1973 - Have a Change of Scene

by James Hadley Chase

  The two bandits had immediately fled before the alarm could be raised. They had been seen leaving by the doorman and the reporter went on to give a detailed description of them. He added that the police would make no comment as to whether the bandits had stolen anything. This puzzled me as it seemed to puzzle the reporter. Why no mention of the necklace?

  Turning to yesterday’s Herald, its headline came as a blow in the face to me.

  DIAMOND EXPERT INHERITS THE FREMLIN MILLIONS

  My photograph accompanied the report which stated that I had worked for Fremlin for the past five years. I was considered one of the leading diamond experts and that Fremlin had left the bulk of his vast fortune to me and I was now Luce & Fremlin’s senior partner. The reporter had faked up my engagement (how long ago that seemed now), told how Judy had died, explained how I had gone to Luceville on the advice of the famous alienist, Dr. Melish, for a change of scene, how I had worked with the poor, had returned to Paradise City and now because of Fremlin’s death was his successor and a millionaire.

  I read and reread this report feeling as cold as a dead man. Would the Morgans see it? If they did what would they do? For several minutes I felt sick with an awful nagging fear, then I got control of myself.

  What could they do? I asked myself. If they gave me away, they would give themselves away. It would be their word against mine. Rhea was no fool. She must realise that to give me away would be suicidal.

  But suppose the police caught them? That was the danger. If they were caught, then they would talk.

  How would I stand then?

  I thought about this. With Sydney’s money behind me to buy the best legal brains, the fact that I had made no mystery about where the real necklace was and if I denied everything they said, surely no jury would convict me.

  Well, they weren’t caught. Maybe they had already left the country. They had over a thousand dollars of mine: enough for them to get to Mexico and go into hiding.

  I was glad when the nurse came in with a sleeping pill and settled me for the night.

  * * *

  Around 10.00, Jenny came into my room with more red roses. She said she loved my apartment, was getting on fine with Cissy, my coloured help, was coping with my enormous mail and thought I looked better.

  ‘I’m fine,’ I said. ‘Now listen, Jenny, you’ve seen the Herald? You know Sydney has left me all his money?’

  She nodded.

  ‘It’s wonderful for you, Larry, but I can understand how you feel about it.’

  We looked at each other.

  ‘At first I thought of refusing it, but then I realised refusing all this money wouldn’t bring Sydney back to life.’

  ‘You couldn’t refuse. he wanted you to have it.’

  ‘Yes.’ Then I went on to tell her Dr. Summers had recommended a two month sea voyage. He had suggested I should take a companion with me so I shouldn’t have to exert myself. I looked at her. ‘Would you like to come, Jenny? It would mean organising everything and it would entail quite a bit of work, but I’d much rather have you with me than anyone else.’

  She stared at me as if she didn’t believe what I was saying.

  ‘It would be quite a trip,’ I went on. ‘South Africa, India, Ceylon, Hong Kong and Australia. What do you say?’

  ‘You really mean it?’

  ‘Of course I mean it.’

  ‘Oh, Larry. I would love it!’ She was so excited she clapped her hands and I remembered how excited she had been when I had taken her to dinner at Luceville.

  ‘You’ll have to get busy. I should be ready to leave in about four weeks. Buy yourself all the clothes you want and don’t forget I’m very rich. Charge everything to my bank. See Tom Luce. He’ll fix credit for you. Go to the Outward Bound they are my travel agents. Get them to prepare a schedule and we’ll go through it together. First class, of course: a stateroom and a single cabin for you. Will you do that?’

  ‘I’ll see Mr. Luce and the travel agents this afternoon.’

  After more talk, her face flushed, her eyes sparkling, Jenny left me.

  I relaxed back on my pillow and for the first time since I had been in this hospital I felt reasonably safe and reasonably happy but not for long.

  In the afternoon Sergeant Hess and Lepski visited me.

  ‘Just a question or two, Mr. Carr, if you feel like it,’ Hess said, sitting by my bedside.

  I braced myself. What was coming?

  ‘There’s a question I want to ask you, sergeant,’ I said. ‘I’ve been reading the papers. There’s no mention of the Plessington necklace, any reason?’

  ‘Sure if we gave out the necklace had been stolen, Mr. Carr,’ Hess said, ‘we would have to say it was a fake. So long as the thieves imagine they have a genuine necklace they will try to sell it. We have alerted every big fence in the country. If they try to sell it we’ll have them.’

  ‘I see.’

  I thought of Rhea’s greed. Would she be reckless enough to take such a risk?

  Hess shifted in his chair.

  ‘I understand, Mr. Carr, you did welfare work for a few weeks in Luceville. Is that correct?’

  I regarded him, my heart beginning to thump.

  ‘Yes. It’s in the papers, Sergeant, there’s no mystery about it. Dr. Melish advised me to have a change of scene after my accident and sent me to work with his niece, Miss Baxter. Why do you ask?’

  ‘Does the name Rhea Morgan mean anything to you?’

  Somehow I met his steady stare. Somehow I managed to keep my face expressionless.

  ‘Yes. Miss Baxter will tell you more about her than I can.’

  ‘You had something to do with this woman?’

  ‘Yes. When Miss Baxter was in hospital, I volunteered to meet Rhea Morgan when she was released from prison and drive her home, you could call it a welfare service.’

  ‘Did she know who you are?’

  ‘She knew my name.’

  ‘Did she know you were working for Luce & Fremlin - did you mention that to her?’

  ‘No. I didn’t like the woman. We scarcely said anything to each other.’

  ‘But she could have found out who you were?’

  ‘I suppose so. But why should she?’

  ‘I’m trying to fill in blank spaces, Mr. Carr.’

  ‘Has Rhea Morgan anything to do with this - this investigation?’ I was now aware my hands had turned moist.

  ‘We’re beginning to think so. The Luceville police received information from an attendant working at the Caltex gas station, just outside Luceville. He had seen the reports in the papers giving a description of the two killers. He called up Sergeant O’Halloran of the city police and told him that the previous week he had been held up by a man wearing a Beatle wig, silver goggles and a red jacket with black patch pockets. This man had a toy gun and was nervous. The attendant told him to scram which he did. The attendant thought no more about it until he read in the papers that a man answering the description of this hold-up phoney was wanted for murder. O’Halloran called me and I went up to Luceville. This seemed to me, Mr. Carr, an odd coincidence. Here was a man matching the description of the killer in Luceville and you had been in Luceville. So O’Halloran and I looked around for someone with a record who had contacted you. This was a long shot, but police work is mostly long shots, and we came up with Rhea Morgan. It didn’t look such a long shot when we found out she lived with her brother. Have you met her brother?’

  I had to moisten my lips before saying, ‘Yes. He was there when I brought her home.’

  ‘At no time, Mr. Carr, did you mention you were in the diamond trade to these two?’

  ‘I’m sure of that.’

  Hess brooded for a moment.

  ‘You had a car?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘If they wanted to know more about you, they could have checked your licence, couldn’t they?’

  ‘But why should they? After all, I was just a welfare worker to them, bringing the woman home.’r />
  ‘Yeah.’ He paused, then asked, ‘Could these two have been the two who killed Fremlin?’

  I paused as if thinking, then I said, ‘I don’t know. It happened so quickly. I couldn’t possibly say.’

  ‘Would you say Morgan was the same build at the man who burst into the apartment?’

  ‘I don’t think so. I told you. I - I was under the impression the man was short and heavily built. Morgan is tall and thin.’

  Hess nodded.

  ‘Yeah.’ He rubbed his ear, frowning. ‘O’Halloran and I went to Morgan’s place, little better than a shack. We found the place shut up no one there. We asked around. The Morgans haven’t been seen since two days before the murder. It would take them that time to drive down here. We’ve been checking all the hotels and motels and we’ve come up with something.’ Again he stroked his nose. ‘They stayed at the Pyramid Motel and checked out on the night of the killing. The clerk there identified Rhea’s photo. Tell me something: you met and talked to her. Would you say she was a killer?’

  I thought of Rhea’s reflection in the glass she set herself to hit me. A killer? Yes she was a killer.

  ‘I can’t answer that, Sergeant,’ I said, my voice husky. ‘How could I possibly know?’

  ‘Yeah but she has a hell of a record. I like these two for the job. If Morgan’s got a wounded arm and if his blood group jells, I guess we’ve got them.’ He got to his feet. ‘There’s an alarm out for them right now. It’s only a matter of time before we pick them up.’ He jerked his head at Lepski who made for the door. ‘Okay, Mr. Carr, I don’t think I’ll have to worry you much longer. You take it easy.’

  He followed Lepski out of the room.

  * * *

  I had dug my own grave, I told myself.

  How could I have been so brainless and stupid to have given Fel that disguise, having used it myself on that spineless hold-up attempt? I had been so confident, warning them to use gloves and providing them with an alibi, but it had never occurred to me that the fat gas service attendant would hook them to Luceville because of the Beade wig, the goggles and the jacket!

  So within only a few days, when I had felt so sure they couldn’t be identified unless they tried to sell the necklace, the police were on to them!

  Now they were being hunted. How long would they survive? When they were caught, they would talk!

  Radio Paradise put out a news broadcast every three hours. I became a compulsive listener. Every time the commentator said, ‘and here is the news.’ I would stiffen, my heart would begin to thump while I waited to hear if they were caught.

  During the three hour wait, I was scarcely civil to my nurse. I went off my food. I could only watch the hands of my watch crawling around to the next news broadcast.

  I realised the two month sea trip must be cancelled. The idea of being on a ship, cut off from the news, wondering all the time if they had been caught, expecting to find detectives at any port waiting to arrest me would drive me crazy.

  I found I was so restless. I couldn’t remain in bed and the following morning as soon as the nurse had gone, I got up and began to pace the floor, feeling unsteady at first, but as I persisted, stronger for the exercise.

  Dr. Summers found me standing by the window.

  ‘Now don’t fuss,’ I said. ‘I want to go home. I don’t give a damn if it’s good for me or bad for me. If I take it easy on my terrace in the sun, I know I’ll make good progress and I can’t stand being cooped up here any longer!’

  Rather to my surprise, he agreed.

  ‘All right, Mr. Carr, I’ll order an ambulance and you can go home this afternoon. I’ll drop in this evening to see how you are getting on. I think it would be wise for Nurse Flemming to go along with you and stay with you for a few days just in case.’

  ‘I don’t want her. Miss Baxter can take care of me.’

  By 16.00 that afternoon I was back in my apartment, sitting in the sun on the terrace.

  It was when Jenny arrived, carrying a tray of tea things that I told her the sea trip was off.

  The shocked disappointment in her eyes irritated me. I kept looking at my watch. The radio news would be coming up in fifteen minutes.

  ‘But why?’ Jenny asked. ‘It’ll do you so much good. What has made you change your mind?’

  ‘I can change my mind, can’t I?’ I snapped. ‘I want to get back to work. I have to cope with Sydney’s estate. I realise now to spend two months on a ship would bore me stiff.’

  ‘Oh.’ She looked down at her hands and she flushed. ‘But I’ve ordered clothes, Larry. You said. . .’

  ‘That’s all right. We might go later who knows? Keep them. You deserve them.’

  ‘I can’t do that, Larry. I was going to be your secretary.’

  ‘Don’t bother me with that! Keep them!’ Again I looked at my watch.

  ‘Thank you.’ There was a sudden cold note in her voice. After a long pause, she said, ‘I think I should go back to Luceville. I’m walking quite well now. I think you can do without me, can’t you?’

  I suddenly knew I had to be alone, I had to spend my time waiting and listening to the news and Jenny would be in the way. Besides, if they were caught and when they talked, I didn’t want Jenny to be here when I was arrested. That was something I didn’t want.

  Without looking at her, I said, ‘All right, Jenny. I understand. You want to get back to your work as much as I want to get back to mine.’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘All right that’s settled. I. . .’ Seeing it was news time I broke off. ‘Just a moment. I want to hear the news.’

  It was while I was listening to the same dreary rigmarole about Nixon and China, Vietnam, England and the Common Market that Jenny got quietly to her feet and went into the sitting room.

  When the rigmarole came to an end with no news of their arrest, I too went into the sitting room. She wasn’t there. I hesitated, then went to the spare bedroom. She was packing.

  ‘You don’t have to rush off like this,’ I said uneasily. ‘What are you thinking of?’

  She went on packing.

  ‘There’s a bus in an hour. If I catch it, I’ll be at my desk the day after tomorrow and I want that,’ she said.

  ‘Yes. I see.’

  Sick with myself, I went back to the terrace. Twenty minutes later she joined me.

  ‘Look after yourself, Larry,’ she said. ‘Don’t overdo things.’

  ‘Thanks for being such a help. I’ll keep in touch.’ I couldn’t look at her.

  ‘There’s something worrying you, isn’t there?’ she asked and put her hand on my arm. ‘Won’t you tell me? Two are often better than one when solving a problem.’

  How I wanted to tell her!

  But what was the use? What could she do? There wasn’t anything anyone could do.

  ‘It’s all right, Jenny,’ I said curtly. ‘Don’t miss your bus.’

  She regarded me for a long moment, her lips trembling. I knew then she really loved me, but like everything I touched now it was too late.

  I turned away. A moment later I heard the front door shut and then I knew I was really alone.

  NINE

  During the next three days I remained alone, sending down to the restaurant for meals and listening to every news broadcast.

  The telephone gave me little peace: people inquiring after my health, my friends wanting to come and see me and sounding hurt when I said I wasn’t well enough to see anyone. Finally, I gave up answering it.

  On the third morning Dr. Summers removed my bandages. Apart from a bald patch at the back of my head, he told me I was as good as new. Now was the time, he went on, for me to take a sea trip. I said I was thinking about it and got rid of him.

  I began to regret treating Jenny the way I had done. I had been in such a panic I just had had to be by myself, but now I was getting over my scare, I tried to assure myself that Rhea and Fel might never be caught. For all I knew they could be in Mexico or even South America while I coul
d spend the rest of my days chained to the radio.

  Should I call Jenny, explain that I had been upset and that now I felt I could face a sea trip? Would she forget my behaviour and come with me?

  I hesitated.

  Maybe, I thought, I’d better wait a couple of weeks, then if there was no news of the Morgans, I would go.

  I wrote Jenny a letter, trying to explain how bad I had been feeling and that I was better now and if she would come with me, I wanted to make the sea trip before long, but after reading it, it seemed to me to be so insincere that I tore it up.

  On the fourth day, I made the effort and took a taxi to the shop. In my briefcase I had the Plessington necklace.

  I received a big welcome from Miss Barlow, Pierre Martin and Hans Kloch. Even Terry, although not enthusiastic, did have the grace to say he hoped I was better.

  I went into Tom Luce’s office and put the case containing the necklace on his desk.

  ‘Tom, I want to explain about the necklace,’ I said.

  He gave me a rather old-fashioned look, nodded and waited.

  I told him the truth: how Sydney had wanted to make the resale of the necklace a private deal, how I had warned him this wasn’t ethical and how he had persisted.

  ‘I know that,’ Luce said quietly. ‘You see, Larry, not much escapes me. I handled Sydney’s stocks and when he told me he wanted to sell a block worth three-quarters of a million and when I heard Mrs. P. was up to her eyes in debt, it wasn’t hard to put two and two together. It didn’t worry me and I’m sorry it worried Sydney.’

  ‘The necklace is mine now,’ I said. ‘I’m handing it over to the firm, Tom. When we sell it, using Sydney’s design, I want the firm to make the profit.’

  ‘That’s the way a partner should act,’ he said, ‘but the firm will buy it off you at what Sydney paid. That’s fair enough, isn’t it? The profit of the sale goes into the firm.’