Джеймс Чейз - There’s Always A Price Tag

‘Kidnapped? What makes her think that?’

‘Well, they have both disappeared. ‘

‘There’s no ransom note.’

I could see he didn’t like this idea. He got to his feet and began to pace up and down.

‘Edwin Burnett, the attorney who acts for Mr. Dester, is having a word with the Chief of Police,’ I said. ‘He’s calling for action.’

Bromwich stopped short as if he had walked into a brick wall. ‘Having a word with the Chief?’

‘Yes. Apparently he’s a friend of his.’

‘Sweet grief! So it’s going to be one of those cases! Look, tell that girl to keep her mouth shut about kidnapping. If the Press get hold of that idea.’ He broke off, snapping his fingers. ‘My luck that Burnett’s a friend of the Chiefs. I’m going to get run ragged. I can see that.’ He started to pace up and down again. Then he paused to look at me, ‘Has Dester any relations or friends he would visit?’

‘He has no relations. I don’t know about his friends.’

‘That could be it, you know. He might have changed his mind about going to the sanatorium.’ Then he stopped short and cursed under his breath. ‘No. There’s the car. Why the hell did he ditch the car?’ He turned and began to pace up and down again. ‘Yeah, this could be a snatch. The car points to it. I’d better report to the Chief before he yells for me.’

He went out of the lounge, jerking his head at Lewis as he passed him. Together they hurried down to the car and drove off.

I went over to the bar and gave myself a Scotch. Where was Helen? What had happened to her? The whole of our plan depended on her. I thought of Dester lying in the deep-freeze. If Helen didn’t show up soon I would have the job of getting him out of the cabinet on my own. The thought turned me sick.

I had just finished my drink and was mixing myself another when two newspaper men arrived. I had trouble getting rid of them. They didn’t seem to be interested in talking to Burnett. They wanted first-hand information from me, but I wouldn’t let them in the house, telling them my instructions were to refer all inquiries to Burnett. They went off finally. They hadn’t been gone ten minutes before four others turned up complete with a Press photographer. I got rid of them after a struggle, but not before the photographer had taken my photograph.

By this time it was after twelve, and there was still no news of Helen. I was by now fit to walk up a wall, and when Marian came down to ask me to carry her suitcases over to the garage apartment it was as much as I could do to be civil to her.

She offered to get me lunch, but I said I had to go out. I took the Buick and headed out towards Highway 101, but I didn’t get far. I realized that if I were seen, it would be a complete give away. I had to let the police find Helen. I didn’t dare look for her myself. I drove over to Burnett’s office in the hope of getting some news from him, but I was told he was in court.

I returned to the house. There was still no news of Helen. There could now be three explanations for her silence: the police were holding her, waiting for me to make a wrong move; she hadn’t been found yet, or she had lost her nerve, got free and bolted, leaving me to hold the bag.

I decided I had to go out to the forestry station after dark. I had to find out if she was still there.

The evening newspapers carried the story of Dester’s disappearance under a banner headline.

There was a photograph of me talking to the reporters on the front page of the Hollywood Monitor. The caption under the photograph read: Glyn Nash, Erle Dester’s secretary, holds off reporters in their attempt to learn the truth of Dester’s disappearance.

There was no mention of Dester’s debts. The Chief of Police, in an interview with the Press, said that it looked as if Dester had been kidnapped although no ransom note had as yet been received. He said that he was organizing an intensive search for the missing couple.

And yet even with all this publicity, there was still no news of Helen.

Around seven o’clock, Burnett telephoned.

‘We’re coming out to the house at eleven o’clock tomorrow morning, Nash,’ he told me. ‘It looks as if they have been kidnapped, and we’ll want to talk to you and Miss Temple. I shall want to go through Mr. Dester’s papers. You might have everything ready for me. If you have a list of what he owes.’

I said I would have everything ready for him.

‘There’s no news then?’ I asked.

‘Nothing. It’s extraordinary. Stay by the telephone, Nash. You may get a ransom call. Notify the police and myself if you do.’

I said I would and hung up. But I knew there would be no ransom call. I had to go out to the forestry station, but first I had to get rid of Marian.

We sat in the lounge listening to the radio and talking in a desultory fashion until just after ten. How I contained myself I’ll never know, but at half past ten I suggested she should go to bed.

‘I’m out of cigarettes,’ I said. ‘I’ll take the car and get a pack at the end of the road. I won’t be long.’

‘I don’t want to be a nuisance, Glyn,’ she said, ‘but I do hate being alone here. Suppose the kidnappers ring up?’

‘Okay, I won’t go then,’ I said. ‘I’ve got enough to last me until tomorrow morning. I’ll see you over to the garage apartment. Then I’ll turn in myself. I’m pretty well whacked after no sleep last night. I expect you can do with some sleep yourself.’

We went over to the garage apartment.

‘I shall leave tomorrow, Glyn,’ Marian said as we entered the sitting room. ‘I can’t stay here any longer. I’ll get a job somewhere and find a room.’

‘Burnett will be coming tomorrow morning. We’ll talk to him. I don’t want to stay myself,’ I said. ‘You’ll be all right here for tonight. Don’t run out on me, Marian.’

She smiled. ‘No, but I hate it here. There’s such a horrible atmosphere. ‘

‘Let’s talk about it tomorrow.’

I kissed her and then went down the stairs, through the garage and out on to the driveway. Fortunately I hadn’t put the Buick away. The drive from the garage was steeply sloped. I opened the car door, slid under the driving wheel and released the parking brake. The car rolled down the drive. It kept going to the gates, then, knowing Marian wouldn’t now be able to hear the engine start up, I switched on the ignition.

I knew what I was doing was dangerous. I could be walking right into a trap. If Helen had been arrested, it was possible the police were waiting for me at the forestry station. If they caught me there, they wouldn’t need any other evidence to tie me in with Helen. But I had to take the risk.

Suppose she had skipped? I asked myself. What was I going to do? Skip myself? The only other alternative would be to give the police the whole story, show them where Dester was and put as much blame on to Helen as I could.

I pushed that thought hastily out of my mind. That must be the last alternative. I wished now I hadn’t been so damned smart. I wished I had never thought up this crazy plan. I cursed myself for going back with Dester to his house on the night we first met.

As I drove along Highway 101 I kept my eyes open for the sight of any State trooper, but I didn’t see one.

I slowed down when I was a quarter of a mile from the dirt road that led to the forestry station. Ahead of me was a lay-by. I pulled into it, turned off the car’s lights and cut the engine. I didn’t intend to drive up that dirt road in case the police were waiting for me. I would sneak up there on foot, giving them no warning of my approach. With any luck I might spot them if they were there and duck out of sight before they saw me.