‘Don’t call me that!’ I shouted at her, and braced myself, expecting her to jump to her feet and fly at me, but she didn’t. She sat still, her hands against her face, her eyes wide with surprise.
‘Nice work, buster,’ Fel said as he lounged into the room. ‘That’s the way to treat the bitch. I guessed we’d be seeing you before long. Make yourself at home.’
I ignored him, my eyes on Rhea.
‘You ever touch me again and you’ll be sorry,’ she said, but there was no conviction in her voice.
As my rage began to die down, I had a sudden idea that I had been handling her wrongly with my pleading and grovelling. I remembered how her brother had slapped her around. Maybe she respected a man who got tough with her.
‘You call me Cheapie again and you’ll get slapped again,’ I said, pushing by Fel, I sat down in the ruined armchair. ‘I’ve come to talk to you two. Maybe if you have enough guts, we three could steal some diamonds.’
Rhea stared at me as if she thought I was crazy, but Fel burst into a loud laugh.
‘You see? I told you he had spunk, you stupid cow,’ he said to Rhea, ‘and you wouldn’t believe me. I told you he was okay. I know. I can spot ‘em a mile off.’
‘Shut up!’ Rhea snapped at him, still staring at me. ‘Just what do you mean by that?’
‘Although I have some money,’ I said, ‘I haven’t enough - who has? You two want money, so why not team up with me and make some?’
Her eyes glittering, her face set, she leaned forward.
‘How?’
‘You took the trouble to find out who I am,’ I said, ‘so I have taken the trouble to find out who you are. I know you have been in two crappy little holdups and you drew four and four. Small-time stuff. If you and your brother can think big enough and have the nerve, there’s a half a million in it for you.’
Fel drew in his breath with a sharp, hissing sound, while Rhea stiffened, her hands turning into fists.
‘You mean that? Half a million?’ Fel asked, his voice a croak.
‘I’m not here to waste time. I mean it. Half a million to you two: half a million to me.’
‘You don’t con me,’ Rhea said harshly. ‘Just what’s behind this crap? You don’t imagine you can kid me with this baloney, do you? I wasn’t born yesterday! Half a million! Phooey!’
‘Aw, rest your goddamn mouth!’ Fel shouted at her. ‘It’s you who’s a bag of baloney! I tell you this guy’s okay! He’s dealing it off the top deck!’ He turned to me. ‘Tell me more, mister don’t bother with her. She’s always had a tiny mind. What’s this about half a million? Jesus! Could I use bread like that!’
‘It’s there for the taking,’ I said. ‘All you have to do is to walk in, pick it up and walk out again.’
‘You mean walk into that store of yours and clean it out?’ Fel said, puzzled.
‘Don’t talk like an idiot! If you tried that you’d be in jail so fast you wouldn’t know what had hit you. No this job is easy, safe and simple.’
‘And what do you do?’ Rhea broke in, her eyes suspicious and cold. ‘Stand on the sidelines while we do the work and if the job turns sour, you duck out of sight?’
‘Nothing can go wrong. It’s simple,’ I said. ‘I organise the job and sell the diamonds. Without me, there’s no money. But if you haven’t the guts to do it, say so now and I’ll find someone else to do it.’
‘Man! Hasn’t this guy changed since last he was here!’ There was a note of awe in Fel’s voice. ‘What’s got into you, mister?’
‘You two have got into me,’ I said. ‘You started me thinking.’ I looked at Rhea. ‘I’ve decided not to wait to become old, fat and stupid. I’ve decided to become rich now.’
Still her eyes were suspicious.
‘So what’s the job?’ she asked, frowning at me, but I knew I had caught heir interest. ‘Don’t talk in circles. What’s it all about?’
I had come prepared. I took from my wallet a photograph of Mrs. P.’s necklace and laid it on the table in front of her.
‘That’s what it’s all about: one million, eight hundred thousand dollars’ worth of diamonds.’
Fel came to lean over his sister’s shoulder. I watched them, and by the sudden greed on their faces I knew I had hooked them as I had hooked Sydney.
Then Rhea looked up at me.
‘We could go away for twenty years if this one turned sour.’
‘Hell!’ Fel exploded. ‘Can’t you stop griping? Must you always try to throw a goddamn spanner in the works? Why don’t you shut up?’
‘I’ve been in jail you haven’t,’ she said. ‘You talk like the moron you are.’
‘There won’t be any jail,’ I put in. ‘Let me explain.’
I then told them about Mrs. P.’s necklace, showed them the newspaper cuttings and the press photos of her wearing the necklace. I told them how she was in the hole for thousands because of her gambling and how she had to sell the necklace secretly. How my boss had bought it at a knockdown price and how he and I were going to make the diamonds into a collar and sell it at a big profit.
‘The mean sonofabitch is only offering me two percent of the take,’ I concluded, ‘so I’m going to take the necklace. In my position I can sell the stones safely for a million. I’ll split fifty-fifty with you two,’ and using Sydney’s pet phrase, I went on, ‘I can’t be fairer than that, can I?’
Rhea studied me.
‘You’re damned generous, aren’t you?’ Her cold suspicious eyes searched my face. ‘What’s the idea? You know we’d have done it for a tenth of that price. What’s the idea?’
I realised then that I had overplayed my hand. She was right, of course. If I had offered them fifty thousand, they would still have jumped at it, but it was too late now to back track. I had made a slip and now I had to lull her suspicions. Keeping my face expressionless, I met her steady stare with one as steady.
‘The way I see it,’ I said, ‘as you two do the dangerous part of the job and I pay you half, you won’t be dissatisfied and you’ll keep your mouths shut. The last thing I want is for you to try to blackmail me for more money when the job’s done. To take care of that and to safeguard myself, I’m splitting the take down the middle.’
‘This guy thinks ahead he uses his nut,’ Fel said excitedly. ‘You’re right, mister. With half a million you won’t ever hear from us again!’
‘The dangerous part of the job?’ Rhea was quick to pounce on yet another slip. ‘You said it was simple and easy. So where’s the danger come in?’
‘I should have said the active part of the job, not dangerous, but there’s bound to be tension.’ I was telling myself I had to be more careful with her. Whereas her brother was a gullible fool, she was as tricky as a sack full of rattlesnakes.
She continued to stare at me for a long moment, then finally, she asked, ‘So what do we do?’
‘First, make yourselves look respectable: a brother and sister on vacation. Buy some respectable looking clothes with the money you stole from me. Then you come to Paradise City and put up at the Pyramid Motel: register as John and Mary Hall.’ I took out my gold pencil and wrote my telephone number on the margin of the newspaper lying on the table. ‘Call me Tuesday night after midnight and give me the number of your cabin. I don’t want to ask for you at the reception desk. On Wednesday night I’ll come to your cabin at ten o’clock with all the details you’ll need. You could do the job next Friday, but I’ll let you know for certain when we meet on Wednesday.’
‘You still haven’t told us how we do the job,’ Rhea said, watching me. ‘I want to know.’
‘My boss and I will be working on the design for the collar at his penthouse, and the necklace will be on his desk. We need it for the new design. All you have to do is to walk in, tie us up so we can’t raise the alarm, pick up the necklace and walk out. It’s as easy and as simple as that.’
‘Well, for Pete’s sake!’ Fel exclaimed. ‘You mean it really will be as easy as that? No fuzz
to worry about? We just walk in and take the goddamn thing?’
‘That’s it.’ I got to my feet. ‘Any further questions?’
‘We’ve got to have guns?’ Fel asked.
‘Of course, but not loaded. There’ll be no opposition. Just use them as a threat, you understand? Not loaded.’
‘Sure. I can get hold of a couple of rods okay.’
‘We’ll go into details next Wednesday. Leave the organising to me. All you have to do is to get yourselves decent-looking outfits, look respectable and don’t attract attention.’ I looked at Rhea. ‘Have you any questions?’
She studied me, frowning.
‘What’s the catch?’ she asked. ‘That’s my question. This job stinks to me: half a million bucks; simple, dead easy and no fuzz. It stinks! What’s your game?’
I turned to Fel.
‘Do you think you can find someone to work with you? I’m getting sick of her. After all two men are better than a man and a suspicious bitch.’
He grinned.
‘Pay no attention to her. She always runs at the mouth. We’ll be at the motel Tuesday night, mister.’
‘If I don’t hear from you by midnight Tuesday, I’ll know you haven’t the guts to do the job and I’ll look elsewhere.’
I made that my exit line.
* * *
During the five years I had worked for Sydney I had been to his penthouse scores of times. The nightman, Bert Lawson, knew me and always had a cheery salute for me when he let me in.
At 22.00 the glass door to the entrance lobby was locked. Once the door was locked, Lawson retired to his little office and spent the rest of the night watching TV. He only appeared to let in the occasional visitor and to answer the telephone which rarely disturbed him.
The four rich occupants, including Sydney, had their keys to the entrance door and let themselves in after 22.00. Apart from Sydney, the other three were elderly and seldom if ever went out at night. This made it easy for me. The lock on the entrance door was a Yale. Lawson pressed down the catch at locking up time and then the door could only be opened by a key. I didn’t anticipate any trouble when coming to see Sydney after 22.00. Lawson would let me in. I would take the elevator to the top floor, then walk down to the lobby. By that time, Lawson would be back in his office, watching TV. All I had to do would be to sneak across the lobby, put up the catch, then walk up the stairs to Sydney’s penthouse.
Sydney also had a Yale lock on his front door. As he was always forgetting his keys, he seldom kept his front door locked, knowing the entrance door to the apartment block was ways guarded during the day and locked at night. If, on the night of the raid, he did happen to lock his door when I was with him, I could find an excuse to unlock it. I could leave my briefcase in the lobby, come out to fetch it while he was working at his desk, slip the catch, unlocking the door. It was essential that Rhea and Fel should rush into the penthouse and take Sydney by surprise. I was sure he would collapse with fright. At the sight of a gun, he would shrivel. I was sure I would have no trouble from him, but to keep suspicion off me, I would have to act brave. I would have to be pistol whipped by Fel. I didn’t like this idea, but it was essential to keep me clear of any suspicion. I had already suffered concussion from the air crash. He mustn’t hit me over the head, I told myself, but across the face.
All these thoughts were going through my head as I drove back to Paradise City. I felt reasonably convinced that both Rhea and Fel were hooked in spite of Rhea’s suspicions. But if they imagined I would let them walk off with one million, eight hundred thousand dollars’ worth of diamonds they were in for another think.
The trick in my plan was to let them steal the glass necklace. During the flight back to Paradise City in the air taxi, I had begun to realise I was getting misgivings about Rhea. Now, driving back in the Buick I asked myself if I really wanted to have an association with her. I lusted for her, but discovered I was lusting for a million dollars more than her. If I could have laid her like the whore she was, I would have done it, but seeing her this time warned me she was hard, tough and ruthless, without a spark of feeling in her. As I drove mile after mile, I began to come around to the idea of using her and her brother as my cat’s paws. Unlike her moron of a brother, she was suspicious of me. I would now have to be very careful how I handled her on Wednesday night.
It would be a complete letdown if, like some wild cat, sniffing at a concealed trap and knowing instinctively that it was a trap, she wouldn’t do the job. Without her and Fel the plan was abortive. I had no other connections with the underworld. I couldn’t ask around for two men to pull a jewel robbery.
So everything depended on how I handled her on Wednesday night. I was sure she would come to the motel, but by then, she would have had time to think and to search for snags and to try to find out why I had stupidly offered half a million. From the expression in her cold, green eyes, I was sure she hadn’t been convinced by my explanation.
But I was certain of one thing: it would never occur to her that the necklace was a fake. I felt, since I was willing to let them take the necklace, her suspicions would be lulled. Letting them take the necklace was the bait in the trap and I was confident such a bait wouldn’t occur to her. Surely she would feel she had the whip hand with the necklace in her possession. She would be sure that I couldn’t double-cross her.
When I arrived at the shop on Tuesday morning, Jane Bowman, my secretary, told me that Sydney wouldn’t be in. He was feeling unwell. I guessed he was struggling with the design of the collar and it was proving difficult. I wondered if I should telephone him, but with Terry watching me, I decided I would call him during my lunchtime.
Business was brisk that morning. I sold a diamond clip, a bracelet and an engagement ring before I went to lunch.
Using a call booth, I spoke to Sydney. He sounded depressed.
‘Larry, precious, this isn’t going to be easy. I’ve tried and tried over the weekend and I’m getting just a wee bit desperate.’
This was unlike Sydney, but I knew his task would be difficult.
‘Two million dollars are never easy to make, Sydney,’ I said. ‘Have you anything to show me tonight?’
‘Show you?’ His voice went up into a squeak. ‘Hundreds and hundreds of designs I’m sick of looking at them.’
‘Don’t worry. I’ll be around at nine and we’ll sort them out, okay?’
‘You do sound so confident! Yes I’ll get Claude to cook a beautiful dinner, come earlier. Come at eight.’
‘Sorry, I’m tied up. I’ll see you at nine,’ and I hung up.
I wanted our meetings during the time we were working on the collar to be late. This was essential to my plan.
Claude, Sydney’s Man Friday, was a fat, kindly queer who once had been an under chef at Maxim’s of Paris. His working hours were from 08.00 to 22.00. He arrived promptly and left promptly. His cooking was superlative and he kept Sydney’s luxury home immaculate with the help of two coloured women to do the rough work.
That evening, a few minutes after 21.00, he opened the door to my ring and beamed at me. I was one of his rare favourites.
‘Good evening, Mr. Larry. May I say how glad I am that you are better?’ His greeting was genuine.
‘Do go in. Mr. Sydney is expecting you.’ Lowering his voice, he went on, ‘Dinner is nearly ready so please don’t linger too long over the cocktails.’
I said I would take care of that and then went into the vast living room where I found Sydney at his desk, a treble dry martini at his side.
‘Larry! How glad I am to see you this is utter hell! Come and look!’
I went over to the big cocktail shaker and poured myself a large martini, then dropped into one of the big lounging chairs.
‘Not now, Sydney. Let’s eat first. We have the night before us.’
‘My head is simply buzzing.’ Sydney carried his glass to another chair near mine and sat down. ‘I’m beginning to wonder if this is going to work. God! I could
n’t sleep last night! I kept thinking I’ve given that dreadful woman three-quarters of a million! I must be out of my tiny mind! I am beginning to wonder if I’ll ever get my money back!’
‘Relax you’ll get it back plus. Now don’t get in a tizz, Sydney. We’ll sort it out after dinner.’
Although I could see he wasn’t interested, I went on to tell him of the happenings in the shop, what I had sold, who had bought and how a lot of people had asked for him.
Talking in this way, I finished my martini as Claude announced dinner was served. It was an exceptionally excellent meal: stuffed gulls’ eggs, followed by noisette d’agneau Edward VII, one of Maxim’s great specialities.
After dinner, we returned to the living room. I heard Claude let himself out and the front door clicked to. I wondered if he had left the catch down.
‘I’m just going to visit the small room,’ I said, ‘then let’s get at it.’
As Sydney sat at his desk, I went into the lobby, saw the catch was up and the door unlocked, then I went into the toilet, lifted the flush plug and returned to the living room.
We spent the next half-hour going through Sydney’s designs. This was to me a waste of time knowing there would be no collar, but I had to act out the play. Among the many designs, I selected three which I said were getting very near the idea.
‘Do you really think so, Larry? You’re not just being kind?’ Sydney looked anxiously at me.
‘Are you working with the necklace at your side?’
‘Why, no.’ His eyes popped open. ‘I keep it in the safe.’
‘That’s it!’ I snapped my fingers. ‘That’s why you’re having this trouble. Get the necklace and put it on your desk. You’ll get inspiration from it.’
He stared at me, then a happy smile lit up his face.
‘You know I never thought of that! Clever you? You could be so right!’ He went through the performance of removing the Picasso and opening the safe. Even though I knew he trusted me utterly, he kept his body between me and the safe so I couldn’t see how he opened it. He had spent a lot of money on the safe and how it was opened was his secret and for no one else.
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