to reach you. Don’t go to any of your usual bars. Pick one you’ve never been in before. Call me here every half hour.”
“It sounds very gripping. Can you spare a minute to tell me what’s going on?”
“They’ve got Frieda.”
“Frieda!” Rourke exploded. “Who has, Castle?”
“So I’m told. I probably shouldn’t have sent her to Nassau, but I didn’t think it was that risky.”
“This was a local call. Does that mean he’s in Miami?”
“We’ll know in a minute.”
“Shit. That’s lousy. How are you going to handle it?”
“I can’t let them set the conditions. They have to come to me.”
“But Mike, you can’t just let-”
“She’ll be all right,” Shayne interrupted. “That’s the way I’m betting. Unless they keep her in good health she’s no use as bait.”
“The way you’re betting!” Rourke said incredulously. “What if you lose?”
“If I lose,” Shayne said, speaking slowly and distinctly, “I’ll take a couple of weeks off and feel very bad.”
“Mike, I remember a time when you would have put a gun in each pocket-”
“Maybe I’m getting realistic. This guy has unlimited funds and good Miami connections. If he sets something up and invites me to come get her, what are the odds that I’ll walk out alive? And what good would that do anybody? Tim, I’ve been stuck here half the night and all morning. The TV picture’s on without the sound, so nobody’ll wonder who’s using the room. Nothing to do but think about this. And there is absolutely no other way. To make it anywhere near even, I have to do the arranging. Now I’m going to hang up so we can move it along.”
“Realistic, sure! I see that. In the old days, you didn’t stop to think about the odds. You did it. You got some sensational results that way.”
Shayne clicked off.
Ten minutes later Rourke called back and gave him a local number, hanging up without saying anything more. Shayne took a quick turn around the room. Below, the sprinklers were out, watering the track. He dried the palms of his hands, sat down at the phone, and dialed.
“Shayne,” a man’s voice said flatly.
It was slightly guttural, but otherwise neutral. He waited, and so did Shayne, as though they were groping toward each other in a dark room.
The voice spoke again. “We want to talk to you.”
“Who’s we?”
“I’m going to play you a tape. This is a voice you’ll recognize.”
After a click and a soft whir, Frieda said clearly and cheerfully, “Mike, I wrote this out first, and they studied it and talked about it, to be sure I wasn’t sending you any hidden messages. I made a mistake in Nassau. There’s nothing I can do about it now. They’re going to give you some instructions, and they want me to tell you that if you don’t do exactly as they say, they intend to kill me, and I believe they mean it. I’ve told them I’m sure you’ll do the intelligent thing.”
“Do you want that played again?” the voice said when she finished.
“I get the idea. Now the instructions.”
“At four o’clock exactly, be on the West Flagler extension, on the other side of Eight Twenty-six. Drive two miles and leave your car. Come in on the Fontainbleau Golf Course. Somebody will meet you on the seventh tee. Don’t bring anybody with you. No helicopters, no police cordons. We have two-way radio communication, and if there’s any hitch at all, the girl will be dead. Bang, bang. Dead. Don’t be carrying a gun. Wear a tight shirt and tight pants. Any questions?”
“Is that you talking in person, Tony?”
A pause, then: “I’m only taking questions about where and when.”
“I hope you won’t stick to that,” Shayne said easily. “You’re making a big assumption here. Frieda’s a good friend, and I’d hate to have anything happen to her. But I’d hate to have anything happen to me, too, if you see what I mean. That’s what she meant when she said she knew I’d do the intelligent thing.”
“Only a good friend,” Castle said. “Don’t give me that. I’ve had you scouted.”
Shayne grimaced. “I didn’t say I wasn’t coming, but you have to talk me into it. I heard Frieda’s voice, but you could have taped it in Nassau. Is she here?”
“Meet me and we’ll discuss it.”
“Too one-sided, Tony. I see how you figure. If she’s important to me, I’ll drop everything and come. I’ve been having this same argument with a friend of mine. Be reasonable. If I don’t come, you’ll kill her. What happens if I do come? You’ll kill her.”
“She isn’t that important.”
“Of course she is, Tony. She knows your name and where you do business. If we’re going to trade, that’s one thing. I have something you want, you have something I want. Let’s work it out.”
The connection was broken. His face grim, Shayne dialed the number again. It rang a dozen times before it was picked up.
He continued as though there had been no interruption. “From your point of view a golf course is a good place for a meeting. From my point of view it’s terrible. To get any protection I’d need a couple of National Guard companies. This isn’t an ordinary kidnapping situation, I leave fifty thousand in a phone booth and you put Frieda in a taxi. I can’t forget that less than forty-eight hours ago, some people of yours were shooting at me. Incidentally, I’m sorry about sending you that ear. That was childish of me, and I know you won’t forget it unless I can make this deal very attractive.”
“What do you have to deal with, Shayne?”
“I know how Max worked the scam.”
“Yeah?”
“We can do a division that will make sense for both of us. If it goes on this way, it’s going to get out of hand and there won’t be anything for anybody. One more thing. It isn’t in your interest for Harry Zell to go under. Unless we can close down this publicity, that’s inevitable. These are big areas, and I’m glad you’ve decided to talk. But before I agree to a meeting place, I want you to fix something so I can be sure Frieda won’t get hurt. I won’t make any suggestions. You don’t trust me, and I don’t blame you for that. I’ll leave the details up to you.”
That was a long speech, and he wasn’t even sure Castle was still on the line. The silence continued for another moment.
“Let me think about it,” Castle said finally, and Shayne relaxed.
“And four o’clock is too soon,” he said. “I’m calling from Tallahassee. If there’s no commercial flight I’ll charter a plane. When you get a plan worked out, call Tim Rourke. I’ll check with him as soon as I get in.”
“I think I’m beginning to like your attitude.”
“That’s good, because this time you seem to be holding the high cards. I want to keep you friendly.”
“Friends,” Castle said skeptically. “But I do business with plenty of people I don’t like. I hold the high cards, right, and my price is going to be high, so be ready for it. If I have to throw Zell to the alligators, there are compensations. I won’t lose a hundred cents on the dollar, by any means. Make it as soon as you can.”
Shayne hung up, and went back over the conversation again. He was gambling more than money this time, and partial success wouldn’t be enough-he had to win all the way.
He dialed the PR office on the ground floor. A secretary answered and he asked for Miss Geary.
“Shayne!” Linda cried. “What the hell kind of private detective are you? You’re supposed to report in.”
“I don’t follow you,” Shayne said in a puzzled tone. “I didn’t think I was working for you anymore. Your mother changed her mind and decided to sell.”
“She’s changed back! Or has she? Frankly, I’m not too sure. Apparently she thinks the papers she signed don’t mean anything. Shayne, can you help me resolve this?”
“Possibly, Linda. I’ve been as confused as you by all the about-faces, but I’ve learned a couple of things, which I’m afraid will have to be made public.”
“Such as?”
“That Ricardo Sanchez influenced the outcome of two races last night by medicating the dogs, and he took
