Реймонд Маршалл - The Paw in the Bottle

‘I have work to do,’ Wesley returned quietly.

‘Well, I’ll go without you then,’ Blanche said. ‘I don’t see why I should be cooped up here all day.’

‘Please yourself,’ Wesley said, brought two glasses to the middle of the room.

Blanche took the drinks from him, and gave the whisky to Benton, who caressed her fingers as she put the glass into his band.

‘Oh, well, perhaps we’ll make it some other day,’ Benton said uneasily.

‘But I want to come to your stuffy old club. Howard never goes out anywhere.’

‘Well, if Howard doesn’t mind.’

‘Why should I mind?’ Wesley asked, groped his way to a chair and sat down.

Julie had cleared up the broken pieces by this time and quietly left the room, but stopped abruptly just outside the open door, her heart missing a beat, when she heard Benton say, ‘Oh, by the way, Blanche, I’ve never had the opportunity of examining this marvellous safe of yours. I was reading about it in the Standard to-night. They say it’s the eighth wonder of the world. Won’t you stop being mysterious and show it to me? I assure you I’m no burglar.’

Julie flattened herself against the wall and listened.

‘Why, of course,’ Blanche said gaily. ‘I didn’t think it would interest you. It is rather fun.’ She gave a hard little laugh. ‘I locked Julie in it the other day.’

‘Why did you do that?’ Wesley asked sharply.

‘Oh, for fun. I wanted to see how she’d react. The little ninny fainted.’

‘That wasn’t very kind, was it?’ Wesley asked. ‘And rather dangerous, too.’

‘She didn’t complain,’ Blanche said carelessly. ‘I must have a little joke sometimes. If she doesn’t like it she can always leave.’

‘I should have thought it was difficult to get maids these days,’ Benton said mildly. ‘She struck me as a willing little thing.’

‘Just because she happens to be pretty in a cheap, sexy way both you and Howard stick up for her,’ Blanche said, a waspish note in her voice. ‘Howard’s so infatuated with her, he sneaked back last night and spent the night with her alone.’

There was a sudden silence, and Julie felt her face burn.

‘Oh, come, Blanche.’ Even Benton sounded embarrassed.

‘I’m not saying anything happened,’ Blanche said, and laughed shrilly. ‘Howard is past chasing girls. But Julie might have tried to chase him.’

‘Shall we drop this, Blanche?’ Wesley’s voice was sharp. ‘I’ve had quite enough of this nonsense for one day, and I don’t think it’s at all funny.’

‘Suppose we get back to the safe,’ Benton put in quickly, as if he saw a quarrel pending and was anxious to prevent it. ‘Will you let me see it? I promise not to tell anyone how it works.’

‘It’s up to Blanche,’ Wesley said coldly. ‘We had agreed to keep the combination to ourselves.’

‘Oh well, if it’s like that...’

‘Nonsense,’ Blanche broke in. ‘Of course he must see it. We have no secrets from nice old Hugh, have we?’

‘Show him if you want to,’ Wesley said impatiently.

‘I feel honoured,’ Benton said, a tiny sneer in his voice. ‘May I finish my drink, and then perhaps you’ll show it to me.’

‘We must all go along,’ Blanche said, and giggled, ‘The safe’s in my bedroom and I must have a chaperon. Besides, Howard can tell you how it works.’

Julie waited to hear no more. Here was her chance. She went quickly down the passage to Blanche’s room. Where could she hide? She looked around for a likely hiding place. The cupboards were no use. Under the bed? Possible, but dangerous. The window recess? Yes, that was much the best place. Julie pulled back the curtains that screened the big windows, then darted back to the door to turn out the light and groped her way once more to the window, drew the curtains carefully and waited with beating heart.

After a few minutes the bedroom door opened and the light was switched on. By peering cautiously through the chink where the curtains met Julie had a clear view of the room.

Blanche and Benton stood before the quilted wall. Wesley wandered over to an arm-chair, and sat down, away from them.

‘Well, this is it,’ Blanche said. ‘The safe is hidden behind this wall, which slides back when I touch this spring. It’s Howard’s idea. He worked the whole thing out himself. He was frightfully clever with his hands before he was blind: now, of course, he’s just frightfully clever,’ and she gave her tinkling little laugh. The sneer made Julie flinch, and she saw Wesley’s knuckles turn white. ‘The spring won’t work,’ she went on, giving Benton a meaning smile, ‘unless a concealed pointer is set at a certain number. I’ll show you the pointer.’

‘Have you turned off the alarm?’ Wesley asked.

‘Oh, no. I mustn’t forget to do that.’ She turned to Benton. ‘If you touch the pointer before turning off the alarm the flat will be full of policemen before you can say Jack Robinson, or whatever it is you’re supposed to say.’ She went over to the bed, fumbled behind the head and Julie heard a sharp click as Blanche turned down a concealed switch.

‘Now the alarm is off,’ she said brightly, came back to where Benton was standing.

‘So that’s how you caught so many burglars,’ he said, reached out and pulled her to him. Blanche seemed startled, looked quickly at Wesley who was sitting motionless in his chair, then she smiled and lifted her face for Benton’s kiss.

‘The beasts!’ Julie thought. ‘How could they when he is in the room with them?’

Blanche pushed Benton away, wagged a warning finger at him, but her face was animated and her eyes showed a naked desire that sickened Julie.

‘The pointer is here,’ she went on, and pulled a square of the quilted wall out of its seating. Julie could just make out a small number dial set in the wall. ‘I turn the pointer to number three, press the catch with my foot, and the door opens.’

The quilted wall had slid back to reveal the shiny steel door Julie had already seen.

‘That’s pretty neat,’ Benton said. His hand fumbled at Blanche but she pushed him away, frowning at him.

‘There’s another alarm fitted to the steel door,’ she explained. ‘Would you turn it off, Howard?’ She turned back to Benton as Wesley got to his feet. ‘It’s in the bathroom. Actually it looks like one of the electric light switches.’

But Benton wasn’t listening. He caught hold of Blanche the moment Wesley had groped his way into the bathroom. They strained together, his mouth crushed down on hers. They stood there, their breath mingling, their eyes closed, swept away by the intenseness of their passion, and neither of them heard Wesley return. Julie put her hands to her face. It was horrible to see him standing there and to know he was unaware of what was going on. Then Julie felt a shiver run through her as she saw Wesley’s fists clench and his mouth harden into a thin line. Could he possibly hear these two, lost in their beastliness?

Suddenly Blanche realized that he had returned, and she pulled away from Benton. She was shaking and had to grip his arms for support. He looked over his shoulder at Wesley and showed his teeth in an angry, frustrated grimace.

‘The alarm is off,’ Wesley said in cold, flat tones.

Blanche was unable to speak for a moment, then with an effort, she said, ‘Howard had better tell you about the burglar trap, I never could understand how it works.’

Benton took out his handkerchief and dabbed his face. ‘What’s the burglar trap, old boy?’ he asked. His voice was unsteady.

‘I’ll show you,’ Wesley said and moved towards the safe. ‘Will you open up, Blanche?’

Julie watched carefully. She saw Blanche turn down a switch by the side of the steel door. There was a sudden hiss of escaping air, the lights in the room flickered and the door slid back.