James Chase - Just Another Sucker

‘It’s a great idea!’ Meadows said enthusiastically. ‘We’ll do even better than that.’ He called his secretary. ‘Miss Leham, I want you to go out right now and buy a sports suit for Mr. Barber. It’s got to be in dark brown, and it has to have pouch pockets: something quiet. I want it as fast as you can get it.’

Miss Leham looked me over, nodded and went out.

‘While we’re waiting, John, get me that passenger list. I want the names of everyone who travelled from the airport between ten-thirty and midnight.’ To me, he said, ‘How about writing a nice little article about me — a personal thing, about my hobbies, my home life with my kids, my wife: I don’t have to tell you. You’ll get the dope from the files. See if you can get it into Time and Newsweek .’

Back in my office with the door shut, I sat down limply behind my desk. I felt in a trap. This photograph idea of Renick’s could be dangerous. Although I was pretty sure no one had seen me at the Pirates’ Cabin, I had had enough experience as a newspaper man to know there was always the chance that someone I hadn’t seen had seen me. This also applied to the Lone Bay parking lot. At the airport, I had stupidly carried Odette’s suitcase into the departure hall. The place had been crowded. Any idle watcher might remember me once the photograph appeared.

But the main thing that haunted my mind was how I was going to get rid of Odette’s body. I would have to do it tonight. I couldn’t keep her in the trunk longer than tonight. I would have to hire a car. My feeling of panic grew as I remembered how short of money I was. I would have to go to my regular garage and try to talk the owner into lending me a car without paying the usual deposit. I had exactly two dollars in my wallet and I had no idea how much Nina had. I wouldn’t be able to draw any money from my job until the end of the week.

Then when I had the car, I had to transfer Odette’s body from my car to the other. How was I going to do it without being sure Nina wouldn’t suddenly surprise me? It would have to be done when she had gone to bed. I would have to tell her I would be working late, then when she was asleep I would do the job.

But while I was doing it, suppose one of the searchers spotted me?

My mind cringed at the thought of the awful risk I would have to face.

I had no time to think further about this for the telephone bell started up its continuous clamour. I had to get the articles on Meadows written. Then, as I was finishing the article, Miss Leham came in with the suit, followed by Renick.

It gave me a hell of a jolt when I saw the suit. It was the replica of the one I owned. I had bought my suit soon after I had left jail to have something new to wear.

When Miss Leham had gone, Renick said, ‘Change, will you, Harry. The photographer’s waiting. We want to get the photos in the last editions.’

I put on the suit and followed him down to the police photographer. In half an hour we had a dozen prints for distribution.

I had a horrible feeling I was committing suicide as I wrote a description of myself and pasted the description to the backs of the photographs. I took the photographs into Meadows’ office and gave them to him.

My face in the photograph had been blocked out, but in spite of that, I was still able to recognise myself.

Meadows studied the photographs, nodded, called in Miss Leham and told her to get them to the local papers.

As she was going out, Renick came in.

‘I have the passenger lists for you,’ he said. ‘They don’t help. There were only two planes out between ten-thirty and midnight. One to Japan and the other to San Francisco. The Japan plane I’ve washed out. The ’Frisco plane had fifteen passengers on board. Fourteen of them were business men and their wives. They do a regular trip and the air hostess knows them all personally. The one odd passenger was a girl, travelling alone.’

‘That doesn’t help. I’m looking for a girl and a man travelling together. There was just the chance the kidnapper had so terrified the girl she might have travelled with him. Who was the lone girl?’

‘She’s listed as Ann Harcourt,’ Renick said. ‘The air hostess particularly noticed her. She was a redhead. She was certainly not Odette Malroux.’

The hard cold knot that had formed in my stomach eased a little. My legs felt suddenly so weak I had to sit down.

Meadows flicked the list into the trash basket.

‘Well, it was a try. Maybe we’ll have more luck with the photograph.’

The time was now after seven. I hung around, listening to the telephone reports of the search until eight, then I said to Renick, ‘Okay for me to go home? If anything breaks, you can telephone me.’

‘Why, sure, Harry. You get off.’

I returned to my office and called Nina.

‘I could be a little late,’ I said. ‘What are you doing tonight?’

‘Why, nothing. I’ll wait for you.’

‘Look, why don’t you go to the movies? Why sit at home on your own? There’s a good movie at the Capital. Why don’t you take a look at it?’

‘I don’t want to go alone, Harry. I’ll wait for you.’

If only I could get her out of the bungalow for a few hours!

‘It’d please me, Nina, if you’d go. You stay home too much.’

‘But darling, I don’t want to go out alone even if we could afford it. When will you be back? Shall I keep supper for you?’

I gave up. If I went on pressing her to go out, she would become suspicious.

‘I guess I’ll be about an hour. Yes, keep something for me. I’ll be seeing you.’

‘Oh, Harry, I still haven’t found my car keys.’

A spurt of irritation ran through me.

‘You can’t use the car, so why worry? So long for now,’ and I hung up.

For a long moment I sat there, staring sightlessly at the desk clock. Usually Nina went to bed around eleven o’clock. I would have to wait until at least one o’clock before I dare move Odette’s body. Now the time to act was drawing closer, the horror of the thing I had to do gave me the shakes. But I had to do it. Where was I going to dump the body? Dare I go out to the old silver mine? I knew it had already been searched. They weren’t likely to search it again. If I could get out there without being spotted, her body might never be found. But could I get out there? Before I had left the Operations Room I had studied the map where Renick was plotting the progress of the searchers. They were moving down the highway, away from the silver mine, towards my place. By one o’clock the highway might be clear except for the odd patrolling car. In my official capacity as Press officer to the D.A., I might be able to bluff my way through if — and it was big if — my nerve held. Right now my nerve wasn’t holding. I was in a terrible state.

Before I could do anything, I had to hire a car. That was the first move.

I left the office and took a bus to my local garage. The time was twenty minutes to nine when I walked in.

Ted Brown, an eighteen-year-old youth, who I knew pretty well was sitting in the little office reading a racing sheet. I was relieved to see there was no sign of Hammond, who owned the garage.

‘Hi, Ted,’ I said, pushing open the door. ‘You look pretty busy.’

The boy grinned sheepishly. He laid down his paper and stood up.

‘Hello, Mr. Barber,’ he said, ‘I was just trying to pick a winner. I sure could do with a little luck. The gees haven’t been running good for me the whole week.’

‘They never run good for me,’ I said. ‘Look, Ted, I’ve had some bad luck too. The Packard has packed up. I’ve got a bust gearbox.’

The boy’s face showed his concern.

‘Gee! I’m sorry. That’s a pretty high item.’