James Chase - A Coffin from Hong Kong

She frowned, staring at me for a moment, then she said, “I don’t know why you ask, but my brother told me to invite you. He said you were lonely and would be glad of company.”

“Is he your brother?” I asked.

She stiffened, stared at me and then quickly looked away.

As she said nothing, I repeated the question.

“You’re asking the most extraordinary questions,” she said, still looking away from me. “What makes you ask that?”

“There’s no likeness between you,” I said, “and it seems odd to me that a girl like you should want to live with her brother.”

I watched her hesitate, then she shrugged.

“No, he isn’t my brother. I’ve only known him a couple of months. Now, I’m sorry I ever met him.”

I gave up the thought of going to bed. I took out my pack of cigarettes and we both lit up. She slid off the arm of the chair into the chair itself and leaning back, she closed her eyes, inhaling deeply.

“Where did you meet him?” I asked.

“In Singapore. I was doing a strip act at a night club there,” she told me. “I’d come all the way from New York… like the dope I am. The night club was raided and I never got my money and I was strapped. Harry turned up. He had seen my act several times and he propositioned me. He had plenty of money, certain charm and… well, I went to live with him in a bungalow near the MacRitchie reservoir. It was nice out there. I had a good time with him until people began to talk, then it wasn’t so good.” She opened her eyes to stare at the burning tip of her cigarette. “I decided to go home, but Harry wouldn’t give me the fare. Then suddenly he had to come here. He got me a false passport. We came here as brother and sister.” She looked at me. “I still want to go home. Could you lend me the money? I’ll pay you back in a couple of months.”

“How did he get you a false passport?”

She shook her head.

“I don’t know.. I didn’t ask. Will you lend me the money?”

“I never lend that kind of money.”

“If it would make any difference, we could travel together.” She smiled stiffly at me. I had a sudden idea she was frightened. There was a bleak, scared expression in her eyes. “You know what I mean… value for money.”

“I want a drink,” I said. “Will you have one?”

She sat bolt upright, her eyes widening.

“Don’t let anyone in here,” she said, her voice going shrill. “I don’t want anyone to know I’m here.”

“The boy knows. He let you in, didn’t he?”

“No. I got the number of your room and took the key off the board. There were two keys. He doesn’t know I’m here.”

I wished my head would stop aching.

“What are you scared about?”

She relaxed back in the chair, looking away from me.

“I’m not scared. I just want to get away from here. I want to go home.”

“Why the sudden urgency?”

“Must you ask so many questions? Will you lend me the money? I’ll sleep with you now it you’ll promise to give me the money.”

“I’ll give you the money if you’ll tell me all you know about Harry Enright.”

I saw her hesitate, then she said, “I know very little about him really. He’s just a playboy having himself a good time.”

I was too tired to be patient.

“Well, if that’s all you know I’ll keep my money,” I said and getting to my feet I crossed to the telephone. “I’m going to order a drink and then I’m going to bed… alone. You’d better get out before the waiter comes.”

“No… wait.”

I called room service and asked for a bottle of Scotch and ice. As I replaced the receiver, she got to her feet.

“Will you really give me the money if I tell you what I know about him?”

“That’s what I said.”

“I think he is a drug smuggler,” she said, clenching and unclenching her hands.

“Why do you think that?”

“People come to see him at night. When we were in Singapore he used to go down to the docks and meet sailors. The police once raided our bungalow in Singapore and they searched the place, but they didn’t find anything. Here, we get night visitors. They are always Chinese. He goes out in the early hours in his boat.”

“Jefferson did live in your villa before you came?”

“Yes. Harry told me not to tell you. When Jefferson was killed, Harry was sent from Singapore to replace him. The villa is conveniently situated for receiving drugs.”

There came a gentle tap on the door.

“That’s the waiter,” I said. “Get into the bathroom and stay quiet.”

As soon as she was in the bathroom and had shut the door, I went across the room to let the waiter in.

Just outside ‘the door, smiling, was Harry Enright. He had a.38 automatic in his hand which he pointed at me.

“Don’t start anything smart, pal,” he said. “Just back in and keep your hands still.”

I backed in, keeping my hands still.

“Don’t look so hopeful,” Enright said, closing the door and leaning against it. “I told the waiter you had changed your mind… he’s gone away.”

“Okay for me to sit down?” I said. “The excitement is getting too much for me.”

I sat down, keeping my hands on my knees and I studied him. The smile was fixed. There was a cold, vicious expression in his eyes that warned me to be careful. The gun was steady in his hand and the sight was centred on a spot just between my eyes.

“You’re smart,” Enright said. “You don’t know how goddam smart you are. You did something I haven’t been able to do for the past three weeks.”

“What would that be?” I asked.

“You found Jefferson. I’ve been hunting for that son-of-a-bitch until I thought I’d go crazy. To think I nearly had you killed! Then you go out and find him… just like that.”

“I’m not following you,” I said. “Do you have to point that gun at me? I’ve had a heavy day and that gun looks lethal.”

Still keeping me covered, he moved farther into the room. He sat on the same chair arm on which Stella had sat not ten minutes ago.

“Don’t worry about the gun,” he said. “Just so long as you don’t start anything smart, you won’t get a bullet in your head. What did you tell the cops?”

“What makes you imagine I told the cops anything?”

“I’ve had a man on your tail from the moment you started showing interest in the villa. I spotted you in the pedallo. From that moment we haven’t taken our eyes off you.”

“We? You mean this drug traffic organisation?”

“That’s it, pal. It’s a big thing… too big for you. It makes me sweat to think those two might have killed you. That was my mistake. I should have left you alone. I had no idea you were after Jefferson.”

“I wasn’t… I thought he was dead.”

“We thought he was too. He nearly had us fooled. We were hunting for Belling. Then you come along and you led us right to Jefferson.”

“So you found him,” I said, wondering what Stella was doing, shut in the bathroom.

“Yes, we found him.” His smile was vicious. “We found Wong too.”

“Who is Wong?”

“He was one of our group, but he made the mistake of throwing in with Jefferson. Right at this moment they are getting the treatment, then what’s left of them will be dumped in the sea.”

“What did they do to you then?”

“That’s the wav we treat hijackers,” Enright said. “It’s the only way. What did you tell the cops?”

“Nothing they didn’t know already,” I said mildly.

He stared at me for a long moment, then he stood up.

“You and me are going for a little walk and then a little drive. There are four of my men outside. You make one move out of turn and it’ll be your last move. My boys carry knives. They can kill a guy from forty feet. By the time anyone knows you’re dead, they’ll be miles away: so watch it. Come on, let’s go.”