‘Hello, Harry,’ she said. ‘Well, here I am.’
I went down the steps and took the suitcase from her. I was a little disturbed that she was alone.
‘We’ll go inside,’ I said. ‘Isn’t Mrs. Malroux coming?’
The girl gave me a sidelong glance and she smiled.
‘Was she invited? Anyway, she isn’t coming.’
Together, we went into the cabin. I shut the door, then turned on the light. I had a new tape on the recorder. As I turned on the light, the recorder in the bedroom began to record.
I had had a busy day, working out the details I wanted the girl to learn. I had the letter drafted for her.
I had played back the tape and had satisfied myself that the recording couldn’t have been better. I had made a parcel of it and had lodged it in my bank.
I was now pretty confident, and the itch to lay my hands on that fifty thousand dollars was really something. I was certain I couldn’t be prosecuted if anything went wrong unless both the girl and Rhea were prosecuted too, and I couldn’t imagine Malroux prosecuting his wife and daughter, so that had to let me out if we ran into trouble.
‘Let’s go,’ I said, sitting down. ‘There’s a lot to do and we haven’t much time.’
I watched her walk over to the settee and sit down. Her movements were provocative, and I found myself watching her a little too intently. She drew up her legs under her, adjusted her skirts and then looked inquiringly at me. That look made me uneasy. This girl knew her way around. She knew too she was making an impression on me.
‘I think Rhea was very clever to trap you into helping us,’ she said. ‘But you could be even more clever than she is.’
I stiffened.
‘She didn’t trap me into anything – what do you mean?’
‘Oh, but she did. She had been watching you for days, knocking back whisky in that bar. She had picked on you to help us as soon as she had read you had come out of jail. It was her idea to plant her handbag in the telephone booth. She was sure you would take her money. I said you wouldn’t. We bet on it. I lost ten dollars.’
I sat there staring at her, feeling the blood burning my face.
‘I was drunk,’ I said.
She shrugged her shoulders.
‘I’m sure you were. I’m just telling you this so you can be on your guard. Rhea is a snake: don’t trust her further than you can throw her.’
‘Just why do you want all this money?’
She wrinkled her nose at me.
‘That’s not your business. Now tell me, what am I to do? Have you got a story ready for me?’
I stared at her for a long moment, trying to collect my thoughts. This news that Rhea had planted her bag shook me. I told myself I would have to watch her.
I said, ‘Have you fixed the date for Saturday?’
‘Yes. My friend, Mauvis Sheen, and I are going to a movie at the Capital. I’ve arranged to meet her outside at nine.’
‘Have you a boy friend you go around with from time to time? I don’t mean a regular one. I mean someone you see only now and then?’
She looked puzzled.
‘Well, yes. There are a number of them.’
‘One will do – give me a name.’
‘Well, there’s Jerry Williams.’
‘Does he ever telephone you at home?’
‘Yes.’
‘Who answers the telephone when anyone calls?’
‘Sabin – he’s the butler.’
‘Would he know Williams’s voice?’
‘I don’t think so. Jerry hasn’t called me now for a couple of months.’
‘What I’m getting at is this: you will tell your father you are going to the movies with your girl friend.
After dinner, around eighty-forty-five, I’ll telephone and ask for you. I’ll tell your butler it is Jerry Williams calling. I’m doing this entirely to take care of the police in case they come into it. Speaking as Williams, I will tell you that I have met your girl friend and we, with some other kids, are going to have a night out at the Pirates’ Cabin. We want you to join us. You’ll be surprised, but you’ll agree, but you won’t tell anyone where you are going because you will know your father will disapprove of you going to such a joint. You’ll arrive there, you won’t find your friends, and you’ll leave. As you are crossing the dark car park, a rug will be thrown over your head and you will be bundled into a car. Do you follow all this?’
She nodded.
‘My goodness! You are taking this seriously, aren’t you?’
‘I’m taking it seriously because it happens to be serious,’ I said. ‘The police, if they come into it, will check with
