Whiff of Money

by James Hadley Chase

  Right behind the Mercedes was a small scarlet car. Kirst immediately recognised the driver and the girl beside him.

  They were the two the count was keeping prisoners at the Schloss, and that car! It was the car he had been ordered to leave at the airport!

  Sweat broke out on his face. He looked wildly at Malik who glared at him so evilly Kirst shuddered.

  ‘Sit still and keep quiet!’ Malik snarled.

  Some way down the busy highway, there was a left turn: a narrow country road leading to a distant farmhouse. Malik slowed, swung the car down the road, drove until he reached a bend that would put the car out of sight from the highway and pulled up.

  ‘You have a packet from a Paris bank I want,’ Malik said. ‘Give it to me!’

  The T.R.4 pulled up behind the Mercedes and Girland slid out. He came to the off-side door of the Mercedes and looked through the open window at Kirst.

  ‘Has he given it to you?’

  ‘Not yet… but he will.’

  Kirst hesitated for only a second, then with shaking hands, he opened the brief-case and took from it a square-shaped, sealed packet. Malik took it from him and examined it.

  Girland quietly slid his gun from his hip pocket. He didn’t trust Malik. He kept the gun down by his side, but the movement hadn’t escaped Malik who looked up, stared at him and grinned.

  ‘You take after me… you trust nobody,’ he said and reaching across Kirst, he thrust the packet at Girland who took it with his left hand.

  ‘I apologise… force of habit,’ Girland said and put the gun back into his hip pocket. He went over to Gilly who was waiting in the T.R.4. ‘Is this it?’ he asked showing her the packet.

  ‘Yes’ Gilly said and made a quick snatch at it, but Girland was too quick for her. She looked pleadingly at him. ‘Please give it to me… it’s mine!’

  Girland shook his head.

  ‘Don’t let’s go all over this again, Gilly. You gave me your word. This goes to your father.’

  She went white.

  ‘No! Please! I couldn’t live knowing he had seen those films! If you give them to him, F11 kill myself! I swear I will!’

  Girland studied her.

  ‘But, Gilly, shouldn’t you have thought of this before you made them? After all, you were going to send them to his enemies, weren’t you?’

  ‘Of course not! Please believe me! I was bluffing. Of course I wasn’t going to send them to them. I Can’t bear to think of anyone seeing them!’

  ‘Oh come on, Gilly. You’ve already sent one spool to your father.’

  ‘I didn’t! It was Pierre! He sent it and then told me afterwards ! I could have killed him! Besides, these…’ She caught her breath in a sob. ‘They — they are much worse. I can’t bear anyone seeing them. Don’t you understand? I didn’t know what I was doing as you or anyone else wouldn’t have if you had had as much L.S.D. as I had.’ Tears began to run down her face. ‘You can’t do this to me!’

  Girland regarded the packet in his hand, then looked at her.

  ‘This little lot is worth ten thousand dollars to me. Why should I care what it does to you?’

  She hid her face in her hands and began to sob violently, rocking herself to and fro: a picture of misery. Girland became aware that Malik had got out of the Mercedes and was watching him curiously.

  Still holding the packet in his hand, Girland said, ‘What are we going to do with our friend?’

  ‘Tie him up and dump him here,’ Malik said. ‘Someone will find him. It’ll give us time to get back to the airport and catch the Paris plane if we hurry.’

  Girland looked at Gilly who was rocking herself backwards and forwards and he shook his head.

  ‘Gilly… cut the act. It’s good, but it doesn’t convince me. You are like a lot of people… when they are on top, they’re fine. When the cards fall wrong, they snivel I don’t believe Rosnold was behind this. I think you were and now, without him, you’ve lost your guts. Here… take them.’ He placed the packet on the hood of the T.R.4. Turning, he went to the Mercedes and took from the boot, Gilly’s suitcase. This he dropped behind the driving seat of the T.R.4.

  Gilly continued to sob, her face hidden in her hands.

  Girland regarded her, grimaced, then shrugged. He walked back to the Mercedes.

  ‘Let’s drive further up the road to the next bend,’ he said, getting into the car.

  ‘You’re forgetting the packet,’ Malik said as he slid under the driving wheel.

  ‘Don’t be so obvious, Comrade,’ Girland said. ‘Let’s move.’

  Malik drove to the next bend and then pulled up. He told Kirst to get out. While he was tying Kirst’s trembling hands behind his back, Girland lit a cigarette. He heard the T.R.4 start up.

  Malik looked at him.

  ‘She’s going.’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘She’s taken the packet.’

  ‘Yes.’

  Malik tied Kirst’s ankles together, then picking him up, dropped him over the hedge.

  ‘I thought you were interested in money, Girland,’ he said. ‘Wasn’t Dorey going to pay you for those films?’

  ‘So he said.’ Girland got into the passenger’s seat of the car. ‘Come on… let’s move.’

  With a puzzled expression, Malik started the car, reversed and headed down to the highway.

  Although Malik drove fast, Girland saw no sign of the scarlet T.R.4. Gilly was driving even faster.

  * * *

  There were only six other passengers on the last flight to Paris and Girland and Malik sat together, away from the others.

  Both men were silent: both occupied with their thoughts.

  Girland said suddenly, ‘You won’t tell me unless you want to, Malik, but there’s no harm in asking. Just why did you give up those films? I was anticipating trouble. With them, you could have made a big hit with your people. They wouldn’t have hesitated to use them and Sherman would have been sunk. Have you lost interest in your work?’

  Malik stared broodingly down at his big hands. For some moments, Girland thought he wasn’t going to reply, then he said, ‘At last I’m following your example. Ever since I began working for security, I’ve never considered my own interests whereas you have always put yourself first and your job second. Now I’ve decided to do just that. As long as Kovski is in power, I will never be allowed to return to the active field where I belong. Sitting at a desk, handling paper is death to me. This is my chance to destroy Kovski and I am taking it. Once he is destroyed, I will get back to the active field. He turned his head and his flat green eyes searched Girland’s face. Then you and I will be enemies again.’

  ‘Maybe we won’t meet again,’ Girland said, shrugging. ‘It’s only because Dorey keeps tempting me with money that I fall for his cockeyed assignments. He may get tired of it. How are you fixing Comrade Kovski? -

  Again Malik took his time before answering. Finally he said, ‘When I report tomorrow, I will tell him you destroyed the films before I could get them. I will remind him that if he had acted on my suggestion and had cabled the American airport police that Sherman was returning on a false passport, Sherman would have been ruined by now… that the films meant nothing. We could have prevented Sherman becoming President by sending this cable. This Kovski stupidly refused to do. I will then tell him that a tape recording of our conversation is on its way to Moscow.’ Malik looked down at his hands and smiled evilly. ‘That will be the moment… when he realises what I have done… that I shall enjoy.’

  Girland nodded.

  ‘I can imagine. Dorey will be pleased.’

  Malik shrugged his heavy shoulders.

  ‘Many people will be pleased.’ He looked at his watch. ‘We will be landing in a few minutes. We must not be seen together. Drina will be on duty at the airport. Will you go first? I will follow after you when Drina is telephoning that you are back.’

  ‘That’s okay.’

  As the plane began its descent, Malik looked directly
at Girland.

  ‘I’ll say good-bye now. I hope we don’t meet again. In a couple of months I’ll be back in the active field. We are all square now… you understand?’

  Girland laughed.

  ‘I can take a hint. I hope we don’t meet again and thanks for your help. Yes… we’re all square.’

  He offered his hand and Malik gripped it, then as the plane touched down and began to taxi towards the arrival bay, both men unfastened their safety belts.

  * * *

  Girland was disappointed when he walked into Dorey’s outer office to find Mavis Paul not at her desk.

  He flicked down the switch on the inter-com connecting with Dorey’s office.

  ‘Yes?’ Dorey’s voice asked.

  ‘This is your favourite ex-agent reporting,’ Girland said. ‘Did I wake you up?’

  ‘Oh… you. Come in.’

  Girland entered the big room, sauntered across to the visitor’s chair and sank into it. He was wearing a lightweight grey tweed suit, a blood-red tie and dark-brown casuals. Dorey was surprised to see him so well turned out.

  ‘Nice to see me again?’ Girland asked with a jeering little smile.

  Dorey regarded him over the tops of his spectacles.

  ‘Did you get those films?’

  Girland lifted his shoulders. He took his time before saying, ‘Yes and no. I did have them, but the poor little girl sobbed so hard when I told her I was giving them to her old man that I gave them back to her.’

  Dorey stiffened.

  ‘Are you trying to waste my time?’

  ‘I wouldn’t dream of doing that. If you don’t believe me, call up the Soviet Embassy and ask Malik. Without him, I doubt if I would have got the films. He was an eye-witness to the touching scene when I decided, not without pain to myself, that I would rather let the girl have them than her creep of a father.’

  ‘In other words you haven’t the films… you have failed,’ Dorey exclaimed, his face flushing with anger.

  ‘I didn’t fail. I don’t fail. I got them and you can assure your pal that he can go ahead and run for office. The films have been destroyed. Gillian has promised to behave herself in the future. You can’t call that failure, can you?’

  ‘Do you expect me to believe any of this?’ Dorey said furiously. ‘Your assignment was to bring those films to me! Now stop this fooling! Have you got them or haven’t you?’

  ‘I know you are getting old, but I didn’t realise you are also getting deaf, Dorey,’ Girland said, looking sad. ‘The girl has destroyed them. She has promised to leave her father strictly alone in the future.’

  ‘How do I know she has destroyed them? A promise from a slut like that? What is that worth?’ Dorey demanded, banging his fist on the desk.

  ‘Did you know Sherman gave the green light to Radnitz to have her murdered?’ Girland asked quietly.

  Dorey stiffened and looked hard at Girland who had lost his bantering expression. There was a steely gleam in his eyes that told Dorey he was being deadly serious.

  ‘I think you should tell me just what has been happening,’ he said.

  I’ll tell you… that’s why I’m here. By the way how has your pal Sherman been getting along since I’ve been away?’

  ‘What do you expect? Because of his daughter, he has had to remain at home. He’s lost ground. You can’t fight an election at home.’

  Girland brightened.

  ‘Well, that’s good news. Perhaps Gilly has struck a mortal blow after all.’

  ‘I’m not saying that, but he is now behind. Ten days are vital at this period of the election.’

  ‘So the creep might not become President after all?’

  ‘Never mind about him. What’s been happening?’

  Girland took one of Dorey’s cigarettes, lit it and settled himself comfortably. He then proceeded to give Dorey a lucid report of the past events.

  Dorey sat in his chair, his chin resting on his finger tips, his eyes hooded as he listened. When Girland described Rosnold’s murder, Dorey’s lips tightened, but he still didn’t interrupt.

  ‘And so when the girl started to cry her eyes out,’ Giriand concluded, ‘I thought the gentlemanly thing to do was to give her the films… so I gave them to her. Perhaps you wouldn’t have?’

  Dorey brooded for some moments.

  ‘You have no real proof that Sherman is implicated with this kidnapping and murder?’ he asked finally.

  ‘I don’t need proof. Sherman and Radnitz are buddy-buddies. Gilly made a nuisance of herself… Q.E.D. What’s it matter anyway? She isn’t charging the creep with attempted murder.’

  Dorey winced.

  ‘I find this difficult to believe,’ he said slowly, but his shocked eyes told Girland he did believe.

  ‘You don’t have to… it’s over now… who cares?’

  ‘What has happened to the girl?’.

  Girland shrugged.

  ‘You don’t have to worry about her. She is capable of taking care of herself. She’ll keep her promise… I’m sure of that.’

  Dorey began to relax.

  ‘You realise, Girland, that unless I give those three films to Sherman, he won’t part with any more money?’

  ‘I knew that when I gave Gilly the films,’ Girland said and smiled wryly. ‘I earned the first ten thousand dollars so I keep them but I intend to spend them as fast as I can. I wouldn’t take any more money from Sherman if he offered it to me…some money smells, but his money stinks.’

  Dorey lifted his hands a little helplessly.

  ‘There are times when I don’t understand you,’ he said. ‘I was under the impression any money smelt good to you.’

  ‘Well, we all live and learn.’ Girland laughed. ‘I have another choice item of news for you,’ and he went on to tell Dorey that Kovski was heading for disgrace.

  Dorey considered this, then shook his head.

  ‘It isn’t good news, Girland.’ I would rather have a blustering fool like Kovski in charge of Security than a devil like Malik back in the active field. You’re not using your head.’

  Girland acknowledged the truth of this by nodding.

  ‘Yes… I must admit that fact had escaped me. Not that I could have done anything about it. It’s Malik’s private vendetta, Anyway, it doesn’t matter to me. I’m distinctly ex now. I don’t suppose I’ll ever run into Malik again. You had better warn your boys. They have been having it too soft recently.’

  Dorey rubbed his jaw as he regarded Girland.

  ‘I don’t believe you really want to leave us, Girland. Now there is an interesting little job in Tangier that would exactly suit you.’ He reached for a file and drew it lovingly towards him. ‘Plenty of action… two women… pretty ones involved. Yes, it would exactly suit you and I know you could handle it.’ Girland lifted his eyebrows. ‘The old siren at work again. How about the money?’

  This is an official job so you would be paid official rates,’ Dorey said, a sudden waspish note in his voice.

  Girland levered himself out of the chair.

  ‘No, thank you. I have ten thousand dollars to squander. I’ve given up working for peanuts.’ He lifted his hand and flapped his fingers at Dorey. ‘So long. If anything crops up in the ten thousand dollar bracket, I might consider it. Think big is my motto: should be yours too.’

  He wandered out, closing the door gently behind him. His face lit up with his charming smile as he saw Mavis Paul at her typewriter.

  She looked up, flushed and then continued to type.

  ‘Not a word of welcome?’ Girland said, coming to the desk and smiling down at her. ‘Not one glad little cry of pleasure?’

  Mavis hesitated and then stopped typing. She looked up at him.

  ‘Did anyone tell you you have eyes like stars and lips made for a kiss?’ Girland asked. ‘I got that off a bottle of perfume.’

  ‘The exit is behind you and to the right,’ Mavis said without sounding very convincing.

  ‘How about a dinner with me
at Lasserre: soft music, beautiful food, velvety wines? I have lots of money I want to get rid of. Shall we say nine o’clock?’

  Mavis regarded him. She thought he looked very handsome. An evening out with him couldn’t fail to be exciting. She suddenly realised her life up to now had been all work and no play.

  ‘Thank you… yes…’

  ‘My mother once told me that if I didn’t at first succeed… Girland laughed happily. ‘This is going to be the most maddeningly exciting evening of my life… and your life. Then nine o’clock at Lasserre.’

  She nodded and began typing again.

  Girland wandered to the door. As he was about to leave, she stopped typing. He turned and looked inquiringly at her.

  Her eyes were sparkling as she asked, ‘Do you still own that Bukhara rug?’

  THE END

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