by Nick Carter
"You left it at the ranch," I said quietly. The shocked fright that leaped into her eyes was my answer, more revealing than anything else. It gave the lie to any words of protest I might hear. But no denials came. She turned away from me, walked to the table and then looked back at me.
"I'm sorry," she said. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I just thought that if I did, you'd figure I really was in with them thick as flies and you'd never believe me."
"Then you tell me now," I said. 'Tell me fast and tell me straight, Judy, or I'll get it out of you the hard way."
"After I put them in contact with Dawsey and a lot of other blokes, they asked me if I'd like to go and meet their boss. I had a day off coming up and I said why not. They drove me to that ranch and I had dinner there. I met the boss, a chap with slicked back, black hair, name of Bonard. He asked me a lot of questions about myself, all kinds of things, and after dinner they took me back and that was it. Later, when I got to thinking about all he'd asked me, it seemed to me that he was trying to find out if I'd fit in with their group. But he never came out and asked me to work for them. He said I was doing them a big favor and just to keep on with it. He said I'd get more money for my help."
My mind ticked off the things she was saying. They were all plausible enough. But most lies, good ones anyway, are plausible.
"Why didn't you tell me all this before?" I asked.
"I was afraid," she said quietly. "Bloody afraid. I was going to, a couple of times, but I just couldn't get up the courage. If I told you, I thought you'd put me down as one of them and I figured you'd find out about the ranch on your own."
Her smoke-gray eyes were wide, wider than I'd ever seen them, and they were sad, too. Maybe she was telling me the truth now. Maybe Lynn Delba had told me the truth, too. But both of them had been on the ranch. One of them could be lying through her teeth. I glanced at my watch. There was still time to catch Mona at home before she left for the office. I wanted her to get me a rundown, as complete as possible, on both Judy and Lynn Delba. She could start on it while I went to the cottage to shower and change. I turned and opened the door and Judy was at my side, her hand clutching my arm.
"You don't believe me, do you?" she said. "Lord, I wish you would."
"I'm sure you do," I smiled thinly. "'I'll be in touch. You can count on it."
I left her in the doorway and saw her eyes suddenly fill with tears. Damn, the little piece was a terrific actress or she was really telling the truth. But women are natural actresses. I sent the little Anglia roaring from the curb and reached Mona's apartment just in time to catch her. She answered the door looking all bright-eyed and fresh as a morning glory in a deep blue dress with a row of white buttons down the front and a narrow, white belt. She was holding one white shoe in her hand.
"Nick," she exclaimed. "What in heaven's name are you doing here at this hour. You look like you've had another rough time of it."
"You could say that, honey," I said. "I wanted you to do something for me as soon as you got to the office."
"No sooner said than done," Mona answered. "Tell me about it while I finish polishing these shoes. White pumps can be so damned hard to clean,"
She went into the kitchen and I followed her. I saw the other shoe standing on the sink top, a fine film of powdery, red dust over it. The shoe-polish rag she was using was smeared with it. I looked at Mona for a long minute, trying to decide whether to say anything about the dust. I decided against it, my inner caution flags fluttering all over the place. Maybe she'd picked up the powdery dust someplace else. And maybe not.
I was remembering a number of things that suddenly had taken on an entirely new character. Mona had tried to discourage me from the whole bit when I first arrived. It was nothing but inefficient Aussie bumbling, she'd said. I marked that down to an unwillingness to face unpleasant facts. But was it merely that? That clock of hers that had stopped and made me miss meeting Burton Comford, had that been just one of those things? And the pilot, Dempster, who was expecting me to show up — had the men from the Circle Three briefed him? Or had it been Mona?
She finished the shoes and slipped into them. "Well?" she said, coming over to lean her beautiful, big breasts against me. "You haven't said much?"
I smiled at her and decided to let her gather the information I needed. It would keep her busy anyway.
"I want as much information as you can get for me on two people," I said. "One is named Lynn Delba, the other Judy Henniker. Get on it right away, will you, doll?"
"Immediately," she said, kissing me lightly. I was remembering that night in bed with her, and the way she'd made love to me with techniques I'd never found anywhere outside the Orient. Mona Star, beautiful, luscious Mona Star, was lining up alongside Lynn Delba and Judy. In fact, I mused quietly, she might even be the front runner in the lying sweepstakes. I left with her and watched her walk down the street to the bus stop. I waved and drove off to the cottage. I needed some time to digest the fast moving events. I had three queens in my hand, but one of them was a joker — a deadly joker.
VI
I showered, shaved and got a few hours of sleep. My body ached and groaned and I'd decided that bulldogging steers was no career for me. I awoke refreshed and one fact emerged out of the welter of slipping, sliding deceptions. I had done enough shadow-boxing. There was a leader to this operation and I had to make him come forward. One of the three girls had lied from the very start but short of torture, I'd no way to find out which one it was. But if I could move them into a position where they'd have to show their hands, I'd find out all the answers I needed to know. I dressed slowly, letting the plans gather in my mind. I had to move carefully all around now. After what I'd learned about Mona this morning, there were no more islands of safety. This operation could have penetrated far up. When I finished dressing, I drove to Ayr.
I went to the Major's office and closed the door behind me. I'd rehearsed what 1 wanted to say and how I was going to put it.
"I'm afraid I've gotten a lot of suspicious leads, Major," I said. "But nothing really concrete. But there are a few last questions I'd like answered."
"Anything you wish, Carter," the Major said. "I can't say I'm too surprised that you've come up with nothing concrete. I'm afraid that perhaps there just isn't anything."
"Perhaps," I smiled, putting some sadness into it. "But I have a question on your own personnel. How thoroughly do you check them out? Take Mona, for example. I presume she's been carefully screened."
"Oh, thoroughly," Major Rothwell said. "We have her whole background on file. You may see it if you like. She was born in Hong Kong, lived a good number of years in Peking with her father, who was with the British Army. She was actually hired by us in London. Oh, everybody's thoroughly screened, you can be sure of that."
I nodded. I didn't tell him that I'd seen thoroughly screened personnel before who turned out to be enemy agents.
"One last thing," I said. "Is there any other major maneuver or venture taking place soon that, if it went wrong, would strain Australia's relations with her friends to the breaking point?"
Major Rothwell pursed his lips and thought, gazing up at the ceiling. "Well, there is one thing," he said. "A huge dam is being built just south of here. It's being done by an American firm using Australian workmen. This has already caused some friction and hard feelings. A lot of our blokes couldn't understand why it had to be a Yank firm. Our firms were much higher in their cost estimates, but people don't pay attention to those things when they want an emotional issue. And, as you know, the Australian people are pretty angry at the charges that have been leveled at us, rightly or wrongly. If something were to go wrong with that dam, and people were to be killed because of it, I bloody well think it would put the icing on the cake. There's considerable support for a movement to withdraw from the whole alliance, mostly out of hurt feelings, but there nonetheless."
The Major was more than right, I knew. I had no more questions, so I left. Before returning to
the cottage I made two stops in downtown Townsville, one at a novelty store, the other at a drugstore. Then I closeted myself for the rest of the day. In the morning, I reported in to the Major. I'd planned what I would say carefully. If Mona was the one involved, she'd be my problem. She'd know I'd been at the ranch and had escaped the stampede. She'd know I had latched onto something, so I couldn't just bow out claiming lack of success. If she were the one, that is.
"I'm afraid I've some bad news," I announced. "I have to return to the States — an emergency has come up and they've called me back. I spoke to Hawk last night."
"That's a rotten shame," the Major said. "But you have to follow orders like the rest of us, I know."
"Hawk sends you his apologies," I lied blandly. "He said I could come back if you still feel you need me. I was just getting into some solid leads, too."
"Perhaps this emergency will pass in a day or two," the Major said. 'They sometimes do. Good luck, Carter. Thanks for everything so far."
A phone call for the Major ended our conversation and I paused at Mona's desk. "I want to come back." I grinned at her. "I don't have to toll you why, honey."
"Can we spend tonight together?" she asked. I shook my head. "Booked on the afternoon flight already," I said. "I'll be back. Save some for me till then." She gave me a narrow look and smiled. I walked, out, on my way back to the United States — at least so far as they were concerned. My next stop was Judy. I gave her the same story about being called back on orders. Her eyes held mine with a steady look.
"It figures," she said, bitterly. "I didn't think it would really come true, anyway."
"You mean about my helping you get to the States?" I said. "Maybe it will, yet. I may be back."
"Rot," she said. "And even if you do come back, you don't believe me any more."
I just smiled at her. You're so right, honey, I told myself. That scuba gear of yours in the closet could be used for a lot more than fun and games underwater. She was pouting when I left, her round face was set, and her eyes on me were accusing. Damn her hide, if she were the one, she was the best actress of them all. I left quickly and stopped at Lynn Delba's place. I added one thing to my story for her.
"I gave Australian Intelligence your name and put down everything you told me," I said.
"I guess I can expect them pestering me every day now," she said crossly. She looked up at me and her eyes roamed up and down quickly. "Well, if they all look like you, Yank, I guess I can stand it," she said. She was true to form at least. I smiled inwardly. She still didn't wear a bra either.
It had been my last stop. Nick Carter was on his way back to America.
* * *
That night, The Ruddy Jug had a new customer. He was red-haired, with a freckled face wide, red-brown moustache turned down at the edges. He had a ruddy complexion underneath his freckles and a loud, grating voice. Wearing a workman's shirt, pants and heavy shoes, he sat down and waved a hand at Judy. He watched her come over and her smile was forced — an imposition on her strained, grim face — a mockery of her troubled eyes.
"Lunatic soup, girlie," he yelled at her. "Shout me a seven, willya?" Judy turned to the bar and called out for a seven-ounce glass of beer. She fetched it and put it on the man's table. "Welcome to The Ruddy Jug." She smiled again.
"I'm a bit done up, lass," he said, his Aussie speech pattern as natural as his drinking the beer. "Workin' on that dam under those blasted Yank engineers would do up a saint, I tell you."
"You can always relax at The Ruddy Jug," Judy said as she started to move on.
"Good on you," the man called. "Shout me another when you go by the bar. It's a hot, dinkum night, it is."
The girl went on without a backward glance and I smiled inwardly. I'd passed inspection. I'd worked on the disguise all afternoon, remembering the various little tricks of using make-up that Stewart in Special Effects had taught me. The moustache from the novelty store was a good one and between it, my dyed hair combed back differently and the freckles, I was a new man — Tim Anderson, worker at the big dam south of Ayr. I managed to get into a loud conversation with two men at a nearby table and the more I drank the more I told them about how rotten it was working for the damned Yank engineers. I complained about their pay, the way they treated me, the kind of work they demanded, everything and anything I could think of.
I left that first night fairly early. The next night I stayed later, and the night after still later. Each night was a repetition of the others, and I made certain that Judy heard me loud and clear. It was on the fourth night that the sallow faced Bonard came in and I had to conceal a smile. He mightn't be top dog, but he was top level, and here he was out recruiting. It was a backhanded testimonial to the dent I'd already put in their operation.
I watched, out of the corner of my eye, as he paused to talk to Judy. She didn't smile at him. In fact, she was downright sullen. But she did nod, finally, in my direction. Bonard stood at the bar, waiting for a moment when I wasn't involved talking to somebody else. I let him wait while I made loud noises about the blasted Yanks and their "bloody uppity manners." Finally, I sat back and knocked off a whiskey and a beer.
"Mind if I sit down?" I heard Bonard's voice and looked up, my eyes heavy lidded. I gestured to the empty chair at the table. His approach was smooth and unhurried. I played him along like a fisherman plays a trout, only he thought he was the fisherman. I let him know that I was in debt up to my ears and one particular debt was really sitting on my back. He showed up the next night, and the night after, and we got to be great drinking pals.
"I could help you out of that jam you're in, Tim," he said to me finally. "You said a few hundred quid would do it. Here, take it. It's a loan."
I acted properly grateful and impressed. "You can do something for me in return." Bonard said. "We'll talk about it tomorrow night."
I pocketed the cash and left. But I was there early the next night and so was he.
"How'd you like to make some really big money, Tim?" he asked me. "And do yourself and your country a favor at the same time?"
"I'd love that, I would," I answered.
"I'm connected with some men who don't want that dam you're building to stay up," he said in low, confidential tones. "They feel just like you do about the bloody Yanks coming over here and lording it all over us. They want to see that it doesn't happen again and there's only one way to do that."
"What way's that?" I asked, a little thickly.
"Let the thing break after they've got it up," he said. "Some people might get hurt, and some property damaged, but there'll be no more calling in Yanks to work over here. It'd be sweet revenge for you, Tim, for all the things you've told me about."
"It would at that, wouldn't it?" I smiled, leaning back. "I'd bloody well love to see their dam collapse on them."
"My people are prepared to give you twenty-five thousand dollars if you do what they want," he said quietly. I let my eyes grow wide and my jaw drop.
"Lord luv a duck, that's more money than I'd ever hoped to see in one place," I stammered.
"It'll be all in your pocket, Tim," Bonard said. "How about it?"
It was time for me to get cagey. I started to backwater.
"Now, not so fast," I said. "The money's good and all that, but people don't give it away for nothin'. What am I supposed to do for this? If it gets me in jail, I won't be around to collect or to spend the twenty-five thousand."
"There's no risk to you," he said. "You'll get the details later. It's just that we need someone inside the working area who can do what we want done."
I shifted into second gear. "Suppose I was to agree to help you. How do I know you'll keep your end of the bargain?"
"We'll put the money in a bank account in your name," he said. "It will be marked for release on a certain date to you. That date will be two days after you've finished your end of the deal. All you'll have to do is go in and claim it."
I smiled to myself. So that was their system for paying off.
The whole thing had been couched in just the right terms to appeal to me — the dissatisfied, angry man. Now it was time to shift into high.
"I'll do it," I said. "But not until I conclude the deal with the top man. This is a big thing and I want to be sure of where I stand."
"I'm the top man," Bonard smiled reassuringly. I gave him a hard, beady look back.
"I wasn't born yesterday, digger," I said. The top man wouldn't be out making contacts. Not with an outfit like you've got behind you. Who are they, some big Australian construction company?"
"Maybe." He smiled again, allowing me to run with that thought if it made me happy. Then he tried once more.
"But I am top man," he said. "You can deal safely with me."
I shook my head stubbornly. "No top man, no Tim Anderson," I said. Bonard got up and excused himself. I watched him go to the phone and make a call. He came back a few minutes later and gave me an expansive grin, his sallow face crinkling up.
"You drive a hard bargain, Tim," he said. "The top man will see you. Tomorrow night. I'll meet you here."
"You should've told me you were going to make that call," I said. "There's something else I want. I want a good woman, something different, no ordinary street wench. I want somebody I can take out and not be afraid to be seen with. And I want her tomorrow night. 1 want to celebrate concluding our deal with a good, hot woman.
Bonard was having trouble keeping his smile going but he managed it. "I understand," he said. "I'll meet you here tomorrow night."
We left together, he getting into the jeep and I walking off down the street. The top man would show, I was certain. They wanted this to go through. I wasn't so certain if the part about the woman would work out. Naturally I was hoping they'd call on whoever they'd been using right along — Mona, Lynn Delba or Judy.
I went back, not to the cottage, but to a little one-room flat I'd rented in the low rent district. In my room, I pulled out the map of the area around the dam and studied it again. Some four villages were close under the dam, another eight a litde distance away. If the dam were to give way after it was up a while, the torrent of waters would wipe out all the nearest villages and most of the others. The farms and property would be totally destroyed, of course. The loss of life could only be guessed at, but it would be plenty. It would, as the Major had said, certainly put the icing on the cake, starting a two-way bitterness that would rend the working alliance for good. And I knew they wouldn't stop there. They'd find more dissatisfied souls to wreak more damage until the alliance was blasted apart once and for all and Australia isolated in sullen hostility. The effect this would have on the perimeter power was even more frightening as they saw a cooperative western effort fall apart before their very own eyes. I put the map away and turned off the light. I was looking forward to a very instructive night coming up.