“Where’s the money? I don’t see any suitcase of money standing around.”
“I mentioned this earlier, Jesso.” Kator’s voice was getting sharp. “The money will be signed over.”
“I don’t even see any checkbook lying around.”
“Perhaps I might explain it,” Delf said. “You can see, Mr. Jesso, that an amount of this size would attract attention. It would do so if I drew the money in cash and it would do the same if you cashed my check for five hundred thousand. This is to be avoided at all costs.”
“Just a minute. There’s no check for five hundred thousand. There’s one for Kator and one for me and they are both for two hundred and fifty.”
It wasn’t news to Delf, but even if it had been he wouldn’t have acted differently.
“I mentioned that figure as an illustration only. Actually, we proceed in an accustomed manner. There will be some stock transfers, there will be diverse payments for services rendered to a number of companies with which Herr von Kator is affiliated, and your little personal arrangement will be settled between you two.”
“Like hell it will!”
This time even Delf looked human.
“You are new to this,” he said after a while. “My advice-”
“I don’t need it. I’m new to this, but not green.”
“Your idiom is not clear to me.”
“I want cash. Clear enough?”
For a while Delf’s spirals got blacker and tighter. The pencil made a thin sound. When Delf suddenly coiled the spirals the other way, everybody noticed it.
Even Jesso felt relieved when Delf gave a deep sigh and looked at Kator. Then Delf spoke to Kator as if they were alone in the room.
“Have you tried everything, von Kator?”
“It’s no use. He’s in.”
“We used to be very clever with this sort of thing, you remember?”
“I remember. The quick methods are self-defeating in this case. His information seems complicated.”
Jesso got it then. He listened as if they were discussing somebody else’s operation. An operation without ether, maybe.
“And the long methods defeat our time schedule,” said Delf.
“I know Mr. Jesso quite well by now. I suggest you pay me as in the past and make different arrangements for him.”
“What have you tried, von Kator?”
Jesso remembered what he had tried. He had tried frightening him to death, shooting him to death, tempting him to death. The only thing he hadn’t tried was giving in. Even now. And Delf was worse. Delf could sit there and make tired doodles while going over in his mind to break a man’s arm so it took half an hour, how to kill him while keeping him alive.
Jesso’s fingers were painfully clenched and a thick sweat was growing over his skin. Everywhere. Except on his face. He rarely sweated on his face. That was good. His hands were in his pockets, so they couldn’t see that. His face was dry, and nothing showed there. Only his jaw had started to set with a grip like murder and any moment it would show, it would show with a crazy jumping and trembling as if he had some nervous disease.
“Your judgment must do in this case, von Kator. Mr. Jesso?”
He hadn’t heard any of it, but now the tone was different and the room was just a room, with Kator looking correct and Delf making a simple doodle.
“Mr…”
“I hear you.”
“While cash is out of the question, Mr. Jesso, I can agree to make deposits in your name in any bank.”
“O.K.,” he said. “O.K., do that. Do it now.”
“What banks, Mr. Jesso?”
“I got an account at Chase. Put it there.”
“Only one bank?”
He was right. One bank was no good. The bulge would show too much. Jesso sat up. He was just getting to be himself again and it made him sit up.
“How do I know you’re depositing? How do I know this finishes it off and-“
“Mr. Jesso. I don’t see Herr von Kator behaving in this stupid, suspicious manner, and I also fail to see why you-“
“That’s because you and Kator are buddies, but Kator and me aren’t such good friends any more. I’m going by that, Delf, because with you I don’t know what to go on. Now, figure me out how to make a deposit and I know about it.”
“What banks, Mr. Jesso?”
“What banks, what banks! I give a damn what banks? The one in Hannover, right after the square where you leave the villa for town.”
“He means the Handelsbank,” said Kator. He had a smile on his face.
Jesso didn’t see it because he was getting impatient. “All right, the Handelsbank near that square. Fifty thousand.”
This time Kator laughed out loud.
“And what are you hee-hawing about?”
“It’s von Kator’s bank,” said Delf.
“So maybe they haven’t got room for another depositor?”
Kator wasn’t laughing any more; just sort of a grin was on his face.
“He owns it,” said Delf.
Jesso was going to yell again when Kator made a wave with his hand.
“It’s a legitimate bank, Jesso, and you are quite safe there. Just the thought struck me as amusing. I pay two per cent.”
“One buck to the Handelsbank,” said Jesso.
“You’re being ridiculous. I told you the bank is legitimate, and when I am legitimate, Jesso, I am completely so.”
Jesso believed that.
“Fifty thousand into Kator’s jug, and let me see how you do it, Delf.”
“I’ll call the bank by phone and-”
“I’ll call the bank by phone.”
“Certainly. And request the confirmation by wire. That is, if the phone isn’t enough for you.”
“It isn’t.”
After ten minutes Jesso was fifty thousand richer. “What other banks, Mr. Jesso?”
“Give me a Berlin directory.”
Delf coughed lightly and shook his head. “Fifty thousand is the total amount I will deposit for you in this country I explained to you that our transaction must appear as unimportant as possible. I would suggest you pick American banks. I can make payment there through local sources that cannot be identified with me at all.”
“I’m here, Delf, not in the States.”
“I have compromised with you; now you compromise with me.”
Jesso thought about it for a moment, then let it go.
Gluck wasn’t going to find him any more easily in the States than in Europe, and this deal was coming to a head. It wasn’t worth the delay.
“Chase National, fifty thousand.”
“Will you speak to them for confirmation or do you require a cable?”
“Both.”
It took half an hour while Jesso listened to the operator on the second phone on the desk. Then Delf started to talk and the man across the ocean answered.
“Is this Mr. Troy? Mr. Troy, this is Delf. Yes, thank you, quite well. You have an account in the name of Jack Jesso. Please deposit fifty thousand dollars to Mr. Jesso’s name and charge it to the Antwerp Gem Importers
