1953 - The Sucker Punch (16 page)

"Suppose Blakestone's late and the tape record runs out?" she asked.

I nodded.

"That's a good point. You have an hour's running time on the recorder. As soon as Hargis has brought the coffee and gone, turn off the recorder and wait until Blakestone comes, then start the machine again as soon as you hear him enter the room. You'll have tape enough. There is one tricky bit that is essential to the success of this plan. It'll need a lot of practice and you've got to time it dead right. When you come out to tell Blakestone I won't be long, I'll join in. I'll say 'Sorry, Ryan, shan't be long now, or something like that. Then I'll appear to go on dictating. That will convince him faster than anything that I'm in the room, but the timing will be tricky. I'll have to record that speech and you will have to fix it that it fits in absolutely at the right time."

"Sounds too difficult, Chad."

"It's got to be done."

"We can't tell until we try it. There's one thing you haven't thought of. You can hear the car leave the garage from the house. If she leaves at nine o'clock and Blakestone doesn't arrive until nine-thirty, suppose Hargis wonders why she hasn't gone? Suppose he goes to see if she is having trouble starting the car?"

"You're using your head," I said. "That's just the kind of point I want raised. We could slip up on a thing like that." I stubbed out my cigarette and lit another. "As soon as I've knocked her out, I'll put her in the car and drive to the head of the cliff road. I'll stop there in that clump of trees and wait for Blakestone to pass. As soon as he's gone, I'll go on to the first dangerous bend."

"No, wait, Chad, that won't do. He might notice the fencing is intact. You're trying to make him believe she's already had her accident."

"Yeah." I rubbed the back of my head and frowned. "Goddam it! That's something I had overlooked! We'll have to shorten the time, Eve. We'll have to get Blakestone up here earlier. Now listen, this is the way I'll work it. As soon as I see his lights coming, I'll get Vestal on my lap, her hands on the steering wheel. I'll drive down to meet him, keeping out of sight behind her. I'll be going fast, and knowing him, he'll be going fast too. He'll see the Rolls, and he might catch a glimpse of Vestal, but he won't see me. I'll keep well down behind her. When he hears the news, he'll assume the accident happened a few seconds after he had passed her."

"The timing is going to be difficult, Chad. If he's early…"

"He never is; he's usually late, but I'll impress on him to be on time when I ask him up."

"If you do it halfway down the road, Chad, how will you get back in time? You can't walk three miles. It's too far."

"That's right again. In the afternoon, you must take your car and hide it in the woods. Leave it there for me to use when I'm through."

"I'll do it."

I looked at my watch. It was now nearly four o'clock.

"Think about it, Eve. We have time. Work on it. Think of all the likely snags. We can't afford to make a mistake."

"I'll think about it."

"Let me know when she is going out in the evening. It's got to be after dark. We've got to have warning, and we've got to be ready."

"I'll let you know."

I stood up.

"Then it's on?"

"Yes."

"Scared?"

"A little."

"It can't go wrong if you keep your head. You've got the tricky end to handle."

"Your end's tricky too."

"Don't worry about me. I'll handle my end all right." I bent and kissed her. "We're in this together, Eve. This is the beginning of our partnership."

Her arms went around my neck.

"Yes, Chad."

"And you'll marry me?"

"I've said I would."

"It's damn funny, but I want you more than her money."

"You'll have both."

I touched her face lightly, then crossed the room and unlocked the door.

And that's how we planned it. At the time it didn't seem coldblooded to either of us. We just didn't think about Vestal. She was something in the way; something to be removed. The prize was too big to have qualms— the qualms came later.

I slept late and I slept dreamlessly.

While I was taking a shower, it crossed my mind that I had to make up with Vestal. If she really began to believe that I had been unfaithful to her, she might, in a fit of spite, alter her will I got in a mild panic just to think of such a possibility.

She had gone to her room apparently convinced I had been out with a woman. The difficulty now would be to convince her she had been mistaken. Unless I produced the fictitious Top-Sergeant Jim Lasher, I couldn't imagine any way of convincing her.

But by the time I had dressed and had had breakfast on my balcony, I had found a way to handle the situation, I put a call through to Vestal's room "What is it?"

Her voice sounded strident and harsh.

"This is Chad, Vestal. May I talk to you?"

"No! I don't want anything more to do with you!"

"I want to say how ashamed I am, and I've a confession to make to you."

I was hoping that line might prick her curiosity, and it did.

"What confession?" she said sharply.

"I can't blurt it out over the telephone. Can I come to your room?"

I made my voice sound pretty humble, and I was glad she couldn't see my expression. I had trouble not to burst out laughing when she said in her grand manner, "Very well. You may come in half an hour's time."

The silly little dope! I thought as I hung up. Well, she could throw her weight about a little longer, but her sands were running out.

Exactly at eleven-thirty, I tapped on her door.

She was sitting before her dressing table in a yellow wrap, pretending to do her hair.

I came over to her and stood uneasily before her.

"I'm sorry, Vestal, and I hope you will try to forgive me," I said, launching into a speech I had rehearsed after breakfast. "I want to tell you the truth: I was out with a woman last night, and I'm thoroughly ashamed of myself."

I knew that was the last thing she wanted to hear. I could see by the way her face blanched, what a devastating blow this was to her. She was prepared to suspect I had been out with a woman, but for me to admit it, hit her where she lived.

"Oh, Chad!"

She forgot to be angry; forgot to be jealous. All she could think of now was that she might lose me.

"I'm sorry, Vestal, but I promise it won't happen again. Jim and I got drunk. He wanted to go to a brothel, and he persuaded me to go too."

"A brothel?"

I saw dazed relief come into her face, as I knew it would come.

"Yes. I don't know if you can ever forgive me for being so depraved, but I was drunk.”

"Oh, Chad! You frightened me. I thought you had fallen in love with some woman. Oh, Chad!"

She started to cry. I took her in my arms. She sobbed on my shoulder, hugging me, pressing her pinched ugly face against mine, running her claw-like fingers through my hair.

"Oh Chad, darling, of course I forgive you. I'm sorry I was suspicious of you. You must forgive me too."

It was as easy and as simple as that.

chapter thirteen

F
our days later I was sitting in my study, glancing through the morning newspaper before I left for the office, when Eve came in with the mail.

Her face was impersonal as she put the letters on the desk in front of me.

She tapped the pile of letters with a slim finger, gave me a significant look and went out, closing the door behind her.

I picked up the letters and shuffled through them. Among them I found a slip of paper on which was typed:

She has just made a date with Mrs. Hennessey. Friday, 28th. 9.30 p.m. to meet Stowenski, the violinist.

My heart did a somersault.

Mrs. Hennessey was Vestal's best friend; a fat hen of a woman who never stopped talking, and who never succeeded in saying anything worth listening to. Even Vestal picked her to pieces when she wasn't with her, but she hung on to her because Mrs. Hennessey knew all the local gossip: dope that Vestal couldn't resist.

Vestal had been yammering about Stowenski for the past week. To my thinking he was just another longhaired fake, but he had certainly stood Little Eden's society up on its ear by a series of concerts, and now he was doing the social round. Apparently Mrs. Hennessey had grabbed him before Vestal could sink her claws into him.

I had now three clear days!

Just for a moment I felt a chill crawl up my spine. So long as the idea had been only an idea I had accepted it without a qualm. Now I realized it was about to turn into a fact, for the first time, I began to feel scared.

One slip and I was finished.

I lit a cigarette with Eve's note and powdered the ash. Then I put the rest of my mail in my pocket and walked down the steps to where my car was waiting.

Eve passed me on her way to the greenhouses.

"Thursday, two o'clock at the beach hut," I said under my breath as she passed.

She gave a little nod to tell me she had heard and understood.

The difficulties were great.

There was now no question of night rehearsals. I was once more sleeping with Vestal.

We would have to perfect the plan in the afternoon and part of the evening of Eve's day off.

At the office, I set about dictating a number of letters I had drafted on to the tape recorder. After each letter I wrote down the time shown by the indicating needle on the machine, numbering the letters against the time so that Eve should know exactly when my important words to Blakestone were arriving.

I was afraid to play back the record in case Miss Goodchild surprised me, but I had an idea the result would be what I wanted.

I had a feeling of urgency. We were cutting corners and working under difficulties, and the risks were great, but that didn't stop me. I was launched on this plan now, and I wasn't turning back.

Vestal had told me that Mrs. Hennessey had invited her over to her house to meet Stowenski. She wanted me to go with her, but I told her I was having Blakestone over for a drink and to discuss business. I don't think she expected me to go with her, and so long as she was sure I wasn't going to run off with some woman, she was quite happy for me to remain at home.

I went to the office on Thursday morning, and before leaving for lunch, I called Ryan Blakestone.

"Will you come out to Cliffside tomorrow night, Ryan?" I said. "I have some business to talk over with you, and I thought you'd like to see the house."

"I'll be there."

"I want to surprise Vestal, so don't be early. If she thought you and I were hatching something, she'd stick around until I told her what it was. Be at the house sharp at nine-fifteen."

"Okay."

I hung up and rang for Miss Goodchild.

"I won't be back after lunch," I told her. "I feel like a round of golf."

There were six golf courses in Little Eden, and I felt fairly safe, saying I was going to spend the afternoon playing a round. If Vestal called and wanted to know where I was, she'd be unlikely to check all six courses.

After lunch I drove down to the beach.

Vestal's beach hut was isolated: there was no other hut within three miles of it. She very rarely went there now, preferring to swim in the pool on the estate. There was plenty of cover around the hut where I could conceal my car.

I unlocked the hut and opened the windows.

Five minutes later Eve drove up. I watched her park her car out of sight, then come across the sand to the hut.

I had the tape recorder on the table just as I have it here now.

It's a funny thing, but I had no desire to take her in my arms as she came into the hut. We looked at each other. Her eyes were glittering behind her glasses, and her face was pale.

"We'd better get to work, Eve. We haven't much time."

She laid on the table a long tube made of wire.

"I don't know if this will do for your arm. I did it last night."

"Good girl. I haven't had a chance to try myself."

I took off my coat and fitted the tube into one of the sleeves. With a little manipulation I bent and adjusted the tube inside the sleeve, then arranged it on the arm of one of the chairs in the hut.

We both went around the back of the chair to inspect the effect. It looked exactly what I intended it to be: a man's arm resting naturally on the arms of the chair.

"That's it," I said. "If we fix a piece of wire with a small loop to it on to the sleeve, it'll hold a burning cigarette just out of sight. Hargis and Blakestone will see the smoke above the chair and the illusion will be complete."

"Have you dictated the letters, Chad?"

"I'll play them back. Let's set the stage first. Bring the table over in front of the chair."

We arranged the table the way I wanted it, shifted the chair around a little more, then I turned on the tape recorder and we both went to the hut door and looked across the room at the back of the chair.

I had to adjust the recorder to get the volume right, then I rejoined Eve by the door to listen to the complete record.

The effect was uncanny.

The arm on the chair, the smoke of the cigarette drifting up to the ceiling and the voice talking gave a convincing impression that there was a third person in the hut.

Halfway through the tape my voice suddenly stopped dictating. There was a slight pause, then in a slightly louder tone, my voice said, "Sorry to keep you waiting, Ryan. I'm nearly through now."

We looked at each other. Eve was white and shaking. She put her hand on my arm. I tried to force a grin, but the grin wouldn't come. We stood side by side, listening to the end of the tape.

"It works," I said as I went over to the recorder to turn it off. "It can't go wrong, Eve, so long as you handle it right. We'll play it over until you've got it by heart." I took from my pocket the copies of all the letters I had dictated. "You must be able to judge exactly when those words of mine to Blakestone are coming. That is the key to the whole setup. Slip up on that, and we're sunk."

We settled down to work.