The telephone bell rang in Rico’s office, and Gillis cursed himself for leaving the waiters’ changing room. Where he was he couldn’t hear what was being said. There was a slight delay, then Rico’s door opened, and he heard Rico say frantically, ‘Leaving al this! I’l be ruined…’
Baird came out of the office, carrying a suitcase. He went to the rear exit, and leaving the door wide open, climbed into the Packard.
A moment later Rico came blundering after him, struggling into his overcoat.
As the Packard started up, Gillis moved swiftly to the open door and stepped into the alley. He was in time to see the Packard shoot into the main street.
‘Anything you want, sir?’ the parking at endant asked suspiciously.
Gillis ignored him. He ran to the end of the alley and looked after the swiftly moving Packard. From across the road he heard a car start up, and he looked in its direction. He saw a dusty Lincoln pull out dangerously into the thinning traffic. It went after the Packard, cutting in front of other drivers, causing them to swerve and sound their horns. Gillis caught sight of a big fleshy man at the wheel, and he stared after him thoughtfully.
The man in the Lincoln worried him. Was he a policeman? Gillis thought that was unlikely.
Policemen usually hunted in pairs. Then who was he? What was he doing, tailing Baird?
He crossed the street and went into the bar. The barman knew him and nodded to him.
‘A Scotch, Jack,’ Gil is said, leaning against the bar. When the barman put the drink in front of him, Gillis went on, ‘Seen a big fat guy in here? He was wearing a dark green leisure jacket and a brown hat.’
The barman nodded.
‘Yeah, I’ve seen him. It’s my bet he’s a shamus. He’s been watching the club for the past hour.
Another guy joined him a while back, and they, went out together. The fat fella sat in his car and went on watching the club, the other one went into the club.’
Gillis finished his whisky and slid a five-dollar bill across the counter.
‘Hang on to the change,’ he said. ‘What was the other guy like?’
‘Tal , lanky, with a crew hair cut.’
Dallas!
‘Thanks, Jack,’ Gil is said, and pushed himself away from the bar. For the first time since he started on this business he felt uneasy. If Dallas was watching him – how much had he found out?
He stood hesitating for a moment, then walked quickly to a pay booth and shut himself in.
VII
Rico sat huddled up, staring miserably at the two pools of light from the headlamps that raced ahead of the Packard. He was sure now he had seen the last of the Frou-Frou Club, and the future yawned before him as a dark, menacing chasm. If Baird didn’t pull this job off, he would have to start all over again. Baird had nothing to lose, but it was different for him: he had established himself; he was a man of substance. He was leaving behind him a flourishing business, a newly furnished apartment, a wardrobe full of clothes, and a Buick. He must have been out of his mind to have got himself in a jam like this.
Baird said, ‘In another fifteen miles we’l be across the State line. We can get an air taxi from Lincoln Falls to Shreveport. If we get the breaks we should be in Red River Basin by tomorrow night.’
Rico didn’t say anything. He thrust his hands in his coat pockets and huddled further down in his seat.
Rain beat against the windshield and drummed on the roof of the car. There was very little traffic on the highway, and Baird kept up a fast speed.
‘Get ing this guy Hater out of the swamp isn’t going to be a picnic,’ Baird went on, ‘but it can be done. I’ve fixed a boat. As soon as we get over the State line you’d bet er get Kile on the phone and let him know what we’re doing.’
‘If this doesn’t come off…’ Rico groaned.
‘It’s got to come off!’
‘Even if Kile pays us when we hand over Hater, how are we to get hold of the pay-off when Kile collects it? He’l probably get it at his house. What can we do if he does? We can’t show our faces in town. How shall we know when he does collect the dough?’
‘What makes you think we can’t go back there?’ Baird asked indifferently. ‘Olin wouldn’t scare me away from any town.’
Rico began to sweat.
‘We’l walk into a trap if we go back,’ he said, sit ing upright and staring hard at Baird.
‘If you want the dough you’l have to go back. There’s no other way of get ing it. That’s a risk we’ll have to run. When Kile takes delivery of Hater we can’t afford to let him out of our sight for a second!’
Rico groaned.
‘I wish I’d never touched this,’ he said in despair. ‘It’s ruined me.’
‘You can quit any time you like,’ Baird said. ‘If you don’t want your share, say so: al the more for me.’
Rico lapsed in moody silence. He sat still staring at the broad black ribbon of the road as it fled under the wheels of the Packard.
Every now and then Baird glanced into his rear mirror. The two distant headlights he could see puzzled him.
