Strictly For Cash Part 7

chapter sixteen.

The headlights of an approaching car lit up the sky as it climbed the long, sloping hill from Pelotta. A moment or so later the car swept into sight: headlamps blazing. It was going fast, and roared past us with a snarl and a rush of wind.

Neither she nor I moved. The moonlight fell directly on the glittering barrel of the automatic: the gun looked menacing and large in her hand.

aDon't do anything stupid,a she said, and her voice was as hard and as cold as a chunk of ice.

aHave you gone crazy?a I said, not moving. aPut it down!a aI believe this is the most important moment in my life,a she said. aYou and I are the only two who know Paul is dead. You don't realize yet how essential it is that no one else should know. Now listen, Johnny, you can either come in with me or I'm going to kill you. There's no other way I can be certain you'll keep your mouth shut.a I thought she had taken leave of her senses, but that didn't alter the fact that she meant what she was saying. I felt a little p.r.i.c.kle run up my spine.

aThere isn't time to tell you what it's all about,a she went on. aBut if you come in with me you'll make money: big money, Johnny. What's it to be?a aWhat do you want me to do?a I said, and my voice was husky as yours would have been if you had seen those glittering eyes and the hard, ruthless line of her mouth.

aTake his clothes off and put yours on him,a she said. aThey've got to think it was you who died in the car.a aMe? They know me in Pelotta. They'll identify me.a aNo, they won't. You're going to put him back in the car and set fire to it.a aI can't do that ! Now wait . . .a aYou'll do it or I'll have to get rid of you, Johnny. There's no other alternative.a The bang I had taken on my head when I was thrown out of the car made clear thinking impossible. If I hadn't been so punch-drunk I might have tried to get the gun from her. As it was, I knew I hadn't a chance to reach her before she fired, and she would fire, the look in her eyes told me that.

aGet going,a she said softly. aWe've wasted enough time already.a aBut tell me why!a aLater. Are you going to change clothes with him?a There was a fixed, awful little smile on her lips now, and her knuckle showed white as she took in the slack of the trigger. I was one heart-beat away from being shot. I knew it, and she could see I knew it.

aYes.a She relaxed, and the smile went away.

aHurry, Johnny.a With cold sweat on my face I walked over to where he was lying and began to strip him. Apart from his broken neck he wasn't hurt and hadn't bled. I changed into his clothes while she watched me, the gun covering me. Then I got my clothes on him. It was a gruesome job, but I did it. But when I came to put my shoes on his feet, I gave up.

aI can't do it.a aThrow them in the car,a she said, and her voice was as unsteady as mine. aIt's all right. They'll think they came off in the crash. Get him in and put him behind the steering-wheel.a I dragged him over to the car. He was no light weight, and it was all I could do to get him into the car. I propped him up against the driver's door. He fell forward across the wheel.

aLoosen the carburettor pipe,a she said, athen tie your handkerchief over the leak and touch it off with a match.a aThey could send us to jail for this,a I said, breathing heavily. aGet on with it! The tool case is clipped inside the hood. You want a spanner . . . hurry!a I loosened the carburettor pipe, burning my hand against the cylinder head as I did so. I was working in a trance. My head kept expanding and contracting, and my legs felt as if they were made of rubber. I did exactly what she told me to do. I tied one end of my handkerchief around the leaking pipe.

aNow set fire to it.a I struck a match. A moment later a long tongue of flame shot out of the car's engine, and spread in a hot, glaring ma.s.s to the coachwork.

I jumped back just in time.

She came running towards me.

aCome on!a she said. aBefore anyone comes.a I went with her because there was nothing else to do.

We moved fast, and in silence, until the glare of the burning car died away in the distance, and we came out on to the soft white sand of the beach.

aWait, Johnny,a she said, and stopped.

I turned to look at her. She still held the gun, but it was no longer pointing at me.

aThere's not much time, but I have to talk to you,a she said. aI wish I knew more about you. It's fantastic we should meet like this, and be in this position together. Do you realize that from now on you and I have got to trust each other, work with each other, and stay with each other as if we had known each other for years? What sort of nerve have you got? Just how ambitious are you? I wish I knew what kind of man you are.a aAnd do you realize they could send us to jail for what we've done?a I said. aHave you gone crazy . . .?a aDon't worry about that. They won't find out. Do you want to get your hands on some money? Real money, Johnny? If you have the right kind of nerve we can help ourselves to half a million dollars: half for you and half for me.a I stiffened. A quarter of a million dollars! That was the kind of money I had always dreamed of making.

aYou're lying,a I said.

aSit down. We haven't much time, but enough for me to explain the set-up to you. Go on, Johnny, sit down and listen.a I sat down. She sat a few yards from me, the gun in her lap, the moonlight on her face, and in spite of her dishevelled hair and the streak of blood down the side of her nose, she still looked lovely.

Speaking rapidly, she told me the dead man was Paul Wertham, a big-time gambler, the owner of three casinos.

aHe's the head of an organization worth millions,a she said. aThe moment it's known he's dead, the vultures will move in and grab. He has a manager for each casino. They'd grab everything and leave me to whistle for my share. But so long as they think he's alive, it can be handled. That's the set-up. I can't handle it on my own. I can handle it with your help. The take is half a million, and you'll get half of it: two hundred and fifty thousand dollars. It's easy. All you want is nerve, and if you do what I tell you, we can't go wrong.a That was my cue to say no: when I should have walked away and taken the chance of getting a slug in the back; when I should have remembered what Tom Roche had said about big and sudden money leading to trouble.

But I didn't say no. I suddenly realized she was deadly serious. She actually meant half a million, and I started to think what that much money could buy.

aHow can you keep his death quiet?a I asked. aHow long do you think it'll be before they find out?a Then she smiled and relaxed because she knew I was on the hook and all she had to do was to hit the line to sink the barb in too deep for me to jump off.

aWe have only to keep it quiet for three or four days: not longer; and the money's ours. It's as easy as that.a aGo on; keep talking.a aEach casino has a large cash reserve in case there's a run on the bank. The casino at Lincoln Beach caters for millionaires. The reserve there is half a million in cash. Each casino is in charge of a manager. Jack Ricca runs the Los Angeles place. Nick Reisner takes care of Lincoln Beach, and Pete Levinsky, the Paris end.a She was leaning forward, speaking fast and softly, and I didn't miss a word of what she was saying. aPaul was going to Paris when he was tipped that Reisner was dipping into the reserve to cover his own gambling losses. He had to act fast. The Paris trip was important so he arranged for Ricca to go to Lincoln Beach. He phoned Reisner and told him Ricca was on his way and was to have access to the books. But at the last moment Ricca went on a drinking jag. Every so often he gets the urge and hides himself away with a crate of whisky, and that's all anyone knows about him until he reappears again. Paul had to cancel his Paris trip. There was no time to tell Reisner he was coming in Ricca's place. He and I were on our way when we stopped at Pelotta to watch the fights.a She reached out and put her hand on my knee. aReisner doesn't know Paul was coming in place of Ricca, and Reisner has never seen Ricca. You're going to be Ricca for just as long as it takes us to collect that reserve. That's the set-up. How do you like it?a I sat looking at her.

aAnd my cut will be a quarter of a million?a aYes, Johnny, word of honour. There can be no blowback to this. I've as much right to it as Reisner has. I have more right to it. Every nickel of it belongs to Paul. If he had made a will he would have left it to me.a aCan we get away with it?a aYes. It just needs nerve.a This was the chance I had been waiting for. I knew it meant trouble, but money that big had to mean trouble. Well, the opportunity was there: right in my lap. I wasn't going to pa.s.s it up.

aCount me in,a I said.

chapter seventeen.

We had been walking maybe for ten minutes when we saw a light s.h.i.+ning in the darkness. Another twenty yards brought us to a small wooden cabin, facing the sea.

aAre you all set, Johnny?a she asked, stopping. aYou know what to do. You're suffering from concussion. Leave all the talking to me.a aI know what to do.a I flopped down on the sand and stretched out while she went on towards the cabin. While I waited I tried to keep my mind blank, but it couldn't be done. I kept thinking of the trouble that was piling up for me, but I wasn't going to side-step it. Come hail, come suns.h.i.+ne, I was going to have that money.

I heard voices. I heard her say, aHe just pa.s.sed out. I think it's concussion.a The anxious, frightened note in her voice even fooled me.

A man said, aI'll get him in, miss. Just you take it easy.a Hands turned me over on my back. I let out a groan to tell him how bad I was, and looked through my eyelashes as he bent over me. I couldn't see much of him in the half darkness. He seemed short and powerfully built, and that was about all I could see.

He was powerful all right, for he got me to my feet as if I weighed a few pounds. I made an effort to keep upright, then slumped heavily on him.

aTake it easy,a he said. aIt ain't far. Lean on me as hard as you like.a I felt Della take my arm, and supported between the two of them I made a slow, staggering journey across the sand to the cabin.

They got me on to a bed. I lay still, my eyes closed. I heard him say, aHe sure is knocked about. What do you want me to do, miss? Get a doctor?a aHow far is it to the nearest telephone?a she asked.

aAbout half a mile down the road.a He had moved away from me now, and I took a peep at him. He was elderly, with a tanned, lined face and stubbly white hair. I looked from him to her. She had dropped into a chair. Her face was tight and hard, and as white as a bone. She must have been tough to have withstood the shock of the crash and her husband's death and still be able to plan and act as she had done. But now she looked ready to flop, and the old guy seemed to think so too. He went hastily to a cupboard and brought out a bottle of whisky. He poured her a stiff drink, and she put it down as if it were water.

aOur car was stolen,a she said huskily. aWe were held up. My friend was. .h.i.t on the head. It's important we should get to Lincoln Beach at once. I wonder if you would telephone to our friends and ask them to come and pick us up?a aWhy, sure. I'll do it right away. The name's Jud Harkness. I'll be glad to do anything I can for you.a aI can't say how grateful I am, Mr. Harkness,a she said, and smiled at him. aWe were on our way to Lincoln Beach when this hold-up happened. If you could phone . . .a aGive me the number, miss, and I'll do it. Want me to call the cops?a aI want to get him home first. I'll report the hold-up from Lincoln Beach. The number is Lincoln Beach 4444. Can you remember that?a aSure, that's an easy one.a aAsk for Nick Reisner. Tell him Ricca has met with an accident and for him to come out here as soon as he can. Will you do that?a Harkness repeated the message.

aI can't thank you enough.a When he had left the cabin I sat up.

aWhat's the idea of the hold-up? That'll bring in the police.a She looked at me, a far-away expression in her eyes, as if she were thinking of other things besides what I was saying.

aThe car might be traced to Paul. I don't think there's much chance of it because the plates are phoneys, but they might trace it. If they do, the car has to be stolen. You can see that, can't you?a She was right, of course, but I didn't like it. Sooner or later the story would get back to Pelotta, and Tom and Alice Roche would hear I had not only clubbed the driver, but had stolen the car. Even if they had to think I was dead, I didn't like the idea of them thinking I'd turned thug.

aListen, Johnny,a she said, coming to sit on the bed by my side, ain a little while Reisner will be here. You've got to watch your step. He's no fool. Don't let him question you. I'll do the talking. So far as he's concerned you're suffering from concussion, and you're not fit to answer questions.a I nodded.

aThe one thing he's going to find suspicious is why I'm with you,a she went on. aHe'll wonder why Paul let me come with you from Los Angeles. He'll probably phone the casino and try and contact Paul. All they'll be able to tell him is Paul's on his way to Paris, and Ricca on his way to Lincoln Beach, and that's what we want him to know. If Reisner gets too suspicious he may try to contact Levinsky in Paris. But Levinsky can't tell him anything until the boat Paul was supposed to be on docks. That gives us four days to swing the job, Johnny.a aYou said it would be easy.a aIt is easy. Don't let Reisner jump anything on you. Leave the talking to me.a She got up to look out of the window to see if there was any sign of Harkness. I looked at her slim, square-shouldered back, and a stab of desire went through me. There was something about her as she stood at the window that would have brought out the primitive in any man. Uneasily I s.h.i.+fted my eyes away from her and felt in my pockets for a cigarette. In the hip pocket I found a gold cigarette-case. It was then I remembered I was wearing Wertham's clothes, and that gave me the creeps. I lit a cigarette and pushed the case into my hip pocket again.

She came back to the bed.

aBetter not smoke, Johnny,a she said. aYou're supposed to be pretty bad.a She leaned forward and took the cigarette and put it between her lips. I looked up at her, my mouth going dry. I had to fight against the urge to grab her and pull her down beside me.

She must have realized the way I was feeling, for she stepped away from me, her face hardening.

aGet your mind on what I'm going to tell you,a she said. aYou've got to know something about Paul, how he lived, the things he liked. It's so easy to be tripped up on the small things.a I got a grip on myself. It wasn't easy, but I did it.

aGo ahead,a I said huskily.

She told me where Wertham lived in Los Angeles, his telephone number, the kind of car he drove and a lot of details about his personal life. In a very short time she had given me a heap of facts that only a man who had lived with Wertham and worked with him could have known.

She went on to tell me about the casino, what it looked like, the kind of tables used, the number of croupiers employed, the amount of profit made in an evening, how much the various members of the staff were paid, how many crooked tables there were and how they operated. Then she switched to Jack Ricca, and gave me his background. He had joined Wertham's organization about a year ago. No one knew much about him. It was rumoured he used to run a night-club in New York, but he had neither admitted nor denied it. He was a man who said little about himself.

aEvery so often he goes on a drinking jag,a Della concluded, aand it's my bet he's in some sanatorium, tapering off.a aYou mean Wertham employed a drunk like that?a aHe's sober ten months of the year. Paul said he has one of the sharpest brains in the business. Since Ricca took over the casino they've trebled the take.a aWell, you've told me about Wertham and Ricca,a I said, looking at her, ahow about telling me something about yourself?a aAre you getting interested in me, Johnny?a she asked.

That was the wrong word, but I didn't tell her. Without any warning, and apparently because I had seen her at a different angle, she had suddenly touched off my blood: I was on fire for her.

aCall it that if you like,a I said. aIf we're going to work together, shouldn't I know something about you?a She gave me a jeering little smile that told me I wasn't fooling her for a moment.

aI met Paul two years ago when I was trying to break into the movies. I was down to my last dollar when he showed up. As a man he meant nothing to me. He was selfish, arrogant and cruel, but he had money and he threw it around. He fell for me, and I played hard to get. He spent hundreds on me, took me every-where, but I was angling for marriage. Finally he got so worked up he said he would marry me.a Her full, scarlet lips parted in a bitter smile. aHe had me for a sucker. The ceremony was phoney. He had a wife already, but I only found that out after eighteen months of living with him. He promised to divorce her, and he did. The divorce comes through next month, but it's a little late. All his personal money goes to his wife. I get nothing. I've lived pretty well these past two years, and I'm not going back to the old racket again. That's why I'm going ahead with this set-up, Johnny, and no one's going to stop me.a She was still talking when we heard the door latch click up. I only just had time to flop back on the bed and close my eyes before Jud Harkness came in.

aDid you get through?a Della asked him.

aYeah, and he's coming right away,a Harkness said.

There was a note in his voice I didn't like, and I peered at him from between my eyelashes. He was looking towards me. aHasn't he come around yet?a he asked.

aI think he's sleeping,a Della said. aHe seems to be breathing more evenly.a There was a long, uneasy silence, then Harkness said, aThe party reckoned it'd take him an hour to get here. If it's all the same to you I'll turn in. I've got to make an early start in the morning.a aWhy, of course. We won't disturb you. I'm very grateful for what you've done.a aThat's okay. Sure there's nothing you want?a aI have everything.a She stood up. aDon't bother to get up when Mr. Reisner comes.a She paused, then went on, aI'd like you to accept . . .a aIt ain't necessary.a His voice sharpened.

aOh, but you must.a I watched her open her bag. She took out a hundred dollar bill and put it on the table. aCan I rely on you to say nothing about this hold-up, Mr. Harkness? If anyone should ask you . . . It's a personal matter.a He hesitated, then picked up the bill.

aWell, thanks. I don't talk about what doesn't concern me.a He went into the far room and closed the door.

I lifted my head.

Della pointed to the uncurtained window.

aI think he was watching us,a she whispered. I thought so, too.

chapter eighteen.

From the little Della had told me about Nick Reisner, I had imagined him to be one of those brutal-looking characters you see after dark in Chicago's Loop who pack a gun and a set of bra.s.s knuckles and loll up against a wall, waiting for trouble.

But he wasn't like that at all.

He was tall and thin and stiffly upright. Although only around thirty-eight, his hair was chalk white and thick, taken straight back off a forehead any professor would have been proud to own. His nose was hooked and his nostrils flared hack, giving him the look of a hawk. He got his menace from his thin, s.a.d.i.s.tic mouth and the cold, remote expression in his deep-set eyes.

He came into the cabin and paused just inside the doorway to stare at Della.

ah.e.l.lo, Nick,a she said, and smiled. aExplanations can wait. Let's get out of here.a The corners of his mouth lifted in a stiff little smile. His eyes went to me.

aRicca?a His voice was soft, unexpectedly effeminate, and I noticed the tuxedo he wore was exaggeratedly tailored, with wide lapels and a sharply cut waist, hinting at foppishness that his mouth and eyes contradicted.

aYeah,a I said, and got slowly off the bed.

aLook a little roughed up. Who did it?a he asked.

aLet's get out of here,a I said.

aSure.a He stood aside.

aHelp him, Nick,a Della said. aHe's got concussion. We were held up, and the Bentley was stolen.a aToo bad,a Reisner said, without moving. aMy car's just outside. I came on my own.a I went past him out of the cabin, taking my time, knowing he was watching me, knowing, too, how hostile he was. Della followed, caught up with me and took my arm. The car was parked on the dirt track about twenty yards from the cabin: an Olds-mobile, as big as a battles.h.i.+p.

Della and I got in at the back. Reisner strolled after us and slid under the steering-wheel.

aI didn't expect you, Mrs. Wertham,a he said as he trod on the starter. aQuite a surprise.a aPaul thought I'd cramp his style in Paris,a she said, and laughed. aBesides, he wanted me along with Johnny.a aJohnny?a Reisner said, driving the car slowly up the dirt track towards the highway.

aI call him Johnny. I prefer it to Jack. Any objection?a aPaul didn't say you were coming,a Reisner said, ignoring the sharp note in her voice.

aHe made up his mind at the last moment. Besides, we thought it would be a nice surprise for you.a aYeah.a He didn't seem to think much of that remark. aSo you were held up? What happened?a aI guess we asked for it. We gave a fellow a ride. When we reached a lonely stretch of road he hit Johnny over the head, made me stop, tossed us out and went off with the car.a aTold the cops yet?a aNo. I wanted to get Johnny to Lincoln Beach first.a aLike me to handle it? Hame will keep it out of the newspapers.a aI wish you would.a aWhat was this fella like to look at?a aHe was big, built on Johnny's lines. He looked as if he had been in a fight. He wore a white tropical suit. I didn't notice anything special about him.a aWhy did you give him a ride?a aHe seemed in a hurry to get out of town. It wasn't as if he looked a tough. He said he was heading for Miami and his car had broken down, and could we take him as far as Lincoln Beach.a aWhat town?a aPelotta.a aOkay, I'll fix it. Paul won't like losing the Bentley.a aHe certainly won't.a Reisner was driving fast now, and for some minutes none of us spoke, then he said, aYou don't talk much, Ricca. Kind of a quiet character, huh?a aYou wouldn't talk either if you'd had a lump of iron bounced on your skull,a I said.

aYeah, I guess that's right. You look as if you'd been in a fight yourself.a aYou don't think Johnny let this thug hit him and get away with it, do you?a Della put in. aAlthough he was practically out on his feet, he made a fight of it.a aA strong as well as a silent character,a Reisner said, and the sneer in his voice was unmistakable. aNot like you, Mrs. Wertham, to stand on the sidelines and cheer.a aWhat should I have done a" joined in the brawl?a she said sarcastically.

aI was under the impression you always carried a gun. Not much use carrying it if you don't use it when you have to.a I saw her clench her fists. He had scored a point there.

aI wasn't carrying a gun.a aYou weren't? About the first time, isn't it?a He glanced at her in the driving mirror. aWell, well, it always rains when you haven't an umbrella.a I was getting the idea he wasn't talking just to hear the sound of his own voice. He was suspicious, and although there was a bantering, don't-give-a-d.a.m.n-if-you-answer-or-not tone in his voice, he was after information.

I touched Della's knee, and when she looked at me I cautiously pointed to her handbag, then to myself. She got it the first time. Keeping the bag below the level of the driving seat so Reisner couldn't see what was going on, she took out the gun and pa.s.sed it to me. I slid it in my pocket. It wouldn't do to let him spot the outline of the gun in her bag as we got out of the car. Our story had to stick.

aHow come you stopped at Pelotta?a Reisner asked suddenly.

Della and I exchanged glances. I didn't need any prompting. Now was the time to show him he couldn't go on asking any questions that came into his head.

aLook,a I said curtly, ado you mind if we cut out the small talk? I've a head on me like a ten-day hangover. I'd just as soon catch up some sleep as answer your questions.a There was a moment's silence. Then he said, aSure. Think nothing of it. I've always been a little gabby.a He increased speed, and the big car raced along the broad highway, skirted on one side by palmetto thickets and on the other side by the ocean. After a while we began to climb, and when we got to the top of a steep hill I could see in the distance the lights of a fair-sized town.

aLincoln Beach,a Della said.

I sat forward to stare out of the window. The town was laid out in a semicircle, facing the sea and sheltered by rising ground. We were moving too fast to see much of it, but what I could see told me it was quite a different proposition from any of the other coast towns I'd seen up to now. Even at two o'clock in the morning it was brilliantly floodlit. Blue, amber and red lights outlined the long promenade. Many of the white buildings were plastered with neon lights. From the hill road the town looked like something out of fairyland.

aPretty nice,a I said.

aThat's the casino: the floodlit building at the far end of the bay,a she said, pointing. aLooks good, Nick.a aSo would I if someone spent a million bucks on me,a Reisner said indifferently.