‘It’s fixed for tomorrow night,’ I said. ‘It’s going to work. I want you to catch the eleven o’clock plane back here. When you arrive take the bus to the terminus. You’ll get there just after one. I’ll be waiting for you. I’ll take you to the cabin and leave you there. Then I’ll collect you-know-what and come back.’
She said she understood. Her voice sounded anxious.
‘You’re sure it is going to be all right?’
‘Yes… relax. I’ll see you at the bus terminus at one o’clock,’ and I hung up. I then called police headquarters. The desk sergeant told me Renick had gone home. I guessed nothing had happened, so I went home myself.
The next morning, soon after nine, I went down to the District Attorney’s office. It seemed odd to be starting a routine life again: odder to sit at a desk.
Renick’s secretary gave me a bunch of files. She said if I read through their contents, I would have a good picture of what was going on in the office. She said Renick would be in later in the day.
I started on the files. Renick came in soon after eleven. He sat on the edge of my desk and asked me how I liked the feel of work again.
‘I like it fine,’ I said. I waved my hand to the files. ‘This is right up my street. Any news of the Malroux girl?’
‘Nothing so far. I have a guy out at Lone Bay parking lot. If she turns up to take her car, he’ll call me.
There’s nothing else I can do until Malroux calls us in. The Federal boys and the State police are all standing by.’
‘If Malroux pays the ransom and the girl is returned, you may hear nothing further.’
‘These days kidnappers don’t usually return their victim. They are safer dead,’ Renick said grimly. ‘If she has been kidnapped, I’ll bet you he’ll call us in.’ He slid off the desk. ‘Well, I’ve work to do.
Anything you want – I’m right next door.’
When he had gone, I pushed aside the file I had been reading and lit a cigarette. By tomorrow morning, with any luck, I should be worth fifty thousand dollars. It was hard to believe. The money would be in small bills. I had already decided to rent a safe deposit and put the money there, drawing it from time to time, when I needed it. I would have to be careful. I couldn’t suddenly alter my standard of life. Later, I could give out that I had made a killing on the Stock Market, but I would have to wait at least a year or so, if not longer.
Just as I was thinking of going to lunch, my office door jerked open and Renick came in. The excited expression on his face told me something had happened, and my heart turned a somersault.
‘I think we’ve got a break!’ he said. ‘Come on down with me to police headquarters. I’ll tell you about it on the way.’ As we walked fast down the corridor to the elevator, he went on, ‘Talk about luck!
I was going through the routine police reports for Saturday night, and I turned up an item that could be something. A man was found unconscious in the car park at the Pirates’ Cabin. Do you know it?’
My mouth turned so dry, I couldn’t speak. I managed to give a grunt and nod.
‘This guy had a pretty bad head wound. The barman called a cop. He told the cop this fellow had followed a girl into the car park. He said he had an idea the girl was Odette Malroux.’
‘What makes him think that?’ I asked huskily.
‘She’s a well-known character in Palm City. Her photos are always appearing in the Press. He was pretty sure it was her. They’ve picked him up and he’s at headquarters now. I’ve got some photos of the girl with me. I’m hoping he will identify her.’
‘Is the other guy badly hurt?’
‘He’s taken a nasty bang on the head, but he’s all right. Who hit him? If this girl was Odette Malroux, what was she doing in a joint like the Pirates’ Cabin?’
‘Maybe it wasn’t her.’
‘We’ll soon see.’
Ten minutes later, we were in Sergeant Hammond’s office. With him was the barman of the Pirates’
Cabin. I recognised him as the man Odette had spoken to.
Renick showed him a selection of photographs of the girl.
‘That’s her,’ the barman said. ‘That’s her for sure.’
‘What time did she come in?’ Renick asked, looking significantly at me.
‘A little after nine o’clock. She looked around as if expecting someone, then she asked me if there was another bar. I told her no, and showed her where the restaurant was. She checked the restaurant, then started to leave. There was a guy with a load on: he wasn’t boiled, but he had had plenty. He grabbed hold of her arm as she passed him. She shook him off and went out. He followed her.’
‘Then what happened?’
‘About ten minutes later some guy comes in and says there’s a man lying in the car park. I went out and found this drunk. He was bleeding badly so I called a cop.’
‘Any cars leave the parking lot before he was found?’
‘A few minutes after the girl left I heard two cars start up and leave. One of them was a high powered sports car: I could tell that by the noise it made.’
‘And the other one?’
‘Just a car.’
‘So the girl came into the bar as if expecting to meet someone and then she left?’
