Dennis Wheatley - The White Witch of the South Seas

As he flung out these accusations, James' long arm stretched out, indignantly pointing at de Carvalho. His dark eyes had gone black with rage and his great quiff of hair quivered as his head jerked backwards and forwards.

With distended eyes Olinda stared at him: then, as he ceased, she turned to her husband and cried in a shrill voice, `Valentim, is this true?

'More or less,' he admitted sullenly. `But it is I who am going to risk the money, isn't it? Not him. He produced the idea. All right. I'll give him the price of his journey to Rio and a bit over. But cut him in for sixty per cent? Why should I? I'll be damned if I will.'

`But, Valentim,' Olinda ’s voice had become hoarse and earnest, `you cannot do this. It is robbery. It is as bad as going to his island and stealing valuables while you were a guest in his house. He trusted you. And you lied to me about it. You said he had left everything to you and that you were going to pay him his share when the salvaging was completed. I insist that you give James a fair deal. I insist! I insist!'

Glowering at her with half closed eyes, her thick set husband snarled, `This is none of your business. Go and have your swim! Get out of here!'

'I won't!' she cried. `I'll not stand by and see you cheat a simple honest man who is worth ten of you.'

De Carvalho ran his tongue over his thick lips then began to bellow at her in Portuguese.

Her beautiful face livid with rage, she screamed insults back at him in the same language.

Suddenly he lost his temper completely. Taking a swift step forward, he smacked her hard across the face with his open hand.

There fell a deathly silence in the room. Olinda stood with her mouth half open, a look of shocked surprise on her face. De Carvalho, his jaw thrust forward, was staring at her. Gregory, his eyes narrowed, waited tensely to see which of them would prevail. For a moment in time they all remained as rigid as statues. Then James erupted.

With the speed and savagery of his forbears, the brown skinned giant launched himself at de Carvalho. In one movement he grasped him by the neck and under one knee, then swung him high over his head. Before Gregory had the least chance to stop him, he burst through the flimsy mosquito screens, bounded out on to the balcony and hurled the Brazilian over it.

There came one thin, wailing cry, the sound of a heavy thump from below, then again silence.

Wiping the back of one big brown hand across his eyes, James staggered back into the room.

`My God, man!' Gregory cried. `Are you mad? You may have killed him.'

James gave a gasping sob: `The swine! He hit her. I could not bear it. I love her! I love her!'

Olinda ’s face suddenly lit up and a spate of words poured from her. `So it is true! I hardly dared hope; yet in my heart I knew it. Yes, from the very first moment. But you are so honourable. I feared you would despise me if I confessed my illicit passion for you. Oh, I love you! My wonderful one! I love you too.'

As she spoke, she held out her arms. James seized her in his and began to smother her face with kisses.

Gregory gave vent to an unprintable Italian oath and ran out on to the balcony. It was not yet half past ten. Many people were still dining in the restaurant on the ground floor of the main block; strains of music came up from it. Others were strolling in the garden that ran down to the beach. A little crowd of men and women had run over to de Carvalho. They were now grouped round him. One man was half supporting his limp body.

As Gregory peered over, the voice of an American woman came excitedly from only a few yards away on his right. `There he is! Help! Help! Murder!'

Almost immediately a man's voice followed, `No, that's not him. It was a huge guy, a fuzzy wuzzy.'

Glancing round, Gregory saw two figures beyond the partition that screened off the balcony from its neighbour. Evidently the American couple next door had been sitting there enjoying the cool of the evening, and had seen James throw de Carvalho over.

Ignoring them, he again leaned over the rail. He had to know whether the Brazilian was alive or dead. The crowd round him were exclaiming in several languages, `Get a doctor!' `Stand back!' `Give him air!' `We must carry him inside.' `Lucky that he fell on his back and not on his head.' `His right arm's broken.' `His heart's all right.' `Just unconscious, eh; don't wonder the fall knocked him out.

Turning about, Gregory dashed back into the room. James and Olinda were still embraced and murmuring incoherently to each other between kisses. Seizing them each by an arm, Gregory dragged them apart and snarled at James:

`You lunatic! This is no time for lovemaking. Thank God he didn't break his neck. He's alive, but he may well die from internal injuries. Then you'll be had for murder. At best you'll be charged with attempted murder and get four or five years in prison. We've got to get out of here. And quick!'

His angry tirade acted like a douche of cold water on the lovers. `He's right,' Olinda said in a frightened whisper. `Oh, my darling, my heart bleeds that you should be in such danger on my account. But you must go. At once. Have you money?'

Gregory nodded. `I've plenty in my wallet.'

`This way then: She ran to the door. `I'll go down with you and engage anyone we meet in conversation.'

They followed her out into the open corridor that served all the rooms on the upper floor of the block, and down the stairs. At the bottom they came face to face with a waiter. He was wheeling a trolley holding a cold supper for four evidently a meal ordered by a party that intended to make merry in a private sitting room. At the sight of them running towards him, the man's mouth opened to give a shout. Before he could utter it, James darted past Olinda and struck him a single blow. He went down like a pole axed ox.

As the other two ran on, Gregory pulled up short beside the trolley. Already he was thinking ahead. To escape arrest they would have to go into hiding and food might be difficult to obtain. Flinging a bowl of fruit salad and an orange jelly on the floor, he gathered up the four corners of the small tablecloth that covered the trolley, so that all the other food cascaded into the middle, heaved the bundle up and swung it over his shoulder.

At the circular drive outside the front entrance to the hotel, the others had halted to wait for him. Olinda had wrenched a ruby cross from a necklace she was wearing and thrust it into his hand as she said, still breathlessly, `Go to the harbour. Go aboard our yacht, the Boa Viagem. Show this to

Captain Amedo. Tell him it is my order that he should take you where you wish.'

She did not hear Gregory's words of thanks, for she had turned away and was again in James' arms, crushing his mouth with violent kisses. Suddenly she pushed him from her and cried, `Go now, go! Tomorrow I will burn a thousand candles. May the Holy Virgin protect you.'

In the drive stood several parked cars. Among them was a tradesman's Citroen van which had probably made a late delivery. No one was about. Running to it, Gregory wrenched open the near door and jumped into the driver's seat. James ran round and scrambled in on the other side. The self starter whirred, the clutch slid in and they were off.

There came a tense moment as they drove out through the arched entrance to the hotel grounds, but no one attempted to stop them. James then relaxed, lay back in his seat and sighed ecstatically, `She loves me. She loves me.'

Gregory could have hit him for the mess he had landed them in, and snarled, `You bloody young fool! You should have bided your time and she would have fallen in your lap. As things are, after this little demonstration of your affection for her, you'll be darned lucky if you ever see her again.'