Complete works of peter.., p.248
Complete Works of Peter Cheyney. Illustrated, page 248
She said: "What do you mean by that?"
"Why did you throw him over?" said Callaghan. "You two were going to be engaged one time. Then you gave him the air. You're a wise girl. I think Lancelot's too clever for you."
He saw that she was fighting to control her temper. He wondered just how much that temper was due to anger and just how much to fear. Either way he proposed to take advantage of the situation.
She said: "I don't think it matters whether I'm a wise girl, whether Lancelot has been too clever for me, or anything else. All that has nothing to do with you."
"It's got a lot to do with me," said Callaghan with an amiable grin, "as you'll see before long. The trouble with you is that you get scared. You start something and you can't finish it. You go rushing around the place being impulsive, doing things before you think. You're stupid. If you hadn't been stupid you'd have taken the trouble to find out something about me before you tried to bribe me to keep out of this case. If you had you might have discovered that I can't be bought anytime..." He paused. "Not for money, anyhow..."
"I see," she said. Her voice held all the sarcasm she could put into it. "I see. So the great, the clever Mr. Callaghan has a price after all—even if it isn't money. Well, what is it?"
Callaghan grinned at her. His grin was pleasant and cool and quite kindly. He looked at her for a long time.
"You can have two guesses," he said.
She flushed. She began to speak, then stopped herself. After a moment she said:
"I prefer not to understand you."
"That's all right," said Callaghan. "You and I understand each other very well. You think I'm a double-crossing detective who's been grafted by the Insurance Company to snoop out the truth down here, and I think you're a fool woman who could be intelligent if she wanted to, but who is stuck so full of high-falutin' nonsense that, at this moment, you don't know which way you're pointing. Now if you had any sense..."
She interrupted. She said coolly:
"This might be interesting. I should like to know exactly what I should do if I had any sense."
"I'll tell you," said Callaghan.
He leaned up against the wall of the summer-house beside the door, looking down on her. He looked pleasantly impersonal.
"If you had any sense," he went on, "you'd realise a lot of things. First of all you'd realise that if I was working for the Insurance Company to the exclusion of the Vendayne interests I'd have already told 'em that you tried to bribe me to keep out of this case. That fact alone would have sewn the Vendayne family up as far as ever getting any money out of the Insurance people was concerned. Secondly, you'd see that after I got down here and you thought I'd double-crossed you over that three hundred you went into a huddle with your father and the pair of you decided to tell me you were going to postpone the claim. I put a stop to that idea. But if you use such brains as you've got you'll realise I did that for the Vendaynes. You'll see why in a minute. The next thing is that the Major has a heart attack. I don't blame him. The probability is that he had the heart attack after you told him what was worrying you, and then I imagine he told you what was worrying him. I wonder you didn't have a heart attack too!"
He produced his cigarette-case and lit a cigarette. He was watching her. Her eyes were on his and they were interested.
"I'm not doing so badly, am I?" said Callaghan.
He inhaled cigarette smoke and allowed it to trickle out of one nostril.
"The point is," he went on, "when I'm working on a case I like to work on it and I like to work for somebody. I don't just kick around trying to scrape off odd bits of money. I've discovered that you make much more the other way. In this particular case I don't think that there's a lot of money to be made but I've got other interests..."
She said: "Really. May I know what they are?"
"Certainly," answered Callaghan. "I'll tell you. You're my main interest. I like your type of woman. I like the way you dress and walk and behave generally. Even if you do go off the rails sometimes and do silly things I still think I like you... quite a lot."
She said: "I think you are the most impertinent person I've ever met. Your insolence is amazing. I suppose you consider I ought to be flattered when you say you 'like' me. Well... I don't like you!"
"The joke is you do," said Callaghan. He was still smiling. "You like me quite a lot and because you do you take an awful lot of trouble to make yourself believe that you don't. That's why you lose your temper so easily."
She said: "I don't see why we should discuss the psychological angles of my character."
"All right," said Callaghan. "We won't. We won't discuss the psychological angles of your character. We won't even discuss the psychological angles of Esme's character or any of the other interesting things about this family. What we will discuss is what's going to happen and what you're going to do. And when I say what you're going to do I mean it. You're going to do what I say and like it. Understand?"
She got up. For a moment Callaghan thought she was going to strike him. She said in a low voice: "Don't you dare talk to me like that. I..."
He said: "You'd be surprised if I told you what I'd dare to do. But I meant what I said just now. There's going to be a show-down here at Margraud pretty soon and I want it to be played my way. That's the only way that's going to do you any good. Otherwise there's a damned good chance of Detective-Inspector Walperton—a most keen, efficient and busy young police officer—coming down here and finding out one or two things that are better left where they are. You're between the devil and the deep sea and even if you think I'm the devil you'll find I'm more accommodating than the deep sea."
She put her hand out against the wall of the summer-house to steady herself. Her face was very white. She said:
"Go on..."
Callaghan threw his cigarette end away.
"I've been up to London," he said. "I've done one or two things I wanted to do, found out one or two things. The main thing is:
"I've seen Layne, your father's solicitor. I've persuaded him to write to the Insurance Company and withdraw the claim. The Insurance Company are not going to be at all suspicious about that, first of all because I'm supposed to be working for them, and secondly because we've led 'em to believe that we're withdrawing the claim because I've an idea that I know where that jewellery is. That fixes the Company. All they want is not to have to pay that claim, and if they don't have to pay the claim their interest in who's done what and why promptly ceases. Understand?"
She said: "I understand."
She took her hand away from the wall and went back to the seat. She sat down. All the while she kept her eyes on Callaghan's face.
"The next thing is Lancelot," he went on. "Lancelot is going to make all the trouble he can. He's started in already by trying to get you up against me. Remember that Lancelot was the one who wanted this business investigated and the screw put on the Insurance people. I'll bet he's been down to see them and they've said their piece and he doesn't like it—especially as he has decided not to like me."
She said: "Is there any way of stopping Lancelot making trouble—as you call it?"
Callaghan said: "I'll find a way to do that."
She looked at the floor.
"I see," she said very quietly.
Callaghan said: "I've got to find ways to stop a lot of things happening. But with luck I might even manage that too..."
She got up.
"We shall be late for dinner," she said.
She moved over to the doorway, stood there, looking along the path. She turned suddenly.
"It would be funny," she said in a peculiar, strained voice, "if you really were a friend, if you weren't such a..." her voice trailed off.
Callaghan smiled.
"Stranger things have happened," he said. "Anyhow, stop worrying. Worry killed the cat and in any event it's illogical. It never stops things happening and it never helps. Don't worry and don't do anything. I think it's time you began to take things easy for a bit. At the moment there's only one thing—or possibly two things—for you to do."
She turned towards him, away from the doorway.
"What things?" she asked.
"First of all, relax," said Callaghan. "You're almost at breaking point now. Secondly, when you've got time to get to it just ask yourself if it isn't possible—having regard to what I've told you—that instead of being your most bitter enemy I might even be almost a friend—shall we say a sheep in wolf's clothing."
He smiled at her. She noticed, once again, the whiteness of his teeth and the firm angle of his jaw. Suddenly, and for no reason that she knew, she began to sob. She stepped back into the summer-house, her head in her hands.
Callaghan said: "Come here, Audrey. Stop crying. Take your hands away from your face and don't be a little fool."
She did as she was told. She said:
"Well... what do you want... ?"
Callaghan put his hand under her chin and lifted it. He kissed her on the mouth.
He said: "You'd better sit down and arrange your face and your mind. They both need it. I've got one or two things to do. I'll be seeing you."
She said: "Very well..."
She produced an infinitesimal handkerchief from her tweed jacket pocket and dabbed at her eyes.
She said vaguely: "I wonder why I did that... or rather why I let you do that."
He grinned.
"You didn't do it," he said. "I did. But next time I hope you'll be the originator of the idea."
He walked over to the doorway and lit a cigarette. He said, smiling:
"I told you I had my price. You realise now that I'm a most expensive person."
He walked along the pathway towards the house.
When he was out of sight she sat down on the bench and concentrated on being normal.
The process took five minutes. When she had achieved it successfully she decided to cry some more.
X. — PORTRAIT OF ESME
CALLAGHAN came out of the side entrance, walked down the terrace and turned right towards the putting green. He thought Nikolls would be there. He was right. That one, struggling with the intricacies of an eight-foot putt, kept his eye on the ball, hit it smartly and with determination and watched it as it travelled towards the hole. He said, as he put the putter under his arm:
"Maybe you think I'm goin' nutty, but this game's got me bad. One of these fine days when I come into some money or somethin' I'm goin' to give up bein' a detective. I'm goin' to be a golf pro."
Callaghan said: "I don't see any difference so far as you are concerned."
"Think of it," said Nikolls. "Out in the open all day knockin' a little white ball about, teachin' beautiful dames how to swing."
Callaghan grinned. He said:
"You're not having such a bad time on this case."
"Correct," said Nikolls. "At the same time all good things come to an end."
He bent down and picked the golf ball out of the hole. He said:
"By the way, Clarissa was talkin' to me just after dinner—I just remembered. She asked me for a good name to call a really bad guy. Well, I didn't like to tell her anything sorta strong. I told her 'sonofabitch' was best, that is unless she wanted to call the guy a 'heel.' I got an idea she liked 'heel' best."
Callaghan said: "Where is she?"
"I think she's gone to her room," said Nikolls. "Either that or else she's the one who's playin' the piano in the drawin'-room. You can hear it—but maybe that's Audrey."
He put the putter under his other arm and felt in his jacket pocket for a cigarette. After he'd lit it, he said:
"Where do we go from here, Slim? Do we know?"
Callaghan said: "I don't think we'll have to wait very long now. I think a very nice little situation is blowing up. Stay around, Windy. Don't go on any more of those fishing trips until I say so."
"That's O.K. by me," said Nikolls. "I'm dyin' to get to work. I've almost forgotten how to be a detective."
Callaghan said: "I don't think you ever remembered."
He walked away towards the house. As he neared the side entrance, Stevens came out. He said:
"Here's a cable, sir. It's just arrived. I think it has been at Kingsbridge a couple of hours. They had difficulty in finding a boy to bring it over."
Callaghan nodded. He took the cable, opened it, read it. It was from Harvey Soames in Cape Town. Callaghan began to grin. He was half joyful, half satanic. He went into the house, put his head round the door of the drawing-room, looked in. Audrey was seated at the piano running her fingers idly over the keys. She did not see him. Callaghan closed the door softly and went upstairs.
He was half-way down the first floor corridor on the way to his room when a door opened. Clarissa came out.
She said. "Slim, you're a heel. Alternatively, you're a sonofabitch. Personally, I think you're both."
He grinned at her.
"I'm surprised you should have to get your vocabulary from Windy, Clarissa. What's the matter?"
She leaned up against the door-post.
"The only trouble with me is my eyesight—that, and a little synchronisation."
"What's the matter with your eyesight?" said Callaghan. "And who have you been synchronising with or haven't you?"
Clarissa said: "The trouble is my eyes are too good, and as for the synchronisation, I happened to be in the end room of this corridor looking out towards the summer-house some time before dinner. I saw you and Audrey. I didn't know she liked being kissed like that. Was it good?"
"Very," said Callaghan. "Well, how do you think she'd like to be kissed?"
Clarissa said: "Maybe I'll give you a demonstration one day. In the meantime, as I've told you before, I think you're a heel. You make love to me and kiss my sister. Do you think that's fair? But perhaps you were only practising. You are a heel, Slim."
He said: "Clarissa, all's fair in love and war. Didn't you know?"
"That's all right," said Clarissa. "But were you and I in love or having a war? You needn't worry, Slim. I've had the idea that you were leading me up the garden path, using me as a sort of 'stooge.' That's what they call it, isn't it?"
Callaghan said: "Clarissa, I think you're fine. I wanted to get you working on my side, and I just didn't know the best way to do it. I thought that was a good approach."
"I see," said Clarissa. "I suppose Audrey's working for you too... only in her case the approach has got to be a little more passionate. What do I have to do to get kissed like that? I think it's lucky I haven't got any more sisters."
Callaghan said: "You didn't waylay me to tell me all this?"
She shook her head.
"No," she said, "I didn't. I wanted to ask you something and I'd be rather obliged if you'd tell me the truth. That was all nonsense, wasn't it, that stuff you told me about merely having an idea about Blaize and about your thinking that he hadn't anything to do with the burglary? You're worried about Blaize, aren't you, Slim?"
He nodded.
"Just about as much as you are, Clarissa," he said. "I knew you were putting on an act that night I went over to his cottage behind the Yard Arm and found you and Esme there. I guessed why you were stringing along with Esme. I realised that you weren't a natural gooseberry..."
"You were right," she said, "I was frightened for her. She's so silly. Esme's always been the bloodiest fool, Slim."
"That's what I think," said Callaghan. "And you've got some news for me?"
She said: "Yes, I've got some news for you. Ever since you've been away I've been snooping about, keeping an eye on Esme and on her post as we arranged. She's had no letters of importance—at least nothing that was posted in this county—but this evening while you and Audrey were indulging in the summer-house somebody came through from Exeter. They wanted Esme. I happened to be in the hall, so I went quickly into Daddy's room where there's an extension from the hall phone. I listened in."
Callaghan lit a cigarette.
"This sounds as if it might be interesting."
"It is very interesting," said Clarissa, "and rather worrying. It was a man. He didn't shout or anything like that, but he sounded terribly angry. He told Esme he wanted to talk to her, that the time had come for a show-down. He said she was to meet him as usual at half-past eleven tonight, that if she didn't turn up there was going to be a lot of trouble. I didn't like the sound of him a bit," Clarissa concluded.
Callaghan said: "I shouldn't worry about the sound of people's voices. Words don't hurt very much. Do you know where the 'usual place' is?"
Clarissa shook her head.
"I don't," she said. "I didn't even know there'd been a usual place. I didn't know that Esme had been meeting anybody. Why should she want to meet anybody surreptitiously?"
Callaghan grinned.
"Why does any woman meet any man surreptitiously?" he said.
Clarissa said: "Do you know who the man is?"
"I can make a good guess," said Callaghan.
She put her hand on his arm. She said:
"You know, Slim, you've deluded me, but I'm inclined to trust you. There's something about you I really like. Promise me something—you won't let anything happen to Esme, will you? I'd hate anything to happen to her."
Callaghan said: "Don't you worry. I'll try and take care of Esme. I'm learning to be the Santa Claus of this family."
She said: "Like hell you are!—and I learned that from Windy, too. Anyway," she said, "it's probably the first and the last time, but I want payment for my information, and when I say payment, I mean just that. You owe me a lot, Slim. You got that Windy person to tell me a lot of rubbish about you being fearfully attracted by me and I fell for it like a schoolgirl. You've probably ruined my life anyway. I might even go into a nunnery or something at any moment."
She came up close to him. She said:
"Mr. Callaghan, I think I've got something in my eye. Will you look, please?"
Callaghan said: "Clarissa, there's something damned nice about you. If it wasn't for Audrey..."
"To blazes with Audrey," said Clarissa. "Audrey can look after herself. Just let yourself go for a minute, will you, and don't bring up other women when you're supposed to be kissing me."
