Just Another Sucker

by James Hadley Chase

  ‘I think we’ve got a break!’ he said. ‘Come on down with me to police headquarters. I’ll tell you about it on the way.’ As we walked fast down the corridor to the elevator, he went on, ‘Talk about luck!

  I was going through the routine police reports for Saturday night, and I turned up an item that could be something. A man was found unconscious in the car park at the Pirates’ Cabin. Do you know it?’

  My mouth turned so dry, I couldn’t speak. I managed to give a grunt and nod.

  ‘This guy had a pretty bad head wound. The barman called a cop. He told the cop this fellow had followed a girl into the car park. He said he had an idea the girl was Odette Malroux.’

  ‘What makes him think that?’ I asked huskily.

  ‘She’s a well-known character in Palm City. Her photos are always appearing in the Press. He was pretty sure it was her. They’ve picked him up and he’s at headquarters now. I’ve got some photos of the girl with me. I’m hoping he will identify her.’

  ‘Is the other guy badly hurt?’

  ‘He’s taken a nasty bang on the head, but he’s all right. Who hit him? If this girl was Odette Malroux, what was she doing in a joint like the Pirates’ Cabin?’

  ‘Maybe it wasn’t her.’

  ‘We’ll soon see.’

  Ten minutes later, we were in Sergeant Hammond’s office. With him was the barman of the Pirates’ Cabin. I recognised him as the man Odette had spoken to.

  Renick showed him a selection of photographs of the girl.

  ‘That’s her,’ the barman said. ‘That’s her for sure.’

  ‘What time did she come in?’ Renick asked, looking significantly at me.

  ‘A little after nine o’clock. She looked around as if expecting someone, then she asked me if there was another bar. I told her no, and showed her where the restaurant was. She checked the restaurant, then started to leave. There was a guy with a load on: he wasn’t boiled, but he had had plenty. He grabbed hold of her arm as she passed him. She shook him off and went out. He followed her.’

  ‘Then what happened?’

  ‘About ten minutes later some guy comes in and says there’s a man lying in the car park. I went out and found this drunk. He was bleeding badly so I called a cop.’

  ‘Any cars leave the parking lot before he was found?’

  ‘A few minutes after the girl left I heard two cars start up and leave. One of them was a high powered sports car: I could tell that by the noise it made.’

  ‘And the other one?’

  ‘Just a car.’

  ‘So the girl came into the bar as if expecting to meet someone and then she left?’

  ‘That’s correct.’

  ‘How was the girl dressed?’

  The barman gave a pretty good description of the clothes Odette had worn that night and Sergeant Hammond jotted down the description.

  When the barman had gone, Renick said, ‘I guess we’ll call on this guy in hospital. What’s his name, Sergeant?’

  ‘Walter Kerby.’

  We found Walter Kerby lying in bed, his head in bandages and looking pretty sorry for himself. He admitted right away that he had been drunk on Saturday night.

  ‘I saw this dish,’ he said, ‘and I thought she was a push over. No decent girl goes to that joint. She turned snooty, but I thought it was the old come-on so I went out into the parking lot after her. I guess I was wrong about her. I was fooling around with her and she didn’t like it. Then all of a sudden, some guy comes out of the darkness and clubs me over the head. That’s all I know about it.’

  ‘What was he like?’ Renick asked.

  I was standing on the other side of the bed and I was scared Kerby would hear my heart beats.

  ‘He was a big guy. I wouldn’t recognise him again, I never did see his face. It was dark, and he was fast. I didn’t stand a chance.’

  On the way back to the office, Renick said, ‘Why did she go to the Pirates’ Cabin? She had a date with her girl friend to go to the movies. They were to meet at nine o’clock, but just after nine she arrives at this joint. What made her change her mind?’

  ‘Could be she had a telephone call.’

  ‘Yeah. That could be the answer. Was she kidnapped at this joint? I’m going to get a check on Kerby.

  He could have been connected with the kidnapping although I don’t think so. I’ll get O’Reilly to see if he can find out if she did have a telephone call before she left home.’

  It wasn’t until five o’clock that Renick got the information he wanted. He came into my office and sat on my desk.

  ‘At a quarter to nine, just before the girl was leaving for the movies, she did get a call,’ he told me. ‘It was from a friend of hers: Jerry Williams. I’ve checked on Williams. He’s a student at the College of Medicine. The girl and he go out together occasionally. He mixes in her set. We’ve got nothing against him. I’ve talked to Meadows. He’s against questioning Williams. I guess we’ll just have to wait for something to happen.’

  ‘Want me to stick around?’

  Renick shook his head.

  ‘If I want you in a hurry, I can always reach you at your home.’

  ‘I have a date tonight,’ I said. ‘I could be late.’

  ‘That’s okay, Harry. You keep your date. If I want you, I’ll send a call out for you. Where will you be?’

  I had anticipated this, and I was ready for him.

  ‘At the Casino restaurant. I’ll be leaving there about one. You can get me at home after two.’

  After he had gone, I telephoned Nina.

  ‘I’m going to be late,’ I told her. ‘This thing I told you about is developing. I shall be moving around.

  I told John if he wants me after two, I’ll be home.’

  Then leaving the office, I drove down to the beach cabin to wait.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  I

  At twelve-thirty, I left the cabin and drove to the bus terminus. I parked the Packard and walked over to the Inquiry desk. I asked the girl if the eleven o’clock plane from Los Angeles was on schedule. She said it was, and the bus from the airport would arrive at one-five.

  I then shut myself in a phone booth and called police headquarters. Sergeant Hammond told me that Renick had just gone home. There was nothing new on the Malroux case.

  It was now time to call Malroux.

  In the letter I had drafted for Odette to her father, he had been told to stand by for a telephone call after midnight when he would be given last-minute instructions for delivering the ransom.

  He was standing by all right. He answered my call himself.

  ‘You know who this is,’ I said, making my voice hard and tough. ‘Have you got the money?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Okay: here’s what you do,’ I said. ‘Leave your house at two o’clock. You’ll be watched. Come in your Rolls. Drive along East Beach Road. Somewhere along the road you’ll see a flashing light. Don’t stop. As you pass the light, drop the bag out of the car window and keep going. Go to Lone Bay parking lot. You’ll find your daughter’s car there. If the money is okay and you haven’t tried to pull a fast one, your daughter will join you. It’ll take about an hour to get her to you. Expect her around three. If she doesn’t turn up at three, go home, you’ll find her there. Have you got all that?’

  ‘I understand.’

  ‘That’s it then. No tricks. Come alone. From the moment you leave the house, you’ll be watched.

  You don’t have to worry about the girl. She’s fine, but she won’t be if you pull a fast one.’

  ‘I understand.’

  I had to hand it to him. He sounded unmoved and very, very calm.

  I hung up, then leaving the terminus, I crossed to the Packard, got in and lit a cigarette.

  I wasn’t unmoved nor was I very, very calm. If it hadn’t been for the thought of those two tapes in the bank that must give me protection against a prosecution if anything turned sour, I wouldn’t have gone through with this thing.
With the tapes to safeguard me, and the thought that by tomorrow I would be worth fifty thousand dollars, I managed to screw up my nerves to finish the job.

  I kept assuring myself that nothing could go wrong. So far, Rhea had been justified in predicting her husband’s reactions. It seemed to me, and I was groping for comfort, that the chances of him calling in the police when Odette returned was now remote.

  The police would, of course, question Odette about the bashed wing of her car, and this I had warned her about. But with a man of Malroux’s influence behind her, the police couldn’t become too curious nor could they push her around.

  I looked across at the bus terminal. There were a few people waiting for the bus. There were only about five other cars, besides mine, in the park. No one paid any attention to me. I was just another man, waiting for someone off the bus.

  A few minutes after one o’clock, I saw the headlights of the bus as it came down the road. It swung to a standstill outside the terminus. There were about two dozen people in the bus. I leaned forward to stare anxiously through the wind-shield for the sight of Odette.

  After a moment or so I spotted her. She was wearing the sun goggles, the red wig and the cheap blue and white dress. As she moved away from the bus, she looked anxiously around. She seemed pretty nervous.

  I slid out of the Packard and went over to her.

  There was a crowd of people milling around: some of them waiting for taxis: some greeting friends.

  Odette saw me coming and started towards me. We met by the bus.

  ‘Hello there,’ I said. ‘The car…’

  A heavy hand dropped on my shoulder: a hand that could belong to a cop. For a moment I was completely paralysed. Then I looked around, my heart skipping every other beat.

  A broad-shouldered, suntanned man of around fifty stood grinning at me.

  ‘Harry! Well, what do you know! How’s the ex-jailbird!’

  I recognised him immediately. His name was Tim Cowley. He was a reporter for the Pacific Herald: a first rate newspaper man who visited Palm City fairly regularly, and with whom I had worked and played golf whenever he came my way.

  The unexpected sight of him threw me in such a panic I couldn’t utter a word.

  I grabbed hold of his hand and shook it, slapping him on the shoulder while I made a frantic effort to gain control of myself.

  Odette just stood there. I wanted to scream at her to go away.

  ‘Why… Tim!’

  Somehow I managed to get my voice going.

  ‘I’ve just blown in. How are you, boy?’

  ‘I’m fine. Good to see you again.’

  The shrewd, ever-curious eyes moved from me to Odette.

  ‘Hey… don’t keep a lovely like this to yourself. Introduce me, you dope.’

  ‘This is Ann Harcourt,’ I said. ‘Ann, this is Tim Cowley: a great newspaper man.’

  Too late, Odette seemed to realise the danger. She backed away, looked at me and then at Cowley and seemed on the point of bolting. I reached out and caught hold of her wrist.

  ‘Ann’s a friend of Nina’s,’ I said to Cowley, ‘She’s passing through to Los Angeles and she’s staying the night with us.’ My fingers dug into her wrist. ‘What are you doing here, Tim?’

  With his eyes still on Odette, ‘The usual grind. Have you a car here, Harry? Can you drop me off at the Plaza?’

  ‘I’m sorry… I’m going the other way. Nina’s waiting for us.’ I looked at Odette. ‘The car’s over in the park. Wait for me, will you?’ I gave her a shove, sending her on her way across the road towards the car park.

  I saw Cowley looking after her, one eyebrow lifted.

  ‘That kid is so shy,’ I said, ‘she just freezes at the sight of any man.’

  ‘That’s a fact. She looked scared to death. What’s biting her?’

  ‘She’s just a sex-conscious kid. She and Nina get along fine, but she drives me nuts.’

  It was the right thing to say for he suddenly grinned.

  ‘I know. Kids of her age get like that. What are you doing now, Harry?’

  I told him I was working for the District Attorney.

  ‘We’ll get together and have a talk,’ I said. ‘I mustn’t keep this kid waiting or she’ll lay an egg.’

  ‘Okay. I’m at the Plaza. See you, Harry.’

  I left him and crossed to the Packard. As I got in, I said, ‘What’s the matter with you? Why did you stand there like a dummy?’

  She looked resentfully at me.

  ‘He had seen you speak to me. I thought it was better to stay.’

  ‘Well, at least he couldn’t recognise you. I’m sure of that. It was bad luck…’

  ‘What’s all this about the police? I’ve been going crazy after that telephone call of yours. How have the police come into it? Has father…?’

  ‘No and I don’t think he will call them in. It was another bit of bad luck.’

  I told her the whole story. When I was through, I said, ‘You’ll have to have an explanation for the bust wing. You can say you did it when you came out of the garage. I don’t know how far Renick will press you. He might ask where you have been. If he does, tell him to mind his own business. This hit and run story is phoney. I don’t think he will press you, but you’ll have to be ready for him.’

  ‘You seem to have handled this pretty badly,’ she said. ‘Why didn’t you tell me about the accident?’

  ‘Oh, forget it!’ I was getting fed up with criticism. ‘Nothing happened your end? You stayed in the hotel and kept off the streets?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘You haven’t forgotten all the dope I gave you, just in case your father calls in the police.’

  ‘I haven’t forgotten.’

  It was twenty minutes to two when we reached the cabin. I pulled up and gave her the key.

  ‘Go in there and change and wait for me. I should be back around two-thirty.’

  She took the key and got out of the car. I handed her the suitcase.

  ‘I’ll be waiting,’ she said. She suddenly smiled at me. ‘Take care of that money, Harry.’

  ‘I’ll take care of it.’

  She leaned into the car.

  ‘Kiss me.’

  I put my arm around her shoulders and pulled her to me. Our lips touched. She drew away, her finger touching her mouth.

  ‘It’s a bore you’re married, Harry.’

  ‘That’s the way it is,’ I said, staring at her. ‘But don’t kid yourself… I wouldn’t swop.’

  ‘That’s what I mean... it’s a bore.’

  I started the car.

  ‘I’ll be seeing you.’

  She stood back and as I drove down East Beach Road, I saw her in my driving mirror, walking slowly back to the cabin.

  I had already chosen the spot from where I would signal Malroux. There was a big thicket behind which I could hide the car. There was also plenty of cover for me, and I had a clear, uninterrupted view of the road.

  I drove the car off the road, turned off the lights, walked back to the road to satisfy myself the car couldn’t be seen. I then squatted down behind a bush, my flashlight in my hand and waited.

  It wouldn’t take Malroux more than ten minutes to reach this spot if he left his house punctually at two. I had just time for a cigarette.

  As I squatted there, smoking, my nerves seemed to be crawling out of my skin. Suppose Malroux was planning a trap?

  Suppose he had brought O’Reilly along with him and when they saw my light, O’Reilly, a tough ex-cop, jumped out of the car and went for me?

  I tried to assure myself Malroux wouldn’t risk his daughter’s life, but suppose he had guessed this was a faked kidnapping? Suppose…?

  Then I saw distant headlights and I hurriedly stubbed out my cigarette.

  This was it, I thought, in another few seconds I’d know if I had walked into a trap.

  In the moonlight, I could see the car. It was the Rolls. I let it come closer, then pushing my torch through the shrub
, I began pressing the button on and off, sending a flicking beam into the road.

  The Rolls was moving at about twenty miles an hour. I could see there was only the driver in sight.

  But that didn’t mean anything. If O’Reilly was with him, he would be hidden at the back.

  The car was level now. It slowed slightly. I saw Malroux make a movement, then with an effort, he tossed a bulky briefcase out of the window. It landed with a thud in the road within ten feet of me.

  The Rolls gathered speed and swept on, heading for Lone Bay.

  I remained squatting behind the bush, staring at the briefcase lying on the road for several seconds, scarcely believing the money was there, and within my grasp.

  I looked down the road. The red tail lights of the Rolls were fast disappearing in the distance. I stood up, grabbed the briefcase and ran back to the Packard. I threw the briefcase on the back seat, slid under the driving wheel and drove fast towards the beach cabin.

  I was elated. It had turned out to be the easiest job in the world, and now I was worth fifty thousand dollars!

  I reached the cabin as the hands of the clock on the car’s dashboard showed twenty-five minutes to three. I parked the car and got out, reaching into the back for the briefcase. Then I paused to look around. There was no other car in the park, and that surprised me.

  Rhea should have been here by now. She couldn’t have walked. Then where was her car?

  Maybe, I told myself, she had had trouble getting away. Maybe O’Reilly had been on the alert, and she would be late. That wasn’t my funeral. I wasn’t going to wait for her. I would take my cut, give the rest to Odette and get home.

  I hurried across the sand to the cabin which was in darkness. That wasn’t unexpected. Odette would be sitting on the veranda waiting for me. She wouldn’t have put on the lights in case someone, passing, might wonder what was in the cabin at this late hour.

  But when I walked up the veranda steps there was no sign of her. I paused, suddenly uneasy.

  ‘Odette!’

  No sound came to me. The air conditioner was on. Cold air came out of the cabin and dried the sweat on my face.

  I entered the cabin, shut the door, put the briefcase on the table and groped for the light switch. I turned on the light.