1972 - You're Dead Without Money (19 page)

‘I like having them around.’ She smiled at him. ‘They give me a feeling of security.’

Vin drew in a slow breath. She was wise to him! The shock hit him and he found his legs were unsteady. He sat down abruptly. What an escape! Suppose he had knocked her off!

Imagine carting her body from the cabin to the Jag and as he was putting her body in the boot, these two punks had descended on him. The thought made sweat run down his face.

What an escape!

‘Have they upset your plans?’ she asked. ‘How sad! Did you really think I’m so dopey as to come here without protection? You and your dog lead!’ She put her glass down and throwing back her head, she began to laugh.

Vin sat like a stricken bull. Finally he could stand the sound of her laughter no longer.

‘Shut up, you goddamn bitch!’ he bellowed She stopped laughing and taking a handkerchief from her bag, she mopped her eyes.

‘Superman! You’re the funniest thing alive. I knew you were stupid, but I didn’t believe you could be such a brainless moron as you are.’

Vin half started from his chair, but, with an effort, he controlled the urge to grab her by her throat and strangle her.

‘Cut it out!’ he snarled. ‘You and me are partners. I know where the stamps are and you know where the buyer is. We both want the money. Do we go ahead with this or don’t we?’

She regarded and her face became as hard as stone.

‘Yes . . . we go ahead.’ Her voice now had a cutting edge that startled Vin. ‘Now listen to me, you stinking creep. You planned to force me to give you the name of the buyer and then you planned to murder me and take all the money for yourself. You’re so obvious an idiot child could read the mess you call your mind! Make no mistake about this: you’re going to get the stamps and you’re going to give them to me! Don’t imagine, you stupid clown, you can get them and take off. I’ll know if they go and I’ll give the police a description of you and they’ll pick you up so fast you won’t know what’s hit you. From now on, Superduper, you’re going to do what I tell you to do. There’ll be no more cosy motels. When we meet, we meet with people around us so get the idea out of your moronic head that you’ll ever get a chance of murdering me. Understand?’

Vin eyed her. The expression in her hard, cold eyes warned him to play it cool. This bitch was dangerous. If she put the cops on him . . . but dare she? She would get involved herself.

‘My father wouldn’t bring a charge against me, Superduper,’ Judy said. I know what you’re thinking. Just step out of turn and you’ll have the fuzz crawling over you like fleas on a dog.’

Vin wiped the sweat off his face. He realized with sick frustration she was too goddamn smart for him to cope with.

‘Okay,’ he said. ‘I’ll get the stamps and then we’ll do a deal.’

‘It’s going to be a different kind of deal, little man,’ Judy said. ‘You will now get a hundred thousand and I’m having the rest Now get out! I’ll take a taxi home. When you have the stamps, telephone me and we’ll meet at the Plaza Beach. If the stamps go and I don’t hear from you, the fuzz will be after you. That’s a promise . . . now, get out!’

Vin hesitated. This could be his last chance to be alone with her. Suppose she was bluffing? Suppose they hadn’t been tailed? Dare he take the risk? His fingers itched to fasten on her throat.

Judy faced him, her eyes contemptuous.

‘Just try it, you stinker, and see where it gets you!’ she said in a fierce whisper. ‘Get out!’

With a feeling of frustrated defeat and fury, Vin turned and stamped out of the cabin.

* * *

Soon after Vin had gone to meet Judy, for no reason at all Elliot’s non-existent foot began to ache. This pain always put Elliot in a bad mood and saying curtly he wanted to read, he went to his room, leaving Cindy and Joey to settle to television.

Lying on his bed, Elliot again considered his future. He realized that Cindy had made an unexpected difference to his outlook. He now had the stamps. He was sure Vin planned to double-cross them all . . . so why not double-cross Vin? Why not take the stamps to Kendrick, try to get the price upped or if Kendrick wouldn’t play to accept the two hundred thousand dollars and with Cindy and Joey, take off, leaving Vin to whistle for his share?

But Elliot realized after some thought that it wasn’t in him to double-cross anyone. He knew Cindy wouldn’t approve and if he did it he knew for the rest of his days he would have put himself on the same level as Vin and that was unthinkable.

Vin had said he would get the name of the buyer from the Larrimore girl. After all, five hundred thousand was a lot better than two hundred thousand. Elliot found he had no qualms about double-crossing Kendrick. After all, Kendrick had swindled him in the past No, he had no qualms about Kendrick.

He was still thinking, turning over in his mind whether - once he got the money - to join up with Cindy and Joey or whether to take off and have a hell of a splurge and then take sleeping pills, when he heard Vin come into the bungalow.

He heard him say: ‘Where’s Elliot? Okay . . . you keep out of this! I’ve got to talk to him and that doesn’t include you two!’

From the sound of Vin’s voice, Elliot guessed he was in a vicious rage. He swung his legs off the bed and sat up.

Vin came into the small room, kicked the door shut and stood glaring at Elliot ‘She didn’t play?’ Elliot asked quietly.

During the drive back to the bungalow, Vin had thought until his brain had creaked. He realized that Judy had outsmarted him. He had a feeling that once she got the stamps she would gyp him out of this hundred thousand she was offering and there would be nothing he could do about it She had said her father wouldn’t bring a charge against her but that didn’t mean the old punk wouldn’t bring a charge against him! With frustrated fury he finally accepted the bitter fact that he hadn’t the brains to cope with a situation like this. If anyone could cope with it it was this punk movie star and Vin decided he would have to put his cards - not all of them - on the table and be willing to accept part of the take and not all of it.

‘No . . . the bitch!’ Vin clenched and unclenched his hands. ‘She won’t tell me who the buyer is until I give her the stamps and she insists on dealing with the buyer herself!’

Elliot began to rub his tin foot while he regarded Vin.

‘Then you owe me a thousand dollars,’ he said.

Vin took the roll from his pocket and threw it on the bed.

He watched Elliot count the money and transfer it to his pocket.

‘Don’t worry about her,’ Elliot said. ‘We’ll go for the lower figure. I’ve got the stamps.’

Vin stood motionless, a glazed look coming into his eyes.

‘You’ve got them?’ he said hoarsely. ‘What the hell are you saying?’

‘Cindy got them.’

Vin sat abruptly on a chair.

‘You mean when she saw Larrimore, she got at the stamps?’

‘That’s right.’

Vin began to sweat.

‘When Larrimore misses them we’ll have a load of fuzz here!’

Elliot shook his head.

‘For some reason I don’t understand, Larrimore was warned two months ago that he would be prosecuted if he had the stamps and kept them. He can’t complain to the police now unless he wants to risk a prosecution by the C.I.A.’

‘The . . . who?’

‘The C.I.A.’

Vin gaped at him.

‘You mean the Government jerks who spy and play general hell?’

Elliot nodded.

‘But what have they to do with the stamps?’

‘I’m trying to figure that one out itself.’

Vin’s mind was in a whirl.

‘Where are the stamps?’

‘In a safe deposit box. I’ll see Kendrick tomorrow. Maybe I can squeeze more money out of him. Forget Judy. If we are lucky we could get another fifty thousand out of Kendrick. As you didn’t get the stamps, your share goes down to fifty thousand and as Cindy got them, her share goes up to a hundred.’

Vin drew in a snorting breath. He saw now that he would have to put his final card on the table. He hesitated for a long moment, but if Elliot sold the stamps for a mere two hundred and fifty, Vin knew he would have nightmares for the rest of his days.

‘Do you know how much these goddamn stamps are worth?’ he demanded, sitting forward and glaring at Elliot.

‘Do you?’

‘Yes. That bitch told me. Larrimore was offered a million for them and you are talking of selling them for two hundred and fifty!’

For a moment Elliot stared at Vin, then he shook his head.

‘She was conning you. No stamps are worth that kind of money.’

‘That letter I told you she had seen. She didn’t know I was interested in the stamps when she told me,’ Vin said feverishly. ‘That’s what they’re worth! A million! That’s why she won’t play. She wants all that money for herself!’

Elliot felt a prickle run up his spine. Could it be possible? he asked himself. If he could lay his hands on that amount of money he could clear his debts and make a new start. A million!

‘I can’t believe it!’

‘I’m telling you,’ Vin said violently, ‘and I’ll tell you something else . . . this bitch told me she’d give the cops a description of me if she found the stamps missing. You hear? As soon as her goddamn father tells her Cindy has taken the stamps, we’ll have the fuzz in our laps!’

Elliot waved this away.

‘She’ll never know they are missing,’ he said. ‘If Larrimore can’t tell the police they have gone, is it likely he would tell her who he dislikes?’

Vin hadn’t thought of this. He relaxed a little.

‘You can forget her,’ Elliot went on. ‘There must be some other way to find out who this buyer is without getting involved with her. Kendrick knows. Larrimore knows. Neither of them would tell us. Who else would know?’

Vin shuffled uneasily.

‘Search me and I’ll tell you something else . . . I was followed last night and tonight. I didn’t spot them but Judy did.’

Elliot stiffened.

‘If she did . . . why didn’t you?’

‘I had things on my mind,’ Vin said sullenly. ‘I forgot to check.’

‘Could she have been conning you?’

Vin’s eyes narrowed. He hadn’t thought of that. By spinning a yarn that they were being watched she had saved her goddamn neck. Yes . . . she could have been smart enough to have conned him.

‘Maybe . . . I don’t know. Someone followed Joey and Cindy.’

Elliot got to his feet.

‘This bothers me. Let’s check and find out’ He left his room and went into the living room. Vin, scowling, joined him.

‘Joey . . . I want to talk to you,’ Elliot said.

Reluctantly, Joey turned off the TV set and regarded Elliot inquiringly.

‘Vin thinks he was followed tonight. I want to be sure. He’s going to take a walk down town. Give him a start, then go after him. See if you can spot the tailer.’ He turned to Vin. ‘Go to the end of the road and keep along Beechwood Drive until you come to the drug store. Buy some cigarettes and then come back . . . take your time.’

‘What’s the matter with taking the car?’ asked Vin who hated walking.

‘Do what I say!’ Elliot snapped.

Shrugging, Vin left the bungalow and after giving him a three-minute start, Joey went after him.

‘What is it, Don?’ Cindy asked anxiously. ‘Do you really think someone’s following us?’

‘If there is someone, Joey should spot him.’ Elliot turned to the door. ‘Go to bed. I’ve got thinking to do.’

‘I’ll wait for dad to get back.’

‘Cindy!’ The snap in Elliot’s voice startled her. ‘Go to bed and stay in your room no matter what you hear. Do you understand?’

‘What’s going to happen?’

‘For God’s sake, don’t be a nuisance! Go to bed!’

With a hurt expression on her face, Cindy left the room.

Elliot grimaced, then sat down and waited for Vin and Joey to return.

Half an hour later, Vin came in.

‘Anything?’

‘Not a damn thing! No one followed me,’ Vin said sourly. ‘A waste of time.’

‘Let’s wait for Joey.’

Twenty minutes later Joey came in and quietly shut the door.

‘He was followed and so was I,’ he said. ‘One of them is in the back garden right now.’

‘Did you see him?’ Elliot asked, getting to his feet.

‘Yes . . . he’s behind the big shrub at the end of the garden. There’s no place else for him to hide. The other one is in a car at the end of the road.’

‘Okay, Joey . . . you’ve done a swell job. Now, go to bed.’

‘Cindy in bed?’

‘Yes.’

Joey looked at Vin, hesitated, then moved to the door.

‘Well, then . . . good night.’

When he had gone, Elliot said softly, ‘Let’s go get him. Maybe we can persuade him to tell us who he is working for.’

Vin’s face lit up with a wolfish grin.

‘If it’s to be told, he’ll tell. How do we take him?’

‘Let’s look.’

The two men went into the dark kitchen and Elliot closed the door. They went to the window and looked out on to the back garden. Although there was a big moon the tall trees surrounding the garden made it dark, but they could make out the outline of the big flowering shrub at the bottom of the garden.

‘I’ll crawl down there and flush him out,’ Elliot said. ‘When you hear me call, come fast’

Vin nodded. This was the kind of action he liked. He was impressed by the way Elliot slid out through the back door and disappeared into the darkness. He waited, then hearing a sudden commotion, he charged down the lawn and blundered on Elliot, kneeling over a limp body.

‘Okay,’ Elliot said, standing up. ‘I’ve fixed him. He was half-asleep. He’ll be out for ten minutes or so. Help me carry him in.’

Together, they carried the unconscious man into the kitchen, down a short passage and into the living room.

‘Lock the door,’ Elliot said as they dumped the man on the settee.

Vin locked the door and joined Elliot to look down at the man on the settee. He wasn’t much to look at: below average height, small boned, sandy haired, round, boyish face and at a guess, Elliot thought he couldn’t be more than twenty years of age.

‘Not much of a punk, is he?’ Vin said. ‘What did you do . . . knock him on the nut?’

‘Chop at the back of his neck,’ Elliot said. ‘Hell be all right in a few minutes.’