You're Dead Without Money

Five

It was while they were eating breakfast on the patio, the morning sun shining on them, that Vin began his probe.

‘If I’m going to make it a regular thing to go around with you, Superman,’ Judy was saying, ‘I’m going to get fat.’

She was engaged in eating a breakfast of grapefruit, eggs and grilled ham, toast and coffee, and she was eating as if she hadn’t had a meal in days.

Vin had settled for orange juice, coffee and a cigarette. He grinned.

‘This is what comes of going around with kids, baby,’ he said. They can’t afford to feed a girl like you. Don’t worry about getting fat. I’ll give you enough exercise to keep your weight down.’

Judy giggled.

‘You’ve got something... hang on to it.’

‘Tell me about your old man,’ Vin said casually. ‘You two don’t get along together?’

‘That’s the understatement of the year,’ Judy said, buttering toast. ‘I don’t want to talk about him. He gives me a pain in my ass.’

‘But these stamps you were telling me about.’ Vin reached for another cigarette. ‘You said someone offered him a million for eight stamps. Were you putting me on?’

‘No. I saw the letter on his desk.’ She heaped marmalade on the toast. ‘You could have knocked me down with a whisky bottle.’

‘You mean some crackpot actually offered your old man all that bread for eight goddamn stamps?’

‘That’s it. It made me sick to my stomach. All that money! What I could do with it! The stupid old bastard just threw the letter in the trash basket.’

‘Just what are these stamps?’

She shrugged.

‘Oh, something he got hold of. People are always sending him stamps. I don’t know. Look, Superman, let’s skip my old man. Let’s talk about something else.’

Vin poured himself another cup of coffee.

‘Who is this guy who offered all this money?’

Judy paused as she began to butter another piece of toast. Her green eyes suddenly became quizzing.

‘Why should you care?’

Vin realized he was out on thin ice.

‘So you don’t know?’

‘Suppose I do?’

‘Well, okay, baby, if you want to make a mystery of it.’ He shrugged. ‘I was just curious.’

‘Oh, let’s skip stamps.’ She munched the toast. ‘Let’s go swimming. I know a marvellous place where you can swim in your skin.’

‘Fine.’ Remembering Elliot’s advice not to rush it, Vin reluctantly decided to drop his probe for the time being.

After they had finished breakfast and Vin had paid the check for the night’s stay, they went together to the Jaguar. They drove some twenty miles along the coast road and then down a narrow sandy lane that led to a small deserted cove with access to the sea.

They left the car, stripped off and swam, then getting under the shade from a clump of palms, they stretched out, side by side.

‘This is the life,’ Judy said. ‘Man! If I could do this every day! Are you staying long, Superman?’

‘What would you do if you had a million dollars, chick?’ Vin asked, staring up at the overhanging palm leaves.

‘Still got that on your mind?’ Judy turned on her side and studied him. ‘What’s with it?’

‘I’m asking you a question,’ Vin said, not looking at her.

‘So okay... with that kind of bread I’d get out of this goddamn country. I’d go to Paris and buy myself a ritzy apartment and get into the life there... the life I want to live. I’d have a ball. I’d have another place in Capri. I’d have a ball there too. With all that money, the men would come. I wouldn’t even have to look for them.’

‘If your old man has all these stamps would he miss these eight if you took them?’ Vin asked.

Judy remained silent for so long, Vin got worried that he had rushed this too fast, then she said, ‘Yes, he’d miss them. He spends most of his time gloating over his stamps and now this guy has offered all this money, I bet he gloats over those stamps more than the others.’

‘What guy?’

Judy sat up, cupping her naked breasts.

‘You may think I’m dim, Superman, but I’m going to surprise you. Are you thinking of trying to get these stamps and selling them to this man who has made this offer?’

This was it, Vin thought. He had rushed it, but this could be his chance. He turned on his side and looked up at her.

‘It’s an idea that occurred to me,’ he said. If we get a payoff like that we would split it down the middle or if you want to stick with me we could share the lot and have a real ball together.’

They stared at each other.

‘Just who are you?’ she asked. ‘That account executive crap doesn’t jell with me. Who are you?’

‘A guy on the make.’ Vin grinned. ‘Like you: thirsty for money. You and me could work this... as partners.’

She got to her feet and with a towel she wiped the sand off her buttocks and thighs. He lay there, watching her, tense, wondering if he had played the wrong card or the right card too fast He felt a growing uneasiness as she dressed in silence.

‘Well, for Pete’s sake! Say something!’

She looked down at him.

‘Let me tell you something, Superman. I don’t trust anyone and that includes you. If you think you’re smart enough to get those stamps, I’ll help you, but you don’t get the name of the man who wants to buy them. I’ll handle that end of it. And if there is going to be a split, it’ll be a split on my terms. Seven-fifty for me and two-fifty for you.’

A tricky chick, Vin thought. Okay, let’s play along. Get the stamps, then I’ll take over. If she imagines she’s going to have that kind of split then she needs her head examined, but okay, let’s play along.

He got up and put on his clothes while she wandered over to the Jaguar. When he had dressed, he joined her.

‘Let’s have a drink,’ she said, getting into the car. ‘I’m as thirsty as a camel!’

He took her to a beach bar and bought her a double gin and tonic while he had a beer. It was still too early for the bar to be crowded so they sat at an isolated table under the awning and Vin began to work on her.

‘How do we get the stamps, baby?’ he asked.

She regarded him.

‘You’re keen, aren’t you?’

‘Skip the smart dialogue,’ Vin said sharply. ‘Are we going to work together on this or aren’t we?’

She sipped her drink while she continued to eye him.

‘Do you imagine, Superman, that if there was a chance, I wouldn’t have taken the stamps weeks ago, sold them and got the hell out of here? It’s no deal. The old stinker has his collection protected.’

‘Maybe with the two of us working at it, we could swing it.’

She shook her head.

‘This is a waste of time. You won’t get them so forget it. Let’s talk about what we’re going to do tonight’

‘Where money is concerned,’ Vin said, ‘nothing is a waste of time. Where does he keep his collection?’

‘In the house. He has a big room, lined with drawers. In each drawer there are stamps set out under glass and each drawer is wired to a burglar alarm. There are hundreds of drawers and thousands of stamps. Believe me, looking for one particular stamp is like looking for a virgin in this City... strictly for the birds.’

‘What’s his security like?’

‘Tricky alarms wired direct to the cop house. Each drawer automatically locks when he throws a switch when he isn’t in the stamp room. The switch is in a steel box built into the wall and he always has the key. There is a closed circuit TV and the monitor is watched by Security Guards, night and day when he isn’t in the room.’ She grimaced. ‘He takes care of his stamps... that’s all he cares about.’

Vin turned this information over in his mind. After a long pause, he said, ‘Okay... but suppose I got in the stamp room without raising the alarm, how do I find these eight stamps?’

She stared at him, then laughed.

‘You don’t get in.’

‘I said suppose I did.’

She shrugged.

‘You’ll find something like eight hundred drawers all containing thousands of stamps, all under glass and the drawers wired to the cop house and watched by Security Guards so if you touch just one of the drawers you’ll get a lapful of fuzz.’

Burglar alarms, closed circuit TV and police didn’t bother Vin. He was an expert in his field, but what did bother him was the thought of getting into this stamp room and then trying to find eight particular stamps.

‘Look, baby,’ he said, ‘your old man can’t have a miracle memory. Suppose he wants one particular stamp among all these thousands? He must have a system of finding it fast.’

‘He has. He and I worked it out together... that was before mummy died and before I realized there was more to life than fooling around with a lot of crappy stamps.’

Vin felt his pulse rate quicken.

‘What’s the system then?’

‘It’s simple. Each drawer has a number. He keeps a register. For instance U.S.A. stamps are in drawers numbered one to a hundred and fifty. These drawers are broken down into dates and again into rare stamps. During the day he carries the register around with him and at night he locks it in a safe in his bedroom.’

‘What’s it look like?’

‘A little leather loose leaf book he carries in the inside pocket of his jacket Short of knocking the old buzzard on the head, no one will get it.’

Vin finished his drink.

‘So suppose we knock him on the head?’

‘Not a chance. He only goes out once a week to play golf, otherwise he’s in the stamp room. When he goes to the golf club he has a chauffeur with him. The road to the club is always busy with traffic so no one can hold up the car. There’s no chance of getting into the house. He has a staff of five and they’re always around. You can forget it Without the register, you can forget the stamps... so you can forget the million dollars.’

Vin now had most of the information he wanted. There was no point in wasting further time with this chick.

‘Okay... I’ll think about it. If I come up with an idea, do you and me make a deal?’

‘What deal?’

‘I get the stamps. You give me the name of the buyer and we split the take.’

‘That’s not my idea of a deal, Superman,’ she said and finished her drink. ‘I take seven-fifty and you have the rest.’

Vin grinned.

‘Okay... okay.’

‘And I handle the buyer, Superman.’

Just for a moment he hesitated, then, knowing she had him where she wanted him for the moment, he grinned again.

‘It’s a deal.’

She nodded.

‘Well, let’s go.’ He got to his feet. ‘I’ve got business. How about tomorrow night?’

‘What’s the matter with tonight?’

He shook his head.

‘I’m tied up. Tomorrow night I’ll take you to the Low-Life Club. Dress the part, baby... it’s your thing.’

‘Who’s tying you up tonight?’ She was studying him suspiciously.

‘Oh, a guy... come on, baby, let’s go.’

She went with him to the Jaguar.

‘Want me to drop you off home?’ he asked as he started the car.

‘Who wants to go home? Drop me off at the Plaza Beach. I’ll spend the day there.’ As he set the car in motion, she went on, ‘Give me some money, Superman. If I’m not seeing you tonight, I’ve got to eat Give me a hundred dollars.’

‘Your kid friends can feed you. I only give money for value.’

‘Haven’t you had value, you mean sonofabitch?’ she demanded.

‘Not yet.’ Vin grinned. ‘You, me and a million bucks is my idea of value.’ But when he dropped her at the entrance to the Plaza Beach he gave her thirty dollars. She snatched the money out of his hand, put her tongue out at him, then walked away, swinging her hips.

For the first time since he had become secretary to Herman Radnitz, Holtz failed to carry out his master’s instructions.

He had been told to have Don Elliot watched and to submit a daily report on Elliot’s activities. Back in his office, he had telephoned Jack Lessing who was in charge of a team of experts specializing in this kind of work. Lessing had said there would be no problem and he would put four men on the job right away.

Six hours later, Lessing, short, thin, with foxy eyes and thinning hair, came into Holtz’s office. Without wasting time, he reported that Elliot had disappeared and his men could find no trace of him.

‘I’ve got ten men hunting for him but up to now there’s no sign of him,’ Lessing said. ‘He hasn’t left the City by rail or plane but he could have used his car. His Alfa is missing. We can’t get a thing from his servants. So what do you want me to do?’

Holtz stared at him and the expression in his eyes made Lessing shift uneasily.

‘Find him!’ Holtz snarled. ‘That’s your job... that’s what you get paid for! It can’t be difficult He’s known everywhere. Get the syndicate working on it... get every available man on it... but find him!’

When Lessing had left, Holtz sat wondering if he should wait another six hours before telling Radnitz. There was every chance that with the whole of Lessing’s organization hunting for Elliot he would be found, but he decided he would have to tell Radnitz there was a hitch.

He went out on to the terrace where Radnitz was talking to Berlin on the telephone. He was arranging a currency deal and Holtz waited until he had replaced the receiver.

‘What is it?’ Radnitz asked, turning to stare at Holtz.

Holtz told him and went on to explain what action was being taken. Radnitz listened, his fat face darkening and his hooded eyes gleaming angrily.

Holtz expected to receive vitriolic criticism. He was even prepared to be dismissed and he was startled when Radnitz seemed to control his anger and pointing to a chair, said quietly, ‘Sit down.’

A little uneasy because he had never sat down in Radnitz’s presence before, Holtz took the chair.

‘How long have you worked for me?’ Radnitz asked, taking a cigar from a pigskin case and cutting it with a gold cutter.

‘It will be five years next month, sir.’

Radnitz nodded

‘You have given satisfaction. You have my confidence. I think I had better tell you why Elliot must be found.’

Holtz stiffened. This was the last thing he expected and because he was surprised, he decided to say nothing.

Radnitz lit his cigar, then stared at the distant beach, crowded with people sun bathing and swimming.

‘I am searching for eight Russian stamps,’ he said. ‘They come from a lot that was never issued to the public. They got into the hands of a Russian scientist who had fallen in love with an American woman he had met in East Berlin. He was warned to have nothing further to do with her. Outwardly he agreed, but inwardly he planned to defect. He knew the stamps would be valuable and he had to provide for himself and this woman once he left Russia. He drew up a report of his work. This report is of considerable value to the enemies of Russia. He made eight microdots of this report and each dot went on to each of the eight stamps, making them priceless. We needn’t go into the details about the report but it is something the C.I.A. would pay enormous money to have. This scientist persuaded a friend to smuggle the stamps out of Russia and to East Berlin and the American woman got them but the scientist had left it too late and he was arrested. Under torture he revealed what he had done. Having been warned of her lover’s arrest, the woman fled to Paris. She sold the stamps to a Paris dealer and with the proceeds went to New York. The dealer, knowing nothing about the microdots, sold the stamps to a client who was kidnapped, but died of a heart attack before the kidnappers could find out what he had done with the stamps. The stamps have vanished.’ Radnitz paused while he tapped ash off his cigar. ‘As you know I have considerable and profitable dealings with the Soviet Government. They asked me if I could help. I have promised to do so. Financed by them, I have made a very thorough search for the missing stamps. Unfortunately, the news has been leaked to the C.I.A. and they too are searching for the stamps. I have to move carefully. At the moment the C.I.A. are concentrating their search among the smaller collectors — especially the Russian collectors. My search has narrowed down to a man called Paul Larrimore who lives in this City. I believe he has them and I have made him a generous offer which he has ignored. This means nothing. He either has the stamps and won’t sell or he hasn’t got them and hasn’t the politeness to say so. It would be a simple solution to kidnap this man and force him to admit he either has or hasn’t got the stamps, but this would produce publicity and would alert the CI.A.’ Radnitz puffed smoke, his face stony. ‘I have now approached Claude Kendrick who knows this movie star, Elliot, who seems to be Larrimore’s only contact. Elliot is desperate for money and has agreed to try to get information about the stamps. I have reason not to trust Kendrick. If Elliot got the stamps and gave them to Kendrick, Kendrick might try to find a higher bidder than myself so it is important for me to know when Elliot gets information and when he gets the stamps. So Elliot must be found at once.’

Holtz thought for a moment.

‘If he is going to try for the stamps, sir, he will still be in the City. This narrows the field. I will alert Lessing.’

‘I will leave it to you.’ Radnitz paused and stared at Holtz. ‘I’ve explained this to you because I want you to realize how important and how serious this operation is. If I get the stamps I will be in an excellent position to bargain with the Russians. The Kazan dam project is hanging fire. If I give them the stamps, they will give me the contract for the dam. It’s as simple as that. I don’t have to tell you how valuable the contract is. I expect to hear Elliot has been traced within the next twenty-four hours.’ By way of dismissal, Radnitz reached for the telephone receiver.

A lot of questions ran through Vin’s mind as he drove back to the bungalow.

Did Elliot know the real value of the stamps? Did Kendrick know? Just how much had Kendrick offered Elliot — a lot more than the fifty thousand Elliot was offering him, Cindy and Joey, that was for sure — but how much more?

Then he thought over the information he had got from Judy. The actual steal didn’t worry him. He was sure he could handle the alarms and the closed circuit TV but how to get hold of the register? Various ideas occurred to him, but each was dismissed as too dangerous. He decided he would have to consult Elliot. Vin knew his own abilities were not up to organizing a tricky steal like this. One slip, one false move and a million dollars would escape him. The thought made him sweat No, he would have to give Elliot some of Judy’s information. Then if they were successful and got the stamps, he would have to fix Elliot and also Judy. He had already made up his mind there was going to be no share out on this steal. It was going to be the Big Take for him and nothing for the rest of them.

He found Elliot, Cindy and Joey in the garden. They looked expectantly at him as he came over and took the fourth chair.

‘Where have you been?’ Joey asked. ‘We were getting worried. What’s been going on?’

‘Plenty.’ Vin grinned. ‘I’ve got this Larrimore babe eating out of my hand and I’ve got most of the info we want.’

‘That’s quick.’ Elliot looked startled. ‘You mean you’ve already talked to her about the stamps?’

‘Sure... it was a natural. She brought the stamps up herself.’

‘Has Larrimore got them?’

Vin pointed his finger at Elliot.

‘Just hold it, buster... I’ll ask the questions. How much did Kendrick offer you for these stamps?’

‘It’s not what he offered me that concerns you,’ Elliot said quietly. ‘You three agreed to work with me for fifty thousand dollars.’

Vin shook his head.

‘Not now, buster. I’m doing all the work. You couldn’t get to first base without me. These stamps are worth money... so let’s hear what Kendrick offered you.’

Elliot hesitated, then shrugged.

‘Two hundred thousand. As it is my idea and my contact, fifty thousand is a fair split for you three.’

‘You think so?’ Vin was very sure of himself. ‘I say no. It’s going to be better than that.’

Elliot looked at Cindy and Joey.

‘Are you satisfied with the split... do you want more?’

‘Never mind about them. I want more,’ Vin said, ‘and I’m going to get it. Here’s the new deal. I get fifty, they get fifty between them and you get a hundred.’

Listening, knowing that once the operation was concluded, he and Cindy would be rid of Vin, Joey said quietly, ‘That still puts you ahead, Mr. Elliot.’

Elliot thought for a moment. This cut in the take would mean a few months less to live and he realized he was now ceasing to care.

‘Okay, you have yourself a deal. Has he the stamps?’

‘Yes.’ Vin went on to explain about the register. ‘This is the problem. Without this index, we’ll never find the stamps. But once we know the number of the drawer containing the stamps I can get them.’

‘This isn’t our problem,’ Elliot said. ‘The deal I made with Kendrick is that if I can assure him Larrimore has the stamps and tell him how to find them, he’ll pay off. You’ve given me the necessary information. We don’t have to do anything more. It’s his problem to get the stamps. By this time tomorrow we will have the money and can get out of town.’

Vin squinted at him.

‘If a slob like Kendrick is willing to pay two hundred grand to you, how much do you imagine he is going to get when he sells the stamps?’

‘That’s his affair,’ Elliot said impatiently. ‘A hundred thousand is enough for me. I’ll see him right away, give him this information and arrange for payment’

‘Hold it! Suppose I tell you I can find out who the buyer is Kendrick is dealing with? Suppose I tell you this buyer would pay five hundred big ones and this could come to us instead of Kendrick?’

Elliot stared at him.

‘Do you know who the buyer is?’

‘I can find out.’

‘How?’

Vin grinned.

‘Don’t worry about that. I’m not kidding. I can find that out. Now listen, we would be nuts to deal direct with Kendrick. That slob will pay you two hundred and put three hundred in his pocket for nothing. With my info we can get the stamps and then we can sell them to Kendrick’s man for five hundred grand, cutting Kendrick out of the deal.’

Looking at Vin’s excited face and seeing the greed in his eyes, Elliot suddenly felt sure that Vin was planning to double cross not only Kendrick but Cindy, Joey and himself. Just how the double cross would work Elliot had no idea, but he was sure this was what Vin was planning.

He felt a surge of excitement run through him. This could be much more fun than living in debt and pitying himself because he had a tin foot. He had made six successful movies in which he, as the hero, had pitted his wits against thugs like Vin. The scriptwriters had taken care that his wits had always been sharper and that always in the end he had come out top. But now, this was for real: not a thriller that was put in a can and exhibited in the movie houses of the world. There would be no scriptwriter to take care of him. No director to shout ‘Cut 1’ when the going got too rough.

Okay, he thought, let’s see how smart you are. Let’s act this out as if it were a movie. What have I got to lose anyway? A few more months of life? If I don’t get the money, there are the sleeping pills to take care of the final fade out So I’ll pretend to play along with you. Could be I’ll be trickier than you think you are. At least, it could be fun... acting out one of my movies, but this time for real.

‘It’s an idea,’ he said. ‘So what do you plan to do?’

Vin moved uneasily.

‘Let’s take another look at this: we have now the chance of getting five hundred grand. Let’s work out a new deal. Joey and Cindy get a hundred and you and me get two hundred each. How’s about it?’

Joey was listening and worrying. A hundred thousand dollars! This was money beyond his dreams. He cringed at the thought of the prison sentence Cindy and he could get if this operation turned sour.

‘No... count us out!’ he exclaimed. ‘We’ve never done a job this big and we don’t want to do it now!’

Vin looked contemptuously at the old man.

‘Okay, then pull out. Elliot and I can swing it without either you or Cindy. So, okay... go back to your small time if that’s the way you want it.’

Cindy leaned forward, her eyes sparkling.

‘It’s not the way I want it!’ she said. ‘I’m sick of small time.’ She looked at Joey. ‘Okay, dad, if you want to pull out I won’t try to persuade you but I’m staying in!’

Joey stared helplessly at her, then he lifted his hands in despair.

‘Now, listen, baby...’

‘I’m staying in! That’s final!’

Joey looked at Elliot.

‘Well, Mr. Elliot, so we stay in, but how can we help? I don’t see how we come into this.’

‘That’s where the wonder boy earns his cut,’ Vin said. ‘I can fix the alarms and get the stamps if I know where they are. That’s my job and I can do it. Elliot has to dream up an idea of getting the register from Larrimore. If he can’t use you two, you’re out anyway. This take is strictly for workers.’

Cindy looked hopefully at Elliot.

‘We know Larrimore carries the register around in his inside jacket pocket,’ Elliot said after a moment’s thought. ‘At night the register is locked in a safe in his bedroom.’ He looked at Vin. ‘Right?’

‘Yeah.’

‘Joey... do you think you could steal the register off Larrimore if you got close to him?’

Joey didn’t hesitate.

‘Yes... that’s no problem.’

‘Suppose we have a demonstration.’ Elliot got to his feet and went into the bungalow. From the bookcase he took a paperback and put it in his inside jacket pocket, then he came back into the garden.

‘I have a book in my jacket pocket, Joey. Let’s see you get it.’

Cindy was on her feet and moving by Elliot she appeared to stumble and lurched against him.

‘Sorry,’ she said. ‘My foot slipped. Go on, dad, show him.’

Joey grinned uneasily.

‘It’s gone, hasn’t it, Mr. Elliot?’

Cindy was holding the paperback in her hand.

‘Impressive,’ Elliot said. ‘Okay, I’ll think about it.’

Leaving them, he went to his bedroom and lay on the bed. He lay thinking, staring up at the ceiling for the next hour. Then when Cindy called that lunch was ready, he got up and joined the other three in the small dining room.

‘Got an idea, buster?’ Vin asked as he cut into the steak on his plate.

‘The problem is to get to Larrimore,’ Elliot said. ‘He only goes out in his car. He doesn’t receive visitors, but I have an idea that might work.’ He looked at Cindy. ‘You would have to handle it. After seeing your demonstration I think you could do it. Here’s the idea: Larrimore gets a letter telling him the undersigned — that’s you, Cindy — has inherited a collection of stamps left to you by your grandfather. You have heard dealers offer little or nothing for valuable stamps. You have no idea if the collection is valuable or not. You are asking him as you have heard he is a famous philatelist, if he would look at the stamps and if there are any of interest to advise you. I think that is the kind of bait Larrimore might rise to. You’ll say your grandfather started the collection when he was young. That might make Larrimore think there could be a few valuable stamps in the album. He might invite you to call on him. If he does, then it is up to you to get the register off him. We know the stamps are indexed under countries. If you get hold of the register and while he is examining your stamps, find the CCCP section, you could be lucky to find the number of the drawer which contains the eight stamps we want. This is a long shot but it might come off. What do you think?’

‘That’s bright,’ Vin said, annoyed he hadn’t thought of this himself. ‘It could work.’

‘I’ll do it,’ Joey said. ‘I don’t want Cindy to do it.’

Elliot shook his head.

‘I’m sorry, Joey, but Cindy must do it. With her looks, she would throw Larrimore off his guard. A young girl coming to him for advice will flatter him.’ He looked at Cindy. ‘Shall we try?’

Cindy nodded.

‘Okay. I’ll draft a letter for you to write.’ Elliot looked over at Joey. ‘Will you go down to the waterfront and take a look at the junk shops there? I’m sure you’ll find an old stamp album full of trash that you can pick up for a few dollars. The older it looks the better. Then go to one of the better stamp dealers and buy three or four good stamps. They must be around 1900, not more recent. Tell the dealer you want to give them as a gift and you know nothing about stamps. Pay up to four hundred dollars. We’ve got to make this album a little interesting or Larrimore might get suspicious.’

Joey nodded.

Elliot finished his steak and pushed his plate away.

‘Now you, Vin... how are you finding out who the buyer is?’

Vin’s eyes shifted.

‘You can leave that to me. I’ll find out.’

‘That’s not good enough. We’re working together as a team. We want to know. How are you finding out?’

Vin thought quickly. He realized that without Cindy, he wouldn’t get the register. He had to be careful not to alert Elliot’s suspicions that he planned a double cross.

‘Judy Larrimore knows who he is.’

Elliot cut himself a slice of cheese, then pushed the cheese plate over to Vin.

‘How did she find out?’

‘She read a letter she found on her old man’s desk.’

‘Why hasn’t she told you who the buyer is?’

Vin felt a trickle of sweat run down his face.

‘She’ll tell me. I’ve got to soften her up a little.’

‘And how do you do that, Vin?’

Elliot’s probing eyes made Vin look away.

‘I’ll fix it... leave it to me.’

‘Sorry, Vin, you’re not convincing,’ Elliot said. ‘Let’s get this straight. We’ve just made a deal... remember? We four are now partners. You’re holding something back. I want to know what it is. I want to know more about this babe who, you tell me, eats out of your hand.’

Vin shifted in his chair.

‘She wants money, but I’ll pay her off... I’ll do that out of my share. For a grand she’ll give me the name of the buyer. That’s all there’s to it.’

‘Then why didn’t you say so before?’

‘It’s a deal I did with her. Why should I bother you with that for God’s sake?’

‘So you’ve told her you are planning to steal the stamps?’

Vin took out his handkerchief and wiped his face. He saw Joey and Cindy were staring at him and there was suspicion in their eyes.

‘So what? Look... this babe hates her old man. She couldn’t care less what happens to his stamps.’

‘But she knows you are planning to steal the stamps?’

‘What if she does?’

‘You ask yourself that one, Vin.’ Elliot got to his feet. ‘I’ll get that letter drafted, Cindy.’ Turning to Joey, he went on, ‘Will you take care of the stamp album?’

The three left the room.

Vin hacked a slice of bread from the loaf and cut himself another piece of cheese.

‘I’ll have to watch this sonofabitch,’ he told himself. ‘He’s going to be tricky.’

Jack Lessing returned to his office. Holtz had given him an ultimatum: find Elliot or lose the Radnitz account and since the account was worth many thousands a year to Lessing and since his ten men had still found no trace of Elliot, he was more than worried.

‘Try everything,’ Holtz had said. ‘He’s got to be found and found fast! We know he is in the City. We know he might try to contact Paul Larrimore, the philatelist. As he owes money everywhere you won’t find him in his usual haunts. He must have holed up somewhere. Check every small hotel, even the rooming houses. Look out for his Alfa: you’ve got the licence number. He’s got to be found.’

Lessing put another twenty men, drawn in from Miami and Jacksonville with instructions to check the hotels and fast, then he sent for Harry Orson and Fay Macklin, two of his top investigators. He told them the problem.

Orson, a powerfully built man in his late thirties, was noted for his patience and bulldog determination. Nondescript to look at, shrewd and an easy mixer, he was the ideal man hunter.

Fay Macklin, mousey looking, small, around thirty-five years of age, had a talent for being in a place and never being noticed.

‘Elliot is thought to be trying to contact Paul Larrimore... just why, Holtz didn’t say,’ Lessing said. He pushed a folder across his desk. ‘That will give you all the dope about Larrimore. He seems our best bet. Quite close to his house is an empty villa. I’ve fixed it for you two to get in there and watch his place. I want the dope on everyone who visits Larrimore. Elliot, being a movie star, may try to play it smart. He might arrive in disguise. So check out everyone who calls on Larrimore. You will have two operators to help you. I want you to watch and alert them when someone calls.’

An hour later, Orson and Macklin were installed in an empty upper room of the villa which offered an uninterrupted view of the gates, the garden and the front door of Larrimore’s house. They settled down to an alternate watch, equipped with powerful field glasses, a transceiver, camp stools and a hamper of food. Their wait was long and uneventful, but they were used to long, uneventful waits and that was why Lessing had picked them to watch Larrimore’s house. At the end of the road, in a parking lot, two investigators in their cars sat waiting. Twice during the long day they were alerted to check trucks that had arrived at Larrimore’s house but the report was negative: just a delivery of food. Then around midday, Orson saw Judy come out of the house, get into her beat-up Austin Cooper and drive down to the gates. He immediately alerted one of the waiting investigators who caught up with Judy as she waited for a change of traffic lights.

‘The girl’s Larrimore’s daughter,’ Orson told the investigator over the transceiver. ‘Stick with her, Fred. I’ll get Alec to replace you later.’

‘Okay and out,’ Fred Nisson said.

Half an hour later, Nisson radioed in that Judy was at the Plaza Beach surrounded by long haired freaks. What was he to do?

‘Stick with her,’ Orson said. ‘Keep reporting in.’

At 15.00 Orson called Lessing. So far the operation was negative. No sign of Elliot. Every caller — and there had only been three of them — had been checked out. Nisson was watching the daughter who seemed settled to spend the day at the Plaza Beach.

Lessing cursed, told Orson he would send a relief for Nisson and then reported to Holtz.

Barney paused here to marshal his thoughts. He reached for the last sausage on the plate, regarded it thoughtfully before conveying it to his mouth.

‘These sausages are enough to wake up a dead man,’ he said. ‘You don’t know what you’re missing,’

I said I believed in letting the dead lie in peace.

‘Yeah.’ Barney took a swig of beer, pushed away the empty plate, heaved a sigh and settled down to talk again.

‘Joey picked up a battered looking stamp album full of junk but he got four good stamps from a dealer that cost four hundred dollars. These Elliot put in the album.

‘Elliot got Cindy to rewrite the letter to Larrimore he had drafted and that was sent off. There was nothing else for them to do but wait.

‘But Vin had things to do. He had a date with Judy the following evening. He had a lot of thinking to do and as thinking wasn’t his strong point, he worried.

‘Until he was sure that Cindy’s part of the operation succeeded, he couldn’t make plans. But if Cindy did manage to find out in which drawer the stamps were then he would have to think fast and thinking fast always bothered Vin.

‘He had a suspicion that Elliot was on to him. He also had a suspicion that unless he watched Judy closely, she could double cross him. Vin wasn’t geared for this kind of set-up and he knew it, but he was determined to get his hands on a million dollars.

‘Elliot told them they couldn’t expect an answer — if they were going to get an answer — from Larrimore for at least a week. They must try to relax and be patient.

‘This was something Vin couldn’t do in his present mood and he drove off in the Jaguar to explore the country, look in at a bar or two and take a swim.

‘Cindy and he had had a talk. This was something he was expecting. Her no wedding bells and I’m sorry Vin line left him cold. He grinned at her and shrugged. “Okay, baby, if that’s the way you want it,” he said. “Maybe you’re right. You stick to your old man. That way you won’t get pregnant.” That was the way Vin talked: no consideration for women.’ Barney grimaced. ‘I always say a woman should be shown consideration, Mr. Campbell... right?’

I said it was an accepted thing but there were women and women.

Barney let that one go with the breeze.

‘So in the evening, Cindy found herself alone with Elliot. Joey was a TV addict and he was indoors, glued to the goggle box. Cindy and Elliot were sitting in the back garden with a big yellow moon looking down on them, the smell of jasmine in the air and the distant sound of an owl to make the set-up pretty romantic.

‘Elliot had discovered something about Cindy he hadn’t found in any of the girls he had previously known. There was a restfulness about her that made her company easy. He felt he didn’t have to keep talking to keep her interest. She didn’t have to keep talking to keep his interest: just to sit with her in silence pleased him. This hadn’t happened to him before.

‘ “Cindy... about Vin,” he said suddenly. “You told me you two were planning to get married.”

‘ “Yes.” Cindy looked up at the moon. “But not now. I’ve changed my mind. I’ve told Vin... I think he’s glad.”

‘ “And you?”

‘ “Yes, I’m glad.” She shrugged. “He seemed so glamorous and so confident... I had never met anyone quite like him. But now...”

‘ “Do you trust him, Cindy?”

‘She stiffened and looked quickly at him.

‘ “What do you mean?”

‘ “You see, Cindy, all this is something new to me... this four handed partnership. I feel I can trust your father and you, but not Vin. I may be wrong, but that’s the way I feel right now.”

‘ “Dad and I have talked about it... yes, we feel like you... we don’t trust him, but without him we can’t work this, can we?”

‘ “Without us, he can’t work it either.”

‘Cindy nodded.

‘ “Dad said for me not to worry... he said you would take care of Vin.”

‘ “That’s touching.” Elliot reached out and took her hand. “Well, we’ll see. This money means a lot to you two, doesn’t it?”

‘Cindy’s heart was now beating so fast she could scarcely breathe. The casual touch of Elliot’s hand turned her mind upside down.

‘ “I don’t know... Dad will arrange something.” She pulled free and got to her feet. “I’d better see what he is doing... he doesn’t like being left alone for long.”

‘ “Cindy!”

‘She paused, looking down at him, her face flushed. He smiled up at her.

‘ “Let’s forget him... let’s forget everything... let’s go for a swim.” He looked intently at her. “I want to show you my tin foot.” ’