No Orchids for Miss Blandish

by James Hadley Chase

  "You're a soft old fool," she said contemptuously. "The girl has had everything up to now. Let her suffer. Her old man's worth millions. He can afford to suffer too. I've suffered: so have you. Suffering does people good."

  "Yes," Doc said. He poured himself a stiff drink. "But she is young and beautiful. It is such a waste of a young life. You don't intend to send her back to her father?"

  "No, she isn't going back. When the money is paid, we'll have to get rid of her. She knows too much."

  Doc shifted uneasily.

  "I don't like it, but I suppose it's not my business." He emptied his glass and refilled it. "This is a big thing, Ma. I don't like any of it."

  "You'll like the money when you get your share," Ma said cynically.

  Doc stared at his glass.

  "It's a long time now since I got excited about money. There's something I want to tell you. Slim behaved very oddly with the girl: very oddly indeed."

  Ma looked sharply at him.

  "What do you mean?"

  "I was under the impression that Slim had no use for women. You told me that, didn't you?"

  "Yes, and I'm glad of it," Ma said. "I've had enough trouble with him without having that kind of trouble."

  "He's interested in this girl," Doc said quietly. "I've never seen him act the way he acted when he set eyes on her. He seemed smitten: like a kid gets smitten with a first love. I'm sorry, Ma, but I think you are going to have that kind of trouble with him now."

  Ma's face tightened and her eyes snapped.

  "You aren't kidding, are you?"

  "No. When you see them together, you'll know I'm right. He seemed anxious for her to have the diamonds. He's got them. Have you forgotten?"

  "I haven't forgotten," Ma said grimly. "He'll give them to me when I ask for them. So you really think he's fallen for this girl?"

  "I'm sure of it."

  "I'll soon stop that," Ma said. "I'm not having woman trouble in this house!"

  "Don't be too sure," Doc said gravely. "Slim's dangerous. He could turn on you. The trouble with you, Ma, is you won't face up to the fact he isn't normal..."

  "Shut up!" Ma snarled. This was a forbidden subject. "I'm not listening to that crap. Slim's all right I can handle him. Leave it that way."

  Doc shrugged. He took a drink. His face was beginning to flush. It took very little liquor now to make Doc drunk.

  "Don't say I didn't warn you."

  "I want you to write a letter to Blandish," Ma said, changing the subject. "Well deliver it tomorrow. Tell him to have the money ready in a white suitcase. He is to put an ad in the Tribune, to appear the day after tomorrow, offering kegs of white paint for sale. That'll tell us the money is ready. Warn him what will happen to the girl if he tries a double cross."

  "All right, Ma," Doc said and taking his glass, he left the room.

  The old woman sat for some time, thinking. What Doc had told her, disturbed her. If Slim had fallen for this girl, then the sooner she was got rid of the better. She tried to convince herself Doc was exaggerating. Slim had always been scared of girls. She had watched him grow up. She was sure he had never had any sexual experience.

  She got to her feet.

  I'd better talk to him, she thought. I'll get the necklace from him. I'll have to be careful how I sell it. Maybe it would be safer to keep it for a while. It'll be hotter than a stove for months.

  She went upstairs to Slim's room.

  Slim was lying on his bed in his shirt and trousers. The necklace was dangling between his bony fingers. As Ma entered the room, the necklace disappeared with the same incredible speed with which he could produce his knife.

  Quick as he was, Ma saw the necklace although she didn't say so.

  "What are you lying down for?" she demanded, advancing up to the bed. "You tired or something?"

  Slim scowled at her. There were times when his mother bored him with her stupid questions.

  "Yeah I'm tired. I didn't want to listen to all that talk downstairs."

  "You should be thankful I can talk," Ma said grimly. "We're going to be rich, Slim. That girl's worth a pile of money to us."

  Slim's face lit up and his scowl went away.

  "Where is she, Ma?"

  Ma stared at him. She had never seen such an expression on his face before. She stiffened, thinking, so Doc's right. The poor fool looks smitten. I wouldn't have believed it.

  "She's in the front room under lock and key," she said.

  Slim rolled over on his back, staring up at the ceiling.

  "She's pretty, isn't she, Ma?" he said, simpering. "I've never seen any girl like her. Did you see her hair?"

  "Pretty?" Ma snarled. "Why should you care? She's just like any other girl."

  Slim turned his head and stared at her. He looked surprised.

  "You think that?" he asked. "Haven't you eyes in your head? What's the matter with you? I've always thought you were smart. She's beautiful. If you can't see it, you must be blind." He ran his fingers through his greasy long hair. "She's like something out of a picture book. I want to keep her, Ma. We don't have to send her back, do we? We'll get the money and I'll keep her. I've never had a girl. She's going to be my girl."

  "Yeah?" Ma sneered. "Do you think she'll want you? Look at your hands and shirt. They're filthy. Do you imagine a snooty little bitch like her will look at you?"

  Slim examined his hands. He seemed suddenly unsure of himself.

  "I guess I could wash," he said as if it was an idea that had never occurred to him before. "I could put on a clean shirt."

  "I haven't time to waste talking this crap," Ma said roughly. "I want the necklace."

  Slim eyed her, his head cocked on one side. Then he took the necklace from his pocket and dangled it out of Ma's reach. There was a sudden look of cunning on his face that Ma didn't like.

  "It's pretty, isn't it?" he said. "But you're not having it. I'm keeping it. I know you--if you had it, you'd sell it. That's all you think about--money. I'm going to give it back to her. It's hers."

  Ma controlled her rising temper.

  "Hand that necklace to me!" she grated, holding out her hand.

  Slim slid off the bed and faced her, his eyes gleaming.

  "I'm keeping it."

  This had never happened to Ma before. For a moment she was so surprised, she didn't know quite what to do, then her temper exploded and she advanced on Slim, swinging her great fists.

  "Goddamn it! Give it to me before I hit you!" she shouted, her heavy face mottled and furious.

  "Keep back!" Suddenly his knife jumped into his hand. He crouched, glaring at his mother. "Keep back!"

  Ma came to an abrupt standstill. Looking at the thin, vicious face and the gleaming yellow eyes, she remembered Doc's warning. She felt a chill crawl up her spine.

  "Put that knife away, Slim," she said quietly. "What do you think you're doing?"

  Slim eyed her, then suddenly he grinned.

  "That scared you, didn't it, Ma? I saw you were scared. You're like the rest of them. Even you are scared of me."

  "Don't talk foolish," Ma said. "You're my son. Why should I be scared of you? Now come on, give me the necklace."

  "I'll tell you what we'll do," Slim said, a crafty expression on his face. "You want the necklace: I want the girl. We'll trade. You fix it she likes me: I give you the diamonds. How's that?"

  "Why, you poor fool..." Ma began but stopped when Slim dropped the necklace into his pocket.

  "You're not having it until the girl's nice to me," he said. "You talk to her, Ma. Tell her I won't hurt her I want her to keep me company. Those punks downstairs don't like me. You've got Doc to talk to. I've got no one. I want her."

  While he was talking, Ma was thinking. Even if she had the necklace, she couldn't get rid of it yet. It would be months before she would dare try to sell it. It wasn't important that he should keep it for a while. What was important was this show of rebellion and her loss of authority. She eyed the knife in her son's
hand. She again remembered Doc's warning. It was true. Slim wasn't normal. He was dangerous. She wasn't going to risk getting a knife stuck in her. It would be better to do what he wanted. It wouldn't be for long. When the ransom was paid, the girl would go and Slim would forget about her and settle down. Maybe it might be a good idea for him to have a little fun with the girl. If he fancied this one, why not let him have her? Doc was always talking about frustrations and repressions. Yes, it might be an idea to let Slim have the girl. It might be good for him: give him something else to think about instead of staying in his room.

  "Put that knife away, Slim," she said moving away from him. "I don't see any reason why you shouldn't amuse yourself with the girl. I'll see what I can do. Put it away. You should be ashamed to threaten your mother with a knife."

  Slim suddenly realized he had won a victory. He giggled.

  "Now you're talking sense," he said and put the knife away. "You fix it, Ma, and I'll give you the necklace, but you've got to fix it good."

  "I'll talk to her," Ma said and went slowly from the room.

  This was the first time Slim had ever got the better of her and she didn't like it.

  Doc's right, she thought, as she plodded down the stairs. He's dangerous. He could get worse. The hell of it is, I'm getting old. Soon I won't be able to handle him at all.

  2

  As soon as Eddie got into town, he parked the Buick and then bought a newspaper.

  The kidnapping of Miss Blandish and the murder of Jerry MacGowan were spread across the front page. He read the account quickly. There was nothing there new to him. The Chief of Police said he was following an important clue, but he didn't say what it was. Eddie guessed that was just bluff.

  He walked to a cigar store at the corner of the street. He nodded to the fat man behind the counter and passed through a curtained doorway into the poolroom.

  The room was thick with smoke and full of men, drinking and playing pool. Eddie looked around and spotted Woppy by himself keeping a bottle of Scotch company.

  "Hi," Eddie said, coming over and sitting down. "What's cooking?"

  Woppy signaled to the barman to bring another glass.

  "Plenty," Woppy said. "Have you seen the papers?"

  "Nothing in them," Eddie said. He nodded to the barman as he set the glass on the table. He poured himself a drink.

  "You wait for the evening edition. Remember the punk who collects dirt for Gossip? Heinie? He's shot his mouth off to the cops."

  "What's the idea? Since when has he been an informer?"

  "The insurance people are offering a reward for the necklace. I guess Heinie wants the dough. He's told the cops Bailey was interested in the necklace. They've turned over the town but they can't find Bailey so they're saying he and Riley pulled the snatch. Good for us, huh?"

  Eddie grinned.

  "I'll say."

  "The Feds have taken over. They've seen Blandish. The town's lousy with cops. You'd better watch out they don't catch you with your rod."

  "I left it at home. I'm phoning Blandish right now and then I'm blowing. You'd better come with me."

  "Okay." As Eddie got to his feet, Woppy asked, "How's the redhead? Boy! Wouldn't I like to get close to that one!"

  "Better not," Eddie said. "Ma's on the warpath. She says to lay off the girl: got quite steamed up about it."

  Woppy pulled a face.

  "There are times when Ma gives me a pain. What's the good of having a doll like that in the house if you can't make use of her?"

  "The answer to that one is a million bucks," Eddie said, grinning. He crossed over to the telephone booth but from the sign on the door, it was out of order. There was a booth in a drugstore across the way. He left the cigar store and paused on the edge of the curb for a gap in the traffic. While he waited, he noticed a girl standing by a nearby bus stop. She immediately attracted his attention: every good-looking girl did. She was a tall, cool-looking blonde with a figure that made him look twice. She had a pert prettiness that appealed to Eddie. He studied her face for a brief moment. Her make-up was good. Her mouth was a trifle large, but Eddie didn't mind that. He liked the sexy look she had and the sophisticated way she wore her yellow summery dress.

  Some dish, he thought I wouldn't mind being shipwrecked with her.

  He crossed the road and entered the drugstore. He shut himself in the telephone booth. Then hanging a handkerchief over the mouthpiece of the telephone to muffle the sound of his voice, he dialed the number he had got from Miss Blandish and waited.

  He didn't have to wait long. A voice said, "Hello? This is John Blandish talking. Who is it, please?"

  "Listen carefully, pal," Eddie said, making his voice hard and tough. "We've got your daughter. If you want her back, call off the cops. We want a million dollars for her. Get the money together in used bills, no bill larger than a hundred and put the money in a white suitcase. You'll get delivery instructions tomorrow. Got all that?"

  "Yes." Blandish's voice was strained and anxious. "Is she all right?"

  "She's fine and she'll remain fine just so long as you do what you're told. If you try anything smart she's in for a bad time and when I say bad, I mean bad. I don't have to draw you a blue-print. You can imagine what'll happen to her before we rub her out. It's up to you, pal. She'll be okay just as long as you do what we tell you. If you don't, you'll get her back very soiled--and very dead!" He slammed down the receiver arid walked quickly out of the drugstore, grinning to himself.

  Across the road, as he again waited for a gap in the traffic, he saw the blonde girl still waiting at the bus stop. She glanced at him and then away. Eddie fingered his tie. He thought it was too bad he had to report back to Ma. He crossed the road and again looked at the girl, ready to smile at her, but she wasn't looking at him. He moved to the cigar store and paused to look back. The girl was coming towards him. He stood waiting. She didn't look at him. As she passed close to him, a white card fluttered out of her hand and fell at his feet. She neither paused nor looked at him. He stared after her, watching the sensuous movement of her hips, then he picked up the card. On it was scribbled: 243, Palace Hotel, West.

  He pushed his hat to the back of his head, surprised. He hadn't taken the girl for a hooker. He was vaguely disappointed. He looked after her and was in time to see her get into a taxi. He watched the taxi drive away, then he slipped the card under the strap of his wrist watch. Maybe when he had a little more time, he thought, entering the cigar store, he'd call on her.

  "All fixed," he said to Woppy. "Let's get out of here."

  Woppy finished his drink, paid the barman and the two men walked down the street to where Eddie had parked the Buick. A Ford had just pulled into a parking space across the road. Two powerfully built men were in the car. Both of them were staring at Eddie and Woppy.

  "Feds," Woppy said without moving his lips.

  Eddie unlocked the Buick. He could feel cold sweat on his face. They got into the car. Both of them took tremendous care to seem casual. The two men in the Ford still watched them. Eddie started the car and drove into the stream of traffic.

  "Don't look back," he warned Woppy.

  After a few minutes, they relaxed.

  "Those punks give me the shakes," Eddie said. "The less I have to do with them, the better my blood pressure."

  "You can say that again," Woppy said with feeling. "This town's crawling with them."

  They arrived back as Flynn was getting out of a battered Dodge. The three men went into Ma's room.

  "Okay?" she asked Flynn.

  "Yeah. No trouble at all," he said. "No one was around. I didn't even have to get out of the car. He came out to fill my tank; when he had filled it, I let him have it. Nothing to it."

  Ma nodded. She looked at Eddie.

  "I told him," Eddie said. "I didn't give him a chance to talk back, but he knows what to expect if he starts anything smart. The town's full of Feds, Ma. The heat's on good." He tossed the newspaper onto the table. "Nothing in th
at we don't already know. Heinie's been to the cops. He's told them Bailey was asking questions about the necklace. The cops are hunting for him and Riley."

  "I reckoned that would happen," Ma said with her wolfish grin. "So long as they don't dig up those stiffs, we'll be in the clear. This is working out right."

  "When the girl's returned," Eddie said seriously, "we'll be in trouble. She'll talk."

  Ma stared at him.

  "What makes you think she's going to be returned?"

  "Yeah." Eddie shook his head. He glanced at Woppy who grimaced. "Seems a hell of a waste of a woman."

  "To hell with her!" Flynn broke in savagely. "We've got to think of ourselves."

  "Who's going to do it?" Eddie said. "Not me!"

  "Nor me," Woppy said.

  "Doc will give her a shot in the arm when she's asleep," Ma said. "If he won't, I will."

  "When?" Flynn asked.

  "When I'm good and ready," Ma snapped. "You leave me to worry about that."

  Eddie sat down and poured himself a drink.

  "Say, Ma, let's have another look at the necklace. I didn't get a chance to look at it properly."

  "It's in the safe," Ma lied. "Some other time." To change the subject, she asked, "Why don't one of you lazy slobs get dinner ready?"

  Woppy got to his feet.

  "Oh, hell! Spaghetti again!" Eddie groaned. "Hey, Flynn, can't you cook?"

  Flynn grinned.

  "As good as you," he said.

  Eddie lifted his shoulders in despair.

  "What we want around here is a woman."

  "And that's what you're not going to have," Ma said coldly, "Get going, Woppy. I want my dinner."

  Eddie had taken the card he had picked up from under his watch strap. He read the address again. He thought of the girl. He decided he'd call on her that night. He turned the card and noticed for the first time there was a message written on it.

  He read the message, then with a startled curse, he jumped to his feet. Written in a feminine hand were the words: What have you done with Frankie Riley?