affairs second. I am quite sure that she conducts any number of seductions at his suggestion. But watch out for her. Mohammed Ali is far less likely to be dangerous.”

“But what about you?”

“Me?” She looked startled.

“The business you’re involved in—what about that? Can’t you tell me now what it is? Why you can’t leave Egypt?”

She shook her head. “If it was only for my own sake I would tell you, I would trust you. But others are involved. I can’t betray them.”

“When will you be able to tell me?”

“Soon, I hope, very soon. Then we can go.” But there was a deadness in her voice that bothered him, as though she knew there would be no life for them together in the future. He started to say something, to try to jolt the truth from her before it was too late, but the misery in her dark blue eyes stopped him. He did not speak.

They left the hotel together. Outside in the street, with still too many things unsaid, they parted. “I’ll see you tonight,” said Anna, getting into a taxi. “After dinner, late. Don’t wait up.” She waved to him as she drove off. Disaster was in the air. He turned toward Shepheard’s.

Hastings was in the bar when he arrived, as though by prearrangement. His surprise, however, seemed genuine.

“Wells! Good to see you, boy! By God, it is!” He pumped his hand energetically and pulled him over to the bar. “Seen Hélène yet?”

“No, I just got here. I thought I’d look in the bar first, before I called her.”

“Spot of gin? Perfect for breakfast, cauterizes the stomach.” He ordered two gins and tonic. Then Hastings looked curiously at Pete, his hard pale eyes interested, his lips set in a genial smile. “Didn’t expect you till tonight, you know. How’d you get here, by the way?”

“Some people I knew chartered a plane last night. Thought I’d go along, since there was no reason to stay on in Luxor.”

“Said know you were leaving?”

“Certainly. He gave me the—”

“Did he know you were leaving last night instead of today?”

The point seemed a little too fine to Pete. “Well, no, I don’t suppose he did. Does it matter? He’d already given me the—stuff.”

“Doesn’t matter at all. Ah, the libation!” They toasted one another solemnly. “By the way,” said Hastings, smacking his lips over the gin, “word comes that you are now the Don Juan of Upper Egypt.”

Pete chuckled. “There didn’t seem any competition,” he said.

“Think not?” Hastings was bland. “No competition there, perhaps. But here, ah, watch out.”

“Why?”

“When competition wears a crown, it’s not easy for us ordinary fellows.”

“I don’t think it’s true about Anna and him.”

“That what she told you? Well, it’s none of my affair except where it involves us, and it will involve us if you’re suddenly marched out of Egypt by the police. That’s happened a couple of times before to eager youths, at least to those with foreign passports. Local swains disappear or else become eunuchs.”

That was it, at last. “You know?”

Hastings looked at him curiously. “Know what?”

“About what happened to me the other night, on the west side of the river.” Pete told the story quickly, aware that Hastings already knew the details.

“We heard,” said Hastings, when he finished. “Not all, though. Shocked, too. Mainly by your bad judgment, if you’ll excuse my saying so. You, and we, are in a tough situation. Delicacy is all-important. So what do you do? Get tangled up with a girl who is guarded by the police and the main interest of the King. You’re damned lucky to be here at all.”

Pete was irritated, partly because what Hastings said had some truth in it—he had acted foolishly. On the other hand, Anna was more important to him than business, than his own safety. “If you want,” said Pete recklessly, “you can take the necklace and—”

“Keep your voice down, boy,” said Hastings with a cool smile, his eyes like ice. A group of Egyptians had entered the bar and sat down at a table nearby. He lowered his own voice carefully. “Now don’t fly off the handle. Thought you were a clever chap, lot of nerve, control, that kind of thing. And here you are acting like a schoolboy. Surprised at you.”

“I just think my private life is no concern of yours,” said Pete in a low voice, aware that, in a sense, he was wrong.

“As far as I’m concerned, you can go live with that policeman on a houseboat,” said Hastings, suddenly lyric. “I don’t care. But don’t get involved until you’re clear, until we’re all clear. You’ve got in trouble once already. Suppose you’d had the necklace with you then? Been merry hell to pay for the lot of us.”

Pete mumbled that he was sorry. “Well, you won’t have much longer,” said Hastings cheerily.

“How much longer, do you think?”

“A day or two.”

“And then I leave the country with the necklace?”

“Can’t tell just yet. Hélène’s making those plans now. Depends a lot on the situation.”

“Why? Is there any trouble? Are the police—”

“Never worry about the police in an Arab country. They don’t cost much, and when they’re bought they usually stay bought, though of course that’s no sure sign Mohammed Ali may not be ambitious. No, the police won’t bother us. Others will. Another…syndicate is after the necklace. Even so, you’re fairly safe, if all goes well, and by that I mean politics.”

Pete was puzzled.

“Politics,” repeated Hastings, and his voice descended almost to a whisper. “There are rumors of a plot against the King. Trouble, real trouble. Nobody knows what might happen. If there’s out-and-out rioting it may be difficult to follow any schedule.”

“Then why not let me leave now, today? I can take a plane and be off in a few hours.”

Hastings chuckled. “I like that. Eager. Wonderful quality. Unfortunately, we have a schedule. Certain people must be alerted; others thrown off the scent. Your coming here unexpectedly probably shook some of them loose; they’ll be a while getting on to you again.”

“You mean others, people I don’t know about, are following me around, trying to get the stuff?”

“Certainly, my boy. Not nervous, are you?”

Pete swallowed part of his gin the wrong way; he coughed for several moments while Hastings pounded his back. “Didn’t mean to upset you.” Hastings chuckled. “Well, come along. Let’s find Hélène.”

She was free for lunch. Hastings called her on the house phone and a few minutes later, dazzling in a batik dress, she joined them out on the terrace in back of the hotel, where, under an awning overlooking the garden, lunch was served.

“We did not expect you so soon.” She smiled warmly and put her hand on his sleeve as though seeing him at last made up for everything, even the unexpectedness of his arrival.

“It was too hot in Luxor.”

“Meaning the weather?” asked Hastings.

Pete laughed. “That was too hot, too. No, it was getting uncomfortable with Mohammed Ali around all the time. I couldn’t wait to duck him. When Said gave me the necklace I figured I was free to go right then. I never thought there was a special reason for me to wait another day, especially with him hot on my trail.”

“You did exactly right,” said Hélène, somewhat to his surprise. “You must run no more risks than you have to.”

“In that case, I wish you’d hold onto the necklace until it’s time for me to skip the country with it. I can’t sleep nights knowing that there’s a hundred thousand bucks or so tucked away in my coat.”

“Lobster, I think,” said Hastings to the waiter, speaking for all of them. “Marvelous lobsters in these parts.”

Hélène ignored Hastings. “I can’t do that,” she said. “It wouldn’t work.”

“I don’t see why not. This is your city. You must have all sorts of good hiding places. I think you’d want it kept in a safe place. They can get me almost any day. There’s not a hell of a lot one man can do in a strange city against a dozen sharp customers who want something he’s got.”

“Lad who can take care of three bandits shouldn’t be frightened of some nervous jewel thieves.” Hastings poured wine with an accurate hand.

“I know what he means,” said Hélène hesitantly. “It has bothered me also. Peter, we can’t take the necklace now because we are watched, too, even at this minute. More important, though, we have no idea yet when you are to go. It depends on Said. On the situation here. On the negotiations with our buyer, which Said himself is conducting. For all I know, he may suddenly call us now, this minute, and send you to Europe.”

“Then the decision is his, finally?”

Hélène nodded. “Entirely his. Our only job is to make the arrangements. It will be best, probably, for you to fly, but all will depend on how much warning we have.”

“So meanwhile I wander about the city with a small fortune in my coat, which I don’t dare take off even when I go to sleep, and your whole scheme depends on my keeping out of the hands of police and competitors.” He sighed. “You have a lot of faith, I’ll say that.”

“We do, Peter. Don’t you understand there isn’t anything else we can do right now? Now that you know our situation a little better, you can see that it is like an army, in a way. We must follow orders, all of us. Our orders are to get you out of the country at a moment’s notice when the deal in Europe or America is completed. Your orders are to stand by, with the necklace, until we give the word.”

He had to admit to himself that she was plausible, but a suspicion had begun to grow, an ugly indication of a plot so intricate that it made his head spin. Until he was sure, however, he would pretend ignorance. “Whatever you say. It’s almost as much your worry as mine. You’ll lose a fortune and I’ll get my throat cut.”

“I think we should have champagne. Just the stuff for a day like this. Celebrate a bit. Lunch’s best time for it, I always say.” And Hastings ordered champagne, which they drank thirstily, enjoying its coolness in the hot afternoon.

After lunch Hastings, as usual, excused himself, leaving Pete to Hélène, who had obviously been selected as the one who could best handle the young American.

“I suppose you’ll be glad when it’s over,” she said, as they sat back in their canvas chairs while the waiter cleared the table.

He nodded. “Real glad,” he said.

“I should never have asked you to take on this job,” She looked at him with concern. “The danger is greater than the reward, though it is certainly not to my interest to tell you this.” She gave every appearance of trying to be honest.

“Meaning I won’t get that percentage I was promised?”

“Meaning that even when you do get it you will not be sufficiently compensated for all you’ve done for us. You are very brave, Peter.” She turned her dark eyes on him, and the expression was warm and candid. Under the table her leg pressed gently, unmistakably against his. A spasm of desire went through him for an instant, but only for an instant. There was no other woman for him now but Anna. Deliberately, cold-bloodedly, he returned the pressure, noting with a scientist’s detachment the faint flush of color that rose from her neck to her face.

“I missed you,” she said softly, looking away.