her hands clenched between her knees while she listened.
‘Well, that’s it,’ I said. ‘On the credit side, the D.A. won’t make a move unless your husband asks him to. They won’t attempt to follow your husband when he goes out to deliver the money. Everything really depends on your husband. Will he tell the police Odette has been kidnapped when they question him about her car?’
She drew in a long slow breath as she glared at me.
‘So this is what you call efficiency!’ she said furiously. ‘Your clever little plan! Couldn’t you have guessed she would have got involved with some drunk, going to a place like the Pirates’ Cabin?’
I didn’t say anything. I watched her, wondering just how good her nerve was.
There was a long pause, then she said, ‘Well, don’t sit there, staring at me like a zombie. What are we going to do?’
‘That’s up to you,’ I said. ‘If you can persuade your husband not to tell the police, we can still go ahead, but I warn you when Odette gets back, the police are certain to question her about the car.’
‘I must have the money!’
‘If your husband doesn’t talk to the police, I’ll get it for you.’
‘He won’t. After you telephoned, he said he wasn’t calling in the police. I didn’t even have to persuade him. He is prepared to pay so long as he gets Odette back.’
‘Well, if you’re sure he won’t talk, then we can still go ahead.’
‘I’m sure.’
I looked at my wrist watch. The time was just eleven-thirty.
‘I’ll find out what’s happening,’ I said and reached for the telephone. I called Renick. When I got him, I asked, ‘Anything breaking? Do you want me?’
‘Nothing yet.’ He sounded irritable. ‘We haven’t found her car. Malroux collected the money ten minutes ago. The Federal Agents are standing by. Give me a call around three o’clock. We may have the car by then.’
I said I would do that and hung up.
Rhea stared at me. She was very tense.
‘They haven’t found the car yet. With any luck they won’t find it,’ I said. ‘The next move is to get Odette’s letter to your husband.’ I took the letter from my pocket book. I had put the envelope in a plastic slip-case to guard against my fingerprints getting on the envelope. ‘How do you get your mail?’
‘There is a box at the gate.’
‘When you go back, put this in the box. Make sure no one sees you do it. In this letter are the delivery instructions for tomorrow.’ As she took the letter, I went on, ‘Be careful how you handle it. You don’t want your prints on the envelope. Use gloves when you take it out of the slip-case.’
She put the letter in her bag.
‘So you’re going ahead with this?’ she said.
‘That’s what you are paying me for, isn’t it? I think we can get away with it. At least, now I’m working for the other side, I’ll know the moves. If it looks bad, I’ll let you know. The set-up now is this: I’ll call Odette and tell her to come back tomorrow night on the eleven o’clock plane. She’ll be here around one o’clock. She’ll wait here. Your husband is to drive along East Beach Road until he sees a flashing light. He will drop the briefcase as he passes the light. I should have the money by two-thirty.
He will drive on to Lone Bay, expecting to find Odette. You will come here, and I’ll join you two at two-forty-five. We will split up the money. Your husband, not finding Odette, will come home. You and Odette will be there, waiting for him. Your story will be that after he had gone, Odette just walked in.
I’ve coached her in her story and she should be able to convince him. That’s the set-up.’
She thought for a long moment, then she nodded.
‘All right… then tomorrow night at two-forty-five here.’
‘Watch out for O’Reilly,’ I said. ‘Make sure he doesn’t see you leave. This guy is a police spy. From now on, anything he spots, to do with this set-up, will go back to the D.A.: so watch out.’
She
‘Well, that’s it,’ I said. ‘On the credit side, the D.A. won’t make a move unless your husband asks him to. They won’t attempt to follow your husband when he goes out to deliver the money. Everything really depends on your husband. Will he tell the police Odette has been kidnapped when they question him about her car?’
She drew in a long slow breath as she glared at me.
‘So this is what you call efficiency!’ she said furiously. ‘Your clever little plan! Couldn’t you have guessed she would have got involved with some drunk, going to a place like the Pirates’ Cabin?’
I didn’t say anything. I watched her, wondering just how good her nerve was.
There was a long pause, then she said, ‘Well, don’t sit there, staring at me like a zombie. What are we going to do?’
‘That’s up to you,’ I said. ‘If you can persuade your husband not to tell the police, we can still go ahead, but I warn you when Odette gets back, the police are certain to question her about the car.’
‘I must have the money!’
‘If your husband doesn’t talk to the police, I’ll get it for you.’
‘He won’t. After you telephoned, he said he wasn’t calling in the police. I didn’t even have to persuade him. He is prepared to pay so long as he gets Odette back.’
‘Well, if you’re sure he won’t talk, then we can still go ahead.’
‘I’m sure.’
I looked at my wrist watch. The time was just eleven-thirty.
‘I’ll find out what’s happening,’ I said and reached for the telephone. I called Renick. When I got him, I asked, ‘Anything breaking? Do you want me?’
‘Nothing yet.’ He sounded irritable. ‘We haven’t found her car. Malroux collected the money ten minutes ago. The Federal Agents are standing by. Give me a call around three o’clock. We may have the car by then.’
I said I would do that and hung up.
Rhea stared at me. She was very tense.
‘They haven’t found the car yet. With any luck they won’t find it,’ I said. ‘The next move is to get Odette’s letter to your husband.’ I took the letter from my pocket book. I had put the envelope in a plastic slip-case to guard against my fingerprints getting on the envelope. ‘How do you get your mail?’
‘There is a box at the gate.’
‘When you go back, put this in the box. Make sure no one sees you do it. In this letter are the delivery instructions for tomorrow.’ As she took the letter, I went on, ‘Be careful how you handle it. You don’t want your prints on the envelope. Use gloves when you take it out of the slip-case.’
She put the letter in her bag.
‘So you’re going ahead with this?’ she said.
‘That’s what you are paying me for, isn’t it? I think we can get away with it. At least, now I’m working for the other side, I’ll know the moves. If it looks bad, I’ll let you know. The set-up now is this: I’ll call Odette and tell her to come back tomorrow night on the eleven o’clock plane. She’ll be here around one o’clock. She’ll wait here. Your husband is to drive along East Beach Road until he sees a flashing light. He will drop the briefcase as he passes the light. I should have the money by two-thirty.
He will drive on to Lone Bay, expecting to find Odette. You will come here, and I’ll join you two at two-forty-five. We will split up the money. Your husband, not finding Odette, will come home. You and Odette will be there, waiting for him. Your story will be that after he had gone, Odette just walked in.
I’ve coached her in her story and she should be able to convince him. That’s the set-up.’
She thought for a long moment, then she nodded.
‘All right… then tomorrow night at two-forty-five here.’
‘Watch out for O’Reilly,’ I said. ‘Make sure he doesn’t see you leave. This guy is a police spy. From now on, anything he spots, to do with this set-up, will go back to the D.A.: so watch out.’
She
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