Fast Buck (17 page)

She drove in silence to the club and stopped the car before the lighted entrance. Dallas, fifty yards behind them, increased speed to pass them. He drove into the parking lot at the side of the club.

As he walked to the entrance, he saw Eve’s coupe driving away. He caught a glimpse of her white, set face, and guessed the talk she had had with her brother hadn’t been a pleasant one.

He entered the club. Gillis was just coming out of the cloakroom. He smiled at Dallas and came over to shake hands.

‘Haven’t seen you in weeks,’ Gil is said breezily. ‘How are you?’

‘Alive, but no more,’ Dal as returned. ‘I’ve been out of town. I thought it was time I looked up Zoe again.’

‘How did you find her?’

‘Al you said she would be.’

Gillis nodded.

‘I’m glad. Let me see, don’t I owe you some money? What was it – five dollars?’

‘Ten,’ said Dal as, ‘but there’s no hurry.’

‘Oh, but there is. One must pay one’s debts,’ Gil is said, and took out a small roll of bills from his pocket. He handed Dallas two fives. ‘Sorry to have been so long about it.’

‘That’s okay,’ Dal as said, surprised to be paid, and thinking Gillis must have put a pretty hard bite on his sister. ‘What’s ten bucks between friends? Come and have a drink.’

Gillis shook his head.

‘Not tonight. I’m expecting a blonde: one of those wild, wool y and wanton females I specialise in.

She should be waiting at the bar if she isn’t going to be late. See you some other time.’

Dallas watched the tall, thin figure walk into the bar. Then he went into the cloakroom, parked his hat and returned to the lobby. He decided he would see Zoe right away, and then keep an eye on Gillis. Zoe would be on duty in ten minutes. He would have to hurry to catch her in her dressing-room.

He went down the stairs that led to the rear of the building, along the passage to Zoe’s room. The door stood ajar. He knocked and pushed it open. The lights were on, and Zoe’s silk wrap lay across the divan. There was a smouldering cigarette end in the ash-tray. But there was no sign of Zoe.

Absently, Dallas stubbed out the cigarette, and then went back along the passage to the restaurant.

Luigi, the Captain of waiters, came to meet him.

‘Good evening, Mr Dal as,’ he said. ‘Your usual table?’

‘Not at the moment,’ Dal as said, looking beyond him into the crowded restaurant. ‘Miss Norton around?’

‘She’s not due in the restaurant until eleven-thirty,’ Luigi said, and consulted his watch. ‘About five minutes. Shall I tell her you would like her to join you?’

‘Yeah, do that. I’l be in the bar.’

Dallas went across to the lobby. Schmidt touched his cap when he saw him. He approved of Dallas.

‘Seen Miss Norton?’ Dal as asked, pausing.

‘Yes, sir. She’s in the club. I expect you’l find her in her dressing-room.’

‘She’s not there. If you spot her, tel her I’m in the bar.’

He saw Gillis sitting in a corner of the bar with a blonde girl who didn’t look much older than seventeen. She had a pretty, vicious little face, and she was leaning forward across the table so Gillis could see down the front of her low-cut gown. Gillis looked casually amused, and glanced up. He saw Dallas come in and gave him a broad wink.

Dallas called for a double Scotch and sat on a stool up at the bar and talked to the barman. He watched Gillis in the mirror behind the bar. After a while, Gillis and the girl went into the restaurant.

Dallas decided he’d have another look for Zoe.

Luigi was just coming back to the entrance after seeing Gillis and his companion to their table. He shook his head at Dallas.

‘Miss Norton hasn’t shown up yet,’ he said, and there was an annoyed look in his eyes. ‘I can’t understand it. She hasn’t been late since she’s been here.’

The waiter came up at this moment and whispered in his ear.

‘She isn’t in the club,’ Luigi told Dallas when the waiter had gone away. ‘I’m very sorry, Mr Dal as, I haven’t an idea where she is.’

‘That’s okay,’ Dallas said shortly, and went back to the lobby.

‘Miss Norton has left the club,’ he told Schmidt. ‘Did you see her go?’

‘She hasn’t been this way, sir,’ Schmidt said, looking surprised. ‘If she’s left the club she’l have gone by the back exit.’

‘Thanks,’ Dallas said, and went quickly down the stairs to Zoe’s room again. He was worried now.

What had happened to her? he wondered, as he again entered her room. He stood looking around, then he went to her wardrobe, opened it and found her hat and coat on a peg. He stood for a moment staring at them, his uneasiness turning to alarm.

If she had gone out, why on earth hadn’t she taken her coat? It was raining a little outside, and she couldn’t have gone just in her evening dress.

He went over to the telephone and dialled her home number. There was no answer, and he dropped the receiver back on its cradle.

Had she slipped up somewhere? He had warned her not to attract suspicion. He knew how dangerous Baird might be, and he cursed himself for involving her in this business.

He picked up the receiver again and called Purvis.

‘Zoe’s missing,’ he said, when Purvis came on the line. ‘It may be a false alarm, but I don’t think so.

Can you send Ainsworth over to take care of Gillis? I want to look for her.’

‘Think anything’s happened to her?’ Purvis asked sharply.

‘Your guess is as good as mine. Has MacAdam reported about Baird’s movements tonight?’

‘Baird’s in the club now.’

‘I haven’t seen him. You sure?’

‘Mac phoned through about twenty minutes ago and said he tailed Baird to the club. He’s been watching the front entrance, and hasn’t seen Baird come out.’

‘There’s a rear exit. Doesn’t the fool know?’ Dal as said angrily. ‘Wel , he can look after Gil is. I’ll tell him. Baird’s not in the club, unless he’s in Rico’s office. I’d bet er go along and check that.’

‘If you want Ainsworth, I’l keep him standing by,’ Purvis said.

‘Yeah, do that. I’l cal you back.’

Dallas hung up and walked down the passage to Rico’s office. He rapped sharply. There was no answer, and turning the handle he pushed open the door.

The room was in darkness, and with a grunt of disappointment Dallas was about to back out when he paused and sniffed the air. His sharp nose detected a faint smell of musk. He sniffed again. It was musk all right, and he knew Zoe’s latest fad was to use a musk perfume. He groped for the light switch and turned on the light.

The office was empty. He stood looking around, but saw nothing to excite his interest, but he wasn’t satisfied. He went over to the desk, and bending, he sniffed at the blotter on the desk. The smell of musk was stronger there, as if Zoe had touched the blotter.

Something caught his attention and he glanced down. Half hidden under the desk was a small evening bag. He knew it at once. It was the one he had given Zoe a week or so ago. He had a tight feeling in his throat as he bent and picked it up.

III

Rico sat beside Baird and stared through the windshield of the Buick as Baird drove slowly along the waterfront. The headlights of the car picked out the oily puddles, the litter and squashed fruit that covered the narrow causeway, bordered on one side by tall, dark warehouses and on the other by the river.

Rain pattered down on the roof of the car and splashed on the still water of the river. They had been driving fast for the past twenty minutes, and now they had reached the waterfront, Baird had slowed down as if uncertain where he was going.

Zoe lay on the back seat. Her wrists and ankles were tied with cord, and an adhesive bandage covered her mouth. From time to time Rico glanced over his shoulder at her. Her eyes were closed and she didn’t move. Rico was scared Baird had broken her neck as he had broken Jean Brace’s neck. It came as a sick sense of relief when he heard her moan softly through the gag.

The sight of the river made him break out into a cold sweat. The one thing he had sworn to avoid was murder, and now, he felt certain, he was going to be forced to take part in the girl’s death.

‘You won’t do anything to her?’ he said, forcing words through his stiff lips. ‘I – I won’t stand for murder…’

Baird glanced at him, and then shifted his attention back to the narrow causeway.

‘Do you want her to sick the cops on you?’ he asked softly. ‘This is a kidnapping rap: could get you the gas-box.’

Rico gulped. He hadn’t thought of that. The tiny spark of courage that had forced the words out of him abruptly snuffed out. He shut his eyes, while his heart banged against his ribs, and his mouth turned sour and dry.

The car jolted slowly on for some time, but Rico didn’t open his eyes. It wasn’t until he felt the car stop and heard Baird open the door that he looked fearfully through the windshield to see where he was.

Baird had turned off the headlights. Rico couldn’t see much in the feeble lights of the parkers. He seemed to be in a cul-de-sac. He could smell the river, but couldn’t see it. Surrounding him were high walls of rotting timber, black with tar.

‘Come on out,’ Baird said impatiently.

Rico got out of the car. His legs could scarcely support him. The rain felt cold against his feverish face. He looked up. High above him he could make out the outline of the roofs of the buildings against the rain-swollen sky. Two or three derricks hung lifelessly from the upper storeys. The warehouse had an air of neglect and disuse. But it was the silence that unnerved Rico. Only the soft patter of the rain and his own heavy, uneven breathing came to his listening ears. He had a suffocating feeling of being buried alive, and when Baird jerked open the rear door of the car, he started violently.

‘Take this,’ Baird said, turning and pushing a flashlight into Rico’s hand. ‘What’s the mat er with you? Can’t you hold it steady?’

He leaned into the car, dragged Zoe out, and hoisted her over his shoulder. She struggled feebly, but he took no notice, handling her with the impersonal indifference of a slaughterman preparing cattle for the hammer.

‘Give it to me,’ he went on to Rico, and snatched the light from him. ‘Come on.’

‘Where’re we going?’ Rico mut ered, staring up at the building.

‘A place I know,’ Baird said. ‘Come on and stop yapping.’

Rico followed him through an archway into a long, dark passage. The uneven floor was strewn with refuse; an evil smell came out of the passage and sickened Rico. As they moved slowly forward, he could hear the rustle of rats ahead of them. Huge spiders scuttled into the shadows as Baird flashed his light up to the ceiling.

At the end of the passage they came to a flight of stone steps that eventually brought them into a vast barn of a room full of packing-cases, barrels, litter and the smell of damp and decay.

Baird lowered Zoe to the floor, and as he straightened up he swung the beam of his flashlight around.

‘Safe enough,’ he said under his breath. ‘No one is likely to hear her.’

Rico didn’t say anything. He leaned against one of the rot ing packing-cases and stared at Baird in horror.

No one is likely to hear her.

His mind shied away from the implication. Pain and violence had always demoralised him.

‘What’s the mat er with you?’ Baird asked roughly, shining the light ful on Rico’s face. ‘Losing your guts?’

‘What are you going to do with her?’ Rico whispered, holding up his hand to shield his sweating face.

‘What do you think?’ Baird said. ‘She can tell us what we want to know. Someone’s got at her to spy on you, and we want to know who.’

He bent over Zoe, loosened the tape round her mouth and jerked it off.

‘Hel o, Toots,’ he said, kneeling by her, ‘I warned you how it’d be. Now you bet er start talking.

Who’s behind your racket?’

Zoe stared at him, terror in her eyes.

‘Let me go!’ she gasped. ‘Rico! Make him let me go! You’l be sorry if you don’t! I’l make trouble…’

Baird slapped her face, and her words choked off in a scream.

‘Shut up!’ he said softly. ‘Who’s behind your racket?’

‘No one, and it isn’t a racket,’ Zoe sobbed. ‘Let me go!’

Baird’s hand reached out and his fingers caught hold of Zoe’s chin. He raised her face and flashed the light in her eyes.

‘Bet er start talking, Toots,’ he said. ‘I’m in a rush. You don’t want me to persuade you to talk, do you?’

‘I tell you I don’t know what you mean,’ Zoe gasped, trying to break Baird’s grip.

‘Okay,’ Baird said, letting go of her. ‘If you want it the hard way, you can have it the hard way.’

Rico felt suddenly sick.

‘I feel il ,’ he said. ‘I – I can’t watch, Baird. Let me wait in the car.’

Baird stood up.

‘Go and wait in the car, you gutless monkey, but don’t run away.’

‘I’ll wait,’ Rico said feverishly, and began to back away.

Baird caught hold of his coat front and shook him.

‘Don’t run. If you want your share, you’re damn wel going to earn it!’

He gave Rico a shove that sent him reeling into the shadows.

‘Don’t leave me!’ Zoe screamed, struggling to sit up. ‘Rico! Don’t leave me with him! Rico! Come back!’

Rico blundered down the stairs, sweat pouring down his face. Zoe’s screams suddenly stopped and, shuddering, Rico began to grope his way along the pitch-black passage. The darkness came down on him as if a blanket had been thrown over his head. He could see nothing, and he stopped short, his heart pounding, while he tried to see where he was going.

He remembered the huge spiders, and stinking refuse on the floor and the rats, and he knew he couldn’t go on without a light. He turned and groped his way back until he reached the steps. He sat down, holding his head between his hands.

It seemed to him he sat in the evil-smelling darkness for a long time. Somewhere in the passage he could hear the busy gnawing of rat’s teeth on wood, the occasional drip of water, and the persistent patter of the rain against the walls of the building. But he didn’t pay any at ention to these noises. His ears were straining for the sound of any activity in the vast room above him. At first he heard nothing, then he imagined he heard the sound of breathing until he realised it was the curious echo of the thumping of his own heart as he sat there, his blood hammering through his veins.