Just Another Sucker Read online

  When I had reached Palm City I had gone to a bar in a quiet street. I had had a couple of drinks. The bar was crowded with people sheltering from the rain. No one paid any attention to me.

  I shut myself in a pay booth and had called Malroux’s telephone number.

  While I waited, listening to the thump-thump-thump of my heart, I wondered if Odette had safely reached her hotel. After a delay, I heard the butler’s voice.

  ‘Give me Mr. Malroux,’ I said, making my voice sound hard and curt. ‘I have a message from his daughter.’

  ‘Who is this, please?’

  I fairly yelled at him: ‘Do what I say! Tell Malroux to come to the phone!’

  ‘Will you hold on?’

  There was a shocked note in the man’s voice.

  I heard him lay down the receiver. I waited, feeling sweat on my face. I kept looking through the glass panel of the booth at the crowded bar. No one looked my way.

  Then a quiet voice said in my ear, ‘This is Malroux. Who is calling?’

  Well, at least Rhea hadn’t been bluffing. She had said she would make him come to the phone and he had come.

  ‘Listen carefully, pal,’ I said, speaking slowly so he couldn’t miss a word. ‘We’ve kidnapped your daughter. We want five hundred thousand bucks. Do you hear me? Five hundred grand and in small bills. If you don’t pay up you won’t see her again — that’s a promise. You’re not to call in the cops and no tricks — understand? This is a snatch, pal. If you want to see your daughter again, you’ll do as I’m telling you.’

  There was a moment’s pause, then the quiet voice said, ‘I understand. I will pay, of course. How do I deliver the money and how is my daughter to be returned?’

  He sounded as calm and as unruffled as a politician presiding over a tea party.

  ‘I’ll telephone you Monday,’ I said. ‘How soon can you get the money? The sooner you get it the better for your daughter.’

  ‘I’ll have it ready tomorrow.’

  ‘Tomorrow’s Sunday.’

  ‘I’ll have it ready tomorrow.’

  ‘Okay. I’ll phone you Monday morning. You’ll get instructions where to deliver it, and remember, one word to the cops, any tricks and you won’t see the kid again. You’ll find her in a ditch, but not before we’ve had some fun with her.’

  I replaced the receiver and went out to the Packard.

  I didn’t feel proud of myself, but this was a job. The money involved was too big to worry about pride. I was glad to find Nina asleep. I didn’t get much sleep that night. It seemed I had barely dozed off when the telephone bell woke me.

  I now listened intently to the sound of Nina’s voice as she talked to the caller.

  When I heard her quick steps coming down the passage, I braced myself.

  The bedroom door opened.

  ‘Harry… it’s John. He wants to talk to you. He says it’s urgent.’

  I threw off the sheet and slipped on the dressing-gown she held for me.

  ‘What’s so urgent?’ I said. ‘Did he tell you?’

  ‘No. He’s asking for you.’

  ‘Okay. I’ll talk to him.’

  I went into the lounge and picked up the telephone receiver.

  ‘John? This is Harry.’

  ‘Hello there, boy,’ John said. His voice sounded excited. ‘Now, listen: I’ve got this job fixed for you, and you could be right into something that could be a sensation. I want you to come down here right away. I’m calling from the D.A.’s office. Just to make it sweet for you, they’re going to offer you a hundred and fifty and expenses. But never mind that. The point is we can use you, Harry, and fast. We could have something on our hands that’ll start a prairie fire. You’ve heard of Felix Malroux: the French millionaire? It looks as if his daughter has been kidnapped. If he has — brother! Will this be something!

  It’s just the set-up you can handle. Come down here right away. The D.A. will want to talk to you.’

  I felt icy fingers closing over my heart.

  ‘Now, wait a minute,’ I said, my voice unsteady, ‘I didn’t say I’d work for the Administration.’

  ‘For the love of Mike, Harry!’ Renick’s voice shot up half an octave. ‘If this turns out to be what I think it is, it’s going to be the biggest goddam thing that’s ever hit Palm City. Don’t you want to be in on it?’

  I was aware that Nina was standing in the doorway, looking at me. My hand was so slippery with sweat I had trouble holding the receiver. So the lid had already come off this thing. It looks as if his daughter has been kidnapped. If I worked with the D.A., at least I would know what the moves were. I hesitated for about three seconds, then I said, ‘I’m on my way, John.’

  ‘Fine… fine… and hurry,’ Renick said. ‘I’ll be waiting for you.’

  I put down the receiver.

  ‘What is it, Harry?’ Nina asked.

  ‘I don’t know. He’s excited about something. He didn’t say. He wants me down at the D.A.’s office.

  They’re paying a hundred and fifty. I’m not turning that down.’

  ‘Oh, Harry!’ She threw her arms around me. ‘I’m so glad. A hundred and fifty!’ She kissed me. ‘I knew it would be all right for you. I knew it!’

  I wasn’t in the mood for love. I patted her and then pushed her away.

  ‘I’ve got to get down there fast.’

  I went into the bedroom and threw on my clothes. My heart was hammering so hard I had trouble with my breathing. So Rhea had been too confident. Malroux had told the police. Well, I had lost out. I wasn’t going to make fifty thousand dollars, but at least, I had a hundred and fifty dollar a week job.

  I paused as I knotted my tie.

  But had I the job?

  If the police found out I was mixed up in this faked kidnapping, I wouldn’t hold the job for five minutes. Maybe those two tapes would save me from being prosecuted, but they wouldn’t save the job.

  I got down to the D.A.’s office a few minutes after nine o’clock. A girl took me to Renick’s office.

  ‘Come on in, Harry,’ he said, getting up from behind a massive desk. He gripped my hand. ‘I’m glad you’ve decided to throw in with us. You won’t regret it. The D.A. is on his way now. He should be here any minute.’

  I sat on the arm of a lounging chair and took the cigarette he offered me.

  ‘What’s all the excitement about, John?’ I said, trying to sound casual. ‘What’s this about Malroux’s daughter?’

  There was a tap on the door and a girl looked in.

  ‘Mr. Meadows is here now, Mr. Renick.’

  Renick stood up.

  ‘Let’s talk to Meadows,’ he said.

  As we walked down the long passage, Renick went on, ‘Watch your step with him. He’s a good guy, but a little touchy. He knows all about you and he admires your work and also the way you came out of that mess. You deliver the goods, and you’ll have no trouble with him.’ He paused outside a door, rapped and entered.

  A thick-set man with chalk white hair was standing by the window, lighting a cigar. He glanced around. His small, piercing blue eyes swept over me. He was around fifty: his red fleshy face, jutting chin and this thin hard mouth gave me an immediate impression of ruthless efficiency.

  ‘This is Harry Barber,’ Renick said. ‘He’s on the staff from this morning.’

  Meadows pushed out a cold, hard hand.

  ‘Glad to hear it,’ he said. ‘I’ve heard about you, Barber: what I’ve heard is good.’

  I shook hands with him.

  Blowing a cloud of smoke from between his thin lips, Meadows walked over to his desk and sat down. He waved Renick and myself to chairs.

  ‘You’ve spoilt my week-end,’ he said to Renick. ‘I was planning to take the wife and kids for a picnic. What’s all this about?’

  Renick dropped into a chair and crossed his long legs.

  ‘Could be we have a kidnapping on our hands, sir,’ he said. ‘I thought you would want to be in on it from the start. Ear
ly this morning, I had a telephone call from Masters, the manager of the Californian and Los Angeles Bank.’ He looked over at me. ‘We have an arrangement with all the banks to report sudden withdrawals of any large sums of money if the circumstances seem urgent and unusual. From experience, we have learned that such withdrawals usually mean they are for ransom demands.’

  I took out my handkerchief and wiped my sweating face. This was something I hadn’t known and hadn’t even suspected.

  ‘Masters said he had just had a telephone call from Malroux telling him to open up the bank and have ready for him five hundred thousand dollars. This is Sunday of course, and Masters tried to persuade Malroux to wait until tomorrow, but Malroux, who is the bank’s best client, said he must have the money right away. This seemed to conform to the arrangement between Masters and us, so he telephoned.’

  Meadows scratched his chin.

  ‘Maybe Malroux is swinging a business deal involving cash.’

  ‘That’s what I thought, and I decided to check.’ Renick looked over at me. ‘As you should know, Harry, what usually happens in a kidnapping case is the parents of the kidnapped child are so scared that something will happen to their child that they pay up at once without consulting us. They seldom give us the chance to mark the money or set a trap for the kidnappers. Then when the child isn’t returned, they come running to us and expect us to find it. I’m blaming no one for not coming to us: a kidnapper is the most vicious type of criminal we know. He always warns his victim if he goes to the police the child will be murdered, but by not coming to us, they put us in a bad position to get moving. Hence this idea of getting bank managers to co-operate secretly. We don’t, of course, act on the information — we can’t, but at least we are geared and ready to go into action when the parents do ask for help.’

  ‘What makes you think the girl has been kidnapped?’ I asked, feeling I should say something.

  ‘She’s missing,’ Renick returned. ‘Malroux’s chauffeur is an ex-cop. When Malroux came to live here, he wanted a bodyguard. A man with his wealth is constantly being pestered by cranks. He asked us to recommend a thoroughly experienced man who could act as his chauffeur and keep him clear of trouble. O’Reilly wanted a change. He was a good cop, and he was sick of the way things were being run at that time. He took the job. I’ve had a word with him. He tells me Odette Malroux, the daughter, had a date last night to go to the movies with a girl friend. Odette didn’t turn up at the movies and O’Reilly says she didn’t come home last night.’

  ‘How does he know she didn’t go to the movies?’ Meadows demanded.

  ‘The girl friend telephoned and O’Reilly took the message.’

  ‘Malroux hasn’t asked for our help?’

  ‘No.’ Renick got to his feet and began to wander around the office. ‘I have a man watching the bank.

  He’ll report to me as soon as Malroux gets the money.’

  ‘Is Masters recording the numbers of the bills?’

  Renick made a grimace.

  ‘I don’t think so. Recording small bills worth five hundred thousand would take a hell of a time.’

  ‘What about this girl? Know anything about her? She couldn’t have run off to get married?’

  ‘Then why does Malroux want all this money?’

  ‘Blackmail?’

  Renick shrugged.

  ‘I doubt it: more like kidnapping. As for the girl, she is about twenty and pretty. She gets around and has more freedom than is good for her. She’s had a number of speeding raps. We have her fingerprints and there are plenty of photographs we can get from the Press.’

  Meadows brooded for a long moment, then he said, ‘If this is kidnapping, it is going to be a sensation.

  We’re going to be right in the limelight.’ He looked over at me. ‘This is where you come in, Barber. It’ll be your job to handle the Press, and believe you me, every newspaper man in the country will come storming down here.’ He pointed a fat finger at me. ‘I like publicity, Barber, so long as it is good publicity. Understand? It’s your job to see I get it. It’s your job to see I don’t get panned. That’s what we are paying you for. It’s your job to put Palm City on the map. A kidnapping like this is just the thing to put a town on the map. You have a very responsible job, Barber: that’s why we picked you.’

  ‘I understand, sir,’ I said.

  Meadows turned to Renick who was still prowling around the office.

  ‘Is her car missing?’

  ‘Yes. It’s a white T.R.3. O’Reilly gave me the number.’

  ‘Can’t do any harm to look for it. Tell the boys to find it. There’s not much else we can do until Malroux calls us in. I’ll talk to the Police Commissioner. How about talking to the Federal boys. They’ll come into this automatically.’

  ‘I’ll do that, sir.’

  ‘Okay, let’s get going.’ He looked over at me. ‘We don’t want you for the moment, Barber. You might as well enjoy your Sunday. Give Renick a call every two hours just in case something breaks.

  Right?’

  I got to my feet.

  ‘Sure.’ I hesitated, then went on, ‘Just an idea, sir. Couldn’t we watch Malroux when he’s got the money? Couldn’t we follow him if he delivers the money some place?’

  Meadows shook his head.

  ‘That’s one thing we’re not going to do,’ he said. ‘We don’t do a damn thing until he asks us to.

  Suppose we followed him, suppose we were spotted by the kidnappers and they flipped their lids and killed the girl: what would happen to me? No, I’m not taking that risk. We don’t do a thing until Malroux calls us in.’

  Here then was a chance, I thought as I nodded.

  ‘I see that. Well, I’ll call you, John, at eleven-thirty.’

  As I started across to the door, Meadows reached for the telephone. John was already on the other one.

  I closed the door and went down the passage to my eleven o’clock rendezvous with Rhea Malroux.

  CHAPTER SIX

  I

  As I drove to the beach cabin, it began to rain. There was a chilly wind and the sea was grey and rough: not a day to spend on the beach, and there was no one in sight as I drove into Bill Holden’s parking lot.

  I went to the cabin, shut myself in and put a call through to the Regent Hotel, Los Angeles.

  After a few minutes’ delay, I was speaking to Odette.

  ‘This is Harry,’ I said. ‘Listen carefully: we could be in trouble. I can’t talk over an open line, but whatever you do, stay in your room. I’ll be phoning you again. I may want you back tomorrow.’

  I heard her catch her breath.

  ‘Is it that man — the drunk?’

  ‘No. It’s worse than that. The people I thought would come into this later are already in it. Do you understand?’

  ‘What are we going to do?’

  ‘It may still work. If I think it won’t, I’ll call you again t night. For now, keep out of sight and stay in your room.’

  ‘But what’s happening?’ There was a touch of panic in h voice. ‘Can’t you tell me?’

  ‘Not over an open line. Just stay where you are and don’t go out. I’ll call you tonight,’ and I hung up.

  I felt sorry for her, but I didn’t dare talk. I didn’t know if the girl on the hotel switchboard was listening in.

  I went to the window and looked out. The heavy rain was making patterns on the sand. The beach looked forlorn and empty. I lit a cigarette and began to prowl around the room.

  At least Malroux hadn’t called in the police so far, but if the police found the T.R.3 with its crushed wing, they would have the excuse to call on him, and then he might admit his daughter was missing.

  I saw Rhea coming across the beach. She was wearing a black raincoat, and she was sheltering under an umbrella. If Holden caught sight of her, he couldn’t possibly recognise her as she held the umbrella so it hid her face.

  I opened the door as she came up the steps.

  ‘He’s co
llecting the money from the bank now,’ she said as she folded the umbrella and shook it before coming in. ‘I told him I was going to church to pray for Odette.’

  I am not a religious man, but that cold-blooded statement gave me a feeling of disgust and an acute dislike for her.

  ‘When do you plan to collect the money?’ she asked as I took her raincoat. She went over to a lounging chair and sat down.

  ‘I’m not all that sure we’re going to get it,’ I said.

  She stiffened, her eyes hardening.

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘Maybe this will surprise you,’ I said, putting the raincoat on the table and sitting down. ‘Your husband’s bank manager and his chauffeur have shot their mouths off. The police know already that Odette has been kidnapped.’

  If I had slapped her across her face, the effect of my words couldn’t have been more electrifying.

  ‘You’re lying!’ She jumped to her feet, her face chalk white and her eyes glittering. ‘You’ve lost your nerve! You’re scared to collect the money!’

  ‘Do you think so?’ Her frightened rage helped to steady my own feeling of panic. ‘This morning, Mr.

  Masters, the manager of your husband’s bank, called the District Attorney and told him your husband wanted five hundred thousand dollars in a hurry. It seems there is an arrangement now between bank managers and the police for the bank managers to inform the police when large sums are drawn from their customers’ accounts in small bills, and in a hurry. The police automatically assume, until proved otherwise, this money is for a ransom note.’

  ‘How do you know this?’ she demanded shrilly.

  I told her about my new job and how I had talked to the D.A.

  ‘Renick has already talked to your chauffeur, O’Reilly,’ I went on. ‘Maybe you don’t know, but O’Reilly is an ex-cop. He’s told Renick that Odette didn’t meet her girl friend last night, nor did she come home. The D.A. has put two and two together and has made four. He is sure Odette has been kidnapped, and he’s standing by for the biggest sensation since the Lindberg case.’