18 The Saint Bids Diamonds (Thieves' Picnic)

Simon picked a piece of cuttlefish out of his paella and chewed it laboriously. It tasted exactly like high-grade rubber.

'You're wrong there,' he said coolly. 'I think I understand you pretty well. When you've met one skunk, you recognise the smell of the others-whether they're wearing an old school tie or a little piece of gigolo whisker.'

The refined face of Mr Aliston pinkened, but Palermo's retained its swarthy impassivity. He stared at the Saint with his head cocked on one side like a sparrow.

'You talk fast,' he said.

'I think like that,' said the Saint easily. 'It didn't even take me long to figure out that you aren't only double- crossing me-you're double-crossing Graner as well.'

There was a certain period of silence, during which the girl's knife and fork clinked softly as she contin­ued to eat with wholehearted concentration. Aliston's chair creaked a nervous rhythm as he swayed back­wards and forwards. Palermo went on looking at the Saint for several moments and then continued eating.

'Graner hasn't done anything much for you, has he?' he said. 'I wouldn't have stood for him hitting me like he hit you last night.'

'You'd have had to stand for it if you'd been in my place.'

'Still, did you like it?'

The Saint shrugged, watching him thoughtfully.

Palermo went on, with an air of friendly decision: 'I'm going to be frank with you, Tombs. You're a good fellow, and I'd rather have it that way. We are double-crossing Graner. You guessed right. He's tried to do things to us like he did to you, and Cecil and me have been getting tired of it. Graner's all right-he's a great organiser and he's done plenty for us. But he's too bossy. Cecil and me, we're what you might call independent. When this lottery-ticket business came along, we thought it was about time to quit. So we had to ditch Graner. See?'

'And ditch me,' added the Saint mildly.

Palermo was unabashed. He went on cleaning up his plate with hearty thoroughness.

'Sure. I'm being frank with you, see? That was how it was. We didn't know you much then, and we were just going to split the ticket between us. Well, now it seems you've got Christine and you've been talking to her. We've got to keep her quiet, and we want to know what she's told you. So maybe we have to pay for it. I'm not saying we like it, but business is business and we've got to make the best of it. You've got to look at it the same way. If you stick with Graner you can't collect more than two million pesetas, and you'll lucky if you get that. Come in with us, give us all you know, and we'll give you a square deal that 'll bring you five million. That's fair enough, isn't it?'

'I think it's a lovely idea,' said the Saint slowly.

Palermo leaned back and shifted his belt with a satisfied gesture.

'That's fine,' he said. 'Well, where did you take Christine?'

Simon pushed his plate away and smiled at him no less complacently.

'Oh no,' he said. 'That isn't fine at all.'

'What d'you mean ?' demanded Palermo abruptly. 'We're partners now, aren't we?'

'For the moment.'

'Well, what are you putting in ?'

'What are you putting in, if it comes to that ?'

Palermo pointed his cigar at the closed communicat­ing door.

'You know what we're putting in. That's what you were talking about just now. Christine told you, didn't she? You don't have to play innocent any more.'

'You've got them here ?'

'Sure we have.'

The Saint eased a short cylinder of ash on to the side of his plate.

'And I've got Christine-where I've got her,' he said equably. 'So we're all square. I'm not wanting to take Joris away from you, and you needn't want to take Christine away from me. You've already told me that you've taken up double-crossing for a living, and you don't know much about my morals either. So if we each keep what we've got we can work together without being afraid that we're double-crossing each other. That seems sound enough for a start, anyway. Besides, why put all our eggs in one basket? If Joris managed to get away, he'd take Christine; or if Graner got wise to this place he'd have 'em both; or if Joris' friends got on to you --'

'You made a stall like that to Graner,' Palermo said coldly. 'It's not good enough. If you're coming in with us, you come in without any strings. Where's Christine?'

'I took her to another hotel.'

'Which one?'

'The Quisisana.'

Palermo made a sign to Aliston. Aliston got up and wilted towards the door. He seemed glad to be relieved from the strain of sitting still.

'I'll see if I can find the taxi as well,' he said.

Simon turned the cigarette between his fingers.

'Where's he going?' he rapped.