‘Roughly, yes,’ said Freeman.
‘Roughly is the word. How did you get in touch with the authorities? Send a private letter to the P.M. at 10 Downing Street?’
‘Just that,’ said Pelegrina.
‘If they agree to our terms,’ said Freeman, ‘they put a reply in The Times saying “Python Project accepted”.’
I went wide-eyed. ‘You called it that—and you’d pinched a python bracelet from your sister to help finance it! I’m surprised Manston isn’t here already!’
‘It had to have some name,’ said Pelegrina.
I shook my head. They both looked at me and I could see that they were chastened. I really felt sorry for them.
‘A man,’ I said to Freeman, ‘was found dead in your Kent cottage. Strangled. You have anything to do with that?’
‘No.’
I grinned. ‘Not that you’re against murder. You tried it on me.’
‘You worried us,’ said Pelegrina.
‘Fair enough. If you have a worry, eliminate it. You’re a right couple. But don’t begin to cry about it. We might make something out of this mess yet—not much, but just something that will leave you with your skins whole so long as you start running fast and don’t stop for a long time. Tell me, where does Monsieur Robert Duchêne figure in all this?’
They just looked at me blankly.
I tipped my head at Freeman. ‘You’re supposed to have stolen antique coins of great value from him.’
‘I never heard of anyone of that name.’
‘All right, we’ll skip it. Here’s the deal. You walk out of this villa and leave me here with Dawson. I’ll give you forty-eight hours to disappear. Then I’ll call up Manston and give him a cover story which he’ll not believe for one moment, but which for policy reasons he’ll accept. But don’t think he won’t be after both of you for quite a while. It’s up to you to keep out of his way—for good. Seem fair?’
Freeman shook his head. ‘Give it all up now! Do you know how long I’ve been planning and dreaming about this thing? Over two years!’
‘Write it off as a bad dream. Cut your losses and run.’
Pelegrina let his monocle drop from his eye and shook his head. ‘But we have invested so much money in this. You have no idea of the expense, the incidentals. Even I have to charter my own yacht under another name. Every time you turn it is money to be paid out. And that body, that was very expensive! Anyway—’ there was a sudden spurt of spirit in him—‘what are we doing sitting here listening to you? Who the hell do you think you are?’
‘Well, I was beginning to think I was some kind of Sir Galahad. But okay, don’t listen to me. If you like I’ll just get up and back out and you’ll never see me again, and I won’t mention a word of anything to the authorities. That’ll just leave you here or wherever you choose to move to, waiting for the moment when you’ll have to deal with Mr Bloody Manston. Believe me—you’d far better let me handle that for you.’
‘You must have some reason other than a tinpot honour for suggesting this,’ said Freeman.
‘True. I’d just like to be one up on Manston and his crew for a change. And also I’ve a soft spot for La Piroletta, Jane Judd and Gloriana Stankowski, whom God bless for having dragged me into this quite innocently on her part. Okay? Now, why don’t you pack your bags and go fast?’
‘But we might get the ransom money—we’d even give you a share,’ said Pelegrina.
I shook my head. ‘Tainted money, I’ll be frank, I often take—but only if I know there’s not going to be a kickback. Grow up—you’ll never get any ransom money. You haven’t even got a water-tight handover arrangement worked out. You’ve blundered through all the preliminaries, ignoring the big problem—and when it’s the only problem left you sit down to work it out and it’s so much too big for you. Your minds reject it and you end up nattering about vintage sardines.’
They looked at me. They looked at the gun in my hand. And they looked at one another. I took another pull at my beer and waited. Neither of them would have admitted it, of course, but they were both in a state of shock. They didn’t have a hope. They’d both stepped into a cloud cuckoo land and they were stuck there for just so long as they could keep out of Manston’s way. Once he laid hands on them life would become real and life would become earnest—and of a brief span only.
To help them along, I said, ‘Don’t waste your time on frivolities like wondering if you can jump me, finish me off and bury me in the backyard sand. I’m not the one you have to worry about. Keep Manston in your mind. I got the address of this place out of Letta’s notebook. He’ll get it too, some way or other. And forget about the money you’ve invested—let’s face it, most of it was probably not honestly come by. All right?’
They looked at me, Pelegrina picking at his fat chin nervously, his head sunk lower between his shoulders than I had ever seen it, and Freeman tugging at one bushy eyebrow, his forehead lined with thought, not hard firm lines, but wavy uncertain ones. I was suddenly impatient with them. Damn it, I was sticking my neck out quite a bit on their behalf.
‘Pack your bags and go,’ I said. ‘You’re never going to make a cent out of Bill Dawson!’
From behind me a familiar, clipped voice said, ‘That, of course, is not true.’
I began to turn quickly in my chair and then slowed up as my eyes found the doorway in the french windows and I saw that any impetuous movement might bring trouble for me.
Dark
