Джеймс Чейз - So What Happens To Me?

On out last night, when I knew Bernie, the following day, would fly in the new kite, we had a special dinner. We started with quails, then a pheasant with all the trimmings, washed down with a Latcur 1959.

‘I now go back to Lane,’ she said as we sniffed brandies. She smiled at me. ‘Was it good?’

‘For me... marvellous, the best. And you?’

‘Mmmm!’

She got up and I watched her walk around the big lounge, watching the slow sensual move of her firm buttocks and the way she lifted her breasts.

‘You’re a better lover than Lane.’

‘Is that right?’ I stared at her. ‘Only because I have time to make love to you and he hasn’t.’

‘A woman needs love. When she is unfortunate enough to get hooked up with a man who can only think of making money...’ She shrugged. ‘Money and business: a woman needs taking care of...’

Sam came in to offer more coffee.

As he poured, he said. ‘Should I pack your bag, Mrs. Essex?’

‘Please.’

So this was the end of an experience. This woman who had given herself so freely to me seemed to me like my old man. She and he from tomorrow wouldn’t exist for me. By tomorrow I would be in the Condor and I would be dead to the world. I would never see my old man again, but this I had come to accept. He had had his life, but it hurt that I would no longer see this woman again as she sat by my side, those marvellous violet eyes dwelling on my face.

When Sam had gone, she said. ‘I have had a lot of men Jack. A woman needs a man and Lane — I’ve said this before — is too busy to bother with me and also too tired. You wouldn’t know how frustrating it is for someone like me to wait around for her man to return and then to find he’s too tired. Men only think of themselves. He imagines I can just sit around and wait for him to get in the mood.’ She patted my hand. ‘This is our last safe night together Jack but if we are careful, there could be other nights.’ She got to her feet. ‘Let’s go to bed.’

The following morning I watched her take of in the Porsche. She waved once, then was gone.

Sam came out into the sunshine.

‘Your bag’s packed, Mr. Crane.’

I offered him a twenty-dollar bill

‘Not for me,’ he said, smiling. ‘This has been my pleasure.’

So I left him and drove back to the airfield.

Around 15.00, the new Condor settled on the runway. I drove out in a jeep and arrived as Bernie and Erskine came down onto the tarmac.

‘Some kite.’ I said as I joined them.

‘You don’t know the half of it. It’s a real beauty.’ Bernie said.

‘No problems?’

‘Not a thing: she flies like a bird.’

We looked at each other.

‘When is the night test to be?’

‘I thought Saturday.’

That gave us three clear days.

‘You’re sure there are no problems?’

‘Not a thing,’ Erskine joined in. ‘She’s marvellous.’

‘Take a look Jack,’ Bernie said. ‘I’ve got paperwork to do and then I’ve got to phone Mr. Essex. Harry will show you around.’

He got in one of the waiting jeeps and drove off.

Harry and I climbed into the kite. It had everything a top executive could wish for. There were six cabins, beautifully fitted out as sleeping quarters. Essex’s private suite was really something in luxury. There was a narrow long conference room that could sit ten people: a small secretary’s office equipped down to an I.B.M. Executive, a bar: a small beautifully equipped kitchen and at the far end were two less well equipped cabins for the staff.

‘It seems to have everything but a swimming pool.’ I said after the tour. ‘A shame, isn’t it, that this greaser will tear out all the luxury and fill the kite with Cubans and arms.’

Harry shrugged.

‘That’s the way the cookie crumbles. I couldn’t care less so long as I get money.’

‘So Saturday night?’

He nodded.

‘How do you feel about it, Harry? About being dead? About never coming back to the U.S. of A.’

‘Yeah: it’s a tough decision, but there’s no way else I could make this kind of money.’

‘Are you going in with Bernie and his taxi service?’

He shook his head.

‘Not me. I’ve no faith in it. I’ll take my cut and blow. How’s about you?’

‘The same. Any ideas where you’ll go?’

‘Rio. I’ve connections there. And you?’

‘Maybe Europe. The first thing is to get the money.’

‘Think there’ll be trouble about that?’

‘Not the way I’ve fixed it.’ I went on to tell him about setting up the company, about my talk with Kendrick. ‘It should be okay.’

We got in the jeep and headed for the control tower. While we were drinking beer, Bernie joined us. He said he had talked to Mr. Essex in Paris and told him he would night test the plane on Saturday night.

‘I’d better go see Kendrick.’ I said. ‘If the operation is for Saturday night. I want that bank receipt. And Bernie, get the guns on board and ammo. We each have a machine pistol. What else can you dig up?’

Bernie looked at Harry.

‘You know the armoury.’

‘We’ve got three Jap Armalites: that’s really a weapon and there are around four Chicago Pianos.’

‘Let’s have one of each. How about grenades?’

‘Can do.’

‘Say six.’

They both stared at me.

‘Are you really expecting trouble Jack?’ Bernie asked, sweat showing on his forehead.

‘I want to be sure we can stop trouble.’

‘Well...’

‘Get those weapons on board.’ I got to my feet ‘I’ll go talk to Kendrick. Suppose we have dinner together and tie this all up?’

‘Sure,’ Bernie said. ‘We meet at my cabin. I’ll order a meal.’

‘Around 20.30?’

‘Okay.’

I took Bernie’s Buick and drove into Paradise City. Three hours later, I knocked on Bernie’s cabin door and he opened up. Harry was drinking Scotch and he got up to make me a drink.

‘How did you get on?’ Bernie asked. He looked worried and there were smudges under his eyes.

I sat down, took the drink Harry offered me.

‘Friday we get the bank receipt. I told that fat queer the kite doesn’t move until I get it,’ I grinned at Bernie. ‘Relax. It’s okay. This is going to work.’

But how was I to know the one thing none of us even thought of would occur? It looked fine to me. I had taken a lot of trouble to make it look fine, but there is always something, repeat something, that none of us could have imagined.

On Friday afternoon I collected the bank receipt from-Kendrick. I told him the kite would be delivered in the early hours on Sunday morning and there were no problems. I then sent a cable to Aulestria giving him the same information.

Then I returned to the airfield and put a call through to the National Bank of Mexico. I asked the executive with whom I had dealt if the money had arrived. He said it had and had been credited to the Blue Ribbon Air Taxi Service Corp. I could almost hear him bowing as he spoke. I relayed the news to Bernie and Harry.

‘Now it’s up to you two to deliver the kite.’ I said. ‘I’ve done my stint.’

All Friday afternoon, from 15.30 to 19.00, we three worked on the kite. I familiarised myself with the jets while Bernie and Harry worked in the flight cabin. No problems came up. Saturday morning was spent in the control tower while Bernie and Harry logged our flight schedule. My crew looked a little blank when I told them I wanted full fuel capacity. They filled the tanks while I watched.

The hijack takeoff was scheduled for 20.30. By that time it would be dark. In the afternoon we took the plane on a test flight around Miami and back. She behaved beautifully.