Джеймс Чейз - Have a Change of Scene

I found I was so restless. I couldn’t remain in bed and the following morning as soon as the nurse had gone, I got up and began to pace the floor, feeling unsteady at first, but as I persisted, stronger for the exercise.

Dr. Summers found me standing by the window.

‘Now don’t fuss,’ I said. ‘I want to go home. I don’t give a damn if it’s good for me or bad for me. If I take it easy on my terrace in the sun, I know I’ll make good progress and I can’t stand being cooped up here any longer!’

Rather to my surprise, he agreed.

‘All right, Mr. Carr, I’ll order an ambulance and you can go home this afternoon. I’ll drop in this evening to see how you are getting on. I think it would be wise for Nurse Flemming to go along with you and stay with you for a few days... just in case.’

‘I don’t want her. Miss Baxter can take care of me.’

By 16.00 that afternoon I was back in my apartment, sitting in the sun on the terrace.

It was when Jenny arrived, carrying a tray of tea things that I told her the sea trip was off.

The shocked disappointment in her eyes irritated me. I kept looking at my watch. The radio news would be coming up in fifteen minutes.

‘But why?’ Jenny asked. ‘It’ll do you so much good. What has made you change your mind?’

‘I can change my mind, can’t I?’ I snapped. ‘I want to get back to work. I have to cope with Sydney’s estate. I realise now to spend two months on a ship would bore me stiff.’

‘Oh.’ She looked down at her hands and she flushed. ‘But I’ve ordered clothes, Larry. You said...’

‘That’s all right. We might go later... who knows? Keep them. You deserve them.’

‘I can’t do that, Larry. I was going to be your secretary...’

‘Don’t bother me with that! Keep them!’ Again I looked at my watch.

‘Thank you.’ There was a sudden cold note in her voice. After a long pause, she said, ‘I think I should go back to Luceville. I’m walking quite well now. I think you can do without me, can’t you?’

I suddenly knew I had to be alone, I had to spend my time waiting and listening to the news and Jenny would be in the way. Besides, if they were caught and when they talked, I didn’t want Jenny to be here when I was arrested. That was something I didn’t want.

Without looking at her, I said, ‘All right, Jenny. I understand. You want to get back to your work as much as I want to get back to mine.’

‘Yes.’

‘All right... that’s settled. I...’ Seeing it was news time I broke off. ‘Just a moment. I want to hear the news.’

It was while I was listening to the same dreary rigmarole about Nixon and China, Vietnam, England and the Common Market that Jenny got quietly to her feet and went into the sitting room.

When the rigmarole came to an end with no news of their arrest, I too went into the sitting room. She wasn’t there. I hesitated, then went to the spare bedroom. She was packing.

‘You don’t have to rush off like this,’ I said uneasily. ‘What are you thinking of?’

She went on packing.

‘There’s a bus in an hour. If I catch it, I’ll be at my desk the day after tomorrow and I want that,’ she said.

‘Yes. I see.’

Sick with myself, I went back to the terrace. Twenty minutes later she joined me.

‘Look after yourself, Larry,’ she said. ‘Don’t overdo things.’

‘Thanks for being such a help. I’ll keep in touch.’ I couldn’t look at her.

‘There’s something worrying you, isn’t there?’ she asked and put her hand on my arm. ‘Won’t you tell me? Two are often better than one when solving a problem.’

How I wanted to tell her!

But what was the use? What could she do? There wasn’t anything anyone could do.

‘It’s all right, Jenny,’ I said curtly. ‘Don’t miss your bus.’

She regarded me for a long moment, her lips trembling. I knew then she really loved me, but like everything I touched now... it was too late.

I turned away. A moment later I heard the front door shut and then I knew I was really alone.

During the next three days I remained alone, sending down to the restaurant for meals and listening to every news broadcast.

The telephone gave me little peace: people inquiring after my health, my friends wanting to come and see me and sounding hurt when I said I wasn’t well enough to see anyone. Finally, I gave up answering it.

On the third morning Dr. Summers removed my bandages. Apart from a bald patch at the back of my head, he told me I was as good as new. Now was the time, he went on, for me to take a sea trip. I said I was thinking about it and got rid of him.

I began to regret treating Jenny the way I had done. I had been in such a panic I just had had to be by myself, but now I was getting over my scare, I tried to assure myself that Rhea and Fel might never be caught. For all I knew they could be in Mexico or even South America while I could spend the rest of my days chained to the radio.

Should I call Jenny, explain that I had been upset and that now I felt I could face a sea trip? Would she forget my behaviour and come with me?

I hesitated.

Maybe, I thought, I’d better wait a couple of weeks, then if there was no news of the Morgans, I would go.

I wrote Jenny a letter, trying to explain how bad I had been feeling and that I was better now and if she would come with me, I wanted to make the sea trip before long, but after reading it, it seemed to me to be so insincere that I tore it up.

On the fourth day, I made the effort and took a taxi to the shop. In my briefcase I had the Plessington necklace.

I received a big welcome from Miss Barlow, Pierre Martin and Hans Kloch. Even Terry, although not enthusiastic, did have the grace to say he hoped I was better.

I went into Tom Luce’s office and put the case containing the necklace on his desk.

‘Tom... I want to explain about the necklace,’ I said.

He gave me a rather old-fashioned look, nodded and waited.

I told him the truth: how Sydney had wanted to make the resale of the necklace a private deal, how I had warned him this wasn’t ethical and how he had persisted.

‘I know that,’ Luce said quietly. ‘You see, Larry, not much escapes me. I handled Sydney’s stocks and when he told me he wanted to sell a block worth three-quarters of a million and when I heard Mrs. P. was up to her eyes in debt, it wasn’t hard to put two and two together. It didn’t worry me and I’m sorry it worried Sydney.’

‘The necklace is mine now,’ I said. ‘I’m handing it over to the firm, Tom. When we sell it, using Sydney’s design, I want the firm to make the profit.’

‘That’s the way a partner should act,’ he said, ‘but the firm will buy it off you at what Sydney paid. That’s fair enough, isn’t it? The profit of the sale goes into the firm.’

‘Fine... buy me some stock, Tom. You looked after Sydney’s affairs, I’d be grateful if you’ll look after mine.’

That pleased him.

We talked about the business. Both Martin and Kloch were giving satisfaction and even Terry was behaving himself.

‘I don’t think you should start work yet, Larry,’ Luce said. ‘You don’t look right. Why don’t you take a sea trip?’

‘I’m thinking about it, but not just yet. I’m going over to Sydney’s penthouse now. Before I take a trip, I have to get rid of my apartment and the furniture and settle in the penthouse. So I’ll be around for a week or so. If anything comes up that looks tricky, you can always consult me.’

Leaving him, I drove to Sydney’s apartment block. Harry Gregson, the day porter, saluted me as I crossed to his desk.

‘Glad to see you about again, Mr. Carr,’ he said. ‘A real nasty business. I miss Mr. Sydney... he was a gentleman.’