Just Another Sucker

He still didn’t look at me as I walked out of the cabin and started across the sand to Holden’s office.

Holden was standing in the doorway.

‘I’m sorry I didn’t settle with you, Bill,’ I said. ‘It went right out of my mind. I’ll send you a cheque tomorrow. That okay?’

‘I’d be glad to have it now, Mr. Barber,’ Holden said awkwardly. ‘My boss doesn’t give credit.’

‘I happen to have left my wallet at the office. I’ll send you a cheque.’

Before he could argue, I walked on to the waiting police car.

I said to one of the technical men, ‘The Lieutenant wants you boys in the cabin at the far end. I’m going home. I’ll take the bus.’

One of the detectives who had been guarding the stairs said, ‘That’s okay, Mr. Barber. We’ll run you back. This isn’t our pigeon. We’ve just come for the ride.’

Now was the time to test my suspicions.

‘That’s okay. I’ll take the bus. So long, boys,’ and I walked away over to the waiting bus.

As the bus moved off, I looked back over my shoulder.

The two detectives in the police car were right behind the bus.

I knew now for certain the red light was up, and I was suspect Number One for Odette’s murder.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

I

As I stepped into the hall, shutting the front door, Nina came out of the lounge. She was looking pale and anxious. She ran to me, reaching up to kiss me. I put my arms around her, holding her close to me.

‘Harry!’ She was whispering. ‘They have been here this after noon when I was out, searching the place.’

My arms tightened around her.

‘What makes you say that?’

‘Keep your voice down. Do you think they have hidden a microphone somewhere?’

I hadn’t thought of that possibility. I immediately realised the danger.

‘It’ll be in the lounge if it is anywhere.’

‘I’ve looked. I can’t find it.’

‘Wait here.’

I went into the lounge and crossing over to the radio I turned on, with the volume well up. A second or so later, the room was filled with the strident sound of a jazz session.

I went to the window and looked out. There was no sign of the police car, but I was sure it was there, out of sight, but from where they could watch my front gate. Then I went into the kitchen and looked out of the window. There was an alley running along the bottom of the garden. Two linesmen were working within sight of the kitchen door. One of them was at the top of a telegraph pole: the other lounged at the foot. Neither of them seemed busy.

While Nina watched from the door of the lounge, I made a systematic search for the microphone. I finally found it hidden in the radiator. If I hadn’t had some experience of police methods, I would never have found it.

I moved the radio to within a couple of feet of the radiator and let the jazz swamp the microphone.

‘They can’t hear us now,’ I said. ‘What made you think they had been here?’

‘I don’t know – a feeling.’ She sat down abruptly, looking at me with frightened eyes. ‘As soon as I opened the door I felt someone had been here. When I looked in the closet I found my clothes had been disarranged.’ She shivered. ‘What does it mean, Harry?’

‘It means they are on to me. They’re watching outside now.’

I had a sudden idea. I went into the bedroom, opened the closet door and checked my suits.

The brown sports suit was missing.

For a long uneasy moment I stood staring at the space where it had hung, then I went back into the lounge.

‘They were after my brown suit and they’ve taken it,’ I said.

Nina was trying not to cry. It wrung my heart to see her.

‘What are we going to do? Oh, Harry! I can’t bear the thought of losing you again! What will they do to you?’

I knew what they would do to me – they would put me in the gas chamber, but I didn’t tell her that.

‘Why did you let him have the tapes?’ she went on frantically. ‘I would rather…’

‘Stop it! This is my mess! He wasn’t bluffing. I had to give them to him!’

She beat her knees with her fists.

‘But what are we going to do?’

‘I don’t know. There must be a way out of this mess. I’ve been trying to think…’

‘You must tell John the whole story. He’ll help us. I’m sure he will!’

‘He can’t do a thing for me. There’s no proof. My only possible hope is to make O’Reilly confess, but how do I do that?’

‘What happened to the ransom money, Harry?’

I stared at her. A sudden prickle of excitement ran through me. I remembered what O’Reilly had said: Find the ransom, and you’ll find the killer.

‘What is it, Harry? Have you thought of something?’

‘The money! Where is it?’ I got to my feet and began to pace up and down. ‘Five hundred thousand dollars in small bills can’t be easily hidden. Where have they hidden it? Not in a bank – that’s certain. In the house? Dare they risk that? They must know as soon as I’m arrested, I’ll try to incriminate them and Renick will search the house. I can’t believe they would risk hiding it there – then where?’

‘A safe deposit?’