“Tell me about it!” Her voice was ugly and harsh.
Startled he looked at her, then away.
“Larry!”
He slumped down in the car seat as if defeated.
“Well, ma’am, if you must know… I went to a cafe. There was this girl on her own. We got talking.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “Maybe you can understand. I wanted her. We went to her place. She had a girl friend there.” He stared through the wind shield, frowning. “I guess they took me to the cleaners. When I got back to the hotel I hadn’t five francs left.”
Two girls! Helga drew in a shuddering breath. You stupid, beautifully built fool! You could have had me for nothing and in comfort!
“You seem to have bad luck with your girls, don’t you?” she said and shifted 63
the gear lever into Drive.
“You could say that, ma’am. I guess I’m not so hot with women.”
Looking at him, seeing him slumped in depression, she felt a pang of pity for him.
She drove along the mountain road and began the difficult descent towards Bellonzona.
Herman Rolfe liked to spend a month, during the winter, in Switzerland. The snowcapped mountains and the clean blue sky had a fascination for him. He had bought a four-bedroom villa at Castagnola, overlooking the lake of Lugano, had finished it and made use of it during the month of February.
The villa had been built by a successful movie director some fifteen years ago when land and building were at a reasonable price. The villa was rather special as it hung from the mountain side, was screened by eight foot high walls, had two hectares of land and had an unrivalled view of the lake and the tiny villages around the lake. It had a heated swimming pool, a glassed-in patio, a games and movie room, plus all the luxury gimmicks a movie director at the height of his success could dream up. There was also a garage for four cars with staff quarters over the garage.
Each February, Helga came to Switzerland to get the villa ready for her husband’s reception.
He would eventually arrive with Hinkle who acted as his nurse, his valet and his chef. Hinkle had been in Rolfe’s service for some fifteen years. He looked like a benign English bishop: rotund, bald, with white wisps of hair to soften his florid complexion. He was as smooth as silk in his manner, spoke only when spoken to and was unbelievably efficient in everything he did. Although looking older than his fifty years, he was also athletic and surprisingly strong.
Helga had come to admire him. She quickly realized he tolerated nothing but the best. Anything that was less than best was instantly condemned by him. At first she had been afraid of him. During the first two months of her marriage, she knew he was observing her, judging her and he made her horribly nervous. Then he seemed to accept the fact that she was as efficient in her job as a hostess and as a personal secretary and as a wife as he was in his various jobs. She realized this when flowers began to appear in her bedroom and then other things happened to make her life much easier and she knew this was Hinkle’s way of telling her she was accepted. He still remained aloof, but when their eyes met, his expression was benign.
In three days from now, she thought as she drove towards Lugano, her husband and Hinkle would be arriving at the villa. From Bonn she had already alerted the cleaning agency in Lugano to put the villa in order and to turn on the heating. She always stayed at the Eden hotel in Lugano while this was going on. When the villa was ready, she drove to the tiny airport at Agno to meet her husband’s private plane and then drive him to the villa.
But now she had Larry with her, she didn’t intend to stay at the Eden hotel. The cleaning would be done. The heating would be on. Food was no problem. The deep freeze cabinet was always kept well stocked for an unexpected arrival.
Three days!
To have this boy to herself for three days turned Helga hot It was a risk. They would arrive at the villa at 14.00. But since Herman and she came only to Castagnola for a month in the year they had no social life nor did they know anyone in the district. It was only a slight risk, she assured herself. There was no one to raise eyebrows or to gossip.
Now was the moment, she thought as she drove down the narrow, twisting road that led directly to the lake, to alert Larry. She would have to handle him gendy. He was such an odd mixture. She thought of the two girls. They could have drained him of all sexual desire. He might think a woman older than himself undesirable in his present mood… she doubted that. A man of his build must have a lot of resilience, but she must be careful.
“Tell me, Larry, what are you plans?” she asked abruptly.
He gave a little start as if startled to find her by his side.
“My plans, ma’am?” He chewed for a long moment. “I I’ll look for a job.”
“Do you think you’ll get one?”
“Oh, sure… I’ve got jobs before. Yeah, I’ll get one all right.”
“But you’ll need a work permit, Larry.”
He glanced at her, then lifted his heavy shoulders.
“Is that right? Weil, I guess I’ll have to get a work permit then.”
She restrained her exasperation with an effort.
“I don’t think you know really what you are saying,” she said as gently as she could. “Work permits here are difficult to get. Now listen, Larry, I want to help you. I know you’re against accepting money, but I would like to make you a loan. You must have some money while you try to get a work permit. You can always pay me back later.”
He shook his head.
“Thanks, ma’am, but I’ll manage. I appreciate the offer. My old man would flip his lid if he knew I was taking money from anyone.”
“But your father won’t know unless you tell him,” Helga said as if speaking to a child.
He remained silent for so long she looked sharply at him. He was staring blankly at the car ahead of them, chewing, his face screwed into an expression of thought. She decided not to hurry him and she waited as she drove into the thick traffic and into the centre of Lugano.
Finally, he said, “Well, ma’am, I appreciate it. You’re right about my old man. I needn’t tell him, but it bothers me that I might not be able to pay you back. I’ve cost you enough already.”
“Suppose you let me bother about that?” She was now happy, realizing at last she had broken through the crust of his obstinacy and was reaching him. You see, Larry, money doesn’t mean a great deal to me. I have it, and when I can help people, it makes me happy to do it.”
He took a little time to consider this, then he nodded.
“Yeah… I guess I would feel the same way too, ma’am, if I had money.”
They were now driving along the lake at a crawl. The traffic along the lake was always slow and congested.
“It’s pretty, isn’t it?” she said.
“It sure is, ma’am.” He looked at the lake glittering in sudden pale sunlight and at the distant hills, with the snow covering the trees. “What do they call this place?”
“This is Lugano. We are now going to my home. I’d like you to see it. It’s not far from here.”
“Your home?” He turned and looked at her, his jaw moving as he chewed and he smiled his warm smile that set her blood on fire. “I didn’t expect to be taken to your home.”
She laughed.
“Why not? You can stay the night… there’s plenty of room, then I will see what I can do for you tomorrow.”
“You mean you are asking me to stay the night in your home?”
“Why not?”
He slammed his big hands down on his knees with such violence she was sure he had hurt himself.
“Boy!” he exclaimed. “Am I lucky! Boy! Boy! Am I lucky!”
Helga looked sharply at him. There was just too much exuberance in his voice to ring true. She had a moment of doubt, even fear, but as he swivelled to look at her, his smile so warm and friendly, the doubt and the fear went away.
“I’m glad you’re pleased, Larry.”
