Джеймс Чейз - Believe This... You’ll Believe Anything

‘Although I have never forgotten you, Val. I really believed I had lost you for good. You know I’m married?’

She nodded.

‘Dyer told me. Does she make you happy Clay?’

‘We are married.’

‘I’ve been honest with you Clay, please be honest with me. Does she make you happy?’

‘No. We get along. We have really nothing in common. You’ve met her. She works at The Trendie Miss.’

‘Rhoda? Is she your wife?’

‘Yes.’

‘But she’s pretty and so gay. Have you been married long Clay?’

‘Two years. It was a mistake.’

She looked searchingly at me.

‘You don’t love her?’

‘I love you.’

She rested her face again mine.

‘You don’t know how good it is to hear you say that. I don’t think I can live without you now Clay.’

‘I thought about you all last night. I can’t bear the thought of losing you again. What can we do!’ Would he divorce you?’

I felt her stiffen.

‘No! I wouldn’t dare even ask him. If he thought I wanted to leave him for you, God knows what he would do!’

‘But what can he do?’ I said impatiently. ‘Tell him you love me and I’ll tell Rhoda I love you. They must give us a divorce.’

‘Clay! I told you he is evil. I told you he is a devil. He has thugs working for him. He has only to give them instructions and they follow out those instructions. A man once tried to cheat him. That man was attacked by these thugs. He is going about in a wheelchair now. He is half an idiot.’ I stared at her.

‘Didn’t the police...’

‘A dark night, a vicious blow... what can the police do? If he found out we are lovers he would turn his thugs loose on you and on me. There was a stupid, greedy girl who tried to threaten him with a paternity case. She hoped to get money out of him. She was crazy. One of his thugs threw acid in her face. She is now blind.’

Fear laid cold hands on me.

‘So when I said God knows what he would do to you and to me if I asked him for a divorce I’m stating a fact. He might even have us killed.’

‘I can’t believe...

‘I’m telling you!’ Her voice became shrill. She half sat up, glaring at me, the fear in her eyes was chilling. ‘He’ll have us killed!’

Her fear was so real I could only stare helplessly at her.

‘Does that mean...’

‘There is a way. I’ve been thinking and thinking for the past week and I have found a solution that would be safe. Always providing you really don’t want to be parted from me as I can’t bear the thought of being parted from you. It is a solution that won’t even interfere with your marriage.’

‘What is it?’

‘I will persuade him to employ you to look after his travel affairs. You would be like Dyer, a member of the staff. You would have an office in the house. When he is away; there would be no danger.’ She looked questioningly at me. ‘What do you think?’

I shook my head doubtfully.

‘Why should he be persuaded?’

‘He would agree for two reasons. He would save agency fees and I would be occupied. He is continually telling me to find something to do. You see darling, we would work together, I would again be your secretary,’ She gripped my arm, her eyes shining. ‘Of course we would have to be careful, but we would have moments like this again when he goes away.’

I was still doubtful but I could see the possibility of such a plan.

‘But what about Dyer?’

‘He is overworked as it is. He would be glad to be rid of the travel business. There would be no problem with him.’ I was beginning to get excited.

‘It sounds too good to be true!’

‘It’s better than that. What are you earning now?’ I told her.

‘He would pay you twice as much and even then save money. You would work office hours. You would return home as you always do.’ She brushed my cheek with her lips. ‘Neither he nor Rhoda would ever know.’

And stupidly, I believed her.

The next four days followed a pattern. Every morning we set off sightseeing with Rivera. It was irritating that we had to be separated in the car, but we both agreed that it would be unwise to sit together. A change like that might make Rivera suspicious.

We toured the city and visited the Mercado central which was swarming with Indians: their multi-coloured produce black beans, water melons, yellow corn, scarlet tomatoes and pink, sticky cakes — making an exotic carpet on the dusty, litter strewn street. Rivera drove us to Acajalta to see the Port where liners from Panama disgorge tourists into waiting buses for a brief glimpse of the city. We visited a coffee beneficio where we watched the turning of the red berries into cafe de oio, the final drying out of the bean before sacking. He took us to the village of Ilobasco where elderly craftsmen made microscopic dolls of clay: a dying art, Rivera told us sadly. ‘The young have no patience for such exact work.’

Each day we returned to the hotel in time for a light lunch. Then Val joined me in my room. From time to time I caught a brief glimpse of Vidal as he hurried into or out of the elevator. He gave me the impression of a man trying to cram thirty-six hours into twenty-four hours and just succeeding.

I had the evening to myself. Val and Vidal with business associates did the night club rounds: a chore, Val told me that drove her nearly crazy with boredom. During the evenings, after a solitary dinner, I took long walks around the city. I was free to think over Val’s proposed plan. Providing Vidal agreed, it seemed to me to be a solution, although not a lasting nor entirely satisfactory one. But after some thought, I decided it was certainly better than nothing. As Val seemed sure that we ran no risk of detection, I was prepared to be convinced too. I wondered what Massingham would say when I told him I was leaving the firm to work for Vidal. Would he think it unethical? Could he make difficulties for me? Val had said she would persuade Vidal to give me a three year contract. If she succeeded, then I needn’t worry about Massingham’s reaction. How would Rhoda react? I would have to compensate her by giving her extra money for her lunches and buy her a small car so she could get to and fro now she wouldn’t have me to drive her. I doubted if she would give a damn one way or the other.

Val had warned me that I must have patience.

‘I have to catch him in the right mood and when he is less busy,’ she said, as we lay on the bed together. ‘I’ll watch for my chance as soon as we get back.’

Although I thought often of her claim to be possessed by Vidal, I didn’t broach the subject with her again. She seemed willing to accept my disbelief and I dismissed the spirits and the devils as an hysterical phase that was, I hoped, now in the past.

Then something happened that made me wonder if, perhaps, she hadn’t been exaggerating.

On our last afternoon at the hotel, we had made love and were lying side by side on the bed in my room. Val’s hand rested lightly on my arm. I was completely relaxed and drowsy. Every now and then the thought that tomorrow we would be leaving San Salvador kept edging into my mind. The past days had a dream-like quality. Although San Salvador had been disappointing as a city, it would still remain a shrine to me of the four most wonderful days in my life. Tomorrow I would be back to face Rhoda’s careless sluttishness. I wondered in what mess I would find the apartment. The cleaning woman didn’t come in on Saturdays or Sundays. It was my job to keep the place reasonably decent over the weekends. I was fully expecting to return to chaos, but I was too relaxed and happy to give this more than a moment’s thought.

Then suddenly without warning, Val’s fingers gripped my arm so violently, her nails cutting into my flesh, that I gave an involuntary cry.