The Girl Who Walked Away

by David Adkins

  “Revenge does not suit you. Go back to England and forget about us.”

  I stared hard at her. “You are not easy to forget, Cassie.”

  She sighed. “Go home, Steve. Leave us alone.”

  She turned and walked back into the hotel leaving me to ruminate on my next move. She was right that I was achieving nothing here in Monte-Carlo, but before I returned to London I still wanted a private conversation with Max Lucas. What I would do next, if anything, would depend on that conversation.

  I had to wait two days but after eating in the breakfast room one morning I spotted Cassie at reception. I watched as she left the hotel and I went to the door and I watched as she walked down the road away from the hotel. She must be going for a stroll and I even thought I detected a bit of anger in her stride. Perhaps they had had an argument and she had gone out to get over her vexation. Perhaps that was just wishful thinking. Regardless, it was a bright and warm Sunday morning and so she might be out for a while. It was my chance to tackle Max Lucas alone and I decided to take it. I returned inside the hotel and took the lift to the third floor.

  It was a short walk down the corridor to room 309. I knocked at the door and waited a few minutes. Max opened the door looking dishevelled and as if he had just got out of bed. I pushed my way into his room once again.

  “What do you want? I thought it was maid service. I will call hotel security.”

  “I only want to have a chat man to man,” I said and sat down uninvited. “You owe me that after what I did for you.”

  He yawned. “You did it so you could get inside Cassie’s knickers. Get on with it but this will be the last time I speak with you.”

  “Where is Cassie?”

  “She has gone for a walk.”

  “Yes, I saw her leave and she looked kind of angry. Did you have an argument?”

  He grinned. “We often have arguments. It was just a lovers’ tiff. She will walk around for an hour or two and then she will return and we will make up. It is always such fun making up, Steve.” His grin grew even wider.

  “Perhaps she won’t come back this time.”

  He laughed. “She always comes back. She cannot keep away from me for long. Why did you think she went to such lengths to get me acquitted?” He put an emphasis on the word lengths.

  I stayed calm for I knew he was trying to wind me up but I hated this man with a vengeance. “So we have an hour or more before she returns?”

  “Yes, probably,” he replied still grinning like a Cheshire cat.

  “I have some questions for you.”

  “Fire away, but I can’t promise to answer them.”

  “Where did you get the money for this hotel and to play at the Monte-Carlo Casino?”

  “I won it in London. I won £5,000 after the trial on a lucky streak and came here to turn it into a fortune. I also came here to give Cassie and myself a vacation. We both deserved it. I had spent weeks in a cell and had to endure the trial. She had spent weeks seducing an idiot into helping us, a man she had no regard for. We both deserved a break.”

  “Did you speak with the dark-haired woman before you were knocked unconscious?” My change of direction had taken him by surprise and the grin disappeared from his face.

  “No, I told you exactly what happened and repeated it again at the trial.”

  I did not believe him for there was something here that did not add up. “On the night that Rupert Nesterman was murdered the dark-haired woman went out of the way to make herself remembered. That does not sound like the actions of someone who intended to commit murder later that evening.”

  The grin returned to his face. “You may be useless with women Steve, but you are a good detective.”

  “What do you mean by that, Max?”

  “It was just an observation. Now you really must leave.”

  “I am going nowhere. I still have more questions.”

  “I could throw you out.”

  “You could try.”

  “Ah yes, it came out at the trial that you were a bit of a hero in the navy during the war.”

  “Not a hero but just a sailor doing his duty,” I corrected him. “What did you do during the war?”

  “I did not fight for I have a back condition.”

  “Yet you were threatening to throw me out.” Now I spoke with contempt.

  He shrugged. “You were a mug and you are still a mug.”

  “You are a coward,” I countered coldly.

  Anger flashed across his face. “You are an even bigger mug than you realize. If you knew the whole truth you would probably drown yourself in the Mediterranean.”

  “Try me,” I invited. I could see that he wanted to share with me some new revelation that would humiliate me even further.

  He grinned broadly. “I killed Rupert Nesterman. You got a guilty man off because you were duped into believing I was innocent, a man who then took from you the love of your life.” His words were said with disdain. “You must be the world’s greatest moron.”

  I struggled with what he had just told me. I was sure he must be lying. He wanted to heap further misery upon me. I recovered my composure. “Tell me the full story, Max.”

  “They say you cannot be tried for the same crime twice.”

  “That is true and so you have nothing to lose.”

  “The dark-haired girl who visited you I knew as Maria. She was a beauty. I tried to get her into bed but she was not impressed.”

  “You tried to get her into bed!” I gasped.

  “Yes, I kind of suggested it as a means of cementing the deal but she was having none of it. I think she was too wrapped up in her vendetta to countenance it. It was a shame for she was a beauty — but not as beautiful as Cassie, of course.” He leered arrogantly over at me.

  He continued. “It is true to say that she picked me up at a night club in Soho. She seemed to know quite a lot about me. She told me that she wanted to murder two men who lived in an apartment block in Russell Square.”

  “Did she say why she wanted them murdered?”

  “She wouldn’t say. Said I didn’t need to know. She suggested I take up residence in the block and that after a couple of weeks I would let her in one evening and we would dispose of these two gentlemen. She said that I could return to my apartment after the murders were done. It would appear that an intruder had killed them both.”

  “You were willing to kill two men you did not even know?”

  “No, not exactly, I had never killed before and I did not intend to start. Even I have some scruples. She said she would do the actual killing if I helped to silence them.”

  “I thought you had a bad back.”

  He ignored my comment and continued. “There was a change of plan and it all went kind of wrong. We had expected them to be sharing the same apartment but when I took up residence there I found that was not the case. They were in separate rooms on different floors and that made the whole thing more difficult for they could not easily be disposed of at the same time.”

  “So what was the new plan?” I asked.

  “Rupert Nesterman liked to frequent the bars around Russell Square. Clive Deepdale on the other hand did not and rarely went out except to work. I kept an eye on their activities and reported back to Maria.”

  “Have you no idea who Rupert Nesterman and Clive Deepdale were?”

  “No, I didn’t inquire again and I sensed she would not have told me.”

  “Do you know who Maria was and who she worked for?”

  “No, I thought it better not to know. I was simply doing a job for her and a well-paid one.”

  “What did she pay you?”

  “She paid me £5,000 up front and said there would be another £5,000 when both men had been dealt with. Cassie looked after the £5,000 for me while I was in Pentonville.”

  “Did Cassie know anything about this?”

  “No, I told her it was gambling winnings and that I could turn it into a lot more money.”

  “
Did you trust her to look after it for you? She could have left you to be convicted and made off with the money.”

  He shrugged. “She loves me.” He grinned again. “Anyway, there was the promise of more money. I do not think she believed me about the gambling but she did believe that there would be more money coming my way when I got off. She knew I was up to something but did not ask what it was.”

  I considered his words. “A fascinating story and one that I find distressing,” I said.

  That was all the encouragement he needed to continue. “Anyway Maria decided that she would pick Nesterman up, rather like she had me and she would go back to his apartment with him. I would keep watch for her and Nesterman and when they arrived back at his apartment I would pay Deepdale a visit. I would make an excuse to enter Deepdale’s apartment and then when inside I would knock him unconscious. I would then wait for her. She would kill Nesterman and then join me. She would kill Deepdale and I would go back to my apartment. She would then let herself out and the police would think they had both been killed by the same intruder who had robbed their apartments. However, it did not work out quite like that.”

  He almost seemed to enjoy telling his grisly tale. “Why did it not work out like that?” I asked.

  “On an agreed evening Maria and Nesterman furtively entered the apartment block unseen. When they went into Nesterman’s flat I descended the stairs to Deepdale’s. I knocked on the door but there was no answer. I could not understand it for I had observed him earlier in the day and he never went out socializing. I knocked louder and there was still no answer. Then the door of the flat opposite opened and Mrs Ramsden popped her head out. He has gone away for the weekend she told me. I was mortified for I had been seen and I did not know what to do.”

  “What did you do, Max?”

  “I rushed up to Nesterman’s apartment and burst through the unlocked door. I was staggered by the sight that met my eyes. Nesterman was on his knees and bound and gagged. Maria was standing over him like an avenging angel. She seemed to be trying to extract some sort of remorse from him. However, my untimely arrival distracted Maria for a second and Nesterman burst free and headed for the open door. I had taken a knife with me to Deepdale’s just in case I needed it. It was in my hand and Nesterman almost ran on to it. I had killed him.”

  “It sounds like you bungled things,” I suggested.

  “That is how Maria saw it. She was livid and I had only been trying to help. I blurted out that I had been seen and she got even angrier. I suggested that Mrs Ramsden was probably alone because Mr Ramsden was usually out and perhaps we could dispose of her too. She shook her head and said only the guilty will die. It all seemed very strange to me and I was starting to panic.”

  “I bet you were.”

  “Maria closed the door and told me to calm down. She said she could still get us both out of trouble. Look at you she said. You cannot go back to your room. You are covered in blood and there is blood all over your clothes and you still have the knife in your hand. She gave me her word she would get me off but I had to do entirely as she said. I was desperate, so of course I agreed.” He paused for a moment as if the re-telling was making him feel desperate all over again.

  “So what did she tell you to do?”

  “She gave me the story for the police about a beautiful dark-haired woman and an unseen accomplice. She said she would knock me unconscious and that is how I would be found. I reluctantly agreed and so that is what she did and I assume she must then have made a noise as she departed the apartment block to alert the residents that something was amiss.”

  “You were willing to trust her?”

  “I had no choice. Look at the mess I was in. She gave me her word I would not hang. Strangely I believed her for she seemed trustworthy and most efficient. I know that sounds silly but that is how I felt. I did ask her about the second £5,000 before she knocked me out but she said I had not earned that. She did say I could keep the first £5,000 though. So that is how I come to be in Monaco seeking my fortune.”

  I put my hands behind my head. “My god, she was clever,” I exclaimed.

  “What do you mean?” he asked.

  “Don’t you see Max? She never intended you to return to your apartment after the deeds were done even if things went according to plan. She knew you would be questioned thoroughly by the police and that there was a huge risk you would give something away. This way you had to stick with the story she had given you for it was your only hope of survival. She had already set up your survival route but hadn’t told you how things would be played out. Her code of honour did not allow you to be convicted though she had not foreseen that you would actually commit a murder.”

  “She has a code of honour?” he asked.

  “Yes, she has. Only the guilty will die and Nesterman and Deepdale were guilty but not you Max.”

  “What had they done, Steve?”

  “You will never know,” I smiled. “She must have somehow got to hear that I was trying to prove your innocence and so she decided to use me. That is why she paid me that visit and told me that she had murdered Nesterman.”

  “Her motives are all a bit too complicated for me,” he said. “I have the £5,000, my freedom, and Cassie, and that is all I am concerned about.” The grin returned to his face.

  “The £5,000 and Cassie yes, but your freedom is a bit iffy.”

  “What are you saying?”

  It was my turn to smile. “I lied to you Max. It is a myth that you can’t be tried for the same crime twice and actually it wasn’t a trial for the judge dismissed the accusations.”

  He looked a little shaken. “If that is true it is still your word against mine.”

  “True but as you said I am a war hero and I think we both know what you are. It would be interesting to see who would be believed.”

  “I do not think you intend to say anything but if you did I am safe in Monaco.”

  “Haven’t you heard of Interpol? You are certainly not safe in Monaco.”

  He looked unsure.

  “I just have one last thing to thank you for Max.” Now it was my time to gloat and this would really upset him. “You know, it’s really thanks to you that I can afford to be here. During my investigations I learnt something, something really big. It was so big that a certain organisation was willing to buy my silence. You earned £5,000 and some jail time for your bumbling part in all this. Do you want to know what I walked away with?” I paused to commit the look on his face to memory. “£55,000.”

  He looked at me in open-mouthed amazement and then he grinned. “You are having me on.”

  “I am not. They paid me £55,000 which is now nestling securely in my bank account.”

  The smile was wiped off his face again. “Is that the truth?”

  “It is. I am obviously a far better negotiator than you.”

  He was thinking hard. “If you give me that odd £5,000 then I will make a huge profit on it for you.”

  I laughed out loud. “At the casino,” I scoffed. “I see Max. You have already lost your £5,000 and that is what Cassie was upset about.”

  “I have only lost half of it. I will get it back and more.”

  “And that is what you told Cassie, but it seems she has her doubts. Well, if she is starting to have doubts about your gambling ability then you will understand that I also have doubts about it. I will keep my money, thank you.”

  “Look Steve, we can help each other.”

  I laughed again. “I am a very rich man, and unlike you, I intend to stay that way. I think we have finished our little chat.”

  I stood up to leave. He looked devastated and did not reply. I moved towards the door and at last he spoke. “I still have Cassie, you bastard.”

  “But for how long?” I taunted him and closed the door behind me.

  I stepped out into the corridor and heard him shout. “You saved a guilty man, lawyer.”

  I descended the stairs back to the second floor and entere
d my room. I collapsed on my bed and stared at the ceiling. It had been a trying conversation but I felt that I had come out the victor. I had damaged him a lot more than he had damaged me, though his final volley had hit home. I suspected Max was a lot closer to losing his £5,000 than he had divulged. When that happened he would lose Cassie as well and he would probably be a broken man. That is what I told myself for I did not want to consider the other scenario where he made his fortune and Cassie remained his girlfriend. This successful scenario was even less palatable because I had gained him his freedom. I had saved a guilty man and that man was the repulsive Max Lucas.

  I put Lucas to the back of my mind and considered Jenna — or Maria — the Israeli assassin. The job she had been trained to do was also repulsive. She hunted down men and administered her own brand of justice. However, these men were hideous war criminals and she had a strict code of honour that only the guilty should die. Not even Max Lucas would be allowed to die. My admiration for her dedication to her work grew and I smiled as I realized her ingenuity knew no bounds. I also felt sorry that such a beautiful young woman should inhabit a world full of hate and revenge.

  Finally I thought of Cassie and I felt sad. She had played me like a violin to get what she wanted from me. Lucas was right that she had turned me into her slave and I would have done anything she wanted. She had then given me what I wanted so badly and then taken it away from me like a child with an expensive toy taken away for misbehaviour. She was a gold-digger. I laughed at myself. Even though I now knew what she was, I was still susceptible to her charms. When I had sat beside her in the hotel gardens I would have taken her back if she had asked because I still adored her. I was a sad case but I had a fortune and California beckoned. Time would come to my aid and I would soon forget Cassandra Mitchell.

  The next morning I checked out of the Metropole Hotel and took the train back to Nice. I could not be bothered to try to change my flight and so I booked into a hotel in Nice on the aptly named Promenade Des Anglais for two nights. I spent the next day exploring the splendid city of Nice which nestled invitingly on the clear blue Mediterranean. The weather was still good as it had been ever since I arrived in France. Strolling along the pleasant avenues reminded me that the world was now my oyster and I had received a massive dose of good fortune despite my shattered love life. I was ready for California.