A Shroud for Jesso

Chapter Ten

Jesso walked up the stairs. By the big door he rang a bell and waited. Then he rang it again. An old man came to the door, dressed like a butler. He cocked his head and didn’t say hello.

“I want to see Kator.”

The old guy cocked his head the other way.

“Herr Kator.”

“I understood you the first time,” said the butler. His English was precise.

There was another door behind the butler, so Jesso couldn’t see very far. He felt like a Fuller Brush man.

“What is your name, sir?”

“Jack Jesso. Take my word for it.”

“Your business?”

“Kator owes me money and I came to collect. Now open that door wide enough-“

“Mr. Kator is not in. If you have a private debt to discuss, his personal accounts are handled by the firm of Bohm and Bohm. You can-“

“This account is handled right here, so open up.”

The door came shut but didn’t quite make the lock. Jesso wasn’t using any salesman’s foot in the door; he hit it hard with the flat of his sole, making the heavy door fly back. It hit the wall and made a crash.

Jesso walked in.

The butler’s face screwed up like a wrinkled prune. He reached for a bell near the doorjamb but thought better of it. Jesso wasn’t looking friendly. “Now open the next door.”

But before the butler could get there the door opened.

What Jesso saw was a sight. The man was slim, with silky hair draped artfully across a balding head. His frail face looked like a baby’s and then again like an old man’s. He put his yellow hands into the pockets of his brocaded robe and looked annoyed.

Jesso didn’t understand a word of what followed. There was a lot of sharp and stilted-sounding talk and every so often “Herr Baron.” That was the butler talking. Jesso started to feel left out.

“All right, enough of the love talk. I’m-”

“I know,” said the Baron. He spoke English with a cultivated British accent. “You are Jesso.” He peered closer. “What is Jesso, may I ask?”

“Let me in or you’ll find out.”

The Baron had a fine, high laugh and it took a while before he whinnied out of breath.

“Jesso, so I remembered, is a paste. Something that sculptors use. It hardens into stone. Am I correct?” He put on a sunny smile.

“Why don’t you try it? Where’s Kator?”

“Ah, yes, dear Kator. Johannes does pick up the strangest people. Hofer, is my breakfast ready?”

The butler said yes and got waved away.

“Johannes isn’t in at the moment. In fact, I understand he went abroad.”

“He’s back. I came back with him.”

“Oh, you did? Then he must have been delayed in Hamburg. I’ll ask Hofer about it. Hofer should know.” He paused for a moment, then said, “Forgive me. I am von Lohe. Hofer failed to introduce me. Helmut von Lohe,” and he bowed from the waist.

“Jack Jesso.”

“Have you had breakfast, Mr. Jesso?”

Jesso didn’t answer right away because he didn’t know what to call the man. Finally he said, “Look, does Kator live here?”

“Oh, yes. When Johannes is in town he stays with me.” Helmut von Lohe smiled. “Would you care to wait, Mr. Jesso? Join me in breakfast?” The smile changed from vapid to personal.

“I’ll wait.”

Von Lohe led the way, weaving across the large hall of the house with a rustling of his robe, then through a silk and petit-point salon and out to the solarium. There was a little fountain there, making a tinkle, and big plants standing still in the overheated air. Something was blooming with a sweet odor.

“Be seated, Mr. Jesso.” Helmut swirled himself into a wicker chair. It creaked like an old gate. “You are an American, Mr. Jesso, am I right?”

“Sure.”

“Would you like to know how I know?” Jesso didn’t care, but Helmut told him anyway. “Because you didn’t know how to address me.” He whinnied. Then, with his smile, “Just call me Helmut. You’d like that, as an American, wouldn’t you?”

Jesso was kept from telling him what he’d like when Hofer rolled the breakfast up. There was everything and Baron von Lohe ate like a pig.

That was at eleven. At eleven-thirty Helmut was full. He rang the bell, waved at the mess on the table, and spoke to the butler in English. Von Lohe had manners. Or maybe he wanted Jesso to understand.

“Has the Frau Baronin had breakfast, Hofer?”

“Yes, Herr Baron.”

“You will tell her I am in the solarium,” said Helmut, and he sat back like a king awaiting his retinue. He also gave Jesso a benign look, but that dropped off fast.

“The Frau Baronin has left for the city,” said Hofer, and that answer spoiled the Baron’s fun so much that he got nasty when he told Hofer to leave.

“And send her to me when she returns,” he called after the butler. Then he turned back to Jesso.

“My wife, Mr. Jesso, keeps irregular hours at times. However,” and he patted the yellow hair where it was draped across the skull, “she is not quite used to her new standing.”

“Oh,” said Jesso. “Country girl?”

“You might say so, dear Jack. In many ways, you might say so.”

It sounded mysterious as hell, but Jesso wasn’t much interested.

“When you meet her,” said the Baron, “you will-”

“I’ve seen her,” said Jesso. “When I came in.”

“Well,” said Helmut. He wasn’t all pleased. “It deprives me of the pleasure of introducing her to you.”

“We haven’t met. I just saw her.”

The Baron smiled, leaned forward. “A remarkable woman, wouldn’t you say so?” He looked smug. “In my family we have always favored beautiful women.” He said it as if nobody else ever favored beautiful women. The Baron leaned closer. “Her name is Renette.”

Jesso looked away. Like a lousy pimp, he thought.

“Not much of a country-girl name,” he said, because he didn’t know what else to say. Jesso felt out of place with the Baron, and he started to wonder what had happened to Kator. He pulled a cigarette out of his pocket, twirled it between his fingers, made it snap.

“Ask Hofer when Kator is coming back, will you-uh-Helmut?”

But the Baron didn’t move.

“Is your business with dear Johannes so urgent you cannot enjoy the comfort of my hospitality? How would you like some liqueur?”

Liqueur, probably with a stink like a flower perfume. The close warmth of the solarium bothered him, and the Baron, with his careful hair-do, gave him a pain. And that Renette female. He had come for Kator. He had expected Kator, cold and tricky, the kind of man who made it easy for you to act without scruples and who made it impossible to forget what you came for.

“I said, dear Jack, is your business so important-”

“Yeah. He owes me five hundred bucks.”

This amused the Baron.

“Five hundred dollars!” He whinnied. “You mean you came here from out of town, broke in at an early hour, because he owes you five hundred dollars?”

“My life savings, Helmut.”

He leaned forward and put one hand on Jesso’s knee.

“Johannes can be unreasonable, dear Jack. But let me help you with the money. Really, it means little enough to me, and I’ll speak to Johannes about-“

“I’ll wait. You don’t owe me a thing.” Jesso moved his leg out of the way.

Von Lohe laughed. “Why should you be afraid to be indebted to me? And besides, my influence with Johannes is such-“

“So go influence him.” Jesso got up abruptly. He was losing his patience.

“For example,” said the Baron, and he studied his fingernails, “if you’ve had a quarrel with our Johannes-and how easy it is to quarrel with him-you would find that my efforts in your behalf could work wonders.”

“I’ll do my own promoting, thanks.”

“My position, dear Jack-” Then he stopped. They both heard the front door open.

Old Hofer was scurrying across the hall and two other servants were scrambling into position.

“Send for the Baron,” said a voice. Kator was there.

Helmut lost some of his baronial air, but he rose with a studied grace and walked toward the hall without another word.

“And send for my sister,” said the voice from the hall.

Kator had crossed the hall with that hard click of his shoes. He turned to no one and slowed down just long enough to give old Hofer a chance to swing the library doors wide. Kator went through and the doors clicked shut. When Hofer came back to the hall, von Lohe stood by, watching the servants gather up the luggage. He was fitting a Turkish cigarette into a silver holder.

“Herr Kator wishes to see the Herr Baron.”

Von Lohe placed the holder in his mouth and fished for his lighter.

“That is, immediately, Herr Baron.” Hofer bowed and disappeared into a side hall. The Baron went into the library without having lit his cigarette.

The library was a room like a hall. The floor was covered with two giant rugs and one wall held a fireplace roofed like a house. There were more Atlases. They held the fireplace open. The ceiling and walls were of walnut except where the bookshelves had been replaced by locked cabinets. The cabinets were steel. They looked odd and cold in the ornate room, and the bleak light from the French windows gave them the air of a row of cells. There was a disciplined garden on the other side of the windows, a painstaking affair of different greens and thin little walks. Kator’s desk faced the other way. His chair was empty. Von Lohe walked to the high-backed seat that faced the empty fireplace and said, “Good morning, Johannes.”

Kator’s arm waved him to step closer. “Where is Renette?”

“I don’t know, Johannes. Hofer says-”

“I know what Hofer says. Sit down. When she comes back, send her to me immediately.”

“But I don’t know when she-”

“She’s your wife, isn’t she?” Kator sounded impatient.

“She’s your sister, isn’t she?” said von Lohe, and the spite in his voice was pure.

Kator got out of his chair and walked to the window. His back was turned when he said, “Aren’t you happily married, my dear Helmut?” It sounded so casual that the Baron started to fidget. “Are you not being maintained in a style that you could otherwise no longer afford?”

Von Lohe’s voice was spiteful. “And my title, I suppose, my exclusive contacts have been of no value to you? I remind you, Johannes, that without my social position to cloak your activities-“

“Speaking of bargains,” Kator said, going to his desk, “have you finally managed that matter with Zimmer?”

“It so happens, Johannes, I’m seeing young Zimmer this afternoon, at the club. I think-“

“Don’t think, don’t make excuses, just produce! This matter has been dragging for months!”

“But Johannes, there is just so much I can do. The Zimmer family has been extremely cautious ever since the war. My good name alone cannot-“

“Remind young Zimmer,” Kator said, “that I still possess the copies of patent trades that his father’s company has engineered, and that the Americans have no knowledge of any of this. So far. Tell him so far! If I cannot place my men in Zimmer’s American subsidiaries, I will begin to make things known.”

“But they have been friends of my family for-”

“I am not concerned with your family, only with the effect of your name. Now then, I called you for other reasons. Without going into details, let me impress upon you that my trip to the States has produced complications-possibly minor, possibly dangerous. Look into the garden.” Helmut went to the window and looked. “Do you see anything?”

There was nothing except the garden.

“I have stationed six men there. Several more are in front. They are here to intercept any possible danger.”

“Danger?” Helmut licked his red lips and sat down.

“Yes. And until further notice you will not leave the house except in the company of one of my men.”

“Johannes, please. What are we afraid of? You are making it worse with this secrecy.”

Kator pulled out one of his olive-colored cigars and stroked it. “I had dealings with a man, a foreigner. The fact is, I do not know where he is at the moment. Until he is found, I must remain extremely alert. He and I have a debt of-“

“A debt!”

“What is it, Helmut?”

Helmut had started to blink with a nervous speed and he sat upright, as if suspended by the head. He opened his mouth but nothing came out.

“Helmut! Make sense.”

“Is it-is it five hundred dollars? Do you owe-”

“What?”

“Just this,” said Jesso, and he kicked the door shut with his foot. Hofer was with him, but couldn’t keep up with him. Jesso shot his hands into his pockets and stopped.

“Forget the phone, Baron,” he said, and watched Kator pull back his hand.

Kator sat still like a cat. That’s when von Lohe recovered. He jumped up and started to yell.

“But I swear, Mr. Jesso, I never came near that phone. Johannes, tell Mr. Jesso-“

“Shut up,” said Kator. “He didn’t mean you.”

Everything was still for a moment.

“I meant Superspy, here. You, Kator, you understand, don’t you, Kator?”

“Of course, Jesso.”

“I bet you do. So send everybody out.”

Kator did. He nodded at the butler and at the Baron.

He nodded at both in the same way and then they left. The two men looked at each other. Then they walked to the fireplace and sat down on facing sofas.

“You crapped out yesterday, Kator.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“You crapped out. Your two medics weren’t so good.”

“I know. We found them.”

“Were they alive?”

“Partly, Jesso.”

“You know why, Kator?”

Kator waited.

“Because I didn’t half try.”

“I had assumed it was sentimentality.”

“Now hear this, Kator. You’re going to crap out once more, and that time I’m going to be trying all the way.”

“You are threatening me?”

“I’m telling you. And I’m telling you more. That message from Snell I gave you is bunk. I’ve got the right one, you don’t. How much are you selling your merchandise for?”

Kator started to smirk, dropped it.

“Hundred grand? Two hundred?”

“That information would hardly be useful to you.”

“Don’t worry about that part, Kator. Just worry about how you’re ever going to know if I gave you the right info. Just worry about losing your price, worry about selling worthless stuff, worry about what’ll happen to your business, to you, if you should pull a boner somebody else has to pay for. Those guys you’re selling to, are they gonna say, ‘Forget it, Kator, dear chum, we all make mistakes'?”

Kator didn’t bother to answer.

“They’re gonna send out a torpedo for you. A German if you’re in Germany, a Turk if you’re in Turkey, and Satan himself if you should be in hell when they find out.”

“I assume you have a proposition,” said Kator, and the formal words came out stiffly.

“No, Kator. You’re almost crapping out again. I’m giving you a chance to come in out of the rain. You show me your buyers, I show them the right dope. It’ll cost you half. Half of whatever you get. That’s the only way the deal is ever going to go straight. You know why, Kator? If I sell them the wrong goods, I’ll be as bad off as you, and that’s never going to happen to me, Kator.”

Kator’s success had come from the man himself; his fast mind, his unmuddled decisiveness, and his ability to dismiss his personal feelings. This made him remarkable, and he showed it now.

“Very well. I will begin my arrangements today. You may stay in this house in the meantime. Hofer will provide for your comfort.”

They looked at each other without even trying to hide their thoughts. One was out for the other, and each understood the game. And for the moment neither had anything to fear from the other.

“It is customary in your country to shake hands on an agreement. But you and I, Jesso, can do without it.”

“That’s clear.”

“Particularly since both of us cannot win, you understand?”

“I told you you’d crap out.”

“You will get your money, I will make my sale. I’m not speaking of that.”

“Just watch it, Kator.” Jesso got up.

“I’ll begin my arrangements today.”

“You can start right now. You owe me five hundred.”

When Hofer had taken Jesso to his room on the second floor of the villa and when he was about to leave, he was given a ten-dollar tip, which Jesso peeled off a roll of five hundred.