The Paw in The Bottle

by James Hadley Chase

  “But I want to come to your stuffy old club. Howard never goes out anywhere.”

  “Well, if Howard doesn’t mind.”

  “Why should I mind?” Wesley asked, groped his way to a chair and sat down.

  Julie had cleared up the broken pieces by this time and quietly left the room, but stopped abruptly just outside the open door, her heart missing a beat, when she heard Benton say, “Oh, by the way, Blanche, I’ve never had the opportunity of examining this marvellous safe of yours. I was reading about it in the Standard to-night. They say it’s the eighth wonder of the world. Won’t you stop being mysterious and show it to me? I assure you I’m no burglar.”

  Julie flattened herself against the wall and listened.

  “Why, of course,” Blanche said gaily. “I didn’t think it would interest you. It is rather fun.” She gave a hard little laugh. “I locked Julie in it the other day.”

  “Why did you do that?” Wesley asked sharply.

  “Oh, for fun. I wanted to see how she’d react. The little ninny fainted.”

  “That wasn’t very kind, was it?” Wesley asked. “And rather dangerous, too.”

  “She didn’t complain,” Blanche said carelessly. “I must have a little joke sometimes. If she doesn’t like it she can always leave.”

  “I should have thought it was difficult to get maids these days,” Benton said mildly. “She struck me as a willing little thing.”

  “Just because she happens to be pretty in a cheap, sexy way both you and Howard stick up for her,” Blanche said, a waspish note in her voice. “Howard’s so infatuated with her, he sneaked back last night and spent the night with her alone.”

  There was a sudden silence, and Julie felt her face burn.

  “Oh, come, Blanche.” Even Benton sounded embarrassed.

  “I’m not saying anything happened,” Blanche said, and laughed shrilly. “Howard is past chasing girls. But Julie might have tried to chase him.”

  “Shall we drop this, Blanche?” Wesley’s voice was sharp. “I’ve had quite enough of this nonsense for one day, and I don’t think it’s at all funny.”

  “Suppose we get back to the safe,” Benton put in quickly, as if he saw a quarrel pending and was anxious to prevent it. “Will you let me see it? I promise not to tell anyone how it works.”

  “It’s up to Blanche,” Wesley said coldly. “We had agreed to keep the combination to ourselves.”

  “Oh well, if it’s like that . . .”

  “Nonsense,” Blanche broke in. “Of course he must see it. We have no secrets from nice old Hugh, have we?”

  “Show him if you want to,” Wesley said impatiently.

  “I feel honoured,” Benton said, a tiny sneer in his voice. “May I finish my drink, and then perhaps you’ll show it to me.”

  “We must all go along,” Blanche said, and giggled, “The safe’s in my bedroom and I must have a chaperon. Besides, Howard can tell you how it works.”

  Julie waited to hear no more. Here was her chance. She went quickly down the passage to Blanche’s room. Where could she hide? She looked around for a likely hiding place. The cupboards were no use. Under the bed? Possible, but dangerous. The window recess? Yes, that was much the best place. Julie pulled back the curtains that screened the big windows, then darted back to the door to turn out the light and groped her way once more to the window, drew the curtains carefully and waited with beating heart.

  After a few minutes the bedroom door opened and the light was switched on. By peering cautiously through the chink where the curtains met Julie had a clear view of the room.

  Blanche and Benton stood before the quilted wall. Wesley wandered over to an arm-chair, and sat down, away from them.

  “Well, this is it,” Blanche said. “The safe is hidden behind this wall, which slides back when I touch this spring. It’s Howard’s idea. He worked the whole thing out himself. He was frightfully clever with his hands before he was blind: now, of course, he’s just frightfully clever,” and she gave her tinkling little laugh. The sneer made Julie flinch, and she saw Wesley’s knuckles turn white. “The spring won’t work,” she went on, giving Benton a meaning smile, “unless a concealed pointer is set at a certain number. I’ll show you the pointer.”

  “Have you turned off the alarm?” Wesley asked.

  “Oh, no. I mustn’t forget to do that.” She turned to Benton. “If you touch the pointer before turning off the alarm the flat will be full of policemen before you can say Jack Robinson, or whatever it is you’re supposed to say.” She went over to the bed, fumbled behind the head and Julie heard a sharp click as Blanche turned down a concealed switch.

  “Now the alarm is off,” she said brightly, came back to where Benton was standing.

  “So that’s how you caught so many burglars,” he said, reached out and pulled her to him. Blanche seemed startled, looked quickly at Wesley who was sitting motionless in his chair, then she smiled and lifted her face for Benton’s kiss.

  “The beasts!” Julie thought. “How could they when he is in the room with them?”

  Blanche pushed Benton away, wagged a warning finger at him, but her face was animated and her eyes showed a naked desire that sickened Julie.

  “The pointer is here,” she went on, and pulled a square of the quilted wall out of its seating. Julie could just make out a small number dial set in the wall. “I turn the pointer to number three, press the catch with my foot, and the door opens.”

  The quilted wall had slid back to reveal the shiny steel door Julie had already seen.

  “That’s pretty neat,” Benton said. His hand fumbled at Blanche but she pushed him away, frowning at him.

  “There’s another alarm fitted to the steel door,” she explained. “Would von turn if off, Howard?” She turned back to Benton as Wesley got to his feet. “It’s in the bathroom. Actually it looks like one of the electric light switches.”

  But Benton wasn’t listening. He caught hold of Blanche the moment Wesley had groped his way into the bathroom. They strained together, his mouth crushed down on hers.

  They stood there, their breath mingling, their eyes closed, swept away by the intenseness of their passion, and neither of them heard Wesley return. Julie put her hands to her face. It was horrible to see him standing there and to know he was unaware of what was going on. Then Julie felt a shiver run through her as she saw Wesley’s fists clench and his mouth harden into a thin line. Could he possibly hear these two, lost in their beastliness?

  Suddenly Blanche realized that he had returned, and she pulled away from Benton. She was shaking and had to grip his arms for support. He looked over his shoulder at Wesley and showed his teeth in an angry, frustrated grimace.

  “The alarm is off,” Wesley said in cold, flat tones.

  Blanche was unable to speak for a moment, then with an effort, she said, “Howard had better tell you about the burglar trap, I never could understand how it works.”

  Benton took out his handkerchief and dabbed his face. “What’s the burglar trap, old boy?” he asked. His voice was unsteady.

  “I’ll show you,” Wesley said and moved towards the safe. “Will you open up, Blanche?”

  Julie watched carefully. She saw Blanche turn down a switch by the side of the steel door. There was a sudden hiss of escaping air, the lights in the room flickered and the door slid back.

  “Even if a burglar succeeded in getting so far, and none of them have up to now,” Wesley said, “he would still be trapped if he entered the safe. There’s a concealed beam of light from a lamp on one side of the wall which is projected across the safe so as to fall on a photo-electric cell fixed to the opposite wall.”

  Benton leaned forward and peered into the safe.

  “What happens then?” he asked, looked at Blanche and raised his eyebrows. She shook her head.

  “The interruption of the beam by a person walking into the safe causes a decrease in the current through the cell,” Wesley went on. “This in its turn causes an
increase of the grid voltage applied to a triode valve and brings into operation a series of relays which switch on the thruster for closing the door.”

  “That’s very ingenious,” Benton said. “So if I enter the safe, the door shuts and I’d be trapped, is that it?”

  “Yes, and if no one let you out, you’d suffocate,” Wesley told him.

  “I don’t think I’ll try it then,” Benton laughed uneasily, dabbed his face again with his handkerchief. “There’s some means of controlling the door I suppose?”

  “Of course. You turn out the light that falls on the cell. It’s safe then.”

  “But is all this necessary? It seems so elaborate and must have cost a tidy sum to construct.”

  “It’s more than a toy,” Wesley said, and moved away. “I shall get the cost back eventually on the reduced insurance rates. The insurance company was very impressed with it and consequently greatly reduced their rates. The furs alone are insured for thirty thousand and then there’s Blanche’s jewel-lery.”

  “I hadn’t thought about the insurance,” Benton said. “Yes, I see. It’s remarkable, and thanks for showing it to me.”

  “And now let’s go to your stuffy old club,” Blanche said. “Do join us, Howard.”

  “I’m sorry,” he said abruptly. “I have a lot of dictation to do. But you go.”

  “Well, if you’re sure,” Benton said, exchanged glances with Blanche. “Come as you are, Blanche. You don’t need to change.”

  Blanche took down the mink coat from its hanger, slipped it on.

  Will you close up the safe, Howard?”

  “Yes,” he said curtly, and waited for them to go.

  Julie stepped away from the chink in the curtain and waited too, her heart pounding, terrified that Blanche would suddenly take it into her head to call her. But Blanche was too preoccupied with Benton to think of Julie.

  When she heard the front door slam, Julie sighed with relief, and once again peered through the curtains. What she saw rooted her to the floor. Wesley had taken off his black-lensed glasses and was moving about the room, no longer hesitant nor groping. By the brisk way he closed the safe, she realized he wasn’t blind at all. She was so startled by this discovery that she gave a half-stifled exclamation. Wesley heard her. He turned quickly, stared at the curtained recess behind which she was hiding.

  Without the black-lensed glasses, which she now realized had been as effective as a mask, he was a stranger to her and his odd, glittering eyes frightened her.

  “You can come out, Julie,” he said quietly.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  HOWARD WESLEY stood before the big brick fireplace in his study. Facing him, in an arm-chair, bewildered and flustered, sat Julie.

  She was still dazed by the shock of discovering he could see, and she had followed him into his study, quite incapable of thinking of an excuse to explain why she had been hiding behind the curtains.

  Although he appeared at ease, Wesley was strangely pale, and for some minutes neither of them said anything.

  “You mustn’t think I’m angry with you,” Wesley said suddenly. “There’s no need to be frightened.”

  She looked up. His eyes were compelling : dark and glittering as if all his being had come to focus in them.

  “It’s very important you should say nothing about my sight,” he went on quietly. “For the time being no one must know I can see : not even Mrs. Wesley. I can’t go into explanations, but I do want you to assure me you’ll say nothing. Can I rely on you?”

  She was surprised he didn’t at once demand to know what she had been doing hiding behind the curtains, and at the same time she felt the return of confidence to know that he was asking her to keep a secret.

  “Oh, yes,” she said. “I won’t say anything.”

  “Look at me, Julie,” he went on, and as she met his eyes he smiled. “You will promise, won’t you? It means success or failure in my work. That’s as much as I can tell you. It’s very important.”

  “Well, if it is so important perhaps I can make use of it in some way,” she thought. “Perhaps that’s why he hasn’t asked me what I was doing behind the curtain.”

  “Yes, I promise,” she said.

  What was a promise anyway? She would see what was going to happen and act accordingly.

  “Thank you.” He thrust his hands into his pockets. “Let’s talk about you. You’re in some trouble, aren’t you?”

  She looked away, not saying anything.

  “Now look, Julie, you’d better be frank. I know more about you than you think. You’re here for a purpose, aren’t you?”

  She felt herself change colour. How did he know that? How much did he know?

  “A purpose?” she repeated blankly. “What do you mean?”

  “Here, read this. It came yesterday.” He took from his wallet a sheet of notepaper and handed it to her.

  She stared at the writing and went cold. Hewart! Hewart writing to Wesley. The note was brief and sent the blood from her face :

  Dear Sir,

  Take warning, Harry Gleb is a fur thief. Julie Holland and Gleb are friends. If you don’t watch out you’ll lose your furs.

  A Friend.

  The old beast had said he would get even. He must have been watching her.

  “Is it true you and this chap Gleb are after the furs?” Wesley asked quietly.

  She hesitated for a moment, then decided to tell him the truth. He wanted her to keep his secret. It wasn’t likely he would do anything to her. After the way that little beast Theo had treated her, she had no compunction for giving them away. It was her only chance to be free of them.

  “They made me,” she burst out, and taking out her hand-kerchief she pretended to cry. “You don’t know what they’re like. They threatened me with vitriol. They hit me. I didn’t want to do it.”

  Wesley sat down.

  “Now don’t get upset. Let’s begin at the beginning. Who wrote this note?”

  “Sam Hewart. I—I worked for him,” Julie said, still hiding her face with her handkerchief. “He owns a café in Hammersmith. I knew his café was a meeting place for crooks, but I thought I’d be able to keep clear of them. I wanted the money so badly. I’ve never had any fun. You don’t know what it’s like to be poor. All my life I’ve had to go without things I wanted.”

  There was a long pause, then Wesley said, “You mustn’t go on like this, you know. If I can help you, I will, but I must know all the details first. Did you meet this chap Gleb at the café?”

  “Yes,” Julie said, and poured out the whole sordid tale : how Harry had made love to her, how he had promised to marry her, how he got her the job as Blanche’s maid, and how Theo had called at the flat. She held nothing back.

  “I know I shouldn’t have come here,” she concluded, dabbing her eyes, but keeping her face turned away so Wesley couldn’t see she was pretending to cry. Tut I swear I didn’t know what they were planning to do until I saw the safe. Then when I tried to back out that awful Theo came and hit me. He threatened me with vitriol. He terrified me.”

  Wesley had listened to her story without interruption, and now when she had finished he lit a cigarette.

  “There’s nothing to worry about,” he said, and smiled. “We’ll find a way out of it. Now look, it’s getting late. I don’t know about you, but I’m hungry. Will you order supper for two to be sent up from the restaurant while I see what can be done? I want a moment or so to think about all this. You run off and get some supper. Then we’ll have another talk while we eat.” He got up, walked over to the cocktail cabinet. “And you’re going to have a drink. There’s no need to be miserable. I’m very glad you’ve told me the whole story. I don’t think you’re to blame at all.” As he mixed the two drinks, he went on, Was that Gleb who was with you when I first met you?”

  Julie flushed scarlet.

  “I—I didn’t think you could see me,” she said. “I’m so ashamed I dressed up like that.”

  He laughed.
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  “You looked very beautiful, Julie,” he said and handed her the drink. “One of these days you must dress again in some-thing nice, but this time for my benefit.”

  She stared at him, startled, not expecting anything like this from him.

  “It was Gleb?” he went on.

  “Yes.”

  “All right, now run along. Take your drink with you. I want to think this over. Don’t be too long about supper, will you?”

  Julie’s mind was in a whirl as she telephoned down to the restaurant for two suppers. While she was waiting for the trays to come up, she ran to her room and put on a bright red scarf and a red belt to offset her black dress. Looking at herself in the mirror she saw a young, lovely little face that pleased her. So long as she kept her looks, she thought, there was hope for her.

  Back in the kitchen she finished the cocktail, which cheered her. Things were going well. Better than she had thought possible. He had seen her looking her best in Blanche’s dress and he had remembered her in it.

  “One of these days you must dress again in something nice,” he had said, “and this time for my benefit.”

  “He’s interested in me,” she thought. “If I’m careful and play up to him it might be possible to ask him for anything. There’s nothing he couldn’t do for me if he wanted to. He has loads of money, and he can get rid of that French woman and Theo. He’ll know how to handle them. And there’s Harry, too. I’ll never forgive him for letting that beast hit me. He must have known. I’ll pay him out for that! I don’t need him now if I’m careful with Wesley.”

  When she carried in the two supper trays she found him pacing up and down, his hands clasped behind his back. She still wasn’t used to seeing him without the black-lensed glasses and he made her feel nervous.

  “All ready?” he said, taking one of the trays from her. “It looks good, doesn’t it? You sit there where I can see you.”

  They sat at the table opposite each other. Under his friendly gaze she began to feel less nervous of him.

  “We won’t talk business until we’ve finished,” he said. “It’s not going to be so difficult as you think, but we’ll go into that later. You’re not going to be miserable any more, are you?”