The Flesh of The Orchid

by James Hadley Chase

  At this moment the door opened and Eddie, now prepared to deal with the situation, came in. His opening sentence died in his throat when he saw the stacks of dollar bills on the floor. He spotted the brief-case and he realized at once that this money belonged to Frank and Max. He also jumped to the conclusion that Frank’s money, anyway, was now Linda’s property, and what was Linda’s was, of course, his as well.

  Carol turned quickly in her chair when she heard the door close, saw Eddie and recognized him. She remained still, her big green eyes watchful.

  Eddie stirred the money with his foot, looked at her.

  “Know me?” he asked, and smiled.

  “Get out,” Carol said quietly.

  Now sure of himself, Eddie lounged to the fireplace and propped himself up against the mantelpiece.

  “The police are looking for a dame who calls herself Mary Prentiss,” he said, reached for a cigarette, lit it. “The charge is murder, and they have a good enough case, if they find her, to make it stick.”

  “Get out,” Carol repeated, and her hands closed into fists.

  “They wouldn’t hang you. They’d put you away, sweetheart, for twenty years.” He regarded the glowing end of his cigarette, glanced at her, went on: “You wouldn’t like prison life, you know. You’ve had a dose of asylum life, but they treat you tough in prison.”

  “Why are you telling me this?” she asked, suddenly relaxing back in her chair.

  “Look, baby, we don’t have to wrap this up in cotton wool. Don’t try and bluff. I know you are Mary Prentiss because of that scar. You were the girl who agreed to be Prank’s companion, who took my money to keep him amused, and who engineered his death. I don’t know why you did it, but I can soon find out. You are also Carol Blandish, the millionairess, late of Glenview Mental Sanatorium. You and me are going to do a deal. I’m taking this money for a start, and then you’ll give me a certified cheque for half a million, otherwise I’m going to hand you over to the police. What do you say to all that?”

  “I don’t like you,” Carol said, and her mouth twitched. “You’d better go.”

  “Don’t rush it, baby,” Eddie said, and showed his big white teeth in a sneering smile. “I’m not going until you’ve paid up. Come on, get wise, I’ve got you where I want you, and there’s no wriggling out.”

  She looked up at him, her eyes like holes burned in white paper.

  “Get out!” she said violently, “and leave me alone.”

  “I’ll give you a couple of hours to think it over,” Eddie said, a little startled. “But I’ll take this dough while I’m at it. It doesn’t belong to you.”

  As he bent to pick up the money Carol snatched up the poker and struck at his head with all her strength.

  Eddie had just time to drop flat. The poker missed his head but caught his shoulder, and the pain stunned him for a second or so.

  But as Carol jumped to her feet he rolled clear and, cursing, swung his legs round, catching her a bang below her knees, bringing her down on top of him. He grabbed her arms, rolled her over on her back and pinned her to the floor.

  “Now, you hell-cat,” he said viciously, “I’ll teach you to start something like this,” and releasing one of her arms he slapped her heavily across her face.

  It was a mistake to release her arm, for she struck back like lightning. Instinct rather than sight warned Eddie and he jerked back his head in time to save his eyes. Her finger-nails ploughed four deep scratches down his jaw, drawing blood.

  Before he could recover from the first shock of pain she was up and had darted to the door. He snatched at the skirt of her black silk dress, brought her up with a jerk, then the dress ripped and he lost his hold.

  She reached the door, set her back against it, her hands behind her. As he got slowly to his feet he heard the key turn in the lock.

  “That won’t get you anywhere,” he said, breathing heavily. Blood from the scratches dripped on to his white shirt-front. “Unlock that door or I’ll give you the hiding of your life.”

  Carol removed the key, bent and slipped it under the door.

  “Now neither of us can get away,” she said softly.

  “I’ll make you pay for this,” Eddie said, not liking the cold, vicious expression on her face nor the burning light in her eyes. “I’m three times as strong as you and I’ll skin you if you start anything funny.”

  She gave a soft metallic laugh which set his nerves tingling.

  “You’re afraid of me,” she said, sidled across the room towards him.

  “Stay where you are,” Eddie said sharply, and he remembered with a little chill what the newspapers had said about her. Homicidal . . . wildcat . . . dangerous.

  But she came on, her hands hanging loosely at her sides, her eyes burning.

  “So you’re going to have me locked up,” she jeered at him. “I don’t think so. I don’t like being locked up.”

  Eddie backed away until he came up against the wall. She struck before he was properly set and her finger-nails, missing his eyes by a hair’s-breadth, slashed his cheek. Furious with pain, Eddie grabbed her, and for a minute or so they fought like animals. It was all Eddie could do to keep the flying finger-nails out of his eyes. Each time he grabbed at her wrists she evaded l>im, and although she did not reach his eyes, she scratched and tore at his face until it was a mask of blood.

  Eddie hit her in the body, but she clung on to him. He got hold of her arms, twisted them behind her, turned her and threw her down on the bed. Her dress was ripped into shreds and he couldn’t hold her, his hands sliding off her smooth, slippery young body. She managed to turn and bite at his wrists, and as he lost his hold her knees came up and she kicked him away.

  He jumped her before she could get off the bed, and by sheer weight flattened her.

  “I’ll teach you, you wildcat!” he panted, and raised his fist to club her, but her hands flew up to his throat and he only just caught her wrists in time. They lay like that, their faces close, each struggling to exert sufficient strength to overpower the other.

  She was stronger than he thought possible, and he could feel her cold fingers creeping up his neck towards his eyes again.

  Panic now seized him and, releasing her, he sprang away, rushed to the door, turned as he heard her savage little cry. She came at him, her eyes blazing and her white face working. He grabbed up a chair and smashed it down across her shoulders so that the chair splintered in his hands.

  She pitched forward, and as she was falling he hit her with all his strength on the back of her head. The chair-back snapped, I and he stood staring down at her limp body, a piece of the chair firmly clenched in his hand, blood running down his face, horror I in his eyes.

  “I’ve killed her!” he thought and turned cold.

  For almost a minute he stood staring down at her as she lay before him; practically naked above the waist; her face waxen, her black dress in shreds, one stocking down to her ankle. Her arms and neck were smeared with his blood. The sight of her turned him sick.

  “If the cops find her here,” he thought wildly, “they’ll crucify me! They won’t believe I hit her in self-defence.”

  Then he thought of Gus. Gus would have to get him out of this mess. If there was anyone who could do it—Gus was the guy.

  He blundered to the telephone, and when Gus answered he gasped, “Come up here, quick!” Then he flopped on to the bed and kept his eyes averted from the still figure on the floor.

  After a while the rattle of a key in the lock aroused him, and he got unsteadily to his feet as Gus came in.

  Gus stopped short, caught his breath sharply.

  “For God’s sake!” he exclaimed, his eyes hardening. Then he came into the room, closed the door. “Is she dead?”

  “I don’t know,” Eddie quavered. He looked ghastly with blood still trickling down his face and soaking into his collar and coat. “Look what she did to me. She’s crazy! She came at me like a wild animal. If I hadn’t hit her . . .”
>
  But Gus wasn’t listening. The dollar bills scattered all over the room held his attention. He shot a quick, hard glance at Eddie, then knelt beside Carol, felt her pulse, lifted her head, grimaced as he got blood on his fingers. He lowered her head very gently to the floor, wiped his fingers on her torn dress and stood up with a little grunt.

  “Is she . . .?” Eddie began, gulped, waited.

  “You’ve smashed her skull,” Gus said brutally. “Why did you have to hit her so hard, you crazy bastard?”

  “Is she dead?” Eddie jerked out, his knees buckling. He had to sit on the bed.

  “She won’t last long,” Gus said grimly. “The back of her head’s caved in.”

  Eddie shuddered.

  “She’d’ve killed me, Gus,” he moaned. “I had to do it. I swear she’d have killed me . . . look what she did to me.”

  “Tell it to the cops,” Gus said. “If you can’t cook up a better yarn than that they’ll fling you into the gas chamber so fast you’ll be dizzy in the head till the pellets drop.”

  “Don’t. . ,” Eddie cried, starting to his feet. “I tell you “

  “Save it,” Gus returned. “You don’t have to tell me a thing. I’m thinking of the hotel, not you. The cops would slam us shut if they heard about this. Can’t you stop that bleeding?” he went on irritably. “You’re ruining the carpet.”

  Eddie went into the bathroom, came back holding a towel to his face.

  “We’ve got to get her out of here before she croaks,” he said desperately. “No one knows she’s in town. For the love of Mike, Gus, get her out of here and dump her somewhere.”

  “Me?” Gus exclaimed. “And get an accessary rap tied to my tail? That’s a laugh. I ain’t as dumb as that.”

  Eddie clutched his arm.

  “You can fix it, Gus. I’ll make it worth your while. Look, take that dough. There’s more than twenty grand there.”

  Gus gave an exaggerated start and appeared to see for the first time the money that was scattered over the floor.

  “Y»;u two been robbing a bank?” he asked.

  “It’s mine,” Eddie said hysterically. “Get her out of here and you can have the lot. Come on, Gus, you know you can fix it.”

  Gus ran his hand over his thinning hair.

  “Yeah, I guess I could,” he said slowly. “You’ll give me this dough if I get rid of her?”

  “Yes . . . only get her out quick.”

  “I’ll chance it,” Gus said, making up his mind, and he bent to pick up the money, pushing Carol aside with his foot to get at some of the notes.

  “Get her out first,” Eddie said, wringing his hands.

  “Take it easy,” Gus said. “I’ll take her down in the service elevator. She’s got a car in the garage; may as well use that. I’ll dump her outside the hospital if the coast’s clear. You’d better get out of town, Eddie,” he went on, stuffing the last of the notes into the brief-case. “If the cops see your mug they’ll haul you in as a suspect.”

  “I’m going,” Eddie gasped. “Thanks, Gus, you’re a pal.”

  “Think nothing of it,” Gus returned, closed the brief-case. “I was always a sucker for a smart guy like you.”

  Eddie went unsteadily across the room to where the other brief-case lay hidden behind the overturned armchair. As he picked it up Gus joined him with three quick, silent strides.

  “Wait a minute, pal,” he said. “I’ll have that too.”

  Eddie snarled at him.

  “It’s mine,” he said, clutching on to the case. “She stole it.”

  “Too bad,” Gus sneered. “Remind me to cry when I have a moment. Hand it over.”

  “It’s mine,” Eddie repeated weakly. “You wouldn’t skin me, Gus? It’s all the dough I have in the world. I’ve gotta have dough if I’m to get away.”

  “You’re breaking my heart,” Gus said. “Hand it over unless you want me to call the cops.”

  Eddie flung the case on the floor.

  “You dirty rat!” he cried. “Take it then, and I hope it poisons your fife.”

  “It won’t,” Gus said, and winked. “So long, Eddie. Get out of town quick. I don’t want to see that scratched-up puss of yours for a long time. It makes me feel sad,” and he laughed.

  Not trusting himself to speak, Eddie half ran, half staggered from the room.

  * * *

  Ismi Geza sat in the waiting-room of the Montgomery Ward of the Santo Rio Memorial Hospital. It was a pleasant room; light, airy and comfortably furnished. The armchair in which he sat rested him, and he thought, rather to his surprise, how nice it would be to have an armchair as comfortable as this at home.

  He thought about the armchair because he was afraid to think about Max. They had taken him away in an ambulance, and hadn’t allowed Ismi to travel with him. Ismi had been forced to follow behind in Max’s Packard. He hadn’t driven a car for years, and the journey had shaken his nerves.

  Ismi guessed that Max had had a stroke. Apoplexy seemed to run in the family. Ismi had had a stroke when he had seen an old friend of his mauled by a lion. Max had had his stroke when he had found he had lost his money. The causes had been so different, Ismi thought sadly, but the results could be the same. He hoped not. He hoped that Max would recover. Ismi’s dragging leg bothered him: it would be an even greater trial to an energetic, impatient man like Max.

  The door opened quietly and the Head Sister came in. Ismi liked her immediately. She had a grave, kind face. She was, he thought, a sensible-looking woman: a woman he could trust.

  He was so frightened of what she was going to tell him that when she began to speak he went suddenly deaf, and only a few disjointed sentences got through to his bemused mind. She was saying something about haemorrhage from rupture of the cerebral artery . . . evidence of paralysis affecting the left side of the body,. . reflexes inactive.

  “I see,” Ismi said when she paused. “But is he bad? Will he die?”

  She saw at once that he hadn’t understood what she had said, and that he was frightened. She tried to make it as easy as she could for him.

  No, he wouldn’t die, she told him quietly, but he might be paralysed; unable to walk again. It was too early to say-just vet; later they would know for certain.

  “He won’t like it,” Ismi said miserably. “He is not a patient boy.” He fidgeted with his battered felt hat. “You’ll do what you can for him? I don’t mind the expense. I’ve saved—”

  “You can see him for a few minutes,” she said, feeling an unexpected sorrow for him. “Say nothing to worry him. He must be kept very quiet.”

  Ismi found Max lying in bed in a small, neat room, his head and shoulders slightly raised. The old man scarcely recognized his son. The left side of Max’s face was pulled out of shape, giving him a grotesque, frightening appearance. The left corner of his lip was drawn down, and Ismi could see his white teeth set in a perpetual snarl.

  Max’s eyes burned like two small embers. They fastened on Ismi as he came slowly up to the bed: terrible eyes, full of hatred, fury and viciousness.

  By the window was Nurse Hennekey, a tall, dark girl with a curiously flat, expressionless face. She looked up with surprised interest when she saw Ismi come into the room, but she didn’t move nor speak.

  “They’ll do everything they can for you,” Ismi said, touching the cold white bed-rail a little helplessly. “You’ll soon be better. I will come and see you every day.”

  Max just stared at him, unable to speak, but the brooding look in his eyes did not change, nor did the hatred die out of them.

  “I won’t stay now,” Ismi said, uneasy and afraid. “It is getting late, but I’ll come tomorrow.”

  Max’s lips moved as he tried to say something, but no sound came from them.

  “You mustn’t talk,” Ismi said. “They told me you must keep very quiet.” He was surprised to feel a tear run down his fleshy cheek. He was remembering Max when he was a little boy. He had had great hopes of him then.

&n
bsp; Max’s lips moved again. They formed the words “Get out!” but Ismi didn’t realize what he was trying to say.

  Nurse Hennekey, who was watching, read the words as they were formed by Max’s lips and she signalled Ismi to go.

  “I’ll be back,” Ismi promised, touched the tear away with his finger. “Don’t worry about anything.” He hesitated, added: “Don’t worry about money. I have enough. I’ve saved. . . .”

  Nurse Hennekey touched bis arm, led him to the door.

  “Look after him please, nurse,” he said. “He’s my son.”

  She nodded briefly, looked away so he couldn’t see her little frown of distaste. She felt there was something horrible about Max; hated him for no reason at all; had a creepy sensation when she touched him.

  Ismi walked slowly along the corridor with its double line of doors on each side of him. On each door was a small name-plate, and Ismi paused to read one of them. Then he turned back to satisfy himself that Max was receiving similar treatment. He wanted his son to have the best of everything. Yes, there was his son’s name printed on the plate. How quick and efficient these people were, he thought. The boy hadn’t been in the hospital more than a few hours and they had his name already on the door.

  He heard footsteps, and glancing round saw a tall young fellow and a pretty girl coming along the corridor. They paused at a door opposite, knocked softly and waited.

  Ismi liked the look of them, and he continued to watch until they entered the room and closed the door behind them. Curious, he went over to read the name-plate, and when he saw the name he started back with a shudder as if he had trodden on a snake.

  * * *

  Veda and Magarth stood looking down at Carol as she lay, white and unconscious, in the hospital bed. The resident doctor, Dr. Cantor, had his fingers on her pulse.