1956 - There's Always a Price Tag

by James Hadley Chase

  'Of course he won't, Glyn! How can you say such a thing?'

  'Oh, yes, he will. It's a formula the police work to: husband who is insured for a lot of money suddenly dies. The wife has a lover. The wife dies. The lover is found to come into money left by the husband. Q.E.D. The lover has killed the husband and probably the wife. It has happened and will go on happening. All they want now is to find a motive.'

  'But the police don't work like that, Glyn. They work on clues,' she began, then stopped as I took out my penknife and slit open the envelope.

  'They haven't any clues,' I said as I pulled a single sheet of paper out of the envelope, 'and I'm going to take good care they don't have a motive to pin on me.'

  I read the short document. As I read the wording I felt myself turn first hot, then cold. I went so cold it was as if I was standing in the way of a raging arctic wind.

  It was a straightforward, simple testament. It said that as I had saved his life, I was to receive any money left over from the estate after the creditors had been paid. In the event of Helen's death, and if the National Fidelity paid the insurance money into the estate, the whole amount should come to me.

  Marian said sharply, 'Glyn! What is it?'

  I tossed the will across to her.

  'Read it,' I said, my voice shaking. 'The crazy, drunken fool has left me everything!'

  * * *

  The laugh was on me.

  If I hadn't been such a smart alec and if I hadn't tried to horn in on the insurance money, it seemed now that I would have had a chance of getting the money anyway. I was sure Helen would have come unstuck against Maddux. If I had kept to the side lines and not interfered and let her get rid of Dester on her own, she would probably have landed herself in the death cell, and the money would have automatically come to me. But I had to be smart. I had manoeuvred myself into a position now where I dared not show Burnett this will. It would put me right under the spot-light. They would not only hang Helen's death on me, but they would go flat out to hang Dester's death on me too. In the state I was in, I knew I would never face up to police examination.

  I did my best to explain to Marian that I didn't want the money, and so long as there was a mystery attached to Dester's death, it would be asking for trouble to let anyone see the will.

  'I'll keep it for the time being,' I said. 'If Dester turns up, I'll give it back to him and ask him to destroy it. I don't want the money. If he isn't alive, then I'll destroy it myself. I've got to keep out of this, kid. You can see that, can't you?'

  'But surely, Glyn, if Mr. Dester wanted you to have the money.' She stopped abruptly and looked at me. 'You didn't have anything to do with his disappearance?'

  'You see,' I said, 'the idea suddenly drops into your mind that I might have. Can you imagine how Maddux would react?'

  'That doesn't answer my question,' Marian said sharply. 'I wouldn't ask you if you weren't acting so strangely, and you are acting strangely, Glyn.'

  'I don't know what has happened to Dester and I have had nothing to do with his disappearance,' I said, forcing myself to meet her eyes. 'I admit I have a guilty conscience. Helen and I were lovers. I acted like a fool, and it could get me into trouble with the police. Surely you can see that?'

  'Just because you were lovers.'

  'Now look, don't let's waste time. I know what I am doing.' I was losing patience. 'I'm going to put the will in my bank for the time being. I'm going to do it right now. Will you continue to list these bills? I won't be long.'

  'Are you quite sure you know what you are doing, Glyn?'

  I got up and went over to her and took her in my arms.

  'I'm not doing anything wrong. I don't want his money and I don't want Maddux to know he has left me the money. Don't worry and don't tell anyone you know about it.'

  I kissed her, and then unlocking the study door, I went out into the hall.

  There was no sign of Lewis. I stood hesitating, thinking of the deep-freeze cabinet. Suppose Lewis got inquisitive and looked inside? Somehow I had to get Dester's body out of the house tonight. I had no idea how I was going to do it with Lewis prowling around, but I had to do it.

  I went down the passage and into the kitchen, but it was empty. I looked at the bottles on top of the deep-freeze cabinet. They were in place. I crossed over to the cabinet and turned off the switch. The motor gave a little rumble and stopped. I stood for a long moment, my hand resting on the lid of the cabinet. The body in the cabinet would be completely thawed out by tonight. Even with the body in a relaxed state, I knew it was going to be a hell of a job to get it out of the cabinet without help.

  I pushed the thought out of my mind, and leaving the kitchen, I hurried over to the garage, got into the Buick and drove to my bank where I picked up the safe key. I then drove over to the safe deposit company. I opened the safe, took out Dester's gun, being careful to drop a handkerchief over it before touching it. I put it in my hip pocket. Then I put the will on top of Dester's suicide note, shut and locked the safe.

  By the time I got back to the house, it was just after one o'clock. Marian had laid lunch for three out on the terrace. I went into the kitchen where I found her preparing lunch.

  'The motor's stopped running in the freezer,' she said as I came in. 'Is that all right?'

  'Yes. We're not likely to use it now so I turned it off.'

  I heard a sound behind me and looking over my shoulder I saw Sergeant Lewis. He was looking beyond me at the deep-freeze cabinet and he walked past me and stood before it.

  'I've always wanted one of these things,' he said. 'This is a pretty big one, isn't it?'

  My heart was pounding as I walked over and joined him.

  'You can get smaller ones,' I said. 'The Desters scarcely ever used this monster.'

  'It certainly is big,' Lewis said. He shifted his glance to stare at the bottles. 'He carried quite a stock of whisky. Funny place to keep them.'

  'I put them there. He had them in his closet.'

  'If they sell up here, maybe I could get that cabinet cheap,' Lewis said. 'What's inside? Is it fitted with trays and racks?'

  'It has two long trays,' I said, and I had to make an effort to keep my voice steady. 'I don't think you'd get it cheap. One of the hotels is bound to bid for it.'

  'Yeah, I guess that's right.'

  He stared at the cabinet for a long moment, then shrugged his shoulders and turned away.

  Marian said lunch was ready, and we helped carry the dishes out on to the terrace. After a good meal and under the influence of the warm sunshine, Lewis appeared to relax.

  'This guy Maddux,' he said, 'may be a ball of fire as a claims assessor, but he certainly has some crummy ideas when it comes to an investigation. It sticks out a mile that Dester knocked his wife off. You can see that, can't you?' He looked over at me.

  'I think he lost his head and hit her too hard,' I said carefully. 'I don't think he intended to kill her.'

  'Whether he intended to or not, he killed her, and that's murder.' He tilted his basket chair back. 'I wonder where he is now. It's my bet he's in Mexico or someplace where we won't think of looking for him.'

  'You don't think he will come back here then?' Marian asked.

  'Is it likely? Why should he want to come back here? He must know the house will be watched. He'll get as far away from Hollywood as he can. It's his only hope.' He glanced over at me. 'Did you find a will?'

  'No.'

  'This guy Maddux is looking for trouble,' Lewis said, shrugging his shoulders. 'Anyway, why should I care? I've got a nice soft job for the moment.'

  'That reminds me: if you want to take a nap this afternoon,' I said, 'I'd better show you your room.'

  'What the hell do I want to take a nap for?'

  'I thought you were going to be up all night.'

  He laughed. 'In case Dester comes back? Not a chance. I haven't had a decent sleep since this case broke. I'm not going to miss the chance now Bromwich can't call me out in the middle of the nig
ht to hold his hand.'

  I pushed back my chair. 'Well, I guess I'd better get to work. Mr. Burnett wants Dester's papers tomorrow morning and there's still a lot to do.'

  For the first time since I heard Lewis was going to stay in the house, I lost my sick feeling of fear. If he wasn't going to prowl around the house, I had a chance of getting Dester's body into the garden. It would be risky, but I had to take the risk.

  Lewis said to Marian, 'I'll help you with the dishes. My wife says I'm the best dish washer in the district.'

  I went into Dester's study, shut the door and sat down. I took the gun from my hip pocket and put it in the top desk drawer. Then I slipped on a pair of gloves I had by me, took a sheet of notepaper from the rack and fed it into the typewriter. I took off the gloves and sat for a moment thinking. Then I typed the following:

  I've come back for the gun. This is my finish. I didn't mean to hit her so hard. I thought I might get away with it, but I now know I can't. Anyway I don't want to live any longer. I'm taking the easy way out.

  There's no future left for me...

  I studied the note for a moment, then putting on the gloves again I took the sheet of paper out of the machine and put it under a stack of typing paper in the top drawer.

  I looked at the clock. It was just after half past two. In ten hours or so, if I had any luck, I would be free of the whole nightmare thing.

  * * *

  Marian and I didn't get Dester's papers parcelled up until past eight o'clock. We had come across another drawer of bills just when we thought we had finished and that held us up.

  After I had struck a grand total, I said, 'Well, I don't think there will be much left: he now owes close on fifty thousand.'

  'Do you think if anything happens to him that the insurance company will pay up?' Marian asked.

  'I don't know. It depends what has happened to him. Anyway, I don't care one way or the other. I don't want the money.' I got to my feet 'Well, I guess you don't have to hang on any longer unless you want to, kid. Why don't you go to a movie or something?'

  She shook her head.

  'I don't feel like it. Do you want to go?'

  The thought of staying in this house waiting for Lewis to go to bed wasn't a pleasant one, but I dared not leave the house. Lewis had shown a mild interest in the freezer. There was just a chance that, left on his own, he might take the bottles off the top and look inside.

  'Let's go into the lounge. Maybe there's something to watch on television.'

  Lewis was watching the fights when we entered the lounge.

  'These are pretty rotten,' he said, glancing over his shoulder at us. 'If you two want some other programme, it's okay with me.'

  Marian said she didn't want to watch.

  'I'm going over to my room,' she said, 'I have some letters to write.'

  I was glad to get her out of the house.

  'I'll come over with you,' I said.

  We walked across to the garage in the fading light and paused at the entrance.

  'I'll get back,' I said. 'I want an early night. All this commotion has made me tired.'

  'You don't think anything will happen tonight, Glyn?'

  'I'm sure it won't. Forget it, kid. Dester's miles away by now. In another few days you can quit.'

  'I shall be glad to go.'

  I bent and kissed her. 'I'll see you in the morning.'

  I hurried back to the house. Lewis was lolling in his chair, staring at a couple of bruisers being careful not to hurt each other. 'These two puffs have been waltzing around the ring now for ten minutes. They haven't laid a glove on each other yet.'

  I looked at my strap watch. It was getting on for nine. I had still at least four hours to kill before I could start on the last leg of this nightmare. I sat down, lit a cigarette and watched the screen.

  After five more dreary minutes had ticked by, the referee stopped the fight and called it a no contest.

  'About time too,' Lewis said. 'Anyway, they won't get paid.'

  Another couple climbed into the ring and another slow, unexciting fight started. After a while I noticed Lewis had fallen asleep.

  I looked at him. His thin face hadn't relaxed in sleep: it looked as if it had been carved out of stone. I didn't dare do anything yet. I began to check off in my mind the points I had to remember. I had everything ready. First I would have to remove the bottles from the top of the deep-freeze cabinet, then I had to get him out of the cabinet, take him into the garden, and then fire off the gun.

  It was only then that I realized with a sudden sick shock that I wouldn't be able to get back into the house before Lewis came down to investigate the sound of the shot.

  I couldn't take the risk of him spotting me in the garden. He might look out of his window and see me coming back to the house or he might rush down and meet me as I was entering the house.

  I sat staring at the bright television screen, fighting against my rising panic. How was I to get around this snag? It took me several minutes to accept the fact that I dared not take Dester out into the garden.

  Then it dawned on me that I had been making things more difficult for myself. Dester had originally shot himself in his study. The safest thing for me to do was to set the stage exactly as it had been and stage the suicide once more in his study. I could fire the gun through the open window. The fact that the window was open would point to the way Dester had entered the study. I began to breathe again. It was better this way. As soon as I had fired the shot I would cross the passage into the kitchen, wait until Lewis had gone into the study, then I'd leave the kitchen, creep halfway up the stairs, turn and run down noisily as if I had just come from my room.

  In theory it sounded fine, but I flinched from the reality of carrying it out. I dreaded opening the freezer and seeing him again, but I had to do it.

  Around half past ten Lewis abruptly woke up. I had been watching him and when I saw him stir, I closed my eyes and pretended I had also fallen asleep.

  'Sweet grief! Those puffs are still waltzing together,' he said in disgust as he sat up.

  I stirred and opened my eyes. 'Well, they sent us to sleep: what more do you want?' I turned off the set. 'I guess I'm going up to bed.'

  'Yeah,' Lewis returned and stretched. 'I've been wasting time. I should have been in bed long ago.' He got to his feet. 'Do you lock up here?'

  'Sure,' I said. 'It won't take me long. You go on up.'

  'I guess I'll come around with you. I wouldn't want a burglar to break in while I'm snoring upstairs. I'd get ribbed for the rest of my days.'

  He followed me into the hall and watched me lock and bolt the front door, then he came after me, down the passage into the kitchen and watched me fasten the kitchen door.

  'That's it,' I said. 'Now let's get upstairs.'

  He pulled aside the kitchen curtains.

  'This window's not locked,' he said and slid the catch. 'Let's have a look at the rest of the windows.'

  I could have strangled him, but there was nothing to do but to follow him into the dining room, the lounge and finally into Dester's room. He had checked and found the windows of the lounge and dining room were locked. He pushed open the door leading into Dester's study, snapped on the light and crossed the room to the window.

  'This isn't locked,' he said.

  I was staring at the desk, a cold chill creeping up my spine. Like a careless, stupid fool I had left the pair of gloves right by the typewriter in full view. I took a step forward in the hope I could snatch them up before he turned, but he was already turning and I stopped short.

  'Well, that's that,' he said. 'No one can get in now without breaking a pane.'

  He moved across the room, not looking at the desk, and stepped into the passage. I turned off the light and followed him out, leaving the door half open.

  'Let's go,' he said. 'If you hear anything, call me, I usually sleep like a dead man.'

  We went upstairs together and parted at the head of the stairs. He went towards
the guest room at the far end of the passage, next door to Helen's room.

  'So long,' I said. 'Sleep well.'

  He nodded, then went into his bedroom and shut the door. I stood for a moment, listening, then I turned off the hall lights from the two-way switch and then went down the passage to my room.

  I walked slowly over to the bed and sat on it.

  Had he seen the gloves? That was the kind of stupid slip that could put a man in the death cell. What was I thinking about to have made a mistake like that? Maybe he hadn't seen them. He hadn't remarked on them, but did that mean anything?

  I felt sweat on my face as I realized just what kind of a job I had on my hands this night. I had all those bottles to take off the cabinet, and when I had got Dester out of the freezer, I had to put the bottles back again. I had to do that without making the slightest sound. I wasn't kidded by that last remark of Lewis's about sleeping like a dead man.

  By checking what he had thought to be all the windows, he had satisfied himself that no one could get in without breaking a windowpane, but he had missed the cloakroom that led off into the hall. That was the way Dester had to come, I told myself. But Lewis had complicated things for me. I had to fire the gun in Dester's study. That meant I had to unlatch the window, open it, fire the gun out of it, close and latch the window again. That would take up most of my escape time. I would have to move like lightning if I were to get out of the room before Lewis reached the head of the stairs where he could see into the hall.

  I got to my feet and undressed slowly. I put on pyjamas and a dressing gown. I had brought the gun up from the study. I checked it, then I took out the empty shell and loaded the live slug in its place. With a handkerchief I wiped over the gun very carefully, and wrapping the handkerchief around the butt, I put the gun in my dressing gown pocket.

  My first move would be to go downstairs into Dester's study and get the gloves. I knew I mustn't touch anything until I had my hands covered. One fingerprint would blow my plan sky high. I looked at my strap watch. The time was five minutes past eleven. I couldn't start this thing until after one o'clock. I had to be sure that Lewis was heavily asleep. I turned off my bedroom light, then opening the door I looked along the passage to Lewis's door. No light showed from under the door. That at least showed he was in bed.