Реймонд Маршалл - The Paw in the Bottle

‘And just how are you going to look after her?’ Mrs. French inquired.

‘I’ll come up the service lift, wait until Harry gets out, go in there, untie her and shove her in the safe. When they find her they’ll think she got trapped like it says in that paper she gave us.’

Mrs. French continued to look out of the window. ‘That’s murder, Theo,’ she said, as if to herself.

Theo picked his nose.

‘It’ll be an accident,’ he said after a little thought. ‘Anyway that’s how it’ll look.’

‘I’m not saying it isn’t a good idea,’ Mrs. French said. ‘I think it’s smart. There isn’t any other way we can be sure she won’t talk. But I don’t stand for murder, Theo.’

Theo wasn’t impressed. He took off his wreck of a hat, peered into it, found a crumpled packet of Player’s Weights inside, selected one that was less greasy than the others, lit it, put his hat on again.

‘I want to spend some of that dough,’ he said, blowing a long stream of smoke down his nostrils. ‘Like you said, if she talks I won’t ’ave a fat lot of time for spending: nor will you or Dana.’

‘Or Harry,’ Mrs. French said generously.

‘I don’t care a lot what happens to Harry,’ Theo said. ‘I’d like to get even with that—’

Mrs. French flinched.

‘I won’t listen to such language. You ought to be ashamed of yourself.’

‘Oh, I am,’ Theo said, and began to scratch himself again.

There was another long pause, then Mrs. French said: ‘He’s going to the States, anyway.’

Theo sneered.

‘Can’t you get your mind off Harry? We’re talking about the girl.’

Mrs. French shook her head.

‘I don’t want to know anything about her. I don’t stand for murder.’

Theo eyed her a little doubtfully. He wasn’t quite sure if she were serious or not.

‘Don’t I keep telling you it’ll be an accident?’ he persisted, swore under his breath as his skin began to irritate again.

‘I don’t want to talk about it,’ Mrs. French said shortly, added after a pause: ‘You’ll have a bigger share than Harry and Dana. Another fifteen hundred.’

Theo brightened and grinned to himself.

‘Make it two thou while you’re about it. It’s worth that.’

‘Fifteen hundred,’ Mrs. French said obstinately. ‘I’ve got to explain to Harry.’

‘No you ’aven’t. We’ll make the new split after I’ve done the job. He can’t object then: it’ll be too late.’

‘All right; two thousand,’ Mrs. French said.

Theo nodded.

‘And Dana to drive?’

‘I don’t see why you can’t drive.’ Mrs. French avoided Theo’s eyes. ‘But if you say you can’t I suppose Dana will have to do it.’

‘What are you going round the point for? We’ve got no witnesses. You want me to do it, don’t you?’

‘I said it was a smart idea,’ Mrs. French said cautiously. ‘I said it seemed to me it was the only way to stop her talking, but I also said I didn’t stand for murder. Let’s drop it, Theo.’

‘I still get the two thousand and Dana drives?’

Mrs. French nodded.

‘All right,’ Theo said, getting to his feet. ‘You drop it. I’ll think about it.’

When he had gone, Mrs. French sat for a long time, staring out of the window. Then Dana came in.

‘All alone?’ she asked. ‘Theo gone?’

Mrs. French grunted.

‘Got it fixed?’ Dana went on, looking at her mother with questioning eyes.

‘Everything,’ Mrs. French said abruptly.

‘That Holland girl worries me,’ Dana said, sitting on the edge of her mother’s desk. She massaged the red mark where her garter had bitten into her flesh above her knee.

‘Don’t let her worry you,’ Mrs. French returned, without turning from the window. ‘You’ll have to drive the car.’

Dana’s eyebrows shot up.

‘Why? Can’t Theo drive the car? Isn’t that what was arranged?’

Mrs. French got to her feet.

‘Theo says he’s got something more important to do,’ she said and ear-rings bobbed in the sunlight. ‘I don’t know what he’s got to do and I’m not going to ask and I don’t want you to ask either.’

Dana stared at her for a moment, then she lost some of her colour.

‘Now look, Mother, you don’t mean

‘Shut up!’ Mrs. French said, and turned back to the window.

On the following afternoon Detective Inspector Dawson was at work in his office when Wesley was announced. Dawson nodded to the police constable, pushed back his chair as Wesley came in.

‘There’s a chair just by you, Mr. Wesley,’ he said, signaled to the constable who pushed the chair against the back of Wesley’s knees. Wesley sat down.

‘Well, I hope you’re ready for them this evening,’ Wesley said quietly. ‘I thought I’d look in just to check over any last-minute details.’

‘It’ll be all right, sir,’ Dawson returned, sat down and stared thoughtfully at Wesley. ‘Everything arranged. There won’t be any trouble.’

‘Now what in the world is a fellow like this doing fooling around with that Holland girl,’ he was wondering. ‘Not as if he could see her and be infatuated by her looks. She’s a nice-looking girl; I’ll say that for her, but there’s nothing else to her. This chap’s got a lot of money, plenty of education and culture. They’ve got absolutely nothing in common. I wonder what the idea is?’

He had been intrigued by the plain-clothes detective’s report, but realized that it was no business of his. It had just so happened that in keeping an eye on Julie, Clegg had spotted what was going on between these two. Although it wasn’t his business, Dawson couldn’t help being puzzled and interested.

‘You’ll have a clear field,’ Wesley said after a moment’s hesitation. ‘My wife and I are going to the theatre. I don’t usually go to the theatre, but it’s the only way I can get my wife away from the flat. I am most anxious she should know nothing of what’s happening to-night.’ He made a quick impatient gesture. ‘She would insist on being there, and that would make things very difficult.’ He moved uneasily, went on: ‘You think no harm will come to Miss Holland?’

‘None at all,’ Dawson returned. ‘She tells me they plan to leave her tied up when the robbery’s over. Anyway, we’ll be at hand and she’s only got to scream.’

‘Exactly where will your men be?’ Wesley asked.

‘We’ll have a couple in the hall. Two in the alley at the back, another two on the landing outside the flat, and two more on the roof. As soon as we know they’re inside we’ll throw a cordon right round the building. We’re not taking any chances.’

Wesley nodded.

‘That sounds all right,’ he said, and got to his feet. ‘You won’t be able to contact me until after the theatre. We’re going to the Hippodrome, but I don’t suppose you’ll want me. I’ll ring you in the interval which I believe is around eight-forty. Will that do?’

‘It should do,’ Dawson said. ‘But there’ll be nothing to worry about.’

‘Thank you,’ Wesley said, offered his hand. ‘Then I won’t keep you any longer. I’m sure you have plenty to do.’

‘Well, I keep pretty busy, sir,’ Dawson said, shaking hands. But this little job is a real holiday. It couldn’t be better arranged for us. It’s not often we get the chance of a tip-off like this, you know.’

‘Make sure they don’t slip through your fingers,’ Wesley returned quietly.

‘No fear of that. We’ll have ’em all right.’

‘I suppose you’ll want Miss Holland as a witness?’ Wesley asked. ‘I’d prefer not if you can avoid it. I don’t want any publicity about her if I can help it. Is it necessary, do you think?’