The Soft Centre

It wasn’t for nothing that she was the daughter of Charles Travers. She had the same determination, the same fighting spirit as her father. As she moved around the room she became more calm. If she was to help Chris, she must handle this problem herself, she finally decided. Tomorrow, she would pay Hare the money. That would keep him quiet for two weeks. During that time she must somehow try to find out what Chris had been doing while he had lost his memory. If she could find this woman he had met… this woman who had made him think of elephants (why elephants?)… she might be able to prove he was nowhere near this Motel where Sue Parnell had died. If she could do that, then Chris would be safe, but how to find this woman?

She was still pacing the floor, thinking, working herself into a more and more determined frame of mind when the moon faded in the lightening sky and the red rim of the sun began its slow ascent.

CHAPTER NINE

Max Jacobs watched Val walk into the Florida Banking Corporation. The rime was ten minutes past ten. He had been sitting in his car, waiting patiently since nine o’clock. He lit a cigarette and continued to watch and wait. At half past ten, Val came out of the bank. She was carrying a small brown paper parcel. As she looked up and down the street, Jacobs started the engine. A moment later a taxi drew up at Val’s signal and she got into it.

As the cab drew away from the kerb, Jacobs eased his car out of the parking bay and went after it. After a five minute drive, the cab pulled up outside a shabby office block and Val got out.

Jacobs hurriedly parked as Val, paying off the driver, walked into the building. Jacobs risked getting run over as he dodged through the traffic and entered the dark lobby of the building. The elevator was in motion and he started up the stairs, watching the slow crawl of the elevator and seeing it stop on the third floor. He raced to the third floor and arrived, panting. The long corridor with its frosted glass doors was deserted. He leaned against the banister rail, sure that Val had entered one of these offices, and waited.

As Val walked into the outer office of Hare’s Investigating Agency, Lucille looked up from her typewriter.

‘I have an appointment with Mr. Hare,’ Val said quietly.

Lucille recognised her. She got to her feet.?‘I think he is ready to see you,’ she said. ‘Just a moment,’ and she went into Homer Hare’s office, shutting the door.

Hare was nibbling at a bar of chocolate. Sam Karsh stood by the window, smoking. Both men were slightly tense.

‘She’s here,’ Lucille said.

The two men looked at each other, then Karsh said, ‘Are you really going to take her money? Once you take it, we’re way out on a limb.’

Hare put the chocolate bar reluctantly into his desk drawer.?‘Shoo her in,’ he said to Lucille, then to Karsh, ‘Run away, Sammy. I’m handling this.’ Karsh hesitated, then shrugging; he went out of the office by the door that led into the corridor.

Lucille said, ‘I hope you know what you’re doing. I still don’t like, it.’

Her father grinned as he wiped his sticky fingers on his handkerchief.

‘But you will. Shoo her in.’

Jacobs, watching, had just time to step back out of sight around the bend of the corridor as Karsh appeared. He waited. Karsh stood in the corridor, then moving silently, he entered the outer office as Val walked into Hare’s office.

Fifteen minutes later, Val came out of the office and crossed to the elevator. Jacobs saw she no longer was carrying the brown paper parcel. He remained where he was until the elevator sank out of sight. Then moving fast, he ran down the stairs, and was in time to see Val leaving the building, walking quickly and heading down-town. He hesitated for a brief moment, then seeing a Drug Store close by, he entered and shut himself in a telephone booth. A minute later, he was talking to Terrell.

‘Mrs. Burnett took the money to Homer Hare’s Agency,’ he reported. ‘She’s just left. She was carrying the money done up in a sealed brown paper parcel. She left without it.’

This news startled Terrell.?‘Homer Hare?’ he exclaimed. ‘You’re sure she left the money with him?’?‘I’m sure,’ Jacobs said.?‘Okay. Now look, Max, this is important. Get back to the entrance of the office block and stay there. If you see either Hare, Karsh or his wife leave with the money, pick them up. Tell them I want to talk to them. Get tough. Don’t let them get rid of the money. Understand?’

‘I’ll handle it, Chief,’ Jacobs said and hung up.

Sam Karsh and Lucille came into Hare’s office as he tore open the brown paper parcel. Hare was smiling. The sight of the hundred dollar bills as they spilt over the desk made Karsh whistle.

‘Wow! That looks good,’ he said and came dose to the desk. ‘That looks like real money!’ Hare dug his fingers into the mass of bills, lifted them and let them flutter back on to the desk.

‘Sammy… we’re rich! In two weeks time, the little lady is going to hand over the rest… we’ll be worth half a million!’