Just Another Sucker

by James Hadley Chase

  She nodded.

  ‘My goodness! You are taking this seriously, aren’t you?’

  ‘I’m taking it seriously because it happens to be serious,’ I said. ‘The police, if they come into it, will check with Williams, but he’ll swear he didn’t telephone you, and they’ll realise it was a trick by the kidnappers to get you to the Pirates’ Cabin. They’ll wonder why you didn’t recognise Williams’s voice.

  You’ll say the connection was bad, there was a lot of background noises of music and you never doubted it was Williams talking. That’s the explanation why you went to the Pirates’ Cabin. Okay?’

  ‘You don’t really think the police will come into it?’

  She was nibbling at her thumbnail while she stared at me.

  ‘I don’t know. Your stepmother said they won’t, but I am going to be prepared. Now concentrate. I’m giving you the story you may have to tell the police. You are now in a car with the rug over you and you are held down by threatening hands. A man, speaking with an Italian accent, warns you if you make a sound, you’ll get hurt. You gather that there are three men in the car. I’ve written down a conversation you overhear. You’ll have to learn it by heart.

  ‘The car makes a number of turns which leads you to believe you are off the main roads. Finally, after two hours driving, the car stops. You hear a dog barking. You hear the sound of a gate being opened.

  The car drives forward and stops again. You must remember all these details. If the Federal Bureau come in on this, they’ll want these details. Many a time they have caught kidnappers because the victim has heard a dog bark or has heard the noise a bucket makes going down into a well — stuff like that, and they’ll probe your memory, so you’ve got to be ready for them.’

  Her eyes were very intent as she nodded.

  ‘I see now why you wanted me here tonight,’ she said. ‘Even if the police don’t come into this, Daddy will ask questions. He is very shrewd. He will ask just those kind of questions.’

  ‘Yes. You’ll be supposed to be in this place for three days and nights. You’ll be locked in a room. If the police come into this, they’ll be certain to ask you to make a plan of the room and you must be able to do it without hesitation. During the time you’re supposed to be in this room, you will hear the dog barking, you will hear the sound of chickens and cows. You’ll decide this is a rundown farmhouse.

  You’ll only see one of the kidnappers and a woman who will take charge of you. I’ve written down a description of both these people, and you’ve got to memorise it. If the police come into it, watch out you stick to your story. Don’t let them trap you into mistakes.’

  She was interested and very tense.

  ‘I understand.’

  ‘There is a toilet just outside the room you are in. This is just the kind of trap question they might spring on you, and you must be prepared for it. You’re allowed to go there when you want. The woman takes you. I have another plan to show you the part of the house you will see when you go to the toilet.

  It’s not much: a short passage and three doors that are shut. The toilet has a cracked basin and a string instead of a chain for the flush. Remember these details. They’ll help to make your story convincing.

  I’ve written down all the meals you are supposed to eat during the three days you are in this farmhouse.

  You must memorise them too. Make no mistake about it, the Federal Agents will really turn you inside out if they come into this, and you’ve got to be ready for them.’

  She touched her lips with the tip of her tongue.

  ‘You’re beginning to make me feel as if I’m really going to be kidnapped,’ she said.

  ‘That’s the way you’ve got to feel,’ I told her. ‘I’ve drafted a letter you must write which I will mail to your father. You’d better do it now.’

  I got up and went over to the briefcase I had brought with me. Before touching the sheets of cheap notepaper I had bought at a store, I put on a pair of gloves.

  She came over to the table and sat down. I stood over her and watched her copy out the letter and finally address the envelope. I made her fold the letter and put it into the envelope and then put the envelope into my briefcase.

  I then handed her the sheets of paper containing all the details I had prepared for her.

  ‘Take this away and really memorise it,’ I told her. ‘Come here at nine o’clock the night after this, and I’ll check you, then we’re ready to go.’

  She put the papers in her handbag.

  ‘Before you go, let’s look at the dress you have and I want to see you in the wig.’

  She opened the case and took out a cheap blue and white print dress, white ballet shoes and a henna coloured wig.

  I nodded to the bedroom door.

  ‘Go in there and change. I want to see how you look.’

  ‘For someone in my stepmother’s employ,’ she said, picking up the dress, ‘you certainly know how to give orders.’

  ‘If you don’t like it…’

  ‘But I do! It makes a refreshing change.’ She fluttered her eyelids at me. ‘I like men older than myself.’

  ‘That gives you a wide choice,’ I said. ‘Get moving. I want to get home.’

  She wrinkled her nose at me, then went into the bedroom and shut the door.

  I now became even more conscious that I was alone with this girl. She had that something that raised the worst in me: that would raise the worst in any man. Since I had been married, I had never fooled around with another woman and I wasn’t intending to now although I knew this girl would be easy. I had only to give her some encouragement, and she would give me the green light to go the whole way.

  There was a delay while I prowled around the room, then the bedroom door opened and she came out.

  The red wig made a startling difference to her appearance. I scarcely recognised her. She was holding the front of her dress up with her hands.

  ‘The damn thing has a zipper.’ She turned, showing me her naked back down to her waist. ‘Zip me up, will you? I can’t reach it.’

  I took hold of the zipper. My hand was unsteady. My fingers touched the cool flesh of her back. She looked over her shoulder at me. There was that thing in her eyes. I pulled up the zipper. My heart was beginning to thump. She turned and moved against me, sliding her arms around my neck.

  Just for a brief moment I surrendered to the pressure of her body against mine, then with a conscious effort, I shoved her away.

  ‘That’s something we don’t do,’ I said. ‘Let’s keep this strictly business.’

  She put her head on one side as she stared at me.

  ‘Don’t you like me then?’

  ‘I think you’re cute. Let’s leave it at that.’

  She made a little grimace, then moved under the light.

  ‘Well? Do I pass?’

  ‘Yes. If you wear a pair of sun goggles, no one would know you.’ I took out my handkerchief and wiped my sweating hands. ‘Okay, get changed. Leave the dress and wig here. We’ll meet again the night after next at nine.’

  She nodded and went into the bedroom, leaving the door ajar.

  I lit a cigarette and sat on the edge of the table. I was still pretty worked up.

  Then she called, ‘Harry… I can’t get this zipper undone.’

  I hesitated for a brief moment, then I mashed out my cigarette. I didn’t move, but I was aware my heart was pounding.

  ‘Harry…’

  I stood up, silently crossed to the cabin door and turned the key. Then I turned off the light and went into the bedroom.

  II

  John Renick’s Buick stood outside my bungalow as I swung the Packard through the open gates and into my garage.

  The sight of the Buick gave me a hell of a jolt. I hadn’t seen nor heard from Renick since he had picked me up outside the jail gates, weeks ago, and I had forgotten about him.

  What was he doing here?

  My mind was suddenly flustered. Nina would have told
him that I had this traffic censor job. If it crossed his mind, he could easily find out I was lying about the job. Contact with anyone connected with the police was the last thing I wanted, now I was about to swing this fake kidnapping.

  Besides, I was suffering from a guilty conscience. I was regretting this lapse of mine with Odette. I was now sure she had given herself to me to show me her power and her contempt of men. Our love-making — if you can call it that — had been nothing but an explosion of physical violence. She had slid away from me, and dressed hurriedly in the dark, humming a jazz tune under her breath, ignoring me.

  ‘I’ll see you the night after tomorrow,’ she had said out of the darkness. ‘’Bye for now,’ and she had gone, leaving me still on the bed, ashamed and angry with myself, and hating her.

  When I heard the cabin door slam shut after her, I got off the bed and turned off the recorder. I had taken the tape and put it in its container. Then I had taken a shower and then had gone into the sitting-room and had drunk two stiff whiskies, one quickly after the other. But neither the shower nor the whiskies had done anything to dent this soiled feeling I had nor lessen the feeling of guilt that I had betrayed Nina who was slaving all day to keep us going.

  I walked slowly up the path from the garage, took out my key and opened the front door. The clock in the hall told me it was ten minutes after eleven o’clock. From the lounge, I could hear Renick’s voice and Nina’s sudden laugh.

  I stood hesitating.

  Renick and I had been close friends for twenty years. We had gone to school together. He had been a good, straight cop, and now he was the D.A.’s special officer, a position of importance in this city, carrying a good salary. If this kidnapping idea turned sour, he would be the first to be involved in the investigation, and I knew he was no fool. He was one of the brightest and shrewdest investigators of the whole bunch. In my newspaper work I had met them all: Renick topped the lot. If he handled the investigation I could be in trouble.

  I braced myself, crossed to the lounge door and pushed it open.

  Nina was working on a large garden pot that stood on her work bench. Renick lounged in an armchair, watching her, a cigarette burning between his fingers.

  As soon as Nina saw me, she dropped her paint brush and ran over to me. She slid her arms around my neck and kissed me. The touch of her lips against mine gave me a sick feeling. I was still remembering Odette’s hot, animal caresses. I pushed her away gently and with my arm around her, I forced a smile as Renick got to his feet.

  ‘Hello there, John,’ I said and shook hands. ‘You’re a stranger.’

  Once a cop, always a cop. I could see by his steady, puzzled stare, he knew something was wrong. He gripped my hand and his grin was as lop-sided as mine.

  ‘That’s not my fault, Harry,’ he said. ‘I’ve been in Washington for the past month. I’ve only just got back. How are you? I hear you have a job.’

  ‘Well, call it that,’ I said. ‘It’s better than nothing.’

  I dropped into a lounging chair. Nina sat on the arm, her hand on mine and Renick went back to his chair. The searching, probing stare was still there.

  ‘Look, Harry,’ he said, ‘you can’t go on like this. You’ve got to get settled. I think I can swing this thing with Meadows if you want it.’

  I stared at him.

  ‘Meadows? Swing what?’

  ‘My boss,’ Renick said. ‘I told you: I spoke to him about you. We need a good Public Relations man: you’re hand-made for the job.’

  ‘Am I? Well, I don’t think so,’ I said. ‘After what those jerks did to me, I wouldn’t work for the City for any money.’

  Nina’s grip tightened on my hand.

  ‘Be reasonable, Harry, for heaven’s sake!’ Renick said. ‘The old gang’s gone. This is a big opportunity. We don’t know what it’ll pay yet, but it’ll be good money. Meadows knows all about your case and your reputation as a newspaper man. If we can get a grant for the salary, and we’re pretty sure we can, the job’s yours.’

  It crossed my mind that here was my chance to drop this kidnapping stunt and get down to a solid job of work. I hesitated, thinking of the fifty thousand dollars. With that amount of money behind me, I could be my own boss.

  ‘I’ll think about it,’ I said. ‘Maybe the old gang has gone, but I’m still not sold about working for the City. Anyway, I’ll think about it.’

  ‘But don’t you think you should take it?’ Nina said anxiously. ‘It’s work you like and you…’

  ‘I said I’d think about it,’ I said curtly.

  Renick looked disappointed.

  ‘Well, all right. Of course it’s not certain we’ll get a grant, but if we do, we’ll want a quick decision.

  There are a couple of other guys after the job already.’

  ‘There always are,’ I said, ‘Thanks, John, for the offer. I’ll let you know.’

  He gave a helpless little shrug, then got to his feet.

  ‘Okay. I must get moving. I just dropped in to tell you. You give me a call.’

  When he had gone, Nina said, ‘You’re not going to turn this offer down, are you, Harry? You must see…’

  ‘I’m going to think about it. Come on, let’ s go to bed.’

  She put her hand on my arm as she said, ‘If they get the grant, I want you to take this job. We can’t go on much longer like this. You must get settled.’

  ‘Will you let me handle my own life?’ I said sharply. ‘I said I would think about it, and that’s what I’m going to do.’

  I went into the bedroom, and after putting the tape I had recorded into a drawer, I got undressed.

  I could hear Nina moving about the kitchen, clearing up. I got into bed.

  Again I balanced this offer of Renick’s against Rhea’s fifty thousand dollars. Maybe this grant wouldn’t jell. Maybe something would turn sour with the kidnapping. I would have to wait and see.

  Maybe with any luck I might land both Renick’s offer and Rhea’s money.

  Nina came in. I pretended to be half asleep. I watched her undress through half closed eyes. She got into bed beside me and turned off the light. When she moved close to me, I shifted away. I felt such a heel, I couldn’t bear to have her touch me.

  The next day was Thursday. Nina wanted the car as she had some pots to take down to the shop.

  There was nothing for me to do, so I hung around the bungalow and I kept thinking of Odette.

  By now my first feeling of guilt had worn off. I had told myself as I had driven from the cabin last night that when we met again, there would be no repetition of what had happened. This was my first slip; there wasn’t going to be another, but this morning, as I mooned around the bungalow, I found myself thinking differently.

  I was now telling myself it couldn’t possibly hurt Nina if I again made love to Odette. The time to have stopped was the first time; the second time made no difference. Once you did it, you had done it. I even began to imagine I had enjoyed Odette’s savage, primitive embrace, and as the hours dragged by, I found myself waiting impatiently for tomorrow night.

  Later in the day, I went to the bank and lodged the tape with the other one, then I went to the beach cabin and spent the rest of the day swimming and sitting in the sun, my mind gradually becoming obsessed with Odette.

  The following morning, as we were finishing breakfast, Nina said, ‘Have you decided about John’s offer?’

  ‘Not yet,’ I said, ‘but I’m considering it.’

  She stared steadily at me and I had to shift my eyes.

  ‘Well, while you are making up your mind,’ she said, ‘there are three bills that must be paid. I haven’t the money.’ She dropped the bills onto the table. ‘The garage man won’t let us have any more gas until we have settled his account. The electricity bill must be paid or we’ll be without light. The grocery bill must be settled. They won’t give us any more credit.’

  I still had sixty dollars left from the hundred Rhea had paid me. At least I could take
care of the grocery and the electricity bills.

  ‘I’ll fix these,’ I said. ‘The garage man must wait. Have we any gas?’

  ‘About half a tank.’

  ‘We’d better use the bus whenever we can.’

  ‘I have four pots to deliver tomorrow. I can’t use the bus.’

  There was a sharp note of exasperation in her voice I had never heard before. I looked at her. She faced me, her dark eyes unhappy and angry. The prick of conscience made me angry too.

  ‘I didn’t say you couldn’t use the car,’ I said. ‘I just said when we could we’d better use the bus.’

  ‘I heard you.’

  ‘All right then.’

  She hesitated. I could see she wanted to say something further, but instead, she turned and left the room.

  I felt bad. This was the nearest we had ever come to a quarrel. I left the bungalow and walked to the bus stop. I settled the two bills: that left me with fifteen dollars. At the end of the week Bill Holden would want the rent for the cabin, but with any luck, I would be worth fifty thousand by then.

  I spent the rest of the day at the beach cabin, swimming, lounging in the sun and watching the clock, counting the minutes to the time when Odette would come up the veranda steps.

  Again the beach became deserted soon after half past eight. I was now sitting on the veranda, as tense as any schoolboy waiting for his first date.

  A little after nine o’clock, she came out of the darkness. As soon as I caught sight of her, I was out of my chair, stupidly excited, my heart thumping, and as she came up the steps, I caught hold of her, my hands gripping her arms, pulling her to me.

  Then I got a shock.

  She put her hands on my chest and gave me a hard shove, sending me backwards.

  ‘Keep your paws to yourself,’ she said in a cold, flat voice. ‘When I want you to paw me, I’ll tell you,’ and she walked past me into the cabin.

  I felt as if I had come under a douche of icy water. I felt suddenly deflated and horribly cheap. After a moment’s hesitation, I followed her into the cabin and shut the door.