Complete works of peter.., p.185
Complete Works of Peter Cheyney. Illustrated, page 185
She says: "Well, Lemmy, what's new?"
"Plenty," I tell her. "Maybe you'd be surprised to know that Gayda was kidnapped last night."
She leans up against the sideboard. She says: "My God! You don't really mean that, Lemmy?"
"An' how!" I tell her. "But don't worry. We got her out of it." I grin. "I got brains," I say.
"It's lucky you have," she says. She goes over to the table an' gets a cigarette-box. She gives me one. "Come and sit down," she says. "Tell me all about it."
"There ain't very much to tell, Pearl," I say. "The point is I want you to listen carefully to what I'm gonna say, because I don't want any slip-ups. Unless," I go on, "you wanta duck. If you wanta get outa this business all right. I shan't think any the worse of you. But I think I oughta warn you that if you're gonna stay in, it may be tough."
She gives me a little smile. She says: "You know I like seeing things through to their logical conclusion, Lemmy. Besides, it's amusing. Another thing, I like playing around with you. You make me laugh."
"That's nice for you," I tell her. "Maybe if somebody else was runnin' this job you'd like playin' around with them too."
She looks at me along her eyelashes. She says: "I don't say that. You know, Lemmy, I think you're rather fascinatin'."
I grin at her. "Now where have I heard that before?" I say.
She says: "Be serious, Lemmy. Do you really mean to tell me that Gayda is in danger? You know, she's a very beautiful woman and rather headstrong."
"You're tellin' me!" I say. "She's nearly as beautiful as you are. Tell me, Pearl, what would you say if I told you I was seriously thinkin' of marryin' Gayda?"
She looks a bit startled for a minute; then she says: "Do you really mean that?"
"Yeah," I say. "There's no law against it, is there?"
She says: "I think it'd be wonderful." She thinks for a minute. "I suppose she is your type."
She sounds a bit dubious to me.
"Exactly what's my type?" I tell her.
She says: "I don't know, but a woman would have to be pretty smart to keep up with you, Lemmy, but I think Gayda would be smart enough."
She is smilin' when she says this but somehow I don't believe it. The tone of her voice is a little flat, if you get me. Maybe you've heard one cat miaulin' about another cat. If you have you'll know what I mean.
She stubs out her cigarette. Then she says: "Tell me, Lemmy, what is it you want me to do?"
"Just this," I tell her. "I'm gonna get through to Gayda some time to-day. She's down at Wilminton. That baby's got a good nerve, but I bet she's a bit shaken after this kidnap job. I reckon any girl would be. Well, I'm a bit worried about Gayda."
She says: "Why, Lemmy? What's the trouble?"
"The trouble is this," I say. "The boys who have got those papers of Travis's seem to have an idea that she's playin' in with me. Maybe they think she's a sorta assistant, see? We do have women workin' with us sometimes, you know! Maybe they got an idea in their heads that they can use her to make a bargain with, see? Anyway, I want somebody to keep an eye on her. The idea was that I'd feel a great deal easier if you went down to Wilminton an' stucka round there. Two heads are better than one an' you're a cool sorta baby, Pearl. You don't fly off at a tangent like she does."
She nods her head. "Yes," she says, "I should think she was a little like that. You think my steadyin' influence might serve a good purpose, Lemmy?"
"That's the idea," I tell her.
She says: "Well, I'll do anything you say. If you like to arrange for me to go down there I'll do that willingly. Incidentally, I think it'd be rather nice. I like Gayda. I think she an' I would get on awfully well together."
I think to myself maybe yes an' maybe no, but I don't say anything. After a bit she says:
"When are you going to speak to Gayda?"
"Some time to-day," I tell her. "Stick around, Pearl, an' when I've talked to her, I'll get through to you."
She says: "Will Benzey be coming down?"
"I don't think so," I say. "I might want him up here. I suppose you're sorry about that?"
She says: "A little. I like Benzey. He's amusing. He makes me laugh."
"That's fine," I say. "It looks as if we all make you laugh."
She says: "What's the matter, Lemmy jealous?"
"I should be jealous of Benzey," I tell her.
She says: "Well, you could be. Benzey's got something, you know."
"So's a gargoyle," I say. "Benzey looks fine. He's strong; he's as big as an elephant an' you know what he did in that raid in Dieppe. But when it comes to brains..."
She says in a soft sorta voice: "You know, Lemmy, there are other things besides brains."
"There may be," I say, "but I like a guy with an intellect."
She says: "Well, for all you know Benzey may have one."
"If he's got one he's been concealin' it very successfully," I tell her.
I get up. "Look, honey," I say. "I've gotta scram now. I'll be in touch with you later. So long!"
I scram.
III.
I RING through to Wilminton at five o'clock. Gayda answers the telephone.
She says: "Well, what have you got to say to me? Tell me, were you a party to this kidnapping business, Sourpuss?"
"It's lucky for you I was," I tell her, "otherwise maybe you wouldn't have got out of it so easily. I knew it was comin' off but I wasn't worryin' because I had Carl Pardoe hangin' around lookin' after you." I laugh. "Those guys had an idea that he was a tough egg called Capelli. They thought Carl was workin' for them, see?"
She says: "Perhaps it's as well he was working for you."
I say: "Well, you got a thrill out of it, didn't you, Gayda? How did you like bein' kidnapped?"
She says: "I don't know. At first I didn't take it seriously, Sourpuss. Afterwards I got a little frightened. I didn't like the other man at all. He scared me."
"You mean Schrinkler?" I tell her. "Look, you don't wanta worry about him either. I've been puttin' in a lot of overtime on these guys. Schrinkler's playin' in with me too."
She laughs. She says: "You're pretty good, aren't you? You certainly know your stuff, Lemmy. The only thing I wonder about is if all these people were on your side why the kidnap had to take place at all."
"I thought you'd be wonderin' about that," I tell her. "Well, you see, I had to see what Clemensky was tryin' to pull. That was the boy who I was worryin' about."
She says: "Did you find out?"
"No, honeypot," I tell her. "But Clemensky did."
She says: "And just exactly what do you mean by that?"
"Somebody's rubbed Clemensky out," I tell her. "I went round to see that boyo after you rang through last night. I found him in his office at Chez Clarence. Somebody had shot him. That's not so good."
She says: "Isn't it? Why not?"
"I'd rather Clemensky was alive," I tell her. "I wanted that guy. Anyhow, his bein' killed proved one thing. You remember I told you that I reckoned that Clemensky was behind this job; that he got those papers off Travis. You remember that?"
She says: "Yes, Sourpuss, I remember."
"Well, I was right," I tell her. "I had a look over Clemensky's flat. I found Travis's the real Travis's document case."
"So you've got the papers?" she says.
"No," I tell her. "That's just it. The Mechanisation plans are gone. All I got was the document-case an' Lon Travis's divorce papers all those reports that Wynn sent him about his wife batches of 'em an' much good they'll do me."
She says: "I see. That's not very good, is it, Lemmy?"
"It's not good an' it's not bad," I tell her. "Of course it could be better, but it shows me one thing. It shows me that these guys don't like each other very much. Work it out for yourself: The phoney Travis comes over here with the papers. He hands them over to Clemensky. Then he disappears. O.K. Then somebody else thinks that Clemensky has got the papers an' Clemensky gets rubbed out. The guy who fixed Clemensky opened the document-case, took out the Mechanisation plans an' didn't worry about the other stuff. So now somebody else has got 'em. The next job is to find out who that is."
She says: "This is terrible, Lemmy. These people mean business, don't they?"
"An' how!" I say. "But maybe I've got an idea in my head as to who the next nigger in the woodpile is. I'd lay a shade of odds that I know who's got those papers now."
She says: "Is it a secret or can I know?"
"You can know, babe," I tell her. "I've got an idea that Schrinkler is the boyo. I think he's been sittin' right on top of the heap double-crossin' everybody."
She says: "So you think that, Lemmy."
"I think just that," I tell her. "Schrinkler hasn't double-crossed me up to date. He daren't do it. I was sittin' on the doorstep all the time right on top of him. But maybe now that Clemensky's outa the way, an' now that this kidnap business with you didn't come off, maybe Schrinkler is gonna take a different line. We'll see."
She says: "Lemmy, do you think Schrinkler killed Clemensky?"
"Why not?" I say. "He might have."
She says: "Well, you know, while I was down in that house and Schrinkler was there, he was waiting for Clemensky to come down. He was impatient. He was worried. According to you Clemensky was dead at that time."
"That's right," I say. "An' that certainly makes it look as if Schrinkler didn't do it. But you never know. He had time before the kidnap job started an' he mighta been puttin' on an act. It wouldn't have taken him long to drive that car of his down to wherever it was he picked you up, after he creased Clemensky."
She says: "No, I suppose not. Lemmy, tell me something. Why did Clemensky want to kidnap me?"
"That's an easy one," I tell her. "Look, work it out for yourself. You knew Travis, didn't you? An' it was you who took me up to Chez Clarence the night that Travis came in with me. Well, he was shot that night. He was shot in the Club, see? An' it ain't so difficult to see why. Clemensky thought I was gettin' next to Travis. He thought that Travis was stuck on you. Maybe he thought Travis had done a little talkin'. So he reckons he won't take any chances on the guy. So he had Travis bumped. You gotta realise that it was only by accident that I found that baby. If I hadn't gone wanderin' around an' found him in the telephone-box nobody woulda known what had become of him."
She says: "I see. How terrible. It looks as if it isn't safe to be a friend of yours, Sourpuss."
"You're tellin' me, honey," I say. "I am a dangerous guy to know, but don't worry. I'll look after you."
She says: "That's all right. But who's going to look after you, Lemmy? I'm worrying about you. When am I going to see you? I want to talk to you. I want to talk to you about getting married."
"Look, honeybunch," I tell her. "Suppose we leave this marriage proposition until I get this job cleaned up. What's the good of you an' me gettin' tied up right in the middle of a schlmozzle like this. Most of the time we'd be duckin'. Let's leave it. Orange blossoms don't mix with gangsters like Clemensky."
She says: "I expect you're right, Lemmy. But I'm terribly disappointed."
"Me too," I tell her. "I'll get down an' see you as soon as I can."
She says: "Is there any reason why I shouldn't come up to town and see you?"
"I got a helluva reason, Gayda," I tell her, "an' that is Pearl Mallory."
"Oh yes?" she says. Her voice is a little bit cold. "And what's her trouble?"
"Look, babe," I tell her, "you cut out bein' jealous. There's nothin' on between Pearl an' me, see? We're just good friends an' I want you to be a friend to her too."
"Anything you say, Sourpuss," she says. "Well, what's the idea?"
"The idea is that I'm a little bit scared for her," I say. "Maybe somebody's gonna have a go at her in a minute. I got an idea that the elevator guy at Chez Clarence is workin' in with Schrinklera guy called Kraul. I got an idea it was Kraul who killed Travis, see? O.K. Well, I had a show-down with this baby last night, but he pulled a fast one on me an' got away. Early this mornin' he went down to the Carlton Hotel tryin' to see Pearl. Now get this: Kraul believed that Pearl was Mrs. Cara Travis, see the real one. So what does he wanta see her for? I'm a bit sorry," I go on, "that I ever brought Pearl inta this, but I gotta make the best of a bad job, see? I wondered if you'd ask her to come down to Wilminton. I wondered if she could stay down there for a bit so that you could keep your eye on her."
She says: "Why not? I think that would be marvellous. She'd be good company too." There's a little pause; then she says: "Look, Lemmy, you don't really think that somebody would try an' kill Pearl, do you?"
"Why not?" I say. "They killed a coupla other guys an' they're not gonna hold off because she's a woman."
She says: "All right. Send her down here. I'll look after her, Lemmy."
"Thanks a lot, Gayda," I tell her. "You're swell. One of these fine days I'm gonna have enough time to tell you what I really think about you. I'll call through to Pearl an' tell her to get down as soon as she can."
She says: "Do that. It would be nice if she could get down for dinner to-night."
"O.K., honey," I tell her. "An' thanks a lot for everything you're doin'. I'll be seein' you."
I hang up. So that's that!
IV.
AT seven o'clock I go along to the Embassy an' have an hour with the big boy. I hand in Travis's document case an' the divorce-papers an' tell him the story. He gives me a big grin.
He says: "Well, all you got to do now is to find the Mechanisation plans and the individual who's got 'em. I'm glad that's your worry and not mine."
I say: "Thanks a lot, but I'm not worryin' too much about it either."
He asks me how I'm playin' along with Herrick on this job, an' I tell him that I'm tryin' not to worry Herrick too much an' that anyway if I want any co-operation I'll ask him for it. I slide over the fact that I have not told Herrick about these two killin's until a good time afterwards, because they got an old-fashioned idea in this country that they don't like corpses lyin' about too long. Anyhow the big boy seems fairly pleased, as he should be.
I go back to the Regency. While I am havin' dinner I am thinkin' to myself that by this time Pearl will be down at Wilminton. I sorta draw a picture of her an' Gayda havin' dinner together wise-crackin' to each other across the table. A sweet pair, those babies!
At this moment a page-boy comes up an' tells me that Mr. Clansing is on the telephone. I go out to the hallway an' take the call in the booth. I got an idea that this is gonna be good.
I say: "Well, how's it goin'?"
He says: "Look, Caution, I wanta have a straight talk with you."
His voice sounds sorta flat an' hard. Maybe we're gonna have a slice of the real Schrinkler now.
"Oh yeah?" I say. "What are you gonna be serious about, sweetheart?"
He says: "Look, you're havin' a lotta trouble about this Travis business, aren't you? But I know what your big worry is."
"A thought-reader, hey?" I tell him. "All right, you tell me what's my big worry."
"I'm gonna make a coupla guesses," he says, "an' I think they're gonna be good. My first guess is that that guy Travis wasn't Travis at all. My second guess is that that boyo brought some Mechanisation papers somethin' to do with tank warfare some big stuff over here with him. I got an idea that it's those papers you're after, hey, Caution?"
"All right," I tell him. "Suppose your idea's right. So what?"
He says: "Well, I think I can save you a lotta trouble."
"That's goddam nice of you, Schrinkler," I tell him. "You sound a bit fresh to me. Maybe you think you're sittin' pretty."
"Maybe I am," he says. "Maybe I'm sittin' right on top of the heap, hey?"
I say: "I've known guys who thought they were sittin' there to slide off."
"I'll take my chance of that," he says. "Look, I reckon you're worried more about those papers than you are about Travis or gettin' your hooks on me an' sendin' me back to the United States or anything else. Now why don't you talk sense an' tell me that I'm right."
I drop my cigarette stub on the floor of the call-box and put my foot on it.
"Well, maybe you are right, Schrinkler," I tell him. "I'm worried plenty about those papers. I gotta have 'em, see? An' you think you can help?"
"I don't think anything of the sort," he says. "I know I can help. The thing is what I'm gonna get for helpin'."
"I get it," I say. "So you think you're in a position where you can do a deal."
"I know I am," he says. "Look, I want some dough an' I also wanta know that both the U.S. cops an' the English cops are gonna lay off me. Well, if I get the dough an' a guarantee maybe I'll let you have those papers."
"I get it," I tell him. "A nice deal for you an' you think you're gonna get away with the murder thing too."
"Say, what the hell do you mean?" he says. "What murder thing?"
"Ain't you the little innocent cuss?" I tell him. "You wouldn't know that somebody ironed out Clemensky, would you?"
He says: "Jeez! So that's why he didn't turn up. Are you giving this to me straight, Caution?"
"I'm givin' it to you good an' straight," I tell him. "Somebody gave it to Clemensky in his own office an' I found Travis's document case with his divorce-papers in it in Clemensky's flat, so it looks like Clemensky had the Mechanisation papers too, doesn't it? An' if you're tryin' to do a deal about 'em if you can put me on to them, it don't look so good for you, does it?"
He says: "Look, what does Clemensky matter? He don't matter to you an' he don't matter to me. That guy was askin' to get himself rubbed out anyway."
"Well, if he was askin' for it, he certainly got it," I say. "But let's come back to these papers. "What's the deal?"
He says: "The deal is this. If I get twenty-five grand you can have those papers. But I wanta know I'm gonna be O.K."
I think for a minute; then I say: "Well, I might even stretch a point an' find the dough. Where do I get in touch with you?"
He says: "Don't be a goddam fool, Caution. What sort of mug do you think I am? You're not goin' to see me until I've got that money, an' then maybe you're not gonna see me. I'm not walkin' inta one of your little set-ups, pal. I've heard about you."
