Not My Thing

Ng, tormented, spent the day in the cabin. He kept thinking of Shannon. He thought of going to the Whipping room and forcing the lock, then getting her out, but he remembered the lock. It was one of those efficient locks such that when you turned the key, a steel bar shifted into slots, and the only way to get into the room would be to batter down the door with an axe. That could only be done with a great deal of noise. No! That wasn’t the solution! But he was determined to rescue Shannon.

As he began packing Kling’s clothes, he thought of him. He owed him so much! But the thought of Kling going into that room and murdering Shannon was more than he could bear. He would have to be disloyal! He knew he couldn’t persuade Kling not to do this dreadful thing, so he had to stop him!

He spent the rest of the afternoon, praying, asking for guidance. He was still praying when he heard Kling come into the cabin.

Hurriedly getting off his knees, he went into the living-room.

‘All fixed, kid,’ Kling said, putting a briefcase on the table. ‘Packing done?’

‘Yes, sir.’

‘Fine. Here’s the programme. We leave here around ten o’clock. I’ve checked us out. I’ve got flight tickets on the one A.M. to New York. We’ll spend the night there, and then fly on to Zurich. We can get something to eat on the plane. I’m going for a last swim. Coming?’

‘No, thank you, sir,’ Ng said. ‘I haven’t quite finished my own packing.’

‘Okay,’ and, going into his bedroom, Kling stripped off and put on a pair of swim-shorts that Ng had left out.

That kid thinks of everything, Kling thought. Then taking a towel, he walked down to the sea.

Three hours later it was dark.

‘I guess we’ll move,’ Kling said. He had been watching TV while Ng had remained in the kitchen.

Ng came into the living-room.

‘We’ll drive down to a car park. I’ll leave you there,’ Kling said, getting to his feet. ‘You may have a little trouble knocking off the right car. There’s a big car park near Loveheart’s joint. When I’ve dropped you, I’ll go to the car park and wait. I’ll give you half an hour, then I’ll leave our car in the park, and walk the rest of the way. You know what to do. Don’t forget to leave the lid of the trunk half open and park close to the elevator, then you return to our car and wait for me.’

Ng drew in a shuddering breath.

‘Yes, sir.’

‘Put our cases in our car now, kid,’ Kling said, ‘and we’ll go.’

He waited until Ng, carrying the suitcases, had gone out into the darkness, then he took from his pocket a short length of electric cable. At the ends of the cable were small wood handles: the favourite killing weapon used by the Mafia. He tested the handles, then, satisfied, he returned the garotte to his pocket.

Leaving the lights on in the living-room, he went out to join Ng who was already sitting in the car.

It so happened that Howard Jackson and Beryl were seated at the table, eating sandwiches. They didn’t see Ng place the bags in the car’s trunk, but they heard the car start up.

Jackson kicked back his chair and went to the window in time to see the red rear lights of Kling’s car shoot away down the sandy road. He stepped out into the hot, humid night, moved to where he could see Kling’s cabin. He saw the sitting-room window, curtains drawn, was showing lights.

He returned to where Beryl was finishing her sandwich.

‘He’s gone out for the evening, leaving the Viet,’ he said, and sitting down, picked up another sandwich.

***

Detective 1st Grade Tom Lepski sat in his car outside the Casino in the dreary hope there would be some action. The time was 22.15.

Lepski had had an unexpectedly good chicken-on-the-spit dinner that, more by luck than judgement, Carroll had cooked to perfection. The apple pie wasn’t all it should be, but after cutting away most of the burnt crust Lepski had enjoyed it.

As he sat in his seat, relaxed, he thought of Shannon Jamison’s kidnapping. The biggest sensation ever in Paradise City, and yet Chief of Police Terrell refused to make a move.

Lepski was certain that Shannon Jamison was holed up in Lucy Loveheart’s flesh emporium, and yet, because all the top-shots of the city patronized the place, the police were prohibited to raid it!

As soon as the ransom is paid, then we move in fast.

Lepski snorted. When the hell was the ransom going to be paid? Jamison had said he would alert Terrell once he had his wife back, then, possibly, it would be too late to catch the kidnappers.

Bored with staring bleakly at the Casino entrance, watching the rich get out of their cars and enter, eager to lose their money, Lepski decided to drive down to the harbour where there just might be some action.

He started his car and drove slowly through the dense traffic down to where the rich moored their luxury yachts.