1956 - There's Always a Price Tag (17 page)

I swung my leg over the window-sill and slid into the kitchen. 'She's walking in her sleep,' I said.

'Don't wake her.'

Helen lowered her gun hand. She drew in a long, slow breath. I could see her breasts rising and falling under the oyster-coloured wrap.

I circled the room until I reached her.

'She's seen inside,' she said softly.

'She's asleep.'

'I don't care. We've got to get rid of her!'

'Keep your voice down. We mustn't wake her.'

We stood away from the door and watched Marian replace the bottles. It took her some time, but finally she put the last bottle in place. She had put the bottles back exactly as she had found them. If I hadn't seen her move them, I wouldn't have known they had been touched.

Then she turned and walked slowly to the door, turned off the light, switched on her flashlight and went down the passage. We stood in the darkness, listening. We heard her mount the stairs. A few seconds later, we heard a door close quietly.

I reached out and put on the light.

'She saw him!' Helen said fiercely. 'She'll remember. We'll have to silence her.'

There was a vicious, murderous expression in her green eyes that shocked me.

'She was sleepwalking,' I said. 'She won't remember. She didn't even see him. She went through the motions of opening the cabinet, but she wouldn't know what was in it.'

'How do you know? It would be safer if she met with an accident.'

'Are you crazy?' I faced her. 'That's the last thing that's going to happen. If there's a death here before they find Dester, we'll be in trouble.'

'Not the way I'd arrange it. I'd take her up on the roof and push her off. We could always say she was walking in her sleep.'

Her cold-blooded, matter-of-fact tone chilled me.

'I said no, and I mean no. She won't remember. I'm sure she won't.'

She studied me, her face had a scraped bony look to it that made it seem as if it were chiselled out of stone.

'You want to keep her alive because you're in love with her,' she said. 'Well, I'm not going to endanger our plan because you've happened to fall in love with the little fool. I'm going to silence her.'

I reached out and grabbed hold of her shoulders, forcing her against the wall.

'I warn you: if you touch her I'll tell the police where he is! I mean it! You leave her alone or you'll never get the money!'

She wrenched free from my grip, her face white, her eyes on fire.

'All right, if you must act like a fool, then act like one, but you'll be sorry!'

She side-stepped me and went quickly out of the kitchen and up the stairs. For a long moment I stood looking after her then, when I heard her bedroom door click to, I went up to Marian's room. I listened outside the door then, hearing nothing, I gently eased the door open and looked in.

The moonlight fell directly across the bed. I could see Marian as she lay with her head on the pillow.

Moving quietly into the room, I stood at the foot of the bed, looking down at her.

She slept restlessly, murmuring and moving her head to and fro. Then suddenly she opened her eyes and lifted her head. She stared at me, catching her breath in a soft, strangled scream.

'It's all right,' I said quickly. 'It's only me.'

She sat up, pulling the bedclothes up in front of her, her eyes alarmed.

'I just wanted to see if you were all right,' I went on. 'You've been walking in your sleep.'

'Have I? You frightened me,' she said, and relaxed back on the pillow. 'I've been walking in my sleep?'

'Yes. I saw a light on in the kitchen. I came over. You were taking all those bottles off the top of the deep-freeze.'

I watched her closely as I was speaking, but her face showed only surprise and bewilderment.

'I did dream about the cabinet. I was worried about the water in it. You said because I turned off the motor.'

I drew in a long, deep breath. It was all right. She hadn't seen him. She couldn't speak like this if she had.

'You silly kid, there was nothing to worry about. I told you it doesn't thaw out for at least four hours. You gave me a scare. I thought it was a burglar.'

'I'm sorry. I haven't walked in my sleep for months.'

'Well, don't do it again. I didn't mean to frighten you, but I wanted to see if you were all right.'

She looked up at me, her eyes bright, a faint flush on her face.

'I'm all right.'

I came around the side of the bed. She smiled up at me and held out her hand. I took it, then I bent and kissed her. For a long moment our lips remained together, then I drew back.

'Go to sleep, kid.'

'All right. Good night, Glyn.'

I went out of the room and closed the door. As I walked down the passage, I felt I was treading on air.

chapter nine

I
had no chance of seeing Marian alone during Friday and Saturday: Helen saw to that. She got Marian to turn out the guest bedrooms, a job that kept her upstairs for most of the two days.

On Friday afternoon, Helen and I continued to work on the plan. She was smart enough to spot the falling off of my enthusiasm.

'What's the matter?' she asked as she lay back in the lounging chair in my sitting room. 'Are you getting scared or are you trying to make up your mind whether you can have Marian as well as the money?'

She had put her finger right on the spot.

'She's no use to you,' she went on as I didn't say anything. 'If you continue to make a fool of yourself, you'll regret it.'

'Will you mind your own business?' I snapped at her. 'I'm not scared and I'm going through with this, so shut up!'

She gave me a jeering smile and shrugged her shoulders.

We were all set to go. Everything now depended on the fall of the cards. If we didn't run into a State trooper, have a breakdown or meet someone at the wrong time, we would be all right, but we did have to have some luck.

'I think, that covers it,' I said after we had gone over the plan for the third time. 'Don't forget, you will have to give your statement to the police after I have given mine. Don't add any details. Stick to what we have arranged. Don't let them rattle you.'

She stared at me with her cold, hard eyes. 'They won't rattle me. You watch it they don't rattle you.'

'I'll watch it.'

She got to her feet.

'Marian has some sewing to do for me tonight,' she said as she moved to the door. 'So don't wait in for her.'

I didn't argue.

In a way I was glad not to see Marian. I was edgy, and the thought of Sunday sat on my mind like a lead weight. I had an idea that she might realize I had something on my mind. I knew after Sunday night I would have the police in my hair and I would also have Maddux to cope with. Right now I could walk past a cop without seeing him. But after Sunday, a cop would be a lot more than a hunk of beef in a blue uniform.

I spent Friday night at a dance hall, dancing with one of the hostesses. If the cops checked up on my activities I wanted them to know I was just a regular guy. Saturday dragged by. I saw Marian for a few seconds, but Helen was with her. We exchanged glances and I noticed she gave me a second, sharper look. Maybe I was already beginning to show the strain.

In the afternoon I took the Buick, and driving at a steady thirty-five miles an hour, I went out to the road that led to the forestry station. It took me an hour and five minutes to get there. That meant when we left at half past ten on Sunday night, we would get to the forestry station around twenty to twelve. By that time the highway should be fairly free of traffic.

I didn't sleep much that night. I wondered if Helen was also lying in the darkness, thinking as I was.

Somehow I doubted it. She seemed nerveless.

When I did eventually fall asleep, I slept late and didn't get up until past noon.

As I was leaving the garage apartment to go over to the house, I ran into Marian, coming down the drive.

I remembered Helen telling me that she was giving her the half-day off on Sunday, asking her to get back at ten. I had hoped that she would have left before now. I wasn't anxious to see her until this job was over.

'Hello there,' I said, coming to a stop under the shade of a tree. 'Where are you going?'

'To see a girl friend of mine,' Marian said, looking up at me. There was a curious expression in her eyes. It was as if she were seeing me for the first time. I had trouble in meeting her eyes. 'What are you doing?'

'I've some work to do. I shan't be going out until later.'

Again she looked at me.

'Is there anything worrying you, Glyn?'

'Why no. What should be worrying me?'

She moved closer and put her hand on my arm.

'You look worried.'

I forced a laugh.

'That's my natural expression. I wish I were coming with you. How are you after your sleepwalking act?'

'I'm fine.' She paused, then went on, 'I know I shouldn't say this, Glyn, but she is in love with you, isn't she?'

That jolted me. I stared at her.

'She? Who? What do you mean?'

'Mrs. Dester.'

'Loves me? What put that idea into your head? Of course she doesn't.'

'I think she does. She's deliberately stopping me seeing you. Besides, I can tell by the way she looks at you. Of course she's in love with you.'

'You're wrong.' I was pretty raided now. If the police were to question her and she let out this bit of information, we would be in trouble. 'She's got no use for me. If Dester hadn't insisted that I should stay she would have booted me out long ago.'

Marian lifted her shoulders. I could see I hadn't convinced her. Then she launched another thunderbolt.

'Is Mr. Dester really in the house, Glyn?'

For a moment I couldn't believe I had heard aright. I felt I was losing colour. My mouth turned dry.

'Of course he is. What in the world?'

'Are you sure?' She looked searchingly at me. 'I have a feeling he's not in the house. I never hear a sound from his room. It's uncanny.'

'He's there all right.' I had trouble in keeping my voice steady. 'I go in now and then to take a look at him. He's in a pretty bad way. He sleeps most of the time.'

'I see.' She hesitated, then went on, 'Well, I don't think I'm going to stay much longer, Glyn. I don't like it here. There's an unpleasant atmosphere. I don't like Mrs. Dester.'

'I won't be staying much longer myself,' I said. 'I hope you'll wait until I go. I'll miss you, Marian.' I took her hands in mine. 'I'm just hanging on until I get a legacy that's coming to me. Do you know what I'd like to do when I get the money?'

'What would you like to do?'

'Go with you to Rome.'

She laughed. 'You wouldn't really. Why?'

'I guess you know why. I guess I'm in love with you, kid.'

She looked searchingly at me.

'Sure you don't say that to every girl you meet, Glyn?'

'I'm sure. Well, I'm not going to keep you. I may not get the money, but if I do, you might think about it. I wouldn't be in the way. We could even stay at different hotels. I wouldn't stop you working. Just so we could have the evenings together. Then later, if you feel you wanted to, we might - well, we could marry.' I grinned at her. 'People do.'

I could see she was startled. 'You certainly rush your fences, Glyn, but I will think about it.'

I pulled her to me and kissed her.

'I'm crazy about you, kid.'

She clung to me for a moment, then broke away. 'I must go. I'm late already.'

I watched her hurry down the drive, then I walked slowly towards the house.

I didn't tell Helen what Marian had said about Dester not being in the house, but I was pretty worried.

If the police questioned her, if they suspected Dester hadn't been in the house, she might underline their suspicions.

Later in the afternoon I put the first move of the plan into operation.

I drove the Buick to a car park, a couple of miles from Hill Crest Avenue and left it there. I told the attendant that I shouldn't be picking the car up until late that night. I took the bus back to the house, and for the rest of the afternoon and evening, Helen and I went over the plan together. We had gone over it so often we could have recited it in our sleep, but I knew the importance of being word perfect.

Around half past nine I went up to Dester's room and shut myself in. I took a suitcase from the closet and put it on the bed. I took off my suit and shoes and packed them in the case. Then I put on one of Dester's dark suits that fitted me pretty well and a pair of his nigger brown calf shoes. I laid his camel-hair coat on the bed and one of his wide-brimmed slouch hats.

I lit a cigarette and began to pace slowly up and down. My nerves were jumpy, my heart beat heavily.

I kept trying to think of Marian and trying to imagine us in Rome together. If it hadn't been for her, I told myself, I would have backed out at this last minute, but the only person I was kidding was myself.

I heard the Rolls pull up outside the house and I went to the window and looked out.

Helen had timed it to the second. It was two minutes past ten as she got out of the car. She was wearing a pale green summer frock, a small white hat and white gauntlets. She looked lovely as she swung the car door to and came up the steps and into the house.

A few moments later she entered the room.

'She's not back yet?'

I remained at the window looking down the dimly lit drive. 'Not yet.'

She joined me at the window. 'Well, this is it.'

She sounded calm, almost casual.

'Yes.'

'Are you jumpy?'

'I'm all right.'

'You'd better be.'

I looked at her. Her green eyes were glittering and her face was as hard as stone. 'This was your idea,' she went on. 'You're not so enthusiastic as you were. Get this girl out of your mind!'

'It's going to be all right, so shut up!'

'It had better be all right!'

I turned back to the window. I saw Marian coming up the drive. She walked quickly, swinging her handbag, and as she came under the porch light, I could see she was smiling.