by Amanda Quick
“I can tell you that an arrest has been made,” Matthias said.
“Who?” Irene demanded. “And don’t say it was the robot.”
“Not exactly. Lorraine Pierce. She wore a robot costume onstage to murder Pickwell.”
“This isn’t a joke, is it?”
“No,” Matthias said. “In addition to the arrest, a studio security guy named Ray Thorpe has been murdered and a top secret device has been recovered. The FBI will descend on Burning Cove sometime tomorrow to take charge, but I can arrange things so that they don’t get into town until after the morning edition of the Herald is on the stands.”
“I’ve got a pencil and a notepad. Keep talking.”
“Don’t worry, you’ll get the whole story soon, but first I need an answer to a question.”
“I’m listening,” Irene said.
“The local cops just found the robot costume that was used in the murder of Dr. Norman Pickwell. It looks like it came from Silver Horizon Films. It must have been created for a horror movie. There’s a good chance that the aluminum shell stuffed with wiring that Chester Ward and I took apart was made at the same time. Since no one recognized the robot when it shot Pickwell, I’m assuming that the film either failed at the box office or never got released. Is there any way to find out?”
“I used to work for Whispers. I know someone there who will know who to call. Is that all you need? Just the title of a Silver Horizon movie that was about a robot?”
“No. I want to know if Vincent Hyde was under contract at Silver Horizon when the robot movie was made.”
“Vincent Hyde is involved in this thing?” Irene’s voice rose in feverish excitement. “Hang up. I’ve got to make some calls. Wait, how do I get hold of you when I get the answer to your question?”
“If you get an answer in the next few minutes, call me here at Lorraine Pierce’s number, Exbrook 2555. If I’m not here, I’ll be at the Paradise or on my way there.”
“Got it.”
“One more thing,” Matthias said. “I’d also like to know if Ray Thorpe was working security at Silver Horizon when the robot film was made.”
“I’ll get back to you as soon as I find out anything,” Irene vowed.
“Thanks. This is very important.”
“To you and me both,” Irene said.
Matthias dropped the receiver into the cradle.
“What’s going on?” Luther asked quietly.
Matthias took a moment to collect his thoughts.
“There had to be two versions of the robot,” he said. “One was an empty aluminum shell. The second was the costume. I think we can assume that Ray Thorpe stole both from Silver Horizon Films.”
Luther nodded. “If he was handling security for the studio, he would have had access.”
“He was obviously a tough guy, but he didn’t seem to be all that smart. Pretty sure he’s not Smith.”
“I’m with you,” Luther said. “Go on.”
“Lorraine Pierce is a good liar, but I’m convinced that she was telling the truth tonight when she said she wasn’t Smith. She and Thorpe were obviously deeply involved in this business but I’m equally sure that they were being manipulated by someone else, someone who has been pulling the strings all along.”
Luther gave that a beat. “It would be a classic Smith operation. He orchestrates the whole project but he stays in the shadows while it is unfolding.”
“Maybe,” Matthias said, “he’s the client. Just a voice on the phone, as far as Pierce and Thorpe are concerned.”
“Now that,” Luther said, “makes a hell of a lot of sense.”
“If things had gone according to plan, he would have gotten rid of both Thorpe and Pierce as soon as he took delivery of the cipher machine.”
“Yeah, that sounds like Smith, or at least it fits what we know of his style. He plays the part of the client who commissions the theft of the machine and then he gives precise instructions on how to carry out the scheme. Throughout the whole thing he stays in the shadows.”
“That way, Pierce and Thorpe could never identify him.”
“If we’re right about any of this, you can bet he’ll disappear as soon as he realizes that Pierce isn’t going to deliver the Ares machine,” Luther said.
“I think we’ve still got a chance of nailing him.”
Luther stilled. “What?”
“I’m betting that Smith is here in Burning Cove,” Matthias said. “He has been all along. He had no choice, because this was not just the most important deal of his career—it was his final act of revenge against the government that fired him. He would have wanted to keep a close eye on every aspect of the project.”
Luther rubbed the nape of his neck. “I don’t like this.”
“Neither do I. If this were any other job, he would cut his losses and disappear. But this isn’t a routine job. He’s a desperate man, and desperate men take risks they would not otherwise consider taking. When he finds out things have gone wrong tonight, there’s a very real possibility that he won’t do the logical thing and walk away.”
“At least Raina and Amalie are safe tonight. The Paradise is a fortress.”
The telephone blared less than ten minutes later. Matthias did not need the Jones family talent to know that disaster had struck.
He grabbed the phone.
“Jones,” he said.
“I’ve got some information for you,” Irene said, her voice sharp and clear. “The title of the Silver Horizon film that featured a killer robot was The Revenge of the Robot. It was made four years ago. Died a quick death at the box office. But you were right. There were two versions of the robot. One was an empty aluminum shell that could be filled with a lot of fake wiring and mechanical gadgets. It was used for scenes in which the crazy inventor was shown working on his creation. The studio also planned to use it for publicity purposes.”
“The second version was a costume, wasn’t it?”
“Yep. Made to look like the aluminum robot.”
“Ray Thorpe?”
“He was not working security at the studio at that time,” Irene said. “He was hired there quite recently, however.”
“What about Vincent Hyde?”
“Hyde was at the top of his career four years ago. He was under contract at another, larger studio doing the Mad Doctor X films. My source also reminded me that Hyde would never have taken a role that would have forced him to wear a mask. He’s much too vain.”
“Who played the robot in the Silver Horizon film?” Matthias asked.
“A stuntman, probably. I’m trying to dig up his name but that may take some time.”
“Forget trying to find the stuntman’s name. There’s no time. Besides, I know who played the robot.”
“Who was it and why is that important?”
“Later. Got to go, Irene.”
Matthias dropped the phone into the cradle and raced out the door.
Luther saw him and opened the passenger side door of the Packard.
“Got a name?” he asked.
Matthias got behind the wheel and fired up the engine.
“Don’t need one,” he said.
“Where are we going?” Luther asked.
“The Paradise. I’ve got a feeling Smith is already inside the walls of your fortress.”
Chapter 51
Matthias brought the Packard to a stop at the gates of the club. He did not need the icy frisson across the back of his neck to warn him that they were too late.
It was four o’clock in the morning, a half hour after closing time for the Paradise. There were only a handful of cars left in the parking lot. Most belonged to the late-night staff but one stood out from the rest—Vincent Hyde’s limo.
“This is not good,” Luther said quietly. He opened his door and got out. “Ther
e should be two security guards in front. They don’t go home until the rest of the employees have left for the night.”
“He’s inside,” Matthias said. “And he’s in control of your fortress.”
“How the hell—?” Luther did not finish the question.
Matthias reached into the back seat and grasped the handle of the heavy suitcase that contained the Ares machine.
“This is what he wants,” he said. “It’s our only bargaining chip.”
Luther’s jaw tightened but he said nothing more.
The big wrought iron gates that protected the lush gardens and the front entrance of the club were unlocked. Matthias and Luther went through them and walked to the front door of the club.
Raina met them in the grand foyer. There was no one else around.
“He sent me to bring you both into the main floor of the club,” she said. Her eyes were shadowed but her voice was cool and unnaturally calm. “He told me that you are to give your guns to me and that you must remove your coats so that he can be sure your holsters are empty. He wants the Ares machine.”
Matthias handed her his pistol and took off his jacket. Luther did the same.
“What’s the situation inside?” Matthias asked.
“He’s in the private booth on the mezzanine level,” Raina said. “He’s holding a gun on Amalie.”
“Shit,” Matthias said softly.
“That’s not all,” Raina said. “He’s got a cylinder of poison gas. He says that if we don’t do exactly what he tells us to do, he’ll release the gas. It’s some kind of nerve agent that will kill everyone within range in a matter of minutes.”
Luther looked at Matthias. “You were right. Jasper Calloway wants that cipher machine very, very badly.”
Chapter 52
Amalie sat very still in the private booth on the mezzanine level, her hands in her lap. Outwardly she appeared coldly composed. But when Matthias looked up from the main floor of the club he could read the seething fury in her eyes. Jasper Calloway stood next to her. He appeared oblivious to her rage. A briefcase and a gas cylinder sat on the table. Jasper had one hand wrapped securely around the release mechanism of the cylinder. In his other hand he held a gun aimed at Amalie’s head.
The light fixtures in the ceiling and along the walls of the club had been switched on in preparation for the nightly cleaning. Two men in janitorial attire and a couple of the club’s security guards sat stiffly in one of the booths on the main floor.
In an eerie parody of the glamorous scene that had prevailed earlier in the evening, when the club had been crowded and the orchestra had been playing, candles still burned on the tables, and empty cocktail glasses sparkled in the harsh glare cast by the light fixtures.
Jasper grunted with satisfaction when Raina, flanked by Matthias and Luther, stopped below the mezzanine.
“Thank you, Ms. Kirk,” Jasper said. “I see you have done exactly as instructed. Put the guns on the floor and kick them under the nearest table.”
Raina bent down and set the pistols on the floor. She used the toe of one high-heeled shoe to nudge the weapons under a table.
Matthias looked at Amalie. “Are you all right?”
“Not really,” Amalie said. “It’s been a rather stressful evening.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” Jasper said. “The past few days have been very hard on my nerves.”
“Your plan was too damn complicated,” Luther said. “That was a mistake. You were a pro back in the old days. A top secret agent code-named Smith. Looks like you’ve lost your edge.”
Jasper’s expression hardened. “What do you know about Smith?”
“Not a lot,” Luther said. “Just what the Federal agent told me when he asked for my help.”
“The Feds must have been desperate if they asked a couple of mob guys for help in setting a trap.”
“They didn’t just want our help,” Matthias said. “They needed us.”
“They’re a bunch of incompetent fools.” Jasper made a disgusted sound. “I assume they have something on both of you. They probably threatened to put you in prison if you didn’t help them.”
Matthias did not respond to that. Neither did Luther.
“My original plan was actually very neat and very straightforward,” Jasper continued. “If everyone had followed the script, I would already be out of the country with the Ares machine, and the public would have been convinced that the robot murdered Pickwell. The government might have had some suspicions, but for all intents and purposes the trail would have dead-ended at the Palace Theater. Looks like the Broker double-crossed me right at the start of this thing.”
“It just goes to show you can’t trust anyone these days,” Luther said. “It’s almost dawn. Let’s finish this. You came for the cipher machine. It’s in this suitcase along with the rotors. Take the damn thing and let Miss Vaughn go.”
“I’m afraid Miss Vaughn and the gas cylinder will have to come with me,” Jasper said. “I’ll need someone to drive the car, you see. I’ve got a rendezvous with a boat that will be picking me up tonight in L.A. I won’t have any use for a hostage after that. I’ll leave Miss Vaughn behind on the pier. She’s a clever woman. I’m sure she’ll be able to find a phone.”
“You’ve got the gas,” Matthias said. “You don’t need a hostage.”
“I learned long ago that having a hostage is the most effective way to make sure everyone stays focused on the objective. I should warn you that the gas in this cylinder is under pressure. I’ve got my hand on the trigger. If anything happens to me, say someone decided to take a shot and hit me or distracted me, the contents would be released. One breath will destroy the nervous system. I’m told it’s a painful way to go.”
“You’d be killed along with the rest of us,” Luther pointed out.
Jasper looked at Amalie. “Show him the mask, Miss Vaughn.”
Without a word, Amalie picked up the heavy mask that was lying on the table. She held it so that Matthias and Luther could see it.
“A mummy mask?” Matthias said. “You really are a frustrated horror actor, aren’t you? I hear The Revenge of the Robot was a box office disaster.”
A flicker of astonishment flashed in Jasper’s eyes.
“Nice work for a couple of mob guys,” he said. “How the hell did you figure it out?”
“We found the robot costume a short time ago,” Luther said. “It was in Pierce’s closet. It had the studio’s name stamped inside. One thing led to another. There are no secrets in Hollywood. You just have to know who to call.”
Jasper’s jaw twitched. “The idea was to make it look like Lorraine Pierce was the real Smith. She was perfect for the role.”
“Because she was a gossip columnist?” Matthias asked. “Seems like a bit of a stretch.”
“Lorraine Pierce was a professional assassin during the war,” Jasper said. “We never met in the field but I was aware of her work. She was good. Very, very good. When I went into the gunrunning business here in California, I needed a front man. Front woman, in this case. I recruited her. She never realized that she was working for me, of course. I let her believe she was the head of the operation. As far as she was concerned I was her number one client.”
“She murdered Pickwell, Hubbard, and Thorpe for you but she never knew your identity, did she?” Matthias said.
“I was always just a voice on the phone,” Jasper said.
“You gave her the orders for the weapons and then you gave her the strategy for buying and selling them,” Matthias said.
“I was always nearby to keep an eye on her, but she never noticed me. Never recognized me. Sometimes I was a stuntman. Sometimes a chauffeur. Sometimes a gardener.”
“Looks like you were a pretty fair actor, after all,” Luther said.
“It was my talent for assuming new identit
ies that made it possible for me to survive the Great War,” Jasper said. “I was brilliant; a legend. But I didn’t descend from an old, established family. I didn’t graduate from an Ivy League school. Back in Washington, the men who run the spy agencies are convinced they can only trust others from their own class.”
“Obviously your old boss was right about not being able to trust you,” Luther said.
“It annoyed me when he tried to terminate my employment with a bullet,” Jasper said. “But enough about the past. Here is how we’re going to handle our current situation. Miss Vaughn and I will make our way downstairs. You will open the suitcase so that I can inspect the merchandise. Miss Vaughn will then carry the case outside and put it into the trunk of your speedster, Mr. Jones. She will get behind the wheel and drive me to my destination. If anyone tries to stop us along the way, if there is even a hint of a change of plan, if I hear so much as a fire siren, I will kill Miss Vaughn. If we run into a roadblock, I will release the gas. Everyone in the vicinity will die. Do we understand each other?”
“Yes,” Luther said.
Matthias looked at Amalie. “Time to fly.”
She met his eyes. “You’re sure?”
“Trust me.”
She moved her hand a little, allowing the trailing edge of her delicate wrap to dip into the candle flame. The gossamer fabric caught fire in an instant. Amalie screamed and leaped to her feet.
Jasper’s eyes widened in fury. He took a couple of steps back. For a few seconds his attention was riveted by the flaming fabric.
“You stupid bitch—” he roared.
He brought the nose of the gun up.
But Amalie was in motion. Tossing the burning wrap aside, she grasped the balcony railing and vaulted over the edge.
Realizing that he had lost his primary target, Jasper moved to the railing and took aim at Luther.
Matthias had his gun out of his concealed ankle holster. The shot caught Jasper in the chest. He jerked violently and took a step back. He got off a shot but it tore into a wall. Luther dove under the table, retrieved his weapon, and fired.
