The Soft Centre

‘Did you hear the news?’ he asked, pulling a chair nearer his. ‘About Zimmerman?’?‘Yes.’ She sat down, longing to touch him. ‘How do you feel about it, Chris?’?‘I’m rather excited.’ He slumped down into his chair. ‘I’m getting pretty bored with myself here. If I could only get back to the office again! It’s dull just sitting here with her watching me all the time.’

‘It would be wonderful, wouldn’t it?’ Val said, trying to sound enthusiastic. ‘They seem very hopeful. But we mustn’t expect a miracle all at once. They did say…’

‘Oh, I know. They told me.’ He stared away down the path frowning. ‘How’s your father?’ ‘He’s fine. Busy as usual. He is telephoning tonight.’?‘Better not tell him about Zimmerman. You know what your father is. If it doesn’t come off, he’ll get disagreeable again.’

‘No, he won’t,’ Val said quickly. ‘But I needn’t tell him if you don’t want me to.’?‘Better not.’ He looked at her, his eyes probing. ‘How are we off for money? I suppose we can afford this operation? This chap charges the earth.’

‘We are quite all right for money.’

He hesitated, looking away from her, then he said, ‘But this blackmailer?’

Val hesitated, then aware of the tension from her husband, she decided to tell him the truth. ‘I’m not paying him.’

Chris stiffened. His hands suddenly turned into fists. The twitch around his mouth became more pronounced.

‘Is that wise? You said you were going to pay him.’?‘Yes, but I changed my mind. I talked to him again and I decided he was bluffing.’

He moved uneasily.?‘This could be serious. If I have this operation and I am cured, I don’t want to be arrested just when I’m starting a new life.’

‘Why should you be arrested?’

He again hesitated, then said, ‘This blackmailer could turn spiteful. I think we should pay him.’

‘But it doesn’t matter if he does turn spiteful. You haven’t done anything, Chris, so why should we worry?’

He put his hand to his face to hide the twitching.?‘I can’t remember what happened on that night I could have done something.’ He paused, frowning uneasily, then went on, ‘I get a vague idea sometimes that I did do something.’

Val drew in a deep breath. It was some moments before she could control the shake in her voice to ask, ‘You remember the woman and the elephants?’

‘Yes. Why?’?‘I’ve been thinking about her. I wondered if she wore a bracelet with miniature elephants on it and that was why you associated elephants with her.’

He looked startled, then he slapped his knee.?‘That’s clever of you. I remember now. Yes, she did wear a bracelet with elephants on it.’ ‘Did she remind you of a Pekinese dog?’

He stared at her, his eyes narrowing.?‘Is she the one who is blackmailing us?’?‘No. The other day I saw a girl in the hotel restaurant. She wore this bracelet. She was attractive. She had one of those squashed, attractive puggy faces.’

Chris rubbed his face with his hand. He thought for some moments, frowning.

Finally, he said, ‘Yes: so did this girl. I can see her plainly now.’?‘You were sorry for her. You told me that,’ Val said. ‘Why were you sorry for her?’?‘I don’t know. Did I say that?’ His face suddenly relaxed into blackness. It was as if a shutter had come down between his eyes and his brain, cutting her completely off from him.

‘I say lots of things I don’t mean.’

She realised she would only be wasting time trying to get any further information from him and she abruptly began to talk about her morning’s swim. He listened politely, but she could see he wasn’t interested. After a few minutes of further futile conversation, she got up to go.

‘I’ll see you tomorrow, Chris. Perhaps I’ll be able to talk to Zimmerman.’

‘You still don’t think it would be safer to pay this man?’ he asked, peering up at her.?‘What man, Chris?’

He made an impatient movement.

This blackmailer.’?‘No. I don’t.’

His long lean fingers moved uneasily over his knees.?‘We might be sorry if we don’t.’?‘I still think it would be wrong and stupid to pay him. Why should we?

The twitch at his mouth jumped like an aching nerve, ‘Who is he?’?‘A private detective.’

Chris flinched.?‘That type is always dangerous. We’d better pay him.’?‘Don’t you want to know why he is trying to blackmail us?’

A shifty expression came into Chris’ eyes as he shook his head.?‘No, I don’t want to know. I’m not well. You know that. I don’t want to be worried by things.’

She realised he was now hiding himself behind a smoke screen of unreality.?‘People say so many disgusting things about other people. I don’t want to hear anything like that.’

On a sudden impulse, she opened her handbag and took out the gold cigarette lighter. She put it into his hand.

‘I found this, Chris.’

He stared at the lighter, holding it for a brief second. Then he gave a shudder, and with a movement of revulsion, he threw the lighter from him the way a man who finds some loathsome insect on him, gets rid of it.