Whiff of Money

by James Hadley Chase

  ‘You can trust your servants?’

  Von Goltz hesitated.

  ‘Yes… I think so.’

  Silk stared at him. His one eye was probing.

  ‘That’s up to you… if you are sure, then it’s settled.’

  Von Goltz took a turn around the room.

  ‘How will you do it?’ he asked finally.

  ‘A little target practice… it could be amusing.’ Silk went over to the .22 rifle and picked it up. ‘This is a fine weapon.

  Send them out onto the lawn and I’ll pick them off like rabbits.’

  Von Goltz flinched.

  ‘Be careful of Girland.’

  Silk grinned.

  ‘I’ll take him first,’ he said and put the rifle down on the table.

  * * *

  As Girland entered his bedroom, he knew instinctively that someone had been there while he had been in the pool. This he expected. After closing and locking the door, he went to his suitcase and tossed out its contents on the bed. He regarded the bottom of the empty case with a nod of satisfaction. Whoever had searched the case had been an amateur.

  He pressed the tiny spring, hidden under the lining of the case. The bottom of the case clicked open, revealing a tray in which were his professional weapons. They consisted of a Walther automatic pistol with a magazine capacity of 8 rounds, a razor-sharp double bladed stabbing knife and a tear gas bomb. When Girland travelled on business, he travelled well equipped.

  Satisfied none of his weapons had been discovered, he shut the false lid and replaced his clothes in the suitcase.

  Then he stripped off his wet bathing trunks, towelled himself and put on a wrap. He went out on to the balcony and sat in the basket-chair from which he could overlook the immaculate lawn. He sat there for some time, smoking and thinking and watching the two alsatian dogs as they prowled around the rough grass on the edge of the lawn and the forest.

  When the light began to fail and the air became chilly, he returned to his room. He took a hot shower and then dressed for dinner. It was while he was knotting his tie that his door slammed open and Gilly rushed in: her eyes wide with fright, her face white.

  ‘You’ve got to stop him!’ she shrilled, reaching Girland and grabbing his arm. ‘He’s trying to get away!’

  Girland’s mind immediately reacted.

  ‘Where is he?’

  ‘He’s climbing from his balcony down to the terrace!’

  Girland moved swiftly out onto the balcony. He was in time to see Rosnold drop on to the terrace below. Rosnold held a medieval battle-axe which he had taken from the corridor wall. As Girland spotted him, Rosnold started across the terrace. ‘Rosnold! Come back!’ Girland shouted.

  Gilly joined him on the balcony. She too screamed after Rosnold who paid no attention.

  ‘Come back!’ Girland bawled, but Rosnold kept on. He took the steps leading from the terrace to the lawn two at the time and then disappeared into the heavy shadows. They could hear the thud of his feet as he began to run across the lawn.

  Suddenly, from the roof of the Schloss, a searchlight snapped on… a blinding ribbon of light. It picked up Rosnold as he raced across the lawn, giving him a grotesque shadow five times his own height that fled before him. From out of the darkness an alsatian dog appeared, moving fast and silently. Rosnold stopped short, turned and faced the dog as it sprang at him. The axe, the blade glittering in the beam of the searchlight, swung and there was a crunching sound as the blade crushed the dog’s head. As Rosnold began to run again, the second dog appeared. It sprang at him, his fangs bared. Rosnold swayed away, and the dog went past him, rebounded sprang again. Rosnold was ready, and again the axe swung. The dog gave a yelp of pain and rolled over, snapping at its damaged leg.

  Gilly choked back a scream and hid her face. Girland leaned over the balcony rail, watching.

  Still holding the blood-stained axe, Rosnold darted off to the left, and for a brief moment the finger of the searchlight lost him then it picked him up again as he continued on his way, running very fast, across the lawn. He was within four or five metres of the entrance to the dense forest when there came a snap of gunfire.

  Lu Silk, standing on his balcony, immediately above Girland’s balcony, felt a surge of satisfaction as he lowered the .22 rifle. Rosnold had jumped high in the air with the reaction of a shot rabbit as the tiny bullet had slammed into’back of his head and through his brain. Considering how fast Rosnold had been running and also considering the poor light, Silk decided that this was the best shot he had made for a long time. He patted the butt ot the gun to convey his appreciation.

  ‘They’ve killed him!’ Gilly moaned, staring across the lawn at Rosnold’s still body, lighted by the searchlight. T told him! I warned him, but he panicked! He wouldn’t listen to me!’

  Girland paid no attention to her. He moved swiftly back into his room, ran to his suitcase and threw out the contents on the bed. He opened the false bottom and took the automatic pistol from its resting place and shoved it into his hip pocket. Then he threw the contents of the suitcase back in and slammed the lid.

  Gilly came into the room from the balcony, white faced and shaking. ‘Get hold of yourself!’ Girland snapped. ‘This is the crunch! Where’s .your passport?’ She stared at him, dazed. ‘Passport?’ ‘Where is it?’ ‘In my room.’ ‘Get it… hurry!’

  ‘They’ve killed him!’ She began to wring her hands. Girland grabbed hold of her and shook her. ‘Get your passport!’

  Crying, she ran blindly from the room and into her bedroom. Girland went after her. He shut his door and as he entered her room, she was fumbling at her bag. He snatched it from her, opened it, assured himself the passport was in the bag, then grabbing Mr arm, he rushed her out into the corridor.

  ‘Don’t make a sound!’

  Moving silently, he pushed her up the stairs to the upper floor, paused to look along the long corridor and then pushed her up the next flight of stairs. As they were stumbling up the stairs, Girland heard the thudding of feet as von Goltz’s servants came running up the lower stairs.

  Girland reached the third landing which was in darkness. He paused to lean over the banisters and peered down the well. He watched three liveried men come down the corridor on the first floor landing and charge into his bedroom.

  He waited long enough to see one of the servants come out to the head of the staircase and shout, ‘He’s not there!’

  Then as a bell began to dang, Girland took Gilly’s arm and led her silently further down the dark corridor.

  Seven

  A Volkswagen 1500 stood by the roadside near the imposing entrance to the Obermitten Schloss. A silver-haired giant, wearing a shabby suit was working on the engine. Another nondescript-looking man sat on the grass bank, smoking.

  Occasionally a car roared by on its way to Munich. No driver stopped to ask if he could help. The dwindling rays of the evening sun came through the trees, making patterns on the roof of the car.

  Malik loosened a sparking-plug for the fifth time. He wanted to give the appearance of a breakdown. Although he was sure he wasn’t being watched, he was taking no chances.

  As he began to tighten the sparking-plug, the wrought iron gates of the Schloss swung open and a scarlet T.R.4 came cautiously onto the main road.

  Malik straightened up and looked at the car as it gathered speed, driving past him. He knew the car belonged to Rosnold, but Rosnold was not at the wheel. The car was being driven by a thick-set, blond man wearing an ill-fitting business suit.

  Malik’s mind worked swiftly. He made an instant decision. He slammed down the cover over the engine and said, ‘Go after him!’

  Lintz was already on his feet. He slid under the driving wheel. ‘What about you?’ he asked as he started the engine.

  ‘Never mind about me!’ Malik snapped. ‘Go after him! Don’tlose him! When you know where he has gone, report to Skoll.’

  Lintz nodded, engaged gear and drove off after the fast disappearing T.R.4
which was heading for Munich.

  Malik moved into the surrounding forest. He sat down on the dry, dusty ground, using a shrub as a shelter. Five minutes later a Mercedes car which he recognised as the one Girland had been driving, came through the open gates and turned left. A man Malik didn’t recognise, who was wearing the same kind of shabby suit as the driver of the T.R.4, was at the wheel. The Mercedes headed towards Garmisch.

  Malik rubbed his jaw as he thought. It now looked as if he had guessed right. Girland, the girl and Rosnold had walked into a trap. Getting rid of their cars was the first step towards getting rid of them. There was nothing he could do about this for the moment. He would have to wait until it was dark. With the patience a trained agent, he relaxed against a tree and waited.

  Two hours later, it was dark enough for him to make a move. He got to his feet and silently left the forest. He began to walk around the high wall surrounding the Schloss.

  Some four hundred metres from the entrance gates, he paused and looked up at the towering concrete and flint wall. He studied the spikes set in the top of the wall. From his shabby jacket the produced a length of thin, nylon cord. At one end of die cord was a rubber-covered hook. He tossed the hook towards the spikes. The second throw succeeded. The hook settled silently around one of the spikes and held firm. Malik glanced from left to right. Satisfied there was no traffic, he caught hold of the cord, braced his feet against the wall and walked up, his strong hands hauling him effortlessly to the top. Here, he paused, and surveyed the dense forest below. He unhooked the cord, manoeuvred himself around the sharp spikes and then let himself drop on to the dry, mossy ground on the other side of the wall.

  He paused to coil the cord to a convenient size to fit his pocket, then drew from a shoulder holster a Mauser 7.63 pistol, fitted with a silencer. Moving like a shadow, he walked through the forest until he eventually reached the clearing between the forest and the wide, closely cut lawn. The moon was behind the clouds, and Malik could just see the distant lights from the Schloss. He squatted against a tree, nursing his gun and waited. An hour dragged by, then suddenly things began to happen.

  From a first floor window, Malik saw a man appear on the balcony. There was a brief glimpse of a woman, but the man threw her violently back into the room. The man climbed over the balcony rail, hung for a moment, then dropped heavily to the terrace below. He recovered his balance and darted down the steps to the lawn.

  Malik stood up, watching.

  Suddenly a bright beam from a searchlight flashed on from the roof of the Schloss and picked up the running man.

  Malik watched the brief, deadly battle between the man and the two alsatian dogs. He watched the man start to run fast towards him, then he heard the crack of a sporting rifle and saw the man drop.

  Malik moved silently back into the darkness of the forest. He remained there, motionless while two men came across the lawn und carried the lifeless body back to the Schloss.

  Lu Silk and von Goltz stood on the lighted terrace, looking towards the forest. Von Goltz held a microphone in his hand.

  Speaking slowly and clearly, his voice picked up on the speakers in the forest and along the walls of the Schloss, he was saying ‘You cannot leave the grounds. Don’t go near the walls. A lethal electric current has been turned on. Please come back. Mr Rosnold is not badly hurt. He is recovering. Please come back.’

  Listening to this, Silk moved impatiently.

  ‘Are you sure they can’t get out?’

  Von Goltz switched off the microphone.

  ‘Impossible… no one can get out now. The walls and the gates are lethal, but it could take time to find them. If I had more dogs, I’d flush them quickly, but without dogs…’

  ‘Can’t you get more?’

  Von Goltz shook his head.

  ‘Those two dogs that swine killed were trained to hunt men. The dogs belonging to my neighbours are sporting dogs.

  Besides, there would be questions asked. When it is light, we will have a hunt in the forest. It could be amusing. I am satisfied these two can’t leave the estate.’ He paused, then went on, ‘But if they attempt to climb the walls…’ He switched on the microphone and again repeated his warning that the walls were lethal.

  In the shadows, Malik listened and grimaced. Girland, standing on the third floor balcony overlooking the terrace, concealed in the darkness, also listened and grinned. He moved back into the vast dark room that seemed to be full of heavy furniture. He closed the windows.

  ‘It’s working,’ he said, joining Gilly. ‘They think we are in the grounds as I thought they would.’ He produced a tiny, powerful electric torch and swung the beam around the room. ‘This looks big enough for a railway station.’ He took her hand and led her down the aisle between the furniture until they reached a door. Gently, he opened it, listened, then threw the beam of his torch into what appeared to be a small retiring room. ‘Let’s settle here,’ he said. ‘It looks less grand.’

  Breathing fast and shaking, Gilly followed him into the room and he closed the door. His torch directed her to a dust-covered settee.

  ‘Sit down.’

  They sat side by side.

  ‘What are we going to do?’ she asked. He could feel she was trembling. ‘If they find us… they’ll murder us, won’t they?’

  ‘They have to find us first.’ Girland leaned close to her. ‘They won’t start looking for us until tomorrow when it is light.

  With any luck, they will search the forest. While they are out there, I’ll go down and find a telephone. I’ll call the U.S.

  Army in Munich. They’ll arrive in force and we’ll walk out. There is nothing to worry about. You’ll just have to make up your mind to forget about having dinner and wait until tomorrow morning.’

  ‘Call the army? Are you crazy?’ Gilly tried to see Girland’s face in the dim light. ‘Why should they bother with us? You must call the police!’

  ‘No… the U.S. Army,’ Girland said. ‘Because, my pet, you happen to be the daughter of the future President. When I tell them you have been kidnapped, the whole U.S. Army stationed in Germany, plus tanks and aircraft will come rushing to your rescue.’

  ‘No!’ Gilly said fiercely. Til never trade on my father’s rotten reputation!’

  Girland sighed.

  ‘Are you sure?’

  ‘Yes… I’ll never…’

  ‘All right… all right… don’t get so worked up. You have made your point.-So you don’t want the U.S. Army to rescue you?’

  ‘No!’

  ‘A pity… it could have been fun to have lots of tanks bashing down the gates and fat Generals rushing up the drive. All right, then here’s what you do. Go downstairs and find the count. When you find him, tell him you won’t accept your father’s favours and would he please cut your throat’

  Gilly sat for some moments, speechless.

  ‘Oh, I hate you!’ she exploded, thumping her fists on her knees. ‘You are horrible… you don’t understand!’

  ‘I’m afraid I do… the trouble with you is you have grown up physically too fast and mentally too slow. We’re wasting time. Are you sure you don’t want the army to rescue you?’

  ‘I would rather die!’

  ‘You probably could. All right… fair enough. Girls with principles bore me. They’re always a nuisance. Well then, I’ll run along. You stay right here until they find you. I don’t need the U.S. Army to get me out of here. Since you are stuck with your principles, I leave you with them. So long… thank for the bed session which was wonderful.’

  As he got to his feet, Gilly grabbed his arm.

  ‘You’re not leaving me?’

  ‘Yes,.. reluctantly, but I am leaving you. I believe in looking after myself. Beautiful dumb girls with political ideas are always a hindrance. Give me ten minutes, then either sit tight or go down and talk to the count… who knows, he might just possibly marry you, but I suspect he will slit your pretty throat.’

  ‘How I hate you!’ Gilly explod
ed. ‘How can you think of leaving me?’

  ‘Don’t get worked up, baby,’ Girland said soothingly. ‘It’s your choice. There is another possible alternative.’ He sat down again. ‘You and I could make a deal. I could get you out of here without calling in the U.S. Army, but we would have to come to an agreement first’

  ‘What do you mean? What agreement?’

  ‘You would have to promise me to leave your father alone in the future. You would also have to promise me that you will give up running around with this half-baked Ban War organisation and you would have to promise me never ever again to make a stag film.’

  She drew in a long, quivering breath.

  ‘So you really are working for my father!’

  ‘No… I’m working for myself. I am a mercenary. I took your father’s assignment for the money. I don’t give a damn about him, but when I take an assignment, I deliver. You either give me your promise or I’m going to walk out on you. I can always take care of myself. Frankly, Gilly, I don’t give a damn about you or your father. If you think you can take care of yourself and get to Paris and make more blue films, you go ahead and do it.’

  ‘This is blackmail,’ Gilly said, suddenly calm.

  ‘So what? Is it against the rules to blackmail a blackmailer?’ Girland asked. ‘There is time… think it over… I’m going to admire the view.’

  He crossed the room, opened the french windows and moved silently out on to the balcony.

  The long searching finger of the searchlight was still probing the forest. He could see a group of men, wearing the count’s livery, moving across the lawn towards the forest. He again heard the metallic voice of the count over the speakers repeating his warning that the walls were lethal.

  He remained out in the darkness watching the activity below, glad now there were no dogs. However, there were plenty of men and he made a rough count… possibly twenty-six or even thirty. It was difficult to count them as they kept disappearing and reappearing in the light of the searchlight. Finally, he decided he had given Gilly long enough to make a decision. If he didn’t get her promise — he wondered what her promise was worth — he wouldn’t leave her, but he hoped his bluff had made an impression. He stepped back into the dark room, closing the french windows behind him.