Реймонд Маршалл - The Paw in the Bottle

‘Was this why he’s come?’ Dawson wondered, said, ‘I don’t think we’ll need her. If we nab them with the goods it’ll be plain sailing. We’ll need you, of course.’

‘Oh yes, that’s quite all right,’ Wesley said. ‘You see, the girl has an odd background. But then you know all about that. I’d like her to have a fresh start if I could arrange it. If it gets known it was through her the gang was caught there might be trouble from her old associates.’

‘There might be,’ Dawson agreed. ‘I won’t call her unless I have to, sir.’

Wesley nodded.

‘Good.’ Still he didn’t make a move to go. ‘Inspector, Miss Holland interests me,’ he went on after a pause. ‘You’re a man of the world and will know what I mean by that. I’m taking care of her when this business is over. So you see, the least publicity might be embarrassing.’

‘Well, that’s hardly my business,’ Dawson said, taken aback. It was the last thing he expected.

‘Oh, I know.’ Wesley smiled. ‘But she has been associating with criminals, hasn’t she? I wouldn’t want you to be interested in her when this is over. I shall look after her and see she doesn’t get into any further trouble. I’ll make her my responsibility.’

‘I wouldn’t be interested in her unless she did get into further trouble,’ Dawson said, a shade coldly. ‘There was no need to tell me any of this, sir.’

‘But I wanted you to know. I hope I shall not be followed by a plain-clothes man in the future, Inspector,’ Wesley said, and his mouth tightened. ‘It is an experience I can well do without, and if repeated I shall take prompt action.’

Dawson grimaced.

‘Got me there,’ he thought. ‘No wonder he’s been so frank. I suppose that blasted girl spotted Clegg.’

‘That was an accident, sir,’ he said quietly. ‘I must apologize. We were giving Miss Holland police protection and happened to run into something that didn’t concern us.’

‘So it seems,’ Wesley said. ‘In the future when your man sees Miss Holland and me together, will you instruct him to leave us alone?’

‘I hope there won’t be any occasion to watch Miss Holland after this evening,’ Dawson pointed out.

‘Of course not,’ Wesley said, and smiled. ‘I’ll telephone you some time this evening. Could your man kindly show me to my taxi?’

When he had gone, Dawson ran his thick fingers through his hair.

‘I wouldn’t like to get on the wrong side of that chap,’ he thought. ‘His bark is quiet enough, but I bet his bite is hell.’ He went to the window to watch Wesley’s taxi drive away. ‘Don’t exactly blame him. He’s a good bloke; lots of guts; V.C. and blind. Well, if he gets a bit of fun out of that girl — good luck to him.’

And he settled down once more to his work.

Julie was pacing up and down in her room. It was a few minutes to seven o’clock, and in another hour Harry would arrive. The suspense of waiting was becoming unbearable. All the previous night and during the day she had tried to screw up her courage to warn him the police were waiting for him, but every time she moved to the telephone she remembered Theo’s threat, and the ghastly photographs of the women he had shown her. If she saved Harry, Theo would come after her, and besides, Wesley wouldn’t like it. Now that Harry had told her he loved her some of the old attraction she had had for him returned. If Wesley had been nicer to her she wouldn’t have thought of Harry, but it was all too plain that Wesley was bribing her to keep quiet. He wasn’t in love with her as Harry was, and a girl needed love, she told herself. Her mind was in an agony of indecision. Even now she was still in two minds as to what to do, although she knew the chance of getting Harry on the telephone was remote. She had left it too late.

A soft tap sounded on the door, making her start. Wesley came in. He was in evening dress, and in spite of the black-lensed glasses Julie thought he looked very handsome.

He closed the door gently, set his back against it and smiled at her.

‘Scared, Julie?’ he asked. ‘Heart going like a trip-hammer?’

She nodded miserably.

‘It’ll soon be over,’ he assured her. ‘I wish I could see you through it, but it’s the one thing you’ll have to do on your own. But it’ll be worth it, Julie. Once you’re free of these people you can begin your new life and I’ll do my best to make it a happy one.’

‘I... I keep thinking of Harry,’ she blurted out. ‘I saw him yesterday. He wanted me to go to America with him. He... he told me he loved me, and I could see he did.’

Wesley’s face was expressionless.

‘I see,’ he said slowly. ‘And you’re feeling pretty bad because the police are going to get him, aren’t you?’ He thrust his hands into his trousers pockets. Although he appeared calm enough, Julie had a feeling that he was inwardly as nervy as herself. ‘But a fellow like Gleb would never give you any happiness; sooner or later he would get into trouble and then you’d be in trouble, too. You have no alternative really, have you? You must think of yourself.’

‘I know,’ Julie said. ‘But it seems such a rotten trick to play on someone who loves you. I wish I could warn him to keep away. If it weren’t for Theo...’

Wesley didn’t say anything for a moment. He studied her as she wandered miserably to the window.

‘I have something here for you. See if this’ll cheer you up.’

She turned quickly. He was holding out a cheque-book.

‘It’s for you. I’ve opened an account for you. You have two hundred and fifty pounds to spend. Every quarter I’ll pay in a similar amount. You can go along to the bank tomorrow and give them your signature. Then you can begin to draw the money.’

She had always wanted a bank account and for the moment Harry was forgotten.

‘Two hundred and fifty pounds?’ she said, staring at him. She took the cheque-book and flicked through the pages. ‘For me?’

‘I said I’d make you an allowance of a thousand a year,’ he reminded her. ‘This is the beginning of it.’

‘I see.’ She stared at him, then she said, ‘You don’t really care for me, do you? This is because you want to be sure I won’t talk. You’re not fooling me, you know.’

‘I didn’t suppose I was fooling you, as you put it,’ he returned quietly. ‘Your silence is important, Julie. If you want to keep the things I’ve given you, you must keep my secret. No matter what happens you must say nothing. If you do, the flat and your income won’t be yours any more. And it won’t be because I’ll take them away. It’ll be because I should no longer be in the position to give them to you. You see, Julie, if it got out I could see I’d be ruined. I can’t tell you any more than that. I shouldn’t perhaps have told you so much. It was chance you found out, and I am going to do everything I can to persuade you from telling anyone. So if you want your flat and this money, if you want clothes and a good time, say nothing.’

‘I won’t,’ Julie said steadily, and gripped the cheque-book tightly.

‘And as far as Harry Gleb is concerned,’ he went on quietly, ‘if you show any weakness now you’ll regret it later. But I must go now. Don’t be frightened, Julie, and good luck. You will go through with it, won’t you?’

She had to go through with it, she told herself, and remembered what Harry had once said: ‘I don’t care how I get hold of money so long as I get it. Money is power. I have only a few years on this earth — then the worms, the dark and the cold. I’m going to enjoy myself while I can.’ That was her philosophy, too. Money was power. She couldn’t afford to be squeamish, and she told herself Harry wouldn’t have hesitated to do as she was doing if he had been in her place.