1978 - Consider Yourself Dead

by James Hadley Chase

  ‘What’s Ross’s information?’ Frost asked.

  Silk smiled his evil smile.

  ‘So I tell you, but remember, once you know, you are in, and you stay in . . . right?’

  ‘You are repeating yourself,’ Frost said impatiently. ‘What’s the information?’

  Silk studied him for a long moment.

  ‘It can’t be repeated too often. I want you to understand that once you know this information, you are with us, and there is no way out for you except a slug in your head . . . right?’

  The two men studied each other. Silk’s one eye looked lethal. Frost became aware he was sweating slightly.

  Five million!

  In a quiet, steady voice, he said, ‘What information?’

  Silk continued to stare at him.

  ‘Sure you want to know?’ he asked in his deadly voice.

  ‘Cut the crap, Silk!’ Frost snapped. ‘Go haunt someone else’s house. You don’t haunt mine!’

  Silk smiled, then turned to Umney.

  ‘Yes, go ahead, Ross. He’s with us . . . tell him.’

  ‘I got at Grandi’s accountant: a guy named Guiseppe Vessi,’ Umney said. ‘He has a kink for young boys, and he has a wife with money. There was no problem to twist his arm. All the rich Italians are doing a tax evasion gimmick. For years, Grandi has been syphoning off some of his big profits into a numbered account in Switzerland. Vessi has been in charge of the operation. Right now, so Vessi tells me, the money hidden in Switzerland is around thirty million dollars. So I leaned on Vessi, and we came up with a deal. He gets ten million, and we get twenty million, and there is nothing Grandi can do about it. We have photocopies of all the Swiss transactions. If Grandi even considers turning on the heat when his daughter is snatched, with these photocopies given to the Italian tax creeps, he could go away in jail for fifteen years, and Grandi knows this. So, there is no problem, once we get the girl. We four - Lu, Mitch, you and I sign a document which will make us shareholders of five million each, and Grandi transfers the numbered account to us. We are all protected. There’s no problem, and Vessi gets the balance.’

  ‘But will Grandi transfer this account to us?’ Frost asked, a little bewildered by what he had heard.

  ‘He either does and gets his daughter back, or he doesn’t, and goes to jail for fifteen years. Can you imagine a man as rich as Grandi going to jail?’ Umney asked, grinning.

  ‘I told you, Mike, this is a sweet snatch,’ Silk said. ‘No cops: no trouble, but we have to get the girl. Now you tell us how.’

  ‘I’d like to look at this document you’re talking about, transferring the account to us,’ Frost said.

  ‘You don’t take chances, do you?’ Silk smiled evilly. ‘Show him, Ross.’

  Umney got up, crossed to a bureau, opened a drawer and returned with a sheet of paper which he gave Frost.

  Frost studied what was written on the paper. At the bottom of the paper was space for Grandi’s signature. He read again, then nodded.

  ‘Yeah, I guess this buttons it up,’ he said, and handed the paper back to Umney. ‘Right. I’m satisfied. Now I’ll take one problem at a time. Next Saturday night is D-day. If you don’t want it that fast, we’ll have to wait another month. Here’s why: Marcia tells me she has a regular date with Amando every first Saturday of the month which is next Saturday. He arrives here around nine, takes a drink, performs and leaves. According to her this is a routine thing. You give her one of your pills and Amando is fixed. I forgot to ask you: do these pills dissolve fast and have they a taste?’

  ‘Fast, and no taste,’ Silk said.

  ‘Okay, Amando takes the drink, and is knocked out by three in the morning. How do you like it so far?’

  Silk nodded.

  ‘No problem,’ he said.

  ‘Marvin and I always have dinner together,’ Frost went on. ‘We always have a couple of cans of beer so there is no problem slipping him a pill. I go on night duty on Sunday, so on this Saturday night, I tell him I’m tired and am going to bed. So he settles down to watch the monitors and around two in the morning, he is knocked out. So I’ve taken care of Amando and Marvin,’ Frost paused, looking at Silk. ‘You still with me?’

  ‘You’ve fixed Amando and Marvin,’ Silk said. ‘Now, how about the dogs? How about the fence? How about doping the girl?’

  ‘The girl won’t need to be doped. She will fix the dogs and the fence,’ Frost said.

  Goble broke in angrily, ‘Look, Lu, this guy is either conning us or else he’s crazy in the head!’

  Frost looked at him.

  ‘I’m not taking any more from you, Fatso,’ he said evenly. ‘Flap with your mouth once more and I’ll flatten you!’

  ‘Shut up, Mitch!’ Silk snarled. ‘Keep out of this!’ He turned to Frost. ‘I’m listening. . . keep talking.’

  ‘Grandi arrived at the villa this morning. He talked with me,’ Frost then went on to give a detailed account of his interview with Grandi. ‘So, I have got Amando and Suka off my back,’ he concluded, ‘and this is important. It means the guardroom is free of unexpected visitors. Now, here is the big news. Grandi and Amando took off this afternoon, and the girl came to my cabin. She is a real nut case. Can you guess what she begged me to do?’ He paused, looking at the three men, then lowering his voice, he went on, ‘She begged me to kill her father so she could be free.’

  There was a heavy silence in the room, broken only by the sound of the air conditioner. Silk crossed and re-crossed his legs. Umney ran his fingers through his thick hair.

  Goble made a soft grunting noise.

  ‘Probably, you three don’t realise what it means to a girl of Gina’s temperament to be shut up behind a lethal fence,’ Frost said into the silence. ‘This girl has hot pants. Her only out is for her father to die. She knows that. She knows as long as he lives, she will remain behind bars.’

  Frost paused to light another cigarette while the three men, sitting forward, stared at him, listening. ‘Now I’ll tell you something else. Grandi is kinky. I’m telling you what she told me, and she was pretty convincing. He has a thing for her - and I mean a thing - or should I spell it out? She knows. She’s screwed around, and she knows men. When the Rome newspapers highlighted her way of life, Grandi put her behind bars. If he couldn’t have her, no one else would. Are you getting the photo?’

  ‘Keep talking,’ Silk said. ‘I’m with you so far.’

  ‘As you assured me the ransom is guaranteed, I’ve based my thinking on this assurance. From what she told me, Gina will do anything, including having her father murdered, to get free. She and I have a date on Wednesday when Grandi will be out of the way. I intend to ask her how she would like to be kidnapped. In her neurotic state, I bet she will jump at the idea. I will explain I have three good friends who are willing to help her get her freedom, but we need her cooperation. She has direct access from the villa to the guardroom. All she has to do, I will tell her, is to enter the guardroom at 03.00 Sunday morning where she will find Marvin drugged. I will tell her the buttons to press and get the dogs out of the way to neutralise the fence. Then all she has to do is walk down to the harbour where you three will be waiting in a boat, and you will take her to a place of safety. I’m sure I can talk her into this, and you three don’t even have to enter the grounds of the estate.’ Frost looked inquiringly at Silk. ‘Like it so far?’

  ‘I like it so far. Keep talking.’

  ‘Where will you keep her?’

  ‘Here . . . where else? She can have Marcia’s room.’

  ‘That’s fine. So we have the girl without trouble. The following morning I go to the guardroom to relieve Marvin, find him drugged, call Suka, find Amando drugged, and Gina missing. I find in the guardroom a sealed envelope on which is written: this is the ransom note to be handed to Grandi. No cops or else . . . So I take charge. I call Grandi. Suka will know where he will be. By the time Grandi arrives, Marvin and Amando will be back on their feet, but I will be very much in charge. Grandi
reads the ransom note and sees he is stuck. He pays up or goes to jail. You give him a day to sweat it out, then you telephone, and with luck, he agrees to meet one of you. I’ll be right on the scene to check he doesn’t try anything smart. He knows I’ve handled a kidnap before when I was with the Feds so he will consult me. So he takes me along with him to complete the deal. You get the signed document and hand over the girl, then you fade from the scene. That leaves Gina, Grandi and me. She will tell her father to go screw himself. I will tell him he can’t legally hold her, so Gina goes off. I couldn’t care less where she goes, but the deal will be that she goes. I go back to the villa with Grandi. Once he realises he has lost his daughter, he will close up the villa and pay Marvin and me off. So I take a fast plane to Switzerland, collect my share of the loot and live happily ever after.’ Frost smiled at Silk. ‘What do you think?’

  Silk nodded.

  ‘It’s smart, Mike.’ He looked at the other two. ‘What do you say?’

  ‘I like it,’ Umney said. ‘Yeah, it’s smart.’

  Goble got to his feet and helped himself to the last cream bun on the tray.

  ‘I see problems,’ he said, biting into the bun. ‘Let’s talk the whole thing out, huh?’

  So the four men sat around the table and talked it out.

  An hour later, Frost shoved back his chair and stood up.

  ‘I’ve got to get back,’ he said. ‘You’re all satisfied, providing I can talk sense into Gina?’

  ‘That’s it,’ Silk said. ‘You convince us she’ll play, then the deal’s on.’

  ‘I’ll be here Thursday evening at 18.00,’ Frost said. ‘I’ll want a copy of this document, signed by you three. I want a copy of the ransom note for Grandi.’

  ‘Okay,’ Silk said. ‘Looks like we’re in business, Mike.’

  Nodding to the three of them, Frost left the room.

  There was a long silence, then Mitch got up and opened the door and looked up and down the empty corridor. He closed the door and leaned against it.

  ‘I trust that creep the way I would trust a rattlesnake.’

  ‘Don’t worry about him,’ Silk said with his evil smile. ‘Rattlesnakes are expendable, aren’t they?’

  * * *

  Wednesday evening: 21.00 hrs.

  Frost moved around his cabin restlessly. Every now and then, he slammed his clenched fists together. He had seen Grandi and Amando drive away in the Rolls soon after 20.00. He had picked at a good dinner, then telling Marvin he was bushed, he left him before the monitors and had gone to his cabin. Marvin had warned him he would release the dogs at exactly 21.00.

  As the hands of his watch moved to 21.03, he snapped off the light and moved to the window.

  God! he thought, how the past five days had dragged!

  Being on night guard, he had seen nothing of Grandi. He had spent the days on the beach. He hadn’t been near the Ace of Spades. Now, at last, Wednesday had arrived, but he still wasn’t sure if Gina would come to him. What a fiasco it would be if she didn’t! Then he saw her dart out of the shrubs and come racing towards his cabin. He had the door open as she arrived. She threw herself into his arms, her body straining against his, and he had to push her away to shut and lock the door, then he caught hold of her.

  ‘Oh, Mike . . . I’ve been waiting and waiting!’ she exclaimed. ‘Every hour of these awful days has tormented me!’

  He swung her off her feet and carried her into the bedroom. He paused to switch on the bedside light, then lowered her on to the bed. He had previously drawn the curtains, and he knew Marvin, from the guardroom, couldn’t see the light in the bedroom.

  ‘I’ve been waiting too,’ he said, leaning over her. ‘How long have we got?’

  ‘Three hours . . . not more.’

  She was already wriggling out of her stretch pants, and he pulled them free as she unstrapped her bra.

  Their coupling was ferocious: two uninhibited animals, and when she finally reached the top of the crest, she gave a strangled, suppressed scream.

  They lay in each other’s arms while their breathing quietened. Frost held her gently, but he was now aware of the passing minutes.

  ‘Gina, honey,’ he said, still holding her, ‘I think I have found a way out for you.’

  He felt her stiffen against him. She pushed away from him and sat up.

  ‘You mean you will kill him?’

  Looking at her, seeing how her eyes glittered, Frost felt chilled. She must be crazy in the head! he thought. Play this very, very softly.

  ‘No . . . I have a better idea. You see, honey, if I killed him, the cops would come into it, and where would I be then?’

  ‘You’re smart!’ She caught hold of his arm. ‘You’ll find a way to make it look like an accident.’ Her grip tightened. ‘Think! If he was dead, you would have all the money in the world!’

  ‘How do you know for sure he’ll leave his money to you?’ Frost asked.

  ‘Who else is there but me?’ She smiled as her fingers began to caress his arm. ‘I’ll be richer than Christina Onassis! Billions of dollars! You can have as much as you want. Kill him, Mike, and I promise you the earth!’

  Frost looked away. He didn’t want her to see his revulsion.

  ‘No, I’ve a better idea: no complications: no risk, no cops, and you get your freedom.’

  She regarded him, her head a little on one side. He thought how corrupt and vicious she looked ‘What idea? What idea is better than killing this kinky old creep?’

  This is it, he thought. If she doesn’t fall for it, then what the hell am I to do?

  Looking directly at her, he said slowly and distinctly, ‘How would you like to be kidnapped?’

  Her eyes widened, then she laughed gleefully.

  ‘Kidnapped! I’d love it! I’ve always wanted to be kidnapped! When those jerks in Rome tried to kidnap me, I was so excited, I wet myself. Will you kidnap me, Mike? I’d love to be put in a cupboard like Patty Hearst. I would love to be treated rough. I would love to be raped!’

  Listening to her, looking at her, Frost felt sick. He rolled off the bed and stood away from her. As he pulled on his jeans, she dropped flat on her back, her nipples hard, her legs widespread.

  ‘Don’t do that,’ she said. ‘I love to see you naked.’

  Ignoring her, Frost went over to the dressing table where he had put a bottle of Scotch and glasses. He poured himself a stiff shot, then looked at her.

  ‘A drink?’

  She grimaced.

  ‘No . . . come here. Tell me about this kidnapping.’

  He emptied the glass at a swallow, then lit a cigarette, and came over to the bed. He sat at the end of it, away from her.

  ‘This is a smart idea,’ he said, ‘but first I want to get the record straight. You told me you don’t give a damn about money. Are you still telling me that?’

  She regarded him, then nodded.

  ‘There is only one thing I care about,’ she said. ‘I want to be free and do my thing. I don’t give a shit about money. I just want to take off and do my thing.’

  ‘If you really mean that, I have the answer.’

  ‘I mean it. Tell me.’

  ‘I can fix it for you to be kidnapped. I have friends who will cooperate.’

  ‘Who?’

  ‘You don’t need to know, honey, but I assure you, you don’t have to worry about them.’

  Her eyes probed.

  ‘What do they get out of it?’

  ‘The ransom.’

  ‘And what do you get out of it?’

  ‘Some of the ransom.’

  ‘So, fill me in.’

  He wasn’t sure if he had hooked her, but he now knew he had to give her the plan. For the next half hour, he talked persuasively. He explained what she would have to do. He explained about the tax evasion money.

  ‘He can’t do a thing without going to jail, honey. You get your freedom, I get the ransom. Between us, we have him over a barrel,’ he concluded. He paused, aware h
e was sweating. ‘How does it look to you?’

  Her hands stroked her breasts, and she smiled at him.

  ‘Marvellous. . . wonderful.’

  He regarded her uneasily.

  ‘Sure?’

  ‘Of course, I’m sure. So Saturday . . . I’ll be free!’ She slid down the bed and pulled him to her. ‘No more talk, Mike . . . let’s have some action!’

  Six

  Frost had just finished dressing when Suka came to the cabin. Frost had slept badly. Although Gina had seemingly agreed excitedly to the idea of her being kidnapped, she worried him. He was almost sure that she was reefer smoking, and had been high the previous night. Suppose when she sobered up, she had a change of mind? He had rehearsed over and over again what she had to do.

  At exactly three o’clock on Sunday morning, she was to I go to the guardroom. There she would find Marvin drugged. She was to press the red button on the third row I on the panel and wait for at least ten minutes. Then she was to press the fourth button in the same row. She was then to go straight to the harbour where she would find a boat waiting for her.

  ‘Marvellous! Wonderful! Exciting!’ she had said, and repeated what he had said, but he kept wondering if she would remember to press the right buttons. If she pressed a wrong button, every cop in Paradise City would be arriving. The thought made him sweat.

  As Suka tapped, then peered into the cabin, Frost scowled at him.

  ‘What do you want?’ he demanded aggressively.

  ‘Mr. Grandi asks for you,’ Suka said. ‘Please to come with me.’

  Alert, Frost followed him along the path and into the villa. Suka conducted him into the room where Frost had met Grandi before.

  Grandi was behind his desk. Standing by the window, his hands behind his back, was Amando.

  Frost paused in the doorway, aware that Suka had faded away.

  ‘Come in, Frost,’ Grandi said.