He remained in that position until his breathing had returned to normal.
Then he slowly freed the rope which he had hung around his neck and tossed the hook upwards towards the apex of the roof.
He had to make four casts before the hook caught, and once in his anxiety to make a better cast he again nearly over-balanced.
But as soon as he was satisfied the hook had a hold, he was once more his confident self. Taking hold of the rope in both hands and leaning well out, he walked up the perpendicular roof and got astride the apex.
He could now look down at the sea, calmly washing over the rocks some two hundred feet below him. Somewhere just below the edge of the roof was Frances's room.
He could see the reflected lights from the windows just below, and could hear music from a radio. He fixed the ring at the end of the rope around his ankle, then holding on to the rope he lowered himself down until his heels wedged into the gutter. On this side, the roof was much less steep and he had no difficulty in sitting against the tiles.
Silently he lowered himself over the edge of the roof, turning upside down as he did so. He released the rope and swung head downwards, held only by his ankle. His head and shoulders came just level with the open window and he looked into a big, airy bedroom.
For a moment he couldn't believe his good luck. He had hit on Frances's room at his first attempt!
There were three people in the room. Two police women and Frances.
The two police women were sitting away from the window; one was reading, the other was knitting.
Frances sat before a dressing-table. She was brushing her hair.
He hung upside down in the darkness and watched her. After a minute or so, she laid down the hair-brush and stood up. She was wearing a pale-blue silk wrap that accentuated her paleness. She wandered over to an armchair near the window and sat down.
Ferrari swung himself upwards, catching hold of the rope and hauling himself back on to the gutter. He looked at his watch. The time was now half-past nine. He had half an hour to wait.
He waited.
V
Conrad looked up as Forest came into his room.
Forest had had dinner and had taken a stroll around the grounds before coming up to Conrad's room. He sank into a deep armchair with the air of a man both relaxed and satisfied.
'That wasn't a bad dinner,' he said. 'They do you well here, don't they?'
'Oh, sure,' Conrad said indifferently. He hadn't even noticed what he had had for dinner. 'Well, sir, what do you think of her?'
'A nice girl; a damned pretty girl, too,' Forest said, stretching out his legs. 'I had a long talk with her and I think I've persuaded her to sign the statement. Of course she's scared of Maurer. Weiner did a good job, putting the fear of Maurer into her, but she promises to let me know one way or the other tomorrow morning.' He looked up. 'I put in a word for you, Paul.'
'You did? How did she react?' Conrad asked, sitting forward.
'She seems a little stunned that you should want to marry her. She's got a lot of complexes, and that's not to be wondered at. You'll have to be patient, Paul. It may take a long time. I told her if she will sign the statement, we'll finance a trip to Europe for her and you and Miss Fielding for a couple of months immediately after the trial. She seemed to like the idea.'
'Did she? That's pretty good of you, sir. How about the financial angle? The Treasury won't finance her, will it?'
'Not a hope,' Forest said, and laughed. 'That's up to you, Paul. I'll give you leave for a couple of months, but you'll have to stand the racket.'
'I'll stand it. Did she say where she would like to go?'
'I made a suggestion,' Forest returned, rubbing the side of his nose and looking artful. 'I told her she should see Venice. If you can't cook up a little romance in a gondola, then you're not the man I think you are. Ever been to Venice? I took my wife there on our honeymoon. No place like it in the world.'
'I'll take your word for it,' Conrad said, smiling. 'Well, that's something to think about for the future, but right now we've got to think of getting her safely over the trial. What do you think of my precautions?'
'Excellent,' Forest returned. 'I'm as satisfied as you are they can't get at her here now I've seen for myself. This is a good spot, Paul. What are your plans for taking her to the courthouse?' He glanced up sharply. 'That plane sounds damned low.'
The sudden whoosh of air and the roar of an aircraft engine had startled them both.
'There's a night trip from Pacific City to Los Angeles that passes about this time,' Conrad said, glancing at his watch. It was just ten o'clock. 'I think the best thing we can do is to take her from here in an armoured car with an escort of cycle cops. We'll keep her in the court-house. There're some rooms in the basement she can have. They're not particularly pleasant, but it'll only be for a week or so. There're no windows and only one entrance.'
'Yes,' Forest said, 'but we've got to catch Maurer first.'
'Still no news?'
'Bardin was on the phone about ten minutes ago. He says there's a rumour going around that Maurer's back. They're checking now.'
