Held At Bay by John Creasey Page B

it.
    He started with surprise at sight of Juan de Castilla standing outside his flat door. The Spaniard’s face was set, his eyes were flashing, his hands were clenched.
    â€œAh! John. Thank heavens to see you!”
    â€œWhat’s the trouble?” Mannering asked. The cooler he was, the cooler Juan de Castilla would be.
    â€œTrouble!” exclaimed de Castilla as they entered the flat. “John, you remember telling me of Archibald Price, and the Sea of Fire robbery? Now Salmonson, who had the Desire Diamond, has been robbed. Both by the Baron! You understand?”
    â€œI’ve been wondering whether it’s a coincidence,” admitted the Baron.
    â€œIt’s too much for coincidence!” cried de Castilla excitedly. “But that is no excuse for Anita, no excuse at all.”
    Mannering’s hands stopped moving, and his body was rigid as he stared at the Spaniard.
    â€œWhat’s Anita been up to?”
    â€œShe has gone mad, mad!” exclaimed de Castilla. “This morning she has flown to Paris, to see Panneraude about the Crown of Castile. With some fool of a man who told her he would help – to steal it if necessary. You understand, John, she says if others can steal the jewels, she can. She is mad, quite mad about this; those jewels mean more to her than to any of us. In a moment of excitement she confided in me, but I dare not tell Don Manuel, and I can do nothing to stop her. Is it possible, John, that you can persuade her it is madness?”

Chapter Eleven
    Mannering Moves Fast
    When Mannering had first contemplated the task of getting the five Jewels of Castilla it had seemed quite straightforward. A series of five burglaries would carry less danger than usual because only the Kelworthy syndicate knew of their connection.
    But from the moment that he had discovered the ruthlessness of Granette, even to impersonation, he had faced complications – but none so alarming as Anita de Castilla playing with a mad notion like this, actually in Paris with a fool who had promised to help her break into Panneraude’s place should the Frenchman refuse to sell the Crown! For a few seconds Mannering could only stand and stare at Juan, who was waiting as though for the oracle to speak. De Castilla had always looked on Mannering as a man who could work miracles.
    Mannering’s tension lessened, more for the other’s sake than because he felt easier in his mind.
    â€œMy God, Juan, this is the most spirited thing I’ve heard.”
    â€œSpirited!” choked Juan. “Spirited, when she will probably be in a French prison before the night is out; she has some idiot infatuated with her, men are always so ready to die for Anita. John, I’m sorry I had to come to you, but we have so few friends in England, and Don Manuel just is not well enough to stand the shock. I dare not tell him.”
    â€œTake it easy,” said Mannering, across the spate of words. He stepped to the sideboard and poured a finger of whisky, for Juan was labouring under a greater nervous strain than he had realised. “There’s no hurry. We can’t – or I can’t – get to Paris any sooner than my evening flight. If we charter a special it will make only a couple of hours’ difference. Sit down, and tell me all about it.”
    Juan stood with his whisky in his hand, a tense smile on his face and beads of perspiration on his forehead.
    â€œ You will go to Paris! John, I am tremendously obliged; I had hoped, yet hardly dared to suggest. Anita, she is a fool, but she will do most things for you. I think sometimes she is jealous of Lorna!”
    Juan sat down abruptly, and took a sip of the whisky. He laughed a little awkwardly.
    â€œI’m afraid I must have seemed an awful fool, John.” All his anxiety had gone, and he was in complete control of himself. “The only thing I could think of was rushing to you.”
    Mannering