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

He was reaching for a pen as I spoke. His hand hovered over the pen and he looked up sharply.

‘What was that?’

‘I was with Mrs. Vidal when she fainted. She hit her head. Dr. Fontane visited her twice a day for three days and he called in a specialist. It doesn’t seem reasonable to me to suggest this is an attempt to attract attention.’

He sat back, his little eyes probing.

‘Interesting. Do you think she is having a nervous breakdown Burden?’

‘I don’t know, but you don’t fall and hit your head for the fun of it.’

He gave his short barking laugh.

‘That tells me how much you know about women. Of course they’ll fall and hurt their heads or scratch their wrists with a razor blade or take just enough sleeping pills if they feel neglected. Women are special animals, but I understand them. Don’t worry about Mrs. Vidal. If anyone is to worry it’ll be me and I’m not worrying yet. Go and see her, amuse her, do something to get her mind off herself.’ He reached for his pen and signed the paper he had been reading.

I remained where I was. He looked up and frowned at me.

‘Go along Burden. I’m busy.’

‘I think you should begin to worry, Mr. Vidal.’ I was determined now to have it out with him. ‘I think there is something radically wrong with Mrs. Vidal.’

That made him pause. He sat back in his chair.

‘Wrong? What do you mean?’

‘There are times when she appears to be hypnotised.’

His eyebrows crawled up.

‘Hypnotised? What the hell are you saying? Who would want to hypnotise her?’ He gave his short, barking laugh. ‘Utter nonsense!’

This made me angry and without caring, I said, ‘I believe you are responsible! I believe you have hypnotised her!’ He stared fixedly at me, his little eyes glittering. Then the telephone bell rang. He waved me to the door.

‘Believe that Burden, you’ll believe anything. Now get out!’ He picked up the telephone receiver.

As I closed the door, I heard him say, ‘This is Vidal. Goddamn it! You’re late...’

Well, I’ve told him, I thought as I climbed the stairs. He now knows I know. Would that make him more cautious? Would it make it now easier for Val? That was all I wanted: to make it easier for her.

Reaching the head of the stairs, I walked quickly down the corridor and tapped on Val’s door.

‘Who is it?’ Her voice sounded unsteady.

‘It’s Clay,’ I said, my mouth close to the door panel.

The key turned and the door opened. Val moved back as I entered the room.

We looked at each other as I shut the door. She had on a blue housecoat. Her hair lay on her shoulders. The sight of her, so pale, dark smudges under her eyes, her hands trembling sent a pang through me.

‘How do you feel darling?’ I longed to take her in my arms.

‘How do I feel?’ She moved listlessly to a chair and sank into it. ‘Desperate Clay, I don’t know what I’m going to do. I have no more will. I want to kill myself.’ Her face crumbled and she closed her eyes. ‘I haven’t even the will to do that.’

A sudden crash of thunder made me start. The wind now was screaming around the house.

‘Kill yourself?’ I turned cold with alarm. ‘What’s happened, Val? Has he molested you?’

‘Oh, there’s that.’ She put her hands to her face. ‘I’ve got beyond caring about that. No, it’s the end of everything now for me and for you. He has decided to leave. I am to go with him.’

‘Leave? Where is he going?’

‘He has decided to settle in Lima... where he can’t be extradited.’

I pulled up a chair close to her and sat down.

‘Extradited? Val, darling, don’t talk in riddles. Is he in trouble?’

She nodded.

‘You were right Clay. His empire is going to crash. He owes millions and the Federal people are investigating his tax position. He doesn’t seem to mind. He treats it as a joke. As soon as the hurricane is over, he, I and Gesetti are flying to San Salvador where he has hidden money. Then we go to Lima. He says he’ll begin again. It also means he can never return to the United States. I go with him. I can never return. I’ll lose you again, but this time for good.’

I couldn’t believe this. I caught hold of her hand.

‘I won’t let him take you, Val! I said I would help you and I’m going to help you! I’ll tell the tax people he is preparing to skip. They’ll arrest him!’

She shook her head.

‘It’s too late to do that. He is protected by his lawyers. Before the Federal people could get a warrant, he’ll be gone, taking me with him. No... that’s not the way.’ She stood up abruptly and began to move around the room. ‘There is no way...’

A violent gust of wind slammed against the house followed by a crash of thunder. I could hear the rain beating on the roof.

I thought of the gun in my desk drawer.

‘I have a gun, Val.’

She paused to stare at me, her eyes widening.

‘A gun?’

‘When he is dead you will be free.’

She put her hand to her throat.

‘I can never be free even when he is dead.’ A crazed expression came into her eyes. ‘Shoot me!’ Her voice turned shrill. ‘That is the solution! If only you knew how tired I am of living the life he has forced me to live. If I had the will I would beg you to give me the gun and I would do it myself.’ She came up to me, laying her hand on my arm. ‘You can do it Clay! Shoot me in the head! They will think it is suicide. No one would blame you, darling! Don’t you see? You would be freeing me! Please say you will do it!’

I looked at her in horror.

God! I thought. He has driven her out of her mind!

Her fingers were digging into my arm as she went on, ‘No one will hear the shot in this storm! The doctors know I am on the verge of a breakdown! You will be safe, darling. No one would suspect you. Get the gun now! Then do it please! No one will suspect you!’

‘Val! For God’s sake, pull yourself together!’ I had to raise my voice against the noise of the storm which was beginning to become deafening. ‘I’m not doing it! Now, stop it! Pull yourself together! There must be some way out for us!’

She let go of my arm and stepped back. The misery in her eyes sickened me.

‘I thought you loved me! How can you love me and let me suffer like this... oh, go away!’ She ran to the bed and threw herself face down on it. As she began to sob there came a tremendous crashing sound as if a tree had been uprooted and had fallen against the house.

I went to her and put my hands on her shoulders.

‘Darling Val! Please don’t. I said I would help you and I will help you. Please be patient.’

She rounded on me, her face convulsed with anger and fear.

‘Go away! I hate you! Leave me! Go away!’ Her voice rose to a scream. Fearing that even above the noise of the elements raging outside someone might hear her, I backed to the door, hesitated, then moved into the corridor.

I stood for some moments listening to her wild sobbing, then unable to bear the sound, I closed the door and made my way unsteadily back to my office.

The noise of the hurricane beat against my skull. I went to my desk chair and sat down, holding my hands against my ears, feeling as if I were going demented.

I had to do something! I had no alternative now if I wasn’t going to lose her! I had to kill Vidal!

A grinding sound, followed by the sound of splintering wood coming from downstairs brought me to my feet. Then my door slammed open by a violent gust of wind that swept my desk clear of papers, overturned my desk lamp and threw two of my telephones to the floor.

‘Burden!’

Vidal’s voice bawled from below.

I reached the corridor, bracing myself against the wind that roared up the stairs. I started down them, hanging on to the banister rail. I was stunned by the force of the wind which was howling through the open front door.