“They're nice. Don't you want to keep them? Seems a pity to sell them.”
“No, I don't want them,” Glorie said woodenly. “What's the good of keeping stuff like that? When do I ever get the chance of wearing them?”
He got out of his chair and went to her.
“You hate parting with them, don't you?” he said, and took her in his arms. “Well, we need the dough now, but I'll get you something even better than these when the time comes. I promise you. Don't think I don't appreciate what you are doing for me. I love you for it, and thanks.”
She leaned against him, struggling not to cry.
“Just think of us in London, Paris and Rome,” he went on, stroking her silky, dark hair. “Think of us with all that money. Then when we're tired of travelling we'll come back here and I'll buy myself a partnership in an air taxi business, and we'll live happily ever after.”
“Yes,” she said, clinging to him. “We might even get married.”
The words were out before she could stop them. She stiffened against him, angry with herself and scared.
“Why not?” Harry said. At that moment he was feeling grateful to her. Marriage seemed to him like a good idea. “Would you like that, Glorie? Would you like to marry me?”
She leaned back so she could look at him.
“Of course. I'd love to marry you,” she said, thinking this was the first time any man had asked her to marry him.
“Okay, then we'll get married,” Harry, said, smiling at her, “but we won’t rush into it. We'll get this job behind us first, and then we'll take the plunge. What do you say?”
“Why not tomorrow , Harry?” she asked, trying to sound casual. “At least, we could apply for the licence . . . .”
“No point in rushing it,” he said, and kissed her. “I don't want anything on my mind when I get married. I just want it to be a long, long honeymoon. We'll wait until this job's over.”
She nodded, feeling deflated.
“Yes,” she said. “We'll wait.”
chapter two
I
Ben Delaney had come up a long way since Glorie's time. Then he had been an ambitious gangster with an eye for the fast buck, who moved into any profitable field, milked it dry and moved on again in search of something else as easy and as profitable. If he had met with opposition, he had retaliated with gunfire. But now it was different. He regarded himself as a successful business man with innumerable irons in the fire. Some of these irons were actually legitimate, such as his two nightclubs, his taxi-hire service, his wire service to bookmakers, and his swank motel at Long Beach. These profitable sidelines had been financed by the proceeds of his less legitimate activities that included drug peddling, blackmail, organized vice and extortion. Another of his profitable sidelines was the distribution and marketing of stolen jewellery, and he had gained a reputation for himself as one of the best-paying fences on the coast.
He lived in a luxurious mansion that stood in a two-acre garden on Sunset Boulevard. The right wing of the twenty-bedroom house had been equipped as a suite of offices, and it was here that Ben ruled his little kingdom.
No longer did he have to carry a gun: he had enough money now to employ a small army of thugs to watch his interests and discourage any competition or anyone foolish enough to attempt to horn in on his territory. His annual pay-off to the police was considerable and gave him complete immunity from trouble. He lived well, entertained lavishly, and if it were not for the Press, he would have long ago been accepted as a worthy member of Los Angeles society. But certain sections of the Press refused to forget his gangster days, the fact that three times he had been tried on a homicide charge, although each time a clever attorney had blasted a hole in the evidence against him large enough for Ben to crawl through. Nor could they forget that he had been involved in the call-girl scandal of a year ago, although there had been no evidence offered against him. Every now and then, when news was slack, the editors of several newspapers wrote scathing leaders about Ben's past activities and hinted darkly that his present activities should be investigated. There were also hints of police protection and the need for an administrative shake-up. This was something Ben could do nothing about. He had been tempted to silence the most hostile of the editors, but remembering the Jake Lingle episode, decided the risk was too great. He pretended to ignore the Press, but seethed with fury inwardly. Because of the Press he remained on the outer-fringe of Los Angeles society knowing that the people he entertained and who flocked to his parties were second raters, hangers-on, the indiscriminate who went anywhere so long as the drinks were free.
On this Monday morning, he sat at his big desk in a lavishly furnished room whose big bay windows overlooked the swimming pool and the sunken rose garden. He was examining the monthly balance sheet that had been prepared by a qualified accountant he kept on his pay roll.
The results of the examination displeased him. Profits were down: expenses were up. From the look of the figures some of his staff had been throwing money about like drunken sailors, and his fleshy, hard face looked bleak as he noted down the sum he had to play with after he had met his current expenses. The sum fell alarmingly short of what he had hoped it would be. Not that it wasn't impressive. At any other time, he would have been satisfied, but it so happened that this year he had decided to fulfill a life's ambition. The hallmark of a successful man, in his opinion, was to own a yacht: not one of those toy things with sails, but a five-thousand tonner with accommodation for twenty people, a ballroom and maybe a swimming bath. To own a yacht of that size seemed to Ben to be the ultimate peak of a successful career. He had been considerably taken aback when he had received estimates from the leading yacht builders: the amount the thieves wanted to build him a yacht to his specifications astounded him. Looking at the sum he had to spare after he had taken care of his living expenses, he reckoned that he would need at least an additional million dollars if he were to order the yacht this year, and where the hell was a lump of money like that coming from?
He was pondering the problem when the squawk box on his desk crackled into life.
“There's a Miss Dane asking for you, Mr. Delaney,” his secretary said. “Miss Glorie Dane.”
Ben didn't even look up from his calculations.
“I don't know her and I don't want to. Tell her I'm tied up.”
“Yes, sir.”
The squawk box went dead.
But as Ben flicked through his bank pass sheets, he repeated the name in his mind. Glorie . . . He reached out on an impulse and pressed down the switch on the squawk box.
“Did you say Glorie Dane?”
“Yes, Mr. Delaney. She says it's personal and urgent.”
Ben grimaced.
That sounded like a touch. He hesitated, then remembering the times he had had with Glorie, he decided to see her. They had been good times. Then he hadn't a care in the world. He hadn't had ulcers nor a kingdom that wanted watching every minute of the day and night.
“Okay, shoot her in. I'll give her ten minutes. Come in and break it up when I ring.”
“Yes, Mr. Delaney.”
He shoved aside the papers that littered his desk, lit a cigar, got up and walked over to the window. He stared down at the immaculately kept beds and the last roses in bloom, then he shifted his eyes to the swimming pool that, during the winter months, was completely glassed in with the water raised to a temperature of seventy-five degrees. He could see Fay standing on the diving board, adjusting her red bathing cap. He took in her beautifully proportioned body, her long sun-tanned legs and he nodded his approval. Maybe she was a dim-brain, he thought, but she had what it takes. She cost him plenty, but in bed she was not only enthusiastic, but extremely efficient, and besides, men envied him his possession, and Ben liked nothing better than to be envied.
He turned around as he heard the door open. His dark, good-looking secretary said, “Miss Dane,” in her most snooty manner and stood aside as Glorie came into the room.
Ben stared at her, immediately regretting his impulse to see her. Surely this tired-looking, pale-faced woman couldn't be Glorie?
Why, for the love of mike, she looked old enough to be Fay's mother! And her clothes! She had certainly come down in the world. This was certain to be a touch.
The many photographs she had seen of Ben in the Press had prepared Glorie for the change in him, but even so she had a shock.
It wasn't so much that he was now pot-bellied, that his hair was thin and had white streaks in it. That was to be expected. He must be fifty-three or four now, but what shocked her was the expressionless face that when she knew him was always alert and lively and sun tanned, and which was now as white as cold mutton and a mask. His eyes scared her: they were granite hard and restless like the eyes of a vulture.
“What is it?” Ben said curtly, determined to cut this interview short. “I have a whale of a lot to do. I wouldn't have seen you only I didn't want to turn you away without having a word. What is it?”
Glorie felt herself go red, then white. He might at least have shown a little friendliness, asked her to sit down, asked her how she was.
She decided on shock tactics. She had to get his interest before he hustled her out of the room as she felt he was likely to “Would you be interested in a consignment of diamonds worth three million dollars?” she asked.
His face remained a set, white mask, but by the way he cocked his head on one side she knew she had caught his interest.
She hadn't studied his mannerisms for fourteen months for nothing.
“What are you talking about? What diamonds?”
“May I sit down or don't people sit in your presence, Ben?”
He suddenly grinned. That was the kind of treatment he liked.
He never had any time for people who fawned on him.
“Go ahead and sit down,” he said, and walked over to his desk and sat down himself. “Look, Glorie, let's have it. I have things to do. What's all this about diamonds?”
But now she had his interest she was determined not to be hurried. She sat down, reached for the gold cigarette box on the desk, took a cigarette and looked at him.
Impatiently he pushed a desk lighter towards her.
When she had lit the cigarette, she said, “A man I know wants to talk to you. He thinks you might do a deal with him. I didn't want to get mixed up in this, but he did me a good turn once and he didn't think you would see him unless he had some sort of introduction, so . . . “ She spread her hands, letting the sentence die.
“He will have three million dollars’ worth of diamonds to get rid of. He thinks you are the only one who is big enough to handle the deal.”
“Where's he getting them from?”
“I don't know. I don't want to know. I happen to owe him something, and that's why I said I'd come to you.”
“Who is he?”
“His name is Harry Green and he lives in Pittsburgh. He was a pilot during the war and hurt his leg. He's a bit of a cripple. He sells oil on commission and doesn't do very well out of it.”
Ben frowned.
“What's he doing with diamonds?”
“I don't know.”
“He sounds like a crackpot to me. Look, baby, you're wasting my time. Three million dollars’ worth of diamonds — why, it's ridiculous!”
She looked at him.
“I told him you wouldn't believe it, but he was so sure. He insisted I should come to you. I'm sorry. All right, Ben, I won’t take up any more of your time.”
She stood up.
As Ben reached for the bell that would tell his secretary he was free for the next caller, his eyes fell on the half-concealed balance sheet on the desk.
Three million dollars’ worth of diamonds! If by some miracle this wasn't a crackpot's pipe dream, if by some miracle the diamonds did exist, then here could be the means of getting that yacht built this year.
“Don't rush away,” he said, leaning back in his chair. “Is this guy on the level, Glorie?”
“Of course. I wouldn't be here unless I was sure of that.”
“You really think he'll have the diamonds?”
“I suppose so. I don't know. All I know is he isn't a time waster and he's on the level. But if you're too busy to see him, then I guess he'll have to find someone else who'll handle the deal.”
Ben hesitated, then shrugged.
“Well, okay, it can't hurt me to see him. What did you say his name was again?”
“Harry Green.”
“Tell him to come and see me tomorrow. Tell him to call my secretary for a time.”
“He won’t be in Los Angeles until the 16th,” Glorie said. “He doesn't want to be seen coming here. Can he call you and make a date for you to meet him somewhere?”
“Look, baby, if this guy's wasting my time, he'll be sorry.” The hard, white face was suddenly vicious. “Why the hell doesn't he want to come here?”
“That's something you'd better ask him,” Glorie said, feeling a chill crawl up her spine at the sight of him.
Ben shrugged impatiently,
“Okay, tell him to call me. I'll talk to him.” He got to his feet. “You're sure this guy's okay?”
“Yes. It may be hard to believe, Ben, but you can still trust me.”
He laughed.
“Sure. Well, it's certainly a surprise to see you after all this time.” He came around his desk to her. “You okay?”
“Yes, I'm fine. And you?”
Ben shrugged.
“I'm fine too. This guy Green your boyfriend, Glorie?”
“No. He pulled me out of a jam once. That's all.”
“Haven't you got a boyfriend now?” His flat gangster eyes went over her face, inspected her figure: gangster, X-ray eyes.
“I find it less complicated not to have one. Boyfriends are so often unreliable.”
“Oh, I don't know.” He smiled. “Is that what you call it? After all a guy likes a change.” He wandered over to the window. He couldn't resist showing off his new possession. “Here, take a look at that.”
She joined him at the window. They looked down at the swimming pool, through the glass wall at Fay who lay on an air mattress, her red-gold hair around her shoulders, a towel draped across her, under the rays of a sunray lamp.
“Pretty nice, eh?” Ben looked out of the corner of his hard little eyes, contemptuous and proud. “Cute and pretty, huh? I like them young, Glorie: young and enthusiastic as you used to be.”
Glorie felt herself turn white. The sneer hit her where she lived.
“Yes,” she said. “Very nice, but she'll get old. We all do. Even you're not as handsome as you used to be, Ben. Good-bye.”
She crossed the room, opened the door and went out.
Ben stared at the door, his eyes angry. Well, the bitch had had the last word as she always did. He was well shot of her. Who would have believed she would have worn so badly? He had been smart to have dropped her when he did.
He crossed the room to his desk and picked up the telephone.
“Borg? There's a woman leaving here; she's on her way out now. She's tall, dark, wearing a black-and-white costume. Her name's Glorie Dane. Send Taggart after her. He's not to lose sight of her. I want to know where she hangs out, what she does, who her men friends are — the works.”
The voice at the other end of the line, a low, breathless voice, as if the owner suffered from asthma, said, “Okay, I'll take care of it.”
Ben replaced the receiver and stood frowning down at the blotter on his desk. Harry Green? Who was this guy? Where was he getting all these diamonds from? If she said there were three million dollars’ worth of diamonds, then he was pretty sure there were three million dollars of diamonds. He had always been able to trust Glorie.
He wandered over to the window to look once more at Fay.
She'll get old. We all do. Even you're not as handsome as you used to be.
Damn her! To say a thing like that. It spoilt his morning.
Glorie was too preoccupied with her thoughts as she walked down the boulevard to notice a tall, slouching man, wearing a dark topcoat and a slouch hat, who sat in a Buick convertible on the far side of the road. His lean, hard face, his hooked nose and thin lips gave him the look of a hawk. He watched her through the windshield of the car, saw her pause at the bus stop, and when the bus arrived, get on board. He shifted the gear lever and drove after the bus.
As the bus took her towards her apartment, Glorie was thinking that the first important move in Harry's plan had been accomplished. The interview had been no worse than she had expected. She had guessed that Ben would have treated her as he had treated her. She felt slightly sick as she remembered the sneering way he had looked at her. She thought how much he had changed since they had been lovers. It seemed to her now to be impossible that they had ever been happy together: unbelievable.
She didn't envy the pretty doll she had seen under the sunray lamp. In fact she pitied her. She would earn everything Ben gave her, and she would probably not last long. But there was no doubt that she was pretty and attractive.
She had been a fool not to have smartened herself up a little before she had seen Ben. It would have saved her that insulting, contemptuous look Ben had given her: a look that had made a sharp dent in her already sagging ego.
She must warn Harry to be on his guard. Ben was certain to make every effort to dig into his background. She remembered he had once said that he never took anyone on trust. “If a guy acts cagey, he has something to hide,” he had said. “If he has something to hide, I want to know what it is: it might give me a hold on him.”
She suddenly stiffened as a thought dropped into her mind. It was more than likely that Ben had sent one of his men after her.
What a fool she was! Already the bus was slowing down for the stop a few yards from her apartment house. In another few seconds she might have taken one of Ben's men right to Harry.
She remained on the bus and let it go beyond her usual stop.
She looked quickly at the other passengers. There were only four of them: three women and an elderly clergyman. The danger, she told herself, wouldn't be on the bus. She would be followed by car. She looked back through the rear window at the slow-moving mass of traffic.
1955 - You've Got It Coming Page 4