Джеймс Чейз - You're Dead Without Money

Cindy heard Vin’s voice, but she didn’t hear what he was saying. Her mind was far away, thinking of what Elliot had just said to her. She felt a pang of misery. There had been something in his quiet voice that warned her he had meant what he said. How could she ever put him out of her mind?

But if Cindy wasn’t listening, Elliot was.

‘What’s the problem?’

‘There’s a TV scanner in the stamp room,’ Vin said. ‘Judy has shown me on her plan where it is. It revolves in a semicircle, sweeping the room, but by keeping on my hands and knees I can keep out of its range. But the snag is I have to get into the room by the door. Even if I crawl in, the guard watching the monitor would see the door open even if he didn’t see me. It’ll take me around three seconds to open the door, get into the room and then close the door. In those three seconds I could be spotted. Now the system works like this. All Security Guard scanners are hooked to monitors in their headquarters: there are around forty monitors to a room and a guard sits watching them. If he sees something on one of the monitors he doesn’t like he presses a button on the monitor that alerts a patrol car that goes at once to investigate.’

‘Never mind the system,’ Joey said uneasily. ‘Where do I come in on this?’

‘You cause a diversion.’

‘What does that mean?’

‘You know the Kennedy memorial at the City Hall?’

Joey blinked.

‘Yes... what’s that to do with this?’

‘Once a practical joker splashed paint on it and since then it has been protected by a Security Guard scanner. The City Hall is pretty touchy about the memorial... it cost them a lot of dough. Now your job is to look as if you’re going to damage the statue... you don’t of course, but you look as if you might be going to do something. When the guard spots you on the monitor, he isn’t going to be looking at Larrimore’s monitor. If we time it to a split second, I can get the door open, get in, shut the door, get the stamps and get out again while the guard is watching you, trying to make up his mind whether to alert the patrol car or not.’ Vin looked at Elliot. ‘What do you think?’

‘It’s a good idea, but it’s certainly got to be timed right.’

‘What happens to me if the cops pick me up?’ Joey asked uneasily.

‘Nothing,’ Elliot said gently. ‘You don’t have to worry about that. The way I see it: you’re on vacation. You are a Kennedy fan and you’ve got a little drunk. You want to pay a tribute to him. You have a bottle of Scotch with you. What nicer thought than to leave the bottle at the foot of the statue? Maybe the cops will treat you a little rough, but they’ll let you go once they see you’re harmless. Yes... it’s a great idea... it’ll work.’

Vin sat back, grinning. ‘You see? I’ve buttoned my end up, now it’s up to you and Cindy to button your end up. Get me the number of the drawer and I’ll get the stamps.’

‘There’s one of your buttons left undone,’ Elliot said quietly. ‘Has Judy told you the name of the buyer?’

Vin’s smug smile slipped.

‘Not yet. When I get the stamps, she’ll tell me.’

‘Can you trust her?’

Vin stiffened. ‘What does that mean?’

‘You said she wanted a thousand dollars. She could give you any name, couldn’t she?’

‘You take me for a dope? She has agreed in return for a grand to give me the letter this guy wrote to her old man offering to buy the stamps,’ Vin said hotly. ‘That covers us, doesn’t it?’

‘Suppose this buyer has changed his mind by now?’

‘To hell with that for an idea! But suppose he has changed his mind, then we sell the stamps to Kendrick. Okay, we don’t make so much, but we make something.’

Elliot nodded.

The following morning, a letter addressed to Cindy was in the mailbox. Joey found it and brought it to the breakfast table. All four stared at the neat writing on the envelope.

‘This is it,’ Elliot said. ‘Go ahead, Cindy... open it.’

Cindy shook her head. ‘You open it, Don.’

Elliot slit open the envelope, extracted a sheet of notepaper and read the few lines. His eyes lit up with excitement.

‘It’s worked! Larrimore will see you tomorrow morning at eleven!’ He tossed the letter on the table.

When they had all read it, Vin said, ‘Okay, now it’s up to you, baby. For Pete’s sake, don’t louse it up!’

‘She won’t.’ Elliot smiled at Cindy. ‘You’ve got to dress the part. Buy yourself a simple cotton dress; make yourself look as young as you can... fix your hair. You’re just a small time kid left something by her grandfather and you’re hoping it’s worth a fortune.’

Tense, her eyes wide, Cindy nodded.

Elliot regarded her.

‘It doesn’t scare you?’

‘No, but if he hasn’t the book on him...’

‘He lives with it,’ Vin broke in. ‘Judy swears he’s never without it.’

‘All right, then I can get it, but I may not have a chance to look at it. He may not leave me long enough for me to find the entry... that really worries me.’

‘Yes.’ Elliot nodded. ‘That’s the gamble. Let’s see if we can shorten the odds.’ He thought for a moment. ‘Suppose I telephone him while you are with him? When he answers the phone you can check the book. How’s that?’

‘But suppose I haven’t been able to get the book before you phone? You won’t know when I’ve got it.’

‘That’s right.’ Elliot reached for a cigarette while he considered this, then he snapped his fingers. ‘A walkie-talkie! Joey get one: small and powerful. Cindy has one in her bag. I’ll be waiting here with the other.’ He looked at Cindy. ‘All you have to do when you’ve got the book is to open your bag and say into it “Okay.” I’ll then call Larrimore.’

‘That’s fixed it,’ Vin said, getting to his feet. ‘Come on, Joey, I’ll drive you down town.’

When they had gone, Elliot said, ‘If you get the drawer number, Cindy, don’t tell Vin. If we tell him, we’ll have no hold on him. He could sneak out of here, get the stamps, do a deal with Larrimore’s daughter and leave us high and dry.’

‘But he must be told if he is to get the stamps.’

‘I’m going with him,’ Elliot said. ‘It’s the only way. When we get into the stamp room, I’ll take the stamps and I’ll do the selling. Do you know where he keeps his gun?’

Cindy’s eyes popped wide open.

‘No.’

‘Must be in his room.’ Elliot got up and went into Vin’s small bedroom. He found the gun after a search and he unloaded it. A further search produced a box of cartridges. ‘I’ll dump these,’ he said to Cindy who was standing in the doorway, watching him. ‘Something tells me Vin would use the gun if he was under pressure.’

‘Don... I wish you wouldn’t go with him. Suppose something goes wrong? Suppose you got caught?’

‘There’s no other way.’ Elliot grinned. ‘Know something? This is the first real fun I’ve ever had in my life.’

The following morning as the hands of the clock on the over-mantel moved to 11.00, the three men sat around the table in the living room of the bungalow. The telephone was in front of Elliot and the walkie-talkie, switched on, by the telephone.

Early in the morning, Cindy had walked to Larrimore’s house and had tested the two-way radio which worked well. She had timed the walk and found it took her seventeen minutes from the bungalow without hurrying. Satisfied with the test, she returned to the bungalow.

Orson who was catching the early morning stint picked up Cindy’s voice and Elliot’s answering voice on his transceiver. As Cindy had only said ‘Okay’ and Elliot had only replied ‘Hear you,’ then had switched off, Orson was puzzled.