James Chase - Just Another Sucker

‘They were after my brown suit and they’ve taken it,’ I said.

Nina was trying not to cry. It wrung my heart to see her.

‘What are we going to do? Oh, Harry! I can’t bear the thought of losing you again! What will they do to you?’

I knew what they would do to me — they would put me in the gas chamber, but I didn’t tell her that.

‘Why did you let him have the tapes?’ she went on frantically. ‘I would rather…’

‘Stop it! This is my mess! He wasn’t bluffing. I had to give them to him!’

She beat her knees with her fists.

‘But what are we going to do?’

‘I don’t know. There must be a way out of this mess. I’ve been trying to think…’

‘You must tell John the whole story. He’ll help us. I’m sure he will!’

‘He can’t do a thing for me. There’s no proof. My only possible hope is to make O’Reilly confess, but how do I do that?’

‘What happened to the ransom money, Harry?’

I stared at her. A sudden prickle of excitement ran through me. I remembered what O’Reilly had said: Find the ransom, and you’ll find the killer.

‘What is it, Harry? Have you thought of something?’

‘The money! Where is it?’ I got to my feet and began to pace up and down. ‘Five hundred thousand dollars in small bills can’t be easily hidden. Where have they hidden it? Not in a bank — that’s certain. In the house? Dare they risk that? They must know as soon as I’m arrested, I’ll try to incriminate them and Renick will search the house. I can’t believe they would risk hiding it there — then where?’

‘A safe deposit?’

‘It would be risky. They would have to open an account and sign for a key. The most likely place is a left luggage station, either at the airport, the bus station or the railroad station. It would be easy and safe for O’Reilly to check in a suitcase at any of these places. No one would remember him, and he could get at the money quickly in an emergency without identifying himself.’

‘You must tell John.’

‘That wouldn’t help me. O’Reilly must be caught getting the suitcase out. He must be caught red-handed to do me any good.’

Nina made a gesture of helplessness.

‘But he would never let himself be caught red-handed.’

‘That’s right. Unless…’ I paused, then went on, ‘unless I can stampede him by some trick.’

‘But how? A man like that…’

‘Let me think about it. Let’s have supper. While you’re getting it, I’ll think. I want to turn the radio off. It’s driving me nuts.’

‘I’m so frightened. If they took you away…’

‘It hasn’t happened yet. Get hold of yourself, darling. I’m relying on you.’

‘Yes, of course.’ She got to her feet. ‘I’m sorry, Harry.’

I kissed her.

‘Go ahead and let’s eat,’ I said, then I crossed to the radio and turned it off.

When she had gone into the kitchen, I sat down and really bent my brains to the problem, but it wasn’t until we had made a poor meal in silence, that a sudden idea dropped into my mind.

Nina who kept glancing at me expectantly, saw by my sudden change of expression that I had an idea.

She began to speak, then remembering the microphone, she stopped. I put the radio on again.

‘I think I’ve got it,’ I said. ‘There is only one way to work it. I’ve got to trick him. I think I have an idea how I can do it, but everything depends on whether or not the money is in a left luggage station or a safe deposit. If it’s in the house, then I’m sunk, but I can’t believe it is in the house.’

‘What are you planning to do, Harry?’

‘Give me a moment.’

I went to my desk and taking a sheet of paper, I wrote out the following: NEWS FLASH.

We interrupt this programme to bring to you the latest development in the Malroux kidnapping.

The Palm City police have reason to believe that the ransom money has been lodged in a safe deposit or at a left luggage station.

A special search warrant has been obtained from the State Governor, and beginning at nine o’clock tomorrow morning, teams of detectives are to search all parcels and luggage in left luggage stations and all newly opened safe deposits.

Anyone who has rented a safe since the beginning of the month is asked to call at the nearest police station with the key of the safe.

The search will cover a radius of a hundred miles of Palm City. District Attorney Meadows feels confident that, by this extensive operation, the ransom money will be found.

I gave the sheet of paper to Nina who read it. She stared blankly at me.

‘I don’t understand, Harry.’

‘It’s my job to feed the local TV and radio stations with news of the kidnapping. They’ll broadcast this without question. I’m hoping when O’Reilly hears of this, he’ll stampede. He could lead me to the place where he has hidden the money.’

‘But you don’t know he’ll be listening in.’

‘He’ll be listening in all right. I’m going to tell him to listen in.’ I moved to the telephone, then paused. ‘They’ve probably tapped the line by now. I’ll have to use an outside line. If it got back to Meadows, he would stop it.’ I started for the door. ‘I’ll go to the drug store at the corner. I’ll be right back.’

‘Shall I come with you, Harry?’

‘Better not. You wait here for me.’

By now it was dark. I left the bungalow and strolled down the path to the gate. As I opened the gate, I glanced to right and left. The police car was parked about fifty yards up the road. The drug store was the other way. I didn’t have to pass the car. I set off, walking at a normal pace. I heard the car start up. I knew it was crawling after me, but I didn’t look back. My one fear now was that they would arrest me before I could put my plan into operation. If they did that, I was really sunk.

I went into the drug store and shut myself in a booth. I called the local TV station. I got through to Fred Hickson, the P.R.O. and my opposite number.

‘Fred,’ I said, ‘I have an important announcement for you. The D.A. wants it broadcast and put on TV

at eleven tonight. Can you do it?’

‘Sure: let’s have it,’ Hickson said.

I read the News Flash to him and he took it down.

‘That’s okay,’ he said. ‘We’ll interrupt both programmes at eleven o’clock. The D.A. certainly means business, doesn’t he?’

‘He sure does,’ I said. ‘Well, thanks, Fred — so long,’ and I hung up.

I looked at my watch. It was half past nine. I telephoned Malroux’s residence. After a delay, the butler answered.

‘This is police headquarters,’ I said. ‘We want to talk to O’Reilly. Is he there?’

‘I believe he is in his room,’ the butler said. ‘If you will hold on I will connect you.’

There was a clicking on the line, then O’Reilly said, ‘Hello! Who is it?’

Speaking slowly and distinctly so he couldn’t miss a word, I said, ‘Hello, sucker, how’s your conscience acting tonight?’

There was a sudden silence. I could imagine him at the other end of the line, his face hardening and his hand tightening on the receiver.

‘Who’s this?’ he demanded, a snarl in his voice.

‘The other sucker,’ I said.

‘Is that you, Barber?’

‘Yes. I’m tipping you off. The D.A. has at last come up with a bright idea. If you’re interested, and you’d better be interested, listen to the TV programme, local network, at eleven tonight for a news flash.

Got it? The local station at eleven tonight. See you in the gas chamber,’ and I hung up before he could say anything.

As I came out of the booth I saw a big man with a red face and with cop written all over him come into the store.