Topkapi (23 page)

He nodded.

“But about Fischer ...” Miller began, his teeth showing as if he wanted to eat someone.

Harper broke in firmly. “Let’s go inside, Leo.” He turned to me. “You can put the car away for now, Arthur, but I may want it again later to drive to Pendik, so you stick around. Make yourself some coffee in the kitchen, then I’ll know where to find you.”

“Very good, sir.”

When I got to the kitchen I found that someone, Mrs. Hamul no doubt, had washed the dishes and cleaned the place up. The charcoal fires on the range were not quite dead, but I made no attempt to revive one. I found a bottle of red wine and opened that.

I was getting anxious. It was nearly ten-thirty and the radio call was due at eleven; but I didn’t so much mind missing another
Essential you report progress
; it was the undelivered report on the car doors that bothered me. Obviously, Fischer’s getting hurt had thrown some sort of wrench into the works and changes of plan were being made. If those changes meant that I was going to be up all night driving Harper to Pendik and back, I would have to deliver the message via a cigarette packet after all. I went into the scullery, in case Harper should suddenly come into the kitchen, and wrote the message -
Car doors now empty, check garage near Spanish Consulate
- on a piece of paper torn off a shelf lining. I felt better when I had done that. My other assignment for the night, the search for the mysterious map, didn’t worry me at all. In fact, though it may seem funny now, at that point in the proceedings I had completely forgotten about it.

It was after eleven-thirty and I had finished the last of the wine, when there was the sound of a door opening and Harper came through from the dining room. I got to my feet.

“Sorry to keep you up this late, Arthur,” he said; “but Mr. Miller and I are having a friendly argument, and we want you to help us decide who’s right. Come in.”

I followed him through the dining room, and along a passage to the room in which I had seen them the previous night.

It was L-shaped and even bigger than I had thought. When I had looked through the windows, all I had seen had been the short arm of the L. The long arm went all the way to the main entrance hall. There was a low platform with a concert-size grand piano on it. The room looked as if it had been used at some time for “musical soirées.”

Miss Lipp, and Miller were sitting at the library desk. Fischer was in the background, sitting in an armchair with his head thrown back so that he stared at the ceiling. I thought for a moment that he had passed out, but as I came in he slowly raised his head and stared at me. He looked terrible.

“Sit down, Arthur.” Harper motioned me to a chair facing Miller.

I sat down. Miss Lipp was watching Miller. Miller was watching me through his rimless glasses. The toothy smile was there as ever, but it was the most unamused smile I have ever seen; it was more like a grimace.

Harper leaned against the back of the settee.

“It’s really two problems, Arthur,” he said. “Tell me this. How long does it take to get to Pendik at this time of night? The same as during the day?”

“Less, perhaps; but it would depend on the ferry to Uskudar.”

“How often does that run at night?”

“Every hour, sir.”

“So if we missed one it could take us well over two hours?”

“Yes.”

He looked at Miller. “Two hours to Pendik, two hours to persuade Guilio, two more hours to persuade Enrico ...”

“If he would be persuaded,” Miss Lipp put in.

Harper nodded “Of course. And then two hours back. Not a very restful night, Leo.”

“Then postpone,” Miller snapped.

Harper shook his head. “The overheads, Leo. If we postpone, it means abandon. What will our friends say to that?”

“It is not their necks.” Miller looked resentfully at Fischer. “If you had not ...” he began, but Harper cut him off sharply.

“We’ve been over all that, Leo. Now, why don’t you at least give it a whirl?”

Miller shrugged.

Harper looked at me. “We want to make an experiment, Arthur. Do you mind going over there and standing against the wall with your back against it?”

“Over here?”

“That’s right. Your back touching the wall.” He went over to Fischer, picked up a length of thick cord which was lying across the bandaged hands, and threw one end of it to me. I saw that the other end was attached to a leg of the settee. “Now here’s what it is, Arthur,” he went on; “I’ve told Mr. Miller that you can pull that settee six feet towards you just with the strength of your arms. Of course, your back’s leaning against the wall, so you can’t use your weight to help you. It has to be just your arms. Mr. Miller says you can’t do it, and he’s got a hundred-dollar bill that says he’s right. I’ve got one that says he’s wrong. If he wins, I pay. If I win, you and I split fifty-fifty. How about it?”

“I’ll try,” I said.

“Very well, begin,” said Miller. “Your shoulders against the wall, your heels not more than ten centimetres from it and together.” He moved over so that he could see that I didn’t cheat.

I have always detested that kind of parlour trick; in fact, I dislike any sort of trial of physical strength. They always remind me of a lot of boys I once saw in the school lavatories. They were standing in a row seeing who could urinate the farthest. Suddenly they started laughing and then began to aim at each other. I happened to get in the way and it was very unpleasant. In my opinion, rugger is the same kind of thing - just childish, smelly, homosexual horseplay. I always got out of it whenever I could. Today, any sort of exercise brings on my indigestion immediately.

Frankly, then, I didn’t think that there was the slightest chance of my being able to pull that heavy settee one foot, much less six. I am not particularly strong in the arms anyway. Why should I be? I have enough strength to lift a suitcase and drive a car; what more do I want?

“Go on,” said Miller. “Pull with all your strength!”

I should have done as he said and fallen flat on my face. Then, Harper would have lost a hundred dollars, and I should have been spared the ordeal. But Miss Lipp had to interfere.

“Just a minute, Arthur,” she said; “I tried this and I couldn’t do it. But you’re a man with a good pair of shoulders on you, and I think you
can
do it.”

Even if I had never heard her use the phrase “indignant sheep” about me, I would have known this heavy-handed guile for what it was. I do
not
have a good pair of shoulders on me. I have narrow, sloping ones. Women who think they can get away with that childish sort of flattery make me sick. I was really annoyed. Unfortunately, that made me go red. She smiled. I suppose she thought I was blushing because of her bloody compliment.

“I’m not much good at this sort of game,” I said.

“The thing is to pull on the cord steadily, Arthur. Don’t jerk it. Pull steadily, and when it starts moving, keep pulling steadily hand over hand, It’s an easy fifty dollars. I
know
you can do it.”

I was getting really browned off with her now. “All right, you bitch,” I thought to myself; “I’ll show you!” So I did the exact opposite of what she’d said. I jerked on the cord as hard as I could.

The settee moved a few inches; but, of course, what I’d done by jerking it, was to get the feet out of the dents they’d made for themselves in the thick carpet. After that, I just kept on pulling and it slid some more. As it got nearer it became easier because I was pulling up as well as along.

Harper looked at Miller. “What about it, Leo?”

Miller felt my arms and shoulders as if he were buying a horse. “He is flabby, out of condition,” he said sourly.

“But he did the trick,” Harper reminded him.

Miller spread out his hands as if to abandon the argument.

Harper took a note from his wallet. “Here, Arthur,” he said, “fifty dollars,” He paused and then went on quietly; “How would you like to earn two thousand?”

I stared at him.

“Sit down,” he said.

I sat down and was glad to do so. My legs were trembling. With two thousand dollars I could buy a Central American passport that would be good for years; and it would be a real passport, too. I know, because I have looked into such matters. As long as you don’t actually go to the country concerned, there’s no trouble at all. You just buy the passport. That’s the way their consuls abroad line their pockets. Of course, I knew it was all a pipe dream. Even if I did whatever it was they wanted, Harper wasn’t going to be in a position to pay me, because the chances were that Tufan would have him in jail by then. Still, it was a good dream.

“I’d like that very much,” I said.

They were all watching me intently now.

“Don’t you want to know what you have to do for it?” Harper asked.

I wasn’t going to let him walk all over me. I sat back.

“What Mr. Fischer was going to do, I suppose,” I answered; “that is, if he hadn’t had that little accident this evening.”

Miss Lipp laughed. “I told you Arthur wasn’t as simple as he looks,” she said.

“What else do you know, Arthur?” This was Harper again.

“Only what Miss Lipp told me, sir - that you are all very sensible, tolerant persons, who are very broad minded about things that the law doesn’t always approve of, but who don’t like taking risks.”

“I told you all that, Arthur?” She pretended to be surprised.

“It was what I gathered, Miss Lipp.”

Harper smiled. “All right, Arthur,” he said; suppose we just leave it there. We have a deal.”

“I think I’m entitled to know a little more than that.”

“And you will, Arthur. We’ll be leaving here tomorrow afternoon around three, bags packed and everything because we won’t be coming back. Before we go you’ll have a complete briefing. And don’t worry. All you have to do is just pull on a rope at the right place and time. Everything else is taken care of.”

“Is this a police matter?”

“It would be if they knew about it, but they don’t. I told you, you don’t have to worry. Believe me, you’ve taken bigger risks in Athens for a lot less than two thousand.”

“On that subject, sir, I think I am now entitled to have my letter back.”

Harper looked questioningly at Miller and Fischer. The latter began to talk in German. He spoke slowly and wearily now, and I guessed that the sedative had taken effect, but his attitude was clear enough. So was Miller’s. Harper turned to me and shook his head regretfully.

“I’m sorry, Arthur, that’ll have to wait. In fact, my friends seem to feel that you may be quite a security risk for the next twelve hours or so.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Sure you do.” He grinned. “I’ll bet the idea’s been churning around in that cute little brain of yours for the last five minutes. “If two hands on a rope are worth two thousand dollars to these people, what would a tip-off be worth to the police?”

“I assure you ...”

“Of course you do, Arthur. I was only kidding.” His tone was quite friendly. “But you see the problem. We like to feel safe. Even that letter doesn’t mean much here. Do you have the car keys?”

“Yes.”

“Let me have them.”

I handed them to him.

“You see we wouldn’t want you to have second thoughts and maybe walk out on us,” he explained.

“And we would not like him to use the telephone,” said Miller.

“That’s right.” Harper thought for a moment. “Hans is going to need help undressing,” he said; “and the doctor’s given him another antibiotic he has to take. I think it would be best if we made up an extra bed in his room and Arthur slept there.”

“So that he can kill me when I am helpless and get out by the window?” Fischer demanded thickly.

“Oh, I don’t think Arthur would do that. Would you, Arthur?”

“Of course not.”

“That’s right. But we don’t want Hans to be worrying, do we? The doctor says he really needs to sleep. And you should have a good night’s sleep, too, Arthur. You won’t get any tomorrow, night. You wouldn’t mind taking a couple of good strong sleeping pills, would you? Or maybe even three?”

I hesitated.

“Oh, they won’t hurt you, Arthur.” Miss Lipp gave me a fond smile. “I’ll tell you what. If you’ll be a good boy and take your pills, I’ll take one, too. We’ll all need our sleep tomorrow.”

What could I say?

My head felt as if it had been stuffed with steel wool. There was even a metallic taste in my mouth. It took me some time to remember where I was. I could hear a loud buzzing noise. When, at last, I managed to open my eyes, I saw Fischer. The buzzing came from an electric shaver which he was holding, awkwardly, in his right hand.

My bed consisted of a mattress on the floor and the blankets from my old room. I rolled off the mattress and got to my feet unsteadily. Fischer gave me a disagreeable look.

“You snore like a pig,” he said.

He had a shirt and slacks on, I was glad to see; Harper or Miller must have helped him. Undressing him, the night before, had been an unpleasant task. It had meant touching him, and I hate touching anyone I dislike - another man especially.

“What’s the time?” I asked.

They had taken everything from me after they had made me swallow the sleeping pills, even my watch. All I had been allowed had been my pyjama coat.

“About eleven,” he answered. “Your clothes have been put in there.” He indicated a door.

I went through and found myself in one of the partly furnished rooms I had seen the day before. My things were piled on a brown cut-velvet chaise longue. I disposed of a minor anxiety first. The cigarette packet with the message inside it was still in my hip pocket and apparently undetected. I left it where it was. With any luck, I thought, I might be able to add to it. My papers were there. The radio was in its case.

From the bedroom Fischer said: “I have finished with this bathroom. You may use it.”

“I think I will go and get some coffee first.”

“Then bring all your papers and money in here.”

There was no point in arguing. I did as he said, put some trousers on, and found my way downstairs to the kitchen.