1953 - The Sucker Punch (19 page)

It was the most reassuring sound I have ever heard.

Eve stood by the desk, staring at me, her eyes unnaturally large. The narrow tape of the recorder moved slowly and deliberately through the recording head; my voice that would establish my alibi talked on.

I climbed into the room. The overall I was wearing was soaked. There was mud on my shoes. My hands were filthy.

Eve snatched up a towel and a big sponge that lay on the desk and thrust them at me.

“Quickly! He's been waiting more than half an hour. There's only another two minutes of tape left."

I wiped my hands and face. I tore off the overall.

"How do I look?"

She nodded.

"Get your coat on."

I took the coat from her and slipped it on, then wiped my shoes clean with the sponge and ran a comb through my hair.

My legs felt so rocky I could scarcely stand.

She gave me a glass half-f of neat whisky.

"Drink it."

She had thought of everything. The liquor burned the back of mv throat, but it stopped my muscles fluttering.

"Wipe your face."

I used the towel, took the cigarette she thrust at me and leaned forward to light it from the match she had struck.

"All right, Chad?"

"Yes."

"You'd better see him."

"All right here?"

"Yes. I was getting anxious. You're late, but it went just the way you said it would go."

I felt a surge of triumphant relief run through me.

"Okay, I'm ready."

She bundled up the towel, the sponge, the overall and my cap and shoved them into the deep drawer in my desk.

“I’ll turn this off."

She switched off the recorder. The sudden silence in the room was louder than a crash of thunder.

I drew in a deep breath, then walked across the room and opened the door.

Blakestone was sitting in a lounging chair, thumbing through a magazine.

"I'm sorry, Ryan. I didn't mean to keep you this long."

He gave me a rueful grin.

“That's all right. Do you usually work so hard at home?"

“I have a lot on hand just now. Come on in."

As he entered my study, Eve slipped past us and went through the lounge into the hall.

"Have a drink, Ryan?"

"Well, I'll have another. Miss Dolan has been looking after me."

He sat down in a chair by my desk.

"I saw your wife in her Rolls as I was coming up. She drives damned fast; scared the pants off me."

“She knows the road backwards."

“She wasn't driving backwards," Blakestone said, his face serious. "She was going too damned fast." Seeing I didn't like what he was saying, he gave a little shrug and went on, "Nice place you have here."

"Not bad, is it?" I gave him a whisky and sat down behind my desk.

"Good of you to come, Ryan."

"I hope you have something good for me. What's the deal?"

"Bylands Appliances. Mean anything to you?"

"Of course. They've been making a pile of jack for someone. I've got a small piece of their stock myself."

"They'll hit the roof, Ryan. I thought you and I…"

The telephone bell rang sharply making me start.

My mind jumped to Vestal.

"Excuse me while I get this," I said and picked up the receiver. "Yes?"

"Mrs. Hennessey is on the line," Eve's voice whispered. "She's asking for Vestal. I told her she was on her way down to her, but she insists on speaking to you."

I'd forgotten Mrs. Hennessey, and just for a moment my heart skipped a beat.

"Okay, put her on," I said, trying to keep my voice steady.

There was a click on the line, then Mrs. Hennessey's rasping voice buzzed in my ear.

"Mr. Winters?"

"That's right. Anything I can do?"

"I'm waiting for Vestal. Miss Dolan tells me she left half an hour ago. She hasn't arrived."

"She'll be along in a few minutes," I said, aware that Blakestone was listening and watching. "It's a bad night. She's probably taking it slowly."

"Isn't her chauffeur with her?"

"No, she's driving herself."

"She doesn't take more than twenty minutes to get here. She's already twenty minutes late."

"She'll be along. I believe she was a little late leaving here. I'm tied up right now, Mrs. Hennessey. You'll have to excuse me."

That appeared to be the worst thing I could have said. I wanted to calm her fears. The only way I could think of to do that was to sound casual. I saw my mistake as soon as she snapped, "She may have met with an accident. She was most anxious to be here before Mr. Stowenski arrived, and now he is actually having to wait for her. That road is very dangerous. I'm extremely worried and anxious. I think I should call the police."

My heart did a somersault. I thought of the soaking wet overall in my desk drawer; Eve's car still wet and muddy with the radiator hot from the rush up the cliff road. I thought of the possibility of blood marks on the road which I hoped would be wiped out in an hour or so by the rain. If this old bitch got the police up here before I was ready for them I would be in a hell of a jam.

"You're getting worked up for nothing," I said sharply. "If she isn't with you in twenty minutes, call me back."

"And in the meantime she may be lying injured somewhere." The rasp in her voice was loud enough for Blakestone to hear. "I've never heard of such a thing!"

"Okay, okay, I'll go and see if she's in trouble," I said, trying to keep the exasperated fury out of my voice. "Call back if she arrives before I return. I'm quite sure you have nothing to worry about."

She started to tell me again how dangerous the road was and how worried she was, but I cut her short.

"You call me back," I said and hung up.

Blakestone looked at me inquiringly. I felt a trickle of sweat run down my face. I tried to control my expression, but I had an idea I wasn't being too successful.

"That damned old hen, Mrs. Hennessey, is getting worried about Vestal. Vestal had a date with her, and she hasn't arrived yet. Mrs. Hennessey thinks she has met with an accident. A lot of nonsense, of course. It wouldn't surprise me if Vestal had changed her mind and gone to a movie instead."

Blakestone's expression startled me. He looked anxious.

"It is a dangerous road, Chad, and as I told you, she was driving fast."

"Now don't you start for the love of Mike. Vestal knows that road backwards. She wouldn't take a risk." I reached forward for a sheet of paper on which I had made some calculations. "Come on, let's get down to work. Take a look at these figures."

He took the paper reluctantly.

"You're sure we shouldn't go out and see if there's been trouble, Chad?"

"It's my bet she's gone to a movie. It's raining like hell."

He stared at me, his mouth tightening.

"Well, she's your wife."

"Quit fussing!" I snapped. "Let's do some work!"

Once he did concentrate on the figures, he quickly forgot to worry about Vestal. For the next twenty minutes we discussed the various angles I wasn't sure about, and as usual, I found his advice sound.

I was just about to pour another drink for him when the telephone bell rang.

I could see by the expression on his face that his mind had jumped back to Vestal and he looked at me sharply.

I picked up the receiver.

"This is Lieutenant Leggit. Have you any news of Mrs. Winters?"

My mouth turned dry. I knew I was losing colour. I half-turned and reached for a cigarette so Blakestone couldn't get a good view of my face.

"I've heard nothing. I was expecting…”

"I'm at Mrs. Hennessey's place," Leggit snapped, breaking in. "Your wife hasn't shown up. She's forty minutes late. I'm coming right over."

"You don't have to do that. I'll get my car out…"

But he had hung up.

I had to make a tremendous effort to keep my voice steady.

"I'm sorry, Ryan," I said, getting to my feet, "but I'll have to break this up. Vestal hasn't shown up, and the police are coming over."

His face tightened.

"The police?"

"Lieutenant Leggit. He appears to have been at the party." I lit a cigarette. My hand was shaking. "He's a pal of Vestal's. I'll get my car and go down the road and see if anything's happened. I'm quite sure this is a false alarm, but I'd better see just the same."

"I have my car outside. I'll come with you."

We crossed the lounge, and as we opened the door into the hall Eve appeared.

"Mrs. Hennessey thinks Mrs. Winters might have met with an accident," I said to her. "Lieutenant Leggit is coming up right away. I'm going down the cliff road to see if there's anything to see."

Eve's face was expressionless.

"I hope there's nothing wrong. Mrs. Winters is such a safe driver."

"I'm going anyway."

"Is there anything I can do?"

"You might clear up in my study. There're some papers that need filing."

Our eyes met. She knew what I meant. Those things in the desk drawer had to be hidden.

Blakestone had crossed the hall and opened the front door. He was looking impatiently at me.

"The car," I whispered to Eve. "It's wet. Do something about it."

I turned away and joined him at the door.

"It's raining like hell," he said, struggling into his coat. "Come on; it won't take us five minutes."

I followed him into the darkness.

chapter sixteen

I
n the glare of two searchlights, mounted on a breakdown truck, and in the pouring rain, ten police officers and twenty firemen laboured to get Vestal's body up the cliffside.

It was perilous work. Three firemen had gone down on chair slings. The car had been caught between two massive boulders some two hundred feet down the cliff face. Every foot of the way was menacing, as loose stones and fair sized rocks were ready to crash down at the slightest touch.

I sat in Blakestone's car, a cigarette burning between my fingers, my body cold and shaking.

Blakestone sat beside me. He didn't say anything, but smoked and stared out of the rain-swept window, watching the small group of policemen peering over the cliff head.

Just behind us Eve sat in her car. She had been pretty smart to get her car and come after us. Its wet and muddy condition would now no longer be suspicious.

I wanted very badly to go to her, I knew that would be dangerous, so I sat still, waiting, my mind going over every detail of the past two hours as I tried to reassure myself that I hadn't made a mistake.

A tall, broad shouldered figure loomed out of the rain.

"I have some bad news for you, Mr. Winters," Leggit said, leaning against the car and peering at me through the window. "She's dead. They've just found her."

I forced myself to look up and meet his hard, blue eyes.

"I didn't think she could be alive," I said slowly. "I hope it was quick."

"Yeah." I felt his eyes boring into me. "You'd better get back to the house. No point sticking around here. You can leave everything to me."

"Thanks," I said.

His direct gaze shifted from me to Blakestone.

"Who's he?"

"Ryan Blakestone, my broker. He was with me tonight."

I could have bitten off my tongue as soon as I said that. I knew it was a mistake. I shouldn't have offered an alibi unless he asked me for it.

He nodded and stepped back.

"Okay, Mr. Winters. I'll see you in the morning."

"I'll wait for you at the house."

"Want me to drive, Chad?" Blakestone asked when Leggit had moved back to the cliff head.

"It's okay."

I reversed the car and pulled alongside Eve's car.

"We can't do anything, Miss Dolan. Vestal's dead. I'm going back. You'd better come too."

I pulled away to save her thinking of something to say that Blakestone could hear, and drove to the house in silence.

Blakestone wouldn't come in. He said a few words of sympathy, added he would take care of the Bylands Appliances and drove off.

I went into my study.

I sat down. My legs were shaky and the sick feeling of shock had hold of me. With an unsteady hand I poured myself a shot of whisky and gulped it down.

Eve came in and shut the door.

"What did you do with the overall?" I asked.

"It's in my room drying. I'll put it back in the garage first thing tomorrow."

"You're sure Hargis and Blakestone were satisfied I was in the study?"

"Yes. It was so good I almost believed you were there myself."

"You'd better tell Hargis Vestal's dead."

"Yes."

I got unsteadily to my feet. I wanted the comfort of her arms around me.

"We're free, Eve. Do you realize that?"

Her pale face was completely expressionless. Her blue eyes glittered behind her glasses.

"Yes."

I moved towards her.

"In a few months’ time well be married."

"Keep away from me!"

Her tone brought me up short as if I had walked into a brick wall.

"What do you mean? We're safe in this room. What's the matter?"

"We're safe nowhere! Keep away from me. If Lieutenant Leggit thought there was anything between us, he would know we planned this." Her voice was scarcely above a whisper. "I'm through with you, Chad! Do you understand? You are to keep away from me!"

I felt a chill run up my spine.

"Through with me? What are you talking about? You're going to marry me!"

Her eyes flashed.

"I wouldn't marry you now if you v ere the last man on earth! I'm through with you! Don't you understand English?"

"You promised!"

"Never mind what I promised. I'm frightened. If the police found out about us they would know we did it. I'm leaving this house as soon as I can and I never want to see you again!"

"You're not getting away with that!" I said, suddenly furious. "Remember what I said! If you don't marry me, I'll give myself up and you too!"

"All right, go ahead and do it! You can't bluff me, Chad. I may be in this as much as you, but you killed her. Go ahead and tell them you did it if you dare. But keep away from me!"