Consider Yourself Dead

Four

Mitch Goble, a half-eaten hotdog in his fat hand, stormed into the room, overlooking the Ace of Spades’ swimming pool, where Silk and Umney had just finished a tray dinner.

‘Hi-Fi blew it!’ Goble said, and sat down heavily at the table, facing Silk. ‘Frost caught him, gave him the treatment, and the little jerk shot with his mouth.’

Umney gave Silk a startled look, but Silk shrugged.

‘So what? Frost is an ex-cop. He’s smart. I wouldn’t have picked him unless I was sure he was smart. So, okay. He now knows we are keeping tabs on him. Relax, Mitch. It doesn’t matter. We’ll leave him alone. We wait.’

Goble finished his hotdog, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and eyed the debris on the two trays.

‘I’m telling you, Lu, Frost could be too smart. He bothers me.’

‘We can’t do without him.’ Silk lit a cigarette. ‘I can handle him. Relax. We’re doing all right. You planted the seed. A guy like Frost is going to think what five million will mean to him. We give him time. In a couple of days, he’ll come here to screw Marcia... that will be his reason for coming here, but he’ll be looking to talk business. I’ll be here to talk business. Once I convince him he’ll lay his mitts on five million, he’ll play.’

‘Just watch him,’ Mitch said. ‘You’re smart, I’m smart, Ross is smart... just watch he isn’t smarter.’

While they were talking, Frost was eating corn beef hash with Jack Marvin.

‘Ran into your buddy, Tom Lepski,’ Frost was saying I casually.

‘That right?’ Marvin grinned. ‘Now there’s a shrewd, dedicated cop. When Chief Terrell retires, it’s my bet Tom will be Chief of Police here. What a worker! He has ambition like a tiger with a hornet up his ass.’

‘Yeah. He tried to give me the treatment,’ Frost said quietly. ‘I cut him down to size.’

Marvin paused in his eating and regarded Frost.

‘What does that mean?’

‘Your buddy started throwing questions. The boys have been making inquiries about me — fair enough. He said they were bothered that I didn’t stay with any job long. I’ve nothing to hide, but I don’t get leaned on by an ambitious cop. So I leaned on him. If the Chief wants answers, he has only to ask. I don’t dig answering questions from a first grade detective.’

Marvin rubbed his jaw as he laid down his knife.

‘Maybe you played it wrong, Mike. Tom’s a little touchy: better to have him as a friend than an enemy.’

‘I’ve nothing to be nervous about,’ Frost said curtly and pushed back his chair. ‘Between you and me, I don’t give a damn about your buddy. I read him. He’s ambitious... so was I when I was on the force. Okay, but no one leans on me.’ He stood up, stretched, then went on, ‘Nothing happen today?’

Looking a little worried, Marvin got to his feet.

‘The same old routine. She must be goddamn lonely. I’m sorry for her. She spent the afternoon with the dogs. She can handle them better than I can.’

Frost registered this piece of news.

‘Those tigers dig her?’

‘They love her the way kids love candy. She’s got a way with animals.’

And a way with men, Frost thought.

When Marvin had left and Suka had collected the trays, silently, not looking at Frost, except to bow slightly in his direction, Frost went over to the signal panel by the monitors and studied it.

Up to now, he hadn’t bothered to look at the panel carefully. The top row of red lights indicated any break-in attempt. The next row were switches marked: Fence Neutralises. Cabin 1 & 2 alarms. Dog whistle. F.A. alarm. Below these switches were red lights marked: Police alarm, F.B.I, alarm. Fire alarm. Below these lights, were green lights and switches marked Neutralises for all alarms.

Frost guessed the F.A. alarm was the alarm switch direct to Amando’s sleeping quarters.

The Trojan horse!

With a flick of a few switches, the Grandi estate would become vulnerable!

He settled in the chair before the monitors, lit a cigarette and thought about Silk: a dangerous, deadly man. Frost moved uneasily. Suppose he agreed to be the inside man? Once Silk got his hands on Gina, what was to stop him putting a slug into Frost? Again Frost moved uneasily. He now knew Silk was a better shot than he was. If he acted as the inside man, how could he be sure of getting the five million and getting away with his life? How could Silk also be sure of getting away with the ransom?

Frost stubbed out his cigarette, frowning. He needed to know what Silk’s plan was, then, if he decided to be the inside man, how he could safeguard himself and his share of the money? He was still brooding on the problem when he heard a sharp knock on the door behind him, then the door swung open.

Amando came in.

‘All quiet, Frost?’ he asked, in his low hissing voice.

Frost got to his feet. At least this snake of a man hadn’t crept up on him, he thought, and hid a grin. He had thrown a scare into him.

‘Yes, sir,’ he said. ‘Nothing to report.’

Amando nodded, his suspicious black eyes running over Frost

‘Keep alert. Mr. Grandi will be coming at the end of the week. He will want to see you.’

‘Yes, sir.’

Again Amando eyed him.

‘This isn’t much of a job for a man of your physique. I’ve been studying your record. You don’t seem to keep jobs for long.’

‘I like changes, sir,’ Frost said quietly. ‘Security work offers changes, that’s why I went in for it. I guess this job isn’t permanent, is it?’

‘No, I wouldn’t say it’s permanent. I trust Miss Grandi will be out of danger in a few months’ time.’

‘I’m glad you think so, sir. From my experience Miss Grandi must always be in some degree of danger.’

Amando stared thoughtfully at him, nodded, and went away.

When Marvin came in at 08.00, Frost told him what Amando had said.

‘Looks like you’re going to lose your job you like so much, Jack,’ he said.

Marvin grimaced.

‘You were right to tell him. As long as there are billions lying around, there will be an attempted snatch.’ He put the coffee percolator on. ‘But maybe Grandi is realising he can’t keep her penned up like this, but what the solution is beats me.’

‘That’s Grandi’s headache,’ Frost said. ‘Me for bed.’

After a four-hour sleep, he shaved, showered, then called the Spanish Bay hotel. He asked to speak to Miss Goolden.

Marcia came on the line so quickly, Frost grinned to himself.

‘Why, honey, where have you been?’ she asked. ‘I’ve missed you.’

‘That makes two of us. Look, baby, how about spending the afternoon on the beach? I’m not in the mood for plush luxury. Bring a swimsuit, and let’s get lost some place.’

‘Sure, darling. Marvellous! Suppose you pick me up at two o’clock.’

‘But maybe you’re too busy,’ Frost said, grinning. ‘Just say the word. I’ll understand.’

Her instructions from Silk had been clear: stay with him; keep him hooked.

‘No problem, darling. I’ll be waiting. ‘Bye now,’ and she hung up. She immediately called Silk. ‘He wants to go swimming with me. He says he’s not in the mood for plush luxury.’

‘He’s just playing hard to get,’ Silk said. ‘Now, here’s how you handle him.’

Marcia listened, her expression tense, then when Silk had finished talking, she said, ‘Okay, I’ll do it, but he bothers me. There’s something about him I don’t trust.’

Silk laughed. It was a mirthless sound that always sent a chill up Marcia’s spine.

‘Since when have you ever trusted any man?’ he said, then after a pause, he went on. ‘This is important, chick. Don’t foul it.’ The threat in his voice was unmistakable.

He hung up.

Marcia closed her eyes, feeling a shiver run through her as she replaced the receiver. Silk had instilled such terror into her as to leave her defenceless. Some years back, Ross Umney had come to see her when she had the apartment in Miami. Although he didn’t say so, she knew he had come on Silk’s instructions.

‘I want to spell this out to you,’ Umney said, after settling in an armchair. ‘Lu is a professional killer. He makes his living knocking off creeps who get in the way. He’s not a guy to fool with. He thinks you can be useful to him, as I am useful, and as Mitch is useful. So when he needs a silk pussy to setup a creep, you’re going to be it.’

After four years as a call girl, Marcia had developed into a very confident, tough cookie. She laughed.

‘Tell Uncle Lu to go screw himself. I’m not working for anyone but myself. Up on the feet, handsome, and blow.’

Umney smiled sadly.

‘Come on, honey, you should know better than that. He needs a silk pussy. Before you, he tried a couple of chicks, but they said just what you just said.’ He took from his wallet two coloured prints and leaning forward, dropped them into her lap. ‘That’s what he did to them. Lu’s an acid expert.’

The prints were so horrifying, Marcia dropped them as if they were red hot.

Shuddering, she stared at Umney.

‘He wouldn’t do that to me... I’m his niece.’

‘He’d do it to his own mother if she didn’t cooperate,’ Umney said with his sad smile. ‘When he needs you, you jump. That’s the way it is, honey, unless you want to lose your looks,’ and he had left her.

Marcia had picked up the prints and studied them, shuddered, then tore them to bits. From that moment, she was Silk’s slave. Her greatest pleasure had always been to stand before a mirror, admiring her beauty. To be reduced to a freak like those two girls was something she just couldn’t take.

A year later, she had a telephone call from Silk.

‘Go to apartment fourteen at the Sheraton at nine tonight chick,’ he said. ‘You are expected. Give the creep value for his money. Ross will give you a pill. Drop it into the creep’s drink. When he’s asleep, get out. Easy, isn’t it?’ A pause, then the threat in his voice. ‘Don’t foul it up.’

Umney had arrived and had given her a tiny envelope containing a yellow tablet.

‘Careful, honey, of your looks,’ he said.

She read in the next morning’s Paradise Herald that a Mr. Ballinski had been found dead in bed. Apparently, he had shot himself. He had been under considerable financial pressure. Mr. Herman Radnitz, the well-known financier, had put in a bid to take over Mr. Ballinski’s company. Mr. Ballinski had declared that only over his dead body would Mr. Radnitz succeed. The company was failing through lack of management control. The financial editor of the Paradise Herald thought Mr. Radnitz could revitalise the company, and in despair, knowing this, Mr. Ballinski had shot himself.

Shuddering, Marcia now realised she was an accessory to murder.

Another year later, she had been instructed by Silk to set up another financier. She obeyed his instructions, but didn’t look at the morning paper. She couldn’t bear to know that this financier was also dead.

Then she had inherited the Ace of Spades restaurant. Free at last! she had foolishly thought, but Silk had come to her. He told her the Ace of Spades would make a suitable headquarters for him. Caught in the web of terror, Marcia had given over four of the rooms above the restaurant to him, Umney and Goble. The three of them had moved in, and she was stuck with them.

There had been no activity for her from Silk for the past four months, and she began to hope Silk no longer needed her, but would let her run the restaurant and her call girl service and leave her alone. Now, this crazy, dangerous kidnap idea, and she was right in the middle of it!

Silk had said in his quiet deadly voice, ‘We need this guy, chick. You hook him, and keep him hooked. Understand?’

Yes, she understood. Those horrifying photographs were still very much alive in her mind.

Now, after a swim, she lay in her wet bikini beside Frost under the shade of palm trees. In the far distance, people disported themselves in the sea and on the beach, but where she and Frost were lying, they were isolated.

Frost seemed remote. He was smoking a cigarette, his eyes closed. She looked at him, worrying, then deciding she must take action, she moved her hand gently on his crotch. His reaction was instant. He swept away her hand and sat up.

‘Let’s talk,’ he said, looking down at her. ‘You’re not here for fun and games? Right?’

She tried to make her eyes register surprise.

‘What are you saying, honey?’

‘I said let’s talk,’ Frost said. ‘Silk needs me. I’ve figured it. You’re his niece, so you work with him. You are a whore. The sex stuff means nothing to you. Fair enough, but don’t get the idea you’re conning me. That’s what I am saying.’

Marcia again thought of those horrifying prints. She sat up, crossing her arms around her knees.

‘Yes, Silk needs you, and I need you, Mike,’ she said quietly. ‘My restaurant is in the red. I thought it was going to be my lifeline. Without an injection of money, it’s going to fold. Lu came up with this idea of getting a big ransom from Grandi. The way he has it figured, it will work, but not without you. Your take will be five million. If you want money like that, then talk to Lu. It’s as simple as that.’

‘How has he got it figured?’ Frost asked, regarding her.

‘He’ll tell you.’

‘Has he told you?’

She shook her head.

‘I wouldn’t want to know, Mike. My job was to find you. I talked to a lot of guys before deciding you were the one Lu needed. For finding you I get five hundred thousand. With that kind of money, my restaurant will survive.’

‘What makes you think that Silk will give you the money if he does get the ransom?’

‘You don’t have to worry about your share, Mike. Silk is a professional. He’s no piker. He’ll pay me, and he’ll pay you. That’s the least you have to worry about.’

‘What else would I have to worry about?’ Frost asked, stubbing out his cigarette.

‘He’ll tell you.’

Frost lit another cigarette while he stared at the distant sea. Five million dollars! What had he to lose to talk to Silk? If Silk couldn’t convince him, then he would opt out.

‘Okay, so I’ll listen, but that doesn’t mean I’ll be his inside man,’ he said.

Marcia drew in a deep breath of relief.

‘No time like the present,’ she said. ‘Let’s go. He’s at the restaurant now.’

‘Let him sweat,’ Frost said, then pointing at her bikini, he went on, ‘Why are you wearing that?’

Men! Marcia thought as she unstrapped the clips. God! What animals they are!

They sat around the big table in the room above the swimming pool. Silk was flanked either side by Umney and Goble. Frost sat at the far end of the table on which stood drinks, two bottles of Scotch and a tray of canapés. Goble was the only one to eat. Every so often his fingers closed on one of the elaborate tidbits which he conveyed to his mouth.

‘I’ve been working on this idea for some time,’ Silk was saying, staring at Frost. ‘There’s a twenty million rake off, but there’s no way to get at the girl without an inside man. I’m offering you the job for a five million cut.’

Frost turned his tumbler of Scotch around in his fingers.

‘I was talking to 1st Grade Detective Lepski,’ he said. ‘I’m told he is a very smart cop. Let me quote what he said. These were his words: “We don’t want Gina Grandi snatched. Grandi looks after us, so we look after him. Right now, we know she has total protection. There is no way to get at her unless there is an inside man, and if an inside man appears, she could get snatched.”’ Frost paused and stared at Silk. ‘Those were his words. So I opt to be the inside man, she gets snatched, and the heat drops on me. That’s not my idea of picking up five million.’

Silk smiled.

‘It wouldn’t be mine either, but the heat won’t drop on you, Mike. It’ll drop on Jack Marvin.’

Frost stiffened.

‘Marvin? That’s crazy talk! Now listen to me...’

Silk raised his hand.

‘Relax. I’ve thought this thing out I’ve lived in this city for fifteen years, and I know all about the cops here. They know their business. I guess they are about the best. From the start of my thinking, I knew that when the girl’s snatched, they would know there had to be an inside man. I knew they would look hard at the man who replaced Joe Davis. Now listen carefully, Mike, I protect my organisation. You ask Ross and Mitch. I’ve never let them down.’ He looked to right and left. ‘Right?’

‘You can say that again,’ Goble said, stuffing a sardine on toast into his mouth.

Umney nodded.

‘So okay,’ Silk went on. ‘The cops have two likely suspects for the inside man: you and Marvin. I’m going to fix it they turn the heat on Marvin.’

Frost was leaning forward, his eyes intent.

‘Keep talking. How do you turn the heat on Marvin? Let me tell you something first. Lepski and Marvin are buddies. Marvin has a gold-plated reputation for being a dedicated, straight ex-cop. Your thinking’s cockeyed.’

Again Silk smiled.

‘When the take is twenty million, who is ever straight and dedicated?’

‘Five million,’ Frost said.

‘No, twenty million. Marvin will seem to handle the snatch on his own. Here’s how the cops will see it. One night, Marvin decides to snatch the girl. The twenty million take has been too much of a temptation. It’s all in his favour. He will have no trouble handling the dogs. No problem there. He will be on night duty. You will be sleeping in your cabin. You don’t present a problem. He goes to the girl’s room, knocks her on the head, carries her down to the harbour, puts her in the motorboat and away he goes. The following morning you go to relieve him: no Marvin. You raise the alarm: no Gina. Amando will alert Grandi. You stand by for orders. Grandi reads the kidnap note: pay up, no cops or your daughter gets knocked off. Grandi won’t call in the cops. He waits. Then Marvin telephones. He gives instructions how the ransom is to be paid and he says you are the one he will deal with. Grandi delivers, and you give me the ransom, then you return, still the white headed boy.’ He paused. ‘How do you like it so far?’

‘It stinks,’ Frost said, but his heart was thumping. ‘You say Marvin telephones. Amando will take the call. Marvin’s voice is very special. You can’t mistake it, and don’t tell me Marvin would cooperate. You would have to fake it, and that’s out.’

Again Silk smiled.

‘Marvin will co-operate. When I make a plan, it’s organised. For three months, Ross has been studying Marvin. Here’s something you don’t know. Marvin’s marriage didn’t work, but he has a son, aged three. We can get that kid. No problem there. Marvin will cooperate.’

Frost shifted in his chair, his mind very alert.

‘So, okay, the heat’s off me, and on Marvin,’ he said. ‘Grandi gives me the ransom, and I deliver it to you. This is fine, so far, for you, but how about me? You three could take off, and I’m the sucker.’

Silk poured a little more Scotch into his glass and added charge water.

‘You’re not using your head,’ he said. ‘Never mind! I’ll show you your share will be guaranteed. I’ll deal with that later. Now I’ll tell you what really happens: not what the cops think has happened, but what does happen.’

‘I’m listening,’ Frost said.

‘There are some details that have to be ironed out, but here is the general idea. You take night duty for a week, then change with Marvin? Right?’

Frost nodded.

‘Okay, so you are on day duty, and Marvin on night duty when we snatch the girl. What time do you finish your day duty?’

‘Twenty hours. Then we have dinner together, and I am free.’

‘What’s the girl doing? Does she eat alone?’

‘Maybe. I don’t know. She could eat with Amando, but I doubt it.’

‘That’s something I want you to find out. I’ll give you knock out pills. They are special: delayed action. Your job is to put a pill in Marvin’s drink, Amando’s drink and the girl’s drink. How you do this is up to you.’ Silk gave a wry grin. ‘You must expect to earn five million dollars, but let’s leave that for the moment. If you can’t dope their drinks, the operation won’t work, but knowing you are smart, I am sure you will fix it. Okay, the pills take six hours to work, and when they work, it’s a complete knockout. So the girl, Amando and Marvin are knocked out. Suppose you fix the drinks at eight o’clock, then at two o’clock, you go to the guardroom where Marvin is snoring his head off, and you neutralise the fence and get the dogs back into their compound. It just means pressing the right buttons... right?’

Frost gaped at him.

‘How the hell do you know that?’

Silk waved his hand to Umney who was grinning.

‘Ross gathers information. He chatted up the guy who fixed the electronics. Ross can get information out of a deaf mute. We know more about the electronic setup than you do. You get the dogs back in their compound and the fence neutralised. Then we three arrive by boat. No problem there. The snatch will take place at three-thirty in the morning. There’ll be no one around. We take the girl and Marvin, both knocked out, to Grandi’s motorboat, and away we go. Ross takes care of our boat.’ Silk paused, then leaning forward, he went on, ‘I’ll spell it out. Your job is to dope the drinks, neutralise the dogs and the fence, and when you have done that you go back to bed. Not such a sweat for five million, is it?’

Frost thought about this, then he said, ‘Very smart, but it still stinks to me. As I see it, you could get the girl, but what happens when the ransom is paid?’ He pointed a finger at Silk. ‘Once the ransom is paid and Grandi gets the girl back, he’s going to call the cops. Once the cops take over, the fun begins. As soon as you release Marvin, he’ll talk. He has an unshakeable reputation. When he says he was doped, the cops will believe him, so the heat comes back to me. Thought of that?’

Silk sipped his Scotch.

‘Did I say anything about Marvin being released?’

Frost stared at the cold, ruthless face, and he felt a cold shiver run up his spine.

‘This is a twenty million dollar take,’ Silk went on softly. ‘You don’t have to worry about Marvin.’ His scarred face was like a stone mask. ‘I’ll take care of him. Marvin will never be found, and the heat will always remain on him. Get the photo?’

Frost felt his heart lurch a beat. So this was not only going to be a twenty million dollar snatch, it was also going to be a murder rap. He had done a lot of shady things in the past, but he had stopped short of murder. Then his mind switched to the prospects of owning five million dollars. Marvin meant nothing to him. Five million!

‘So, okay,’ he said, ‘I don’t have to worry about Marvin.’ He found his mouth was so dry, he took a drink. ‘And Gina?’

‘No problem there,’ Silk said, easing himself back in his chair. ‘She gets returned. She’s been doped. She will know nothing. She’ll be under sedation until she arrives back home. No problem.’

‘Where are you going to keep her until the ransom is paid?’

‘That’s taken care of,’ Silk said. ‘Again no problem.’

‘But where? I want to know,’ Frost persisted.

Silk stared at him. His one eye suddenly went dull, but his glass eye caught the sun coming through the big window, and the glass eye glittered.

‘First things first,’ he said. ‘How are you reacting? From what I’ve spelled out, do you think we can snatch the girl?’

Frost turned the glass of Scotch around and around in his sweating fingers while he thought. Goble began to chew on a lobster tail. Umney, leaning back in his chair, stretched his muscular arms and yawned. Silk, motionless, continued to stare at Frost.

After a long pause, Frost said, ‘Given the breaks, yes. But there are complications. The dogs are a problem. I have a hundred yards walk from my cabin to the guardroom to fix the neutralisers. The dogs could nail me before I reached the guardroom. I also have a problem doping the drinks.’

Silk’s lips moved into a smiling grimace.

‘Those, of course, are the reasons why you earn five million dollars. I picked on you, because you’re smart.’ He sipped his drink, then putting down the glass, he went on, ‘I now ask you, are you in or out?’

Again Frost thought of Marvin. Murder! Then he again thought of owning five million dollars.

He finished his drink, then set down the empty glass.

‘We haven’t talked about the ransom yet,’ he said. ‘To me, that’s the sixty-four thousand dollar question. Convince me I can get five million and spend it in safety, and then I’ll tell you if I’m in or out.’

Silk studied him for a long moment, then he waved his hands towards Umney and Goble.

‘Okay boys, grab some fresh air,’ he said.

Umney got to his feet and moved to the door. Goble grabbed two canapés and followed Umney from the room.

Silk sipped his drink, lit a cigarette, then looked directly at Frost.

‘So we’re on our own,’ he said. ‘This is strictly between you and me. I am doing this job, with or without your help. You ask about the ransom. As you say, this is the sixty-four thousand dollar question. Before I even began to make plans to snatch this girl, I solved that question. What is the use of getting twenty million dollars if you can’t spend it? I’ve now got it so fixed we can spend it, and that includes you. If I tell you how I have fixed it, you will have reached the point of no return, as Ross and Mitch have already reached the point of no return. If they lose their nerve and back out, they know I will kill them,’ Silk smiled. ‘I earn my living killing people. Ross and Mitch know that, so you had better know it too. Before I tell you how I have fixed the ransom, I want you to think about what I have told you so far. Now, it is your turn to convince me I’ve picked the right inside man. I will want to know how you will handle the dogs: how you will dope Marvin, Amando and the girl, and how you will neutralise the fence. When you have convinced me you can do all this, and when you have told me you will work with me, then I’ll tell you how I’ve fixed the ransom, and I assure you, I have fixed it.’

Frost hesitated, then shrugged.

‘Well, okay, so I exercise my brain,’ and he pushed back his chair.

‘You do that,’ Silk said. ‘Let’s get the record straight. If you haven’t the brains nor the guts to work with me, you are no good to me, nor to yourself. I am guaranteeing you five million, and I don’t give five million away to a pea-brain. So, Saturday morning you come here and convince me you can handle the dogs, neutralise the fence and dope the drinks. You’ll have to convince me, and I need convincing. So, okay, you convince me. Then you tell me if you opt in or out. If you opt in, you will have passed the point of no return. Then I will tell you how I’ve fixed the ransom, and I guarantee I have fixed it. But if you haven’t the nerve and you opt out, you will leave Paradise City and you will keep your trap shut.’ He tapped the table with his finger. ‘Make no mistake about this: I’m going ahead with this job. I will have to find another guard. It’ll mean waiting, but I’ve waited already. But suppose you think you can pick up some money by going to the cops and talking? Okay, so you go to the cops, and you tell them I’m getting set to snatch the girl.’ Silk stubbed out his cigarette. ‘If you do that, there will be no snatch, but I’ll be in the clear. You have no proof that I am planning the snatch. It’ll be your word against mine. The cops have nothing on me. So I tell them you are crazy in the head, but knowing the cops here, they’ll put a tab on me, so, no snatch, and I’ll lose five million bucks.’ He leaned forward, his one eye glaring at Frost. ‘If you talk to the cops, you won’t live long. There’s no hole anywhere deep enough for you to hide in. Be sure, I’ll come after you. Be very sure of that, and I’ll kill you.’

Frost spent the remaining two hours before he took over from Marvin, in his cabin, smoking and thinking.

Although he thought of what life would mean to him when he had five million dollars to spend, his main thinking was about Silk. During the short time he had been a detective, he had run into a number of dangerous thugs.

He had also run into a few Mafia hit-men, but none of them compared with Silk. Frost knew Silk was a professional in the top echelon bracket, and he was deadly dangerous. I will guarantee I have fixed the ransom. This, coming from a man of Silk’s calibre, meant, somehow, he had solved the ransom problem, and that meant that if Frost opted in, he would have five million dollars to spend. He was almost sure that if he opted out, he would never leave Paradise City alive. Silk would never take the risk that he (Frost) might talk. Frost moved uneasily. He would meet with an accident. He was sure of that. So... he nodded to himself, he would opt in.

Now, he had problems to solve: how to dope Marvin, Amando and Gina. This was the priority problem. The second problem was how to neutralise the dogs. This also presented difficulties. The neutralising of the fence was easy once Marvin was doped and the dogs out of the way.

Frost realised he would have to collect a lot of information before he could begin to solve these problems. He looked at his strap watch. The time was 19.45: time to go to the guardroom and have dinner with Marvin.

Leaving his cabin, he looked along the narrow path that led past the villa, and to the guardroom. Soon after 21.00, Marvin would release the dogs, and they would be on the prowl. When he had doped Marvin, Frost thought, he would have to leave his cabin around 02.00, walk along this path to the guardroom to neutralise the fence. The walk was roughly sixty yards. One or all the dogs could nail him before he reached the guardroom. He looked upwards. Could he reach the guardroom by climbing a tree, swinging himself on to the villa’s roof and down to the guardroom? He dismissed this thought immediately. He was no Tarzan, and anyway, there were no over-lapping trees. A problem!

He found Marvin watching the end of a ball game on the box.

‘Hi, Mike.’ Marvin got to his feet and turned off the set. ‘Lousy game. Had a good day?’

‘Swimming,’ Frost said. ‘I’m starved.’ He pulled up a chair and sat at the table. ‘No excitement?’

Marvin shook his head and sat opposite Frost.

‘The excitement will start on Saturday. The Big Shot arrives.’

‘So Old Creepy told me. Tell me about Grandi.’ Frost offered his pack of cigarettes. As the two men lit up, he went on, ‘How do you dig him?’

‘You and I have handled dozens of thugs in our day,’ Marvin said quietly. ‘Grandi is yet another thug, but gold plated. Watch it with him. He likes playing God. Don’t imagine because he gives you the big hello, he has taken a liking for you. I would rather deal with Old Creepy than Grandi. At least, you know Old Creepy is hostile. I’ve met Grandi twice, and twice is enough. I know because I’m an ex-cop, he hates cops. So watch it.’

At this moment, Suka came in with the dinner trays. He sat them down on the table, bowed and went away.

Frost looked at the thick pork chop with onions and french fried potatoes, and whistled.

‘We certainly don’t starve here. Tell me about Suka, Jack.’ He began to cut into the chop. ‘He never seems to stop working.’ Frost was now probing for information. ‘Does he sleep here?’

‘Suka’s special. He looks after us, Gina, Amando and the dogs. No, he doesn’t sleep in the villa. He has a cabin around the back by the lagoon. He packs up around 23.00, and he starts work at 07.30. He’s the only resident servant here. The rest of the staff leave before I release the dogs. They all live outside the estate.’

‘There’s no night staff then?’

‘For what?’ Marvin slapped mustard on his chop. ‘The girl goes to bed around 22.00. Amando goes to his room around the same time. They don’t need anything. But it’s different when Grandi arrives. The whole staff are on duty until he goes to bed which is around 02.00. They love him! To get the staff home, I have to recall the dogs.’ Marvin shrugged. ‘He doesn’t often come, and he doesn’t stay long. He’ll be off on Monday morning, and then everyone can relax.’

Frost now had some information, and knowing Marvin was an ex-cop, he decided it would be unsafe to probe further.

Then he felt a sudden cold chill run up his spine as he looked across the table at Marvin’s relaxed, friendly face. This man was going to be murdered! Then he forced himself to think of the money he was going to pick up. Five million! Why the hell should he care about Marvin?

The food had become dry in his mouth. He forced himself to eat while his mind continued to be active.

‘Have you got a girl, Jack?’ he said, chewing hard.

‘I’ve got something better than that,’ Marvin said with an expansive grin. ‘I’ve got a son.’

For the next ten minutes while they finished their dinner, Frost was subjected to a glowing eulogy of Marvin’s son. According to Marvin, there had never been such a bright, smart phenomenon as Marvin junior. And as he listened, seeing the pride and happiness on Marvin’s face, he knew now why Silk had said Marvin would co-operate.

‘Who wants a woman when I’m so goddamn lucky to have a son like that?’ Marvin concluded. ‘I spend every hour when I’m off duty with him. I’ve got him well fixed. When the kid was born, my goddamn wife wouldn’t take care of him. All she thought about was movies, farting around, having what she called a good time. So I hired an old black mamma, and she is great! She takes care of the kid. I wouldn’t want for anyone better!’

‘Yeah,’ Frost said, pushing aside his plate. ‘You’re lucky. When you have a kid like that...’

‘I know it.’ Marvin got to his feet. ‘Time I got rid of the staff and let the dogs loose.’

‘You feed them, Jack?’

‘Suka does it. He has a way with dogs. He’s feeding them now.’

‘Well, so long. Happy dreams.’

When Marvin had gone, Frost sat before the monitors. This day was Thursday. He had two more night duties. On Saturday, he would have to see Silk again. By Saturday, he would have to come up with the solution of his problems.

He heard Suka come in to collect the tray and he looked around.

‘Fine meal, Suka,’ he said.

The Japanese paused and regarded him, his face expressionless.

Frost studied him. Instinct warned him that this little man with his wooden face could be dangerous.

‘I forgot to thank you for keeping guard, Suka,’ he went on. ‘You and I must try to keep Miss Gina happy.’

Suka inclined his head, stared for a long moment at Frost, and then left the room.

Frost grimaced, then shrugged, but again told himself that Suka could be yet another problem.

Now to see if he could solve his problems.

How was he going to dope Amando? This was the sixty-four thousand dollar question. The more he thought about it, the more complex the problem became. He had no information about Amando’s habits. On the night that Gina was to be snatched, Amando might be away on a business trip: he might be at the villa: he might... God knew!

Frost rubbed his sweating jaw. A problem! He sat staring at the monitors and watched the dogs, sniffing around the trees. He thought of the moment when he would have to set off for the guardroom to neutralise the fence and he studied the dogs... all killers!

Hell! he thought, have I problems!

It wasn’t until after midnight that an idea suddenly occurred to him. He did have some information about Amando, and he had forgotten about it up to this moment! His heart beating with excitement, he snatched up the telephone receiver and dialled the Spanish Bay hotel. In a minute or so, he was connected with Marcia.

‘No talk, honey,’ he said, keeping his voice low. ‘Just say yes or no. Does Amando still come to you Saturdays?’

‘Yes.’

‘First Saturday in the month?’

‘Yes.’

‘What time?’

‘Nine evening.’

‘Does he take a drink?’

‘Yes.’

‘Okay, honey,’ and Frost hung up.

The first problem solved!

Now the dogs.

He got to his feet and once again examined the control panel. He concentrated on the button that activated the silent whistle that recalled the dogs to their compound. If he could fix this, so when Marvin was doped, the whistle would get the dogs back into their compound, then the second problem would be solved. He knew nothing about electronics. He then remembered Umney had talked to the man who had fixed the alarm panel. Frost nodded to himself. Umney would have to talk to this guy again and find out how he (Frost) could fix the whistle button even if it meant twisting the guy’s arm. Maybe this would be the second problem solved.

But how was he to dope Gina?

As he thought about this, he realised that she presented a dangerous problem. When she came out of sedation after her release, she must not have any suspicion that he had engineered her kidnapping. She was an unknown quantity to him, but he had an instinctive feeling that she would throw him to the cops if she had the slightest suspicion he had been behind her kidnapping.

Don’t rush this, he told himself. I have until Saturday morning. At least, I reckon I have two of the problems fixed.

He switched his mind from Gina, and tried to relax, but then his mind switched to Marvin, doped, and at Silk’s mercy. You don’t have to worry about Marvin. I’ll take care of him.

In his mind, Frost saw again Marvin’s proud face as he had talked happily about his son. Marvin will never be found. Silk would murder him and hide his body. Silk was a professional. When he said the body would never be found, he meant just that.

Frost flinched and sweat beaded his forehead.

Drawing in a deep breath, he forced himself to relax.

Five million dollars! No more farting around, trying to scrape up a living! Five million, and the world was his!

Too bad about Marvin.

This was a once in a lifetime chance.