ain’t you in the movies?” he said. Lulu looked away, ignoring him. Joe drank from his bottle, then offered it to Diana Lovesey. She paled and shrank away from him. “I agree. This stuff is overrated,” Joe said; then he reached out and poured champagne over her cream-and-red dotted dress.
She gave a cry of distress and pushed his hand away. The wet dress clung to her bosom revealingly.
Eddie was appalled. This was the kind of thing that could lead to violence. He said: “Knock it off, you.”
The man took no notice. “Great jugs,” he said with a leer. He dropped the bottle and grabbed one of her breasts, squeezing hard.
She screamed.
Her boyfriend, Mark, was struggling with his safety belt, saying: “Don’t touch her, you cheap hood—”
With a surprisingly quick movement, the hoodlum hit him in the mouth with his gun. Blood spurted from Mark’s lips.
Eddie said: “Vincini, for Christ’s sake, put a stop to this!”
Vincini said: “Girl like that, hell, if she ain’t had her tits felt by her age, it’s about time.”
Joe thrust his hand down the front of Diana’s dress. She struggled to avoid his grasp, but she was strapped in her seat.
Mark got his seat belt undone, but as he was rising to his feet the man hit him again. This time the butt of the gun hit the comer of his eye. Joe used his left fist to punch Mark in the stomach, then hit him across the face with the gun a third time. Now blood from his wounds got into Mark’s eyes and blinded him. Several women were screaming.
Eddie was appalled. He had been determined to avoid bloodshed. Joe was about to hit Mark again. Eddie could stand it no longer. Taking his life in his hands, he grabbed the little gangster from behind, pinning his arms.
Joe struggled, trying to point his gun at Eddie, but Eddie held on tight. Joe pulled the trigger. The bang was deafening in the confined space, but the gun was pointing down and the bullet went through the floor.
The first shot had been fired. Eddie had a horrified, scary feeling that he was losing control of the situation. If that happened there could be a bloodbath.
At last Vincini intervened. “Knock it off, Joe!” he yelled.
The man became still.
Eddie let him go.
Joe gave him a venomous look, but said nothing.
Vincini said: “We can go. The money’s all here.”
Eddie saw a ray of hope. If they would leave now, at least the bloodshed had been limited. Go, he thought; for God’s sake, go!
Vincini went on: “Bring the cunt with you if you want, Joe. I might prong her myself—I like her better than the engineer’s skinny wife.” He stood up.
Diana screamed: “No, no!”
Joe undid her seat belt and grabbed her by the hair. She struggled with him. Mark got to his feet, trying to wipe the blood from his eyes. Eddie grabbed Mark, restraining him. “Don’t get yourself killed!” he said. Lowering his voice, he said: “It’ll be okay, I promise you!” He wanted to tell Mark that the gang’s launch was going to be stopped by a U.S. Navy cutter before they would have time to do anything to Diana, but he was afraid of being overheard by Vincini.
Joe pointed his gun at Mark and said to Diana: “You come with us or your boyfriend gets it right between the eyes.”
Diana became still and started to sob.
Luther said: “I’m coming with you, Vincini. My submarine hasn’t made it.”
“I knew it wouldn’t come,” Vincini said. “They can’t get this close to the U.S.A.”
Vincini did not know anything about submarines. Eddie could guess the real reason why the U-boat had not appeared. The U-boat commander had seen Steve Appleby’s navy cutter patrolling the channel. He was probably now waiting nearby, listening to the cutter’s radio chatter, hoping the boat would go away and patrol some other stretch of water.
Luther’s decision to flee with the gangsters instead of waiting for the submarine raised Eddie’s spirits. The gangsters’ launch was headed for Steve Appleby’s trap, and if Luther and Hartmann were on the launch, Hartmann would be saved. If this whole thing could end with nothing worse than a few stitches in Mark Alder’s face, Eddie would rejoice.
“Let’s go,” Vincini said. “Luther first, then the Kraut, then Kid, then me, then the engineer—I want you close to me until I get off this crate—then Joe with the blonde. Move!”
Mark Alder began to struggle in Eddie’s arms. Vincini said to Ollis Field and the other agent: “You want to hold this guy down, or you want Joe to shoot him?” They grabbed Mark and held him still.
Eddie filed out behind Vincini. Passengers stared wide-eyed at them as they passed through number 3 compartment and into the dining room.
As Vincini entered number 2 compartment, Mr. Membury pulled a gun and said: “Stop!” He aimed directly at Vincini. “Everybody keep still or I shoot your boss!”
Eddie took one step back to get out of the way.
Vincini went white and said: “All right, boys, nobody move.”
The one they called Kid swung round and fired twice.
Membury fell.
Vincini yelled furiously at the boy: “You cocksucker, he might have killed me!”
“Didn’t you hear his voice?” Kid replied. “He’s an Englishman.”
“So fuckin’ what?” Vincini screamed.
“I seen every movie ever made, and nobody ever gets shot by an Englishman.”
Eddie knelt down beside Membury. The bullets had entered his chest. His blood was the same color as his waistcoat. “Who are you?” Eddie said.
“Scotland Yard, Special Branch,” Membury whispered. “Assigned to protect Hartmann.” So the scientist had not been completely unguarded, Eddie thought. “Bloody failure,” Membury said hoarsely. His eyes closed and he stopped breathing.
Eddie cursed. He had vowed to get the gangsters off the plane without anyone being killed, and he had come so close to succeeding! Now this brave policeman was dead. “So unnecessary,” Eddie said aloud.
He heard Vincini say: “How come you’re so sure nobody needs to be a hero?” He looked up. Vincini was staring at him with suspicion and hostility. Jesus Christ, I think he’d like to kill me, Eddie thought. Vincini went on: “Do you know something the rest of us don’t?”
Eddie had no answer; but at that moment the seaman from the launch came rushing down the stairs and into the compartment. “Hey, Vinnie, I just heard from Willard—”
“I told him not to use that radio except for an emergency!”
“This is an emergency—there’s a navy ship going up and down the shore, just like they’re looking for someone.”
Eddie’s heart stopped. He had not thought of this possibility. The gang had a sentry on shore, keeping watch, with a shortwave radio so he could talk to the launch. Now Vincini knew about the trap.
It was all over, and Eddie had lost.
“You double-crossed me,” Vincini said to Eddie. “You bastard, I’ll kill you for this.”
Eddie caught Captain Baker’s eye and saw understanding and a surprised respect in his face.
Vincini pointed his gun at Eddie.
Eddie thought: I did my best, and everyone knows it. I don’t care if I die now.
Then Luther said: “Vincini, listen! Do you hear something?”
They were all silent. Eddie heard the sound of another plane.
Luther looked out of the window. “It’s a seaplane, coming down right nearby!”
Vincini lowered his gun. Eddie felt weak at the knees.
Vincini looked out, and Eddie followed his gaze. He saw the Grumman Goose that had been moored at Shediac. As he watched, it splashed down on the long side of a wave and came to rest.
Vincini said: “So what? If they get in our way, we’ll shoot the bastards.”
