You Find Him – I'll Fix Him

  'A private detective is never wealthy, signor,' he said. 'For a month you work, then for three months, perhaps, you wait. I wouldn't say il Signor Veroni is well off.'

  'Do you think we might make a deal with him?'

  Sarti appeared to consider this. He scratched the top of his scruffy head and frowned down at the bronze ashtray that stood on the table by him.

  'In what way – a deal, signor?'

  'Suppose I offered to buy these reports from him,' I said. 'You must have read them.'

  'Yes, signor. I have read them.'

  'If Carlotti got hold of them, he might jump to the conclusion that I was responsible for la signorina's death.'

  Sarti looked as if he were going to burst into tears.

  'That was the unfortunate impression that I got, signor. That was the only reason why I begged il Signor Veroni not to do anything for three days.'

  'Do you imagine Veroni's high sense of duty would prevent him from making a deal with me?'

  Sarti shrugged his fat shoulders.

  'In my work, signor, one always looks ahead. It is a good thing to be prepared for every contingency. I thought it was possible that you would wish to keep these reports from Lieutenant Carlotti. I mentioned the fact to il Signor Veroni. He is a difficult man: his sense of duty is over-developed, but I have been friends with him for a long time and it is possible for me to put my cards on the table. I know his ambition is to buy a vineyard in Tuscany. It is possible that he could be persuaded.'

  'Would you undertake to persuade him?'

  Sarti appeared to hesitate.

  'You are my client, signor. When I accept a client, I give him my whole support. It is how I built up my business. This is difficult and dangerous. I could be prosecuted, but, nevertheless if you wish it, I would be prepared to take the risk to give satisfaction.'

  'Your motives are as impressive as il Signor Veroni's,' I .said.

  He smiled mournfully.

  'I am here to serve,' he said.

  'What do you imagine a vineyard in Tuscany would cost?' I asked, looking directly at him. 'Did you think to ask him?'

  He met my eyes without any effort.

  'I did touch on the subject. Il Signor Veroni isn't entirely without means, signor. It would seem he is lacking half the required sum: ten million lire.'

  Ten million lire!

  That would clean me right out. During my fifteen years as a newspaper man I had managed to save just that amount.

  'And for that sum he would be prepared to hand over all the copies of this report and say nothing to the police?'

  'I don't know, signor, but I could ask him. I believe I might be able to persuade him.'

  'Would you need any encouragement to do that? I mean would there be a fee for the work?' I asked. 'Frankly, ten million lire would leave me flat. If there was to be a rakeoff for you, you would have to get it from Veroni.'

  'That could be arranged if it were necessary, signor,' Sarti said simply. 'After all, I shall be paid for my work on this case by il Signor Chalmers. I think you mentioned that the fee would be a substantial one. I wish to be of service to you. It is by being useful to one's clients that one keeps them.'

  'That is a sterling thought,' I said. 'Then you will see what you can arrange?'

  'Immediately, signor. I should have news for you in a few hours. Will you be at your apartment at one o'clock?'

I said I would.

'Then I will be able to tell you if I have been successful or not.'

He got to his feet, gave me a mournful bow and waddled across the room and out of my sight.

  I had no doubt that il Signor Veroni didn't exist and that Sarti had been hired by someone to watch Helen. Nor had I any doubt, if I were going to pay up, the ten million lire would go directly into Sarti's pocket.

  There wasn't much I could see that I could do about this. There might be a way out, given a little time to think of one. It depended if I could gain time.

  I returned to my apartment and waited.

  Sarti didn't telephone until two o'clock. By then I was pacing the room and sweating.

  'The arrangement we spoke about has been successfully concluded, signor,' he said when I answered the telephone.

  'Would Wednesday morning be convenient for you to settle the conditions?'

  'I can't do it before Thursday,' I said. 'It will mean selling ...'

  'Not over the telephone, signor,' Sarti said, sudden agony in his voice. 'It is always unwise to discuss anything of this nature over an open line. Thursday would do. Our associate has asked me to deal with you. I will call on you at midday on Thursday.'

  I said I would be expecting him and hung up.

II

I spent the next hour chain smoking and viewing the whole set-up from every angle.

  I couldn't be in a bigger mess if I had deliberately set out to look for trouble. I was not only heading to be arrested for murder, with enough evidence against me to make a conviction certain, but I was also being blackmailed by two unscrupulous thugs.

  With this hanging over me, I made a discovery. I found I no longer cared whether I had the foreign desk at Western Telegram or not, nor did I care two hoots how Chalmers would react if he learned I wax the man with whom his daughter had planned to spend a month at Sorrento.

  Thinking about the way I had handled this thing, I realized what a fool I had been not to have called the police when I had found Helen's body. If I had done so, Carlo wouldn't have had time to alter Helen's watch or rig the rest of the evidence against me. If I had gone back to the villa to call the police I would have found the note I had left for Helen before Carlo had got there.

  I told myself it was up to me to get out of this mess. I had been fool enough to get into it, now I had to be smart enough to beat these two thugs at their own game.

  I didn't have much time. I had to hand over every cent of my savings to Sarti on Thursday unless I had thought of some way to fix him. I would have to take the consignment of dope to Nice on Friday unless I could pin Helen's murder on Carlo.

  I thought about Carlo. I had very little evidence against him. I had two cheroot butts; one that I had found on the top of the cliff head, the other I had found in his room. That wouldn't be enough to convict him of murder. What else was there? I had proof from the telephone number scribbled on the wall that Helen knew Myra Setti, and it