The Paw in the Bottle
- Автор: Чейз Джеймс Хэдли
- Год: 1949
- Язык: английский
- Год: Jarrolds
- Жанр: Криминальные детективы
Электронная книга - «The Paw in the Bottle». Краткое содержание книги:
By the time the meal had ended she was thoroughly at ease with him.
‘All right, Julie,’ he said, pushing back his chair. ‘Let’s get rid of these trays and then we’ll get down to business.’ He glanced at the clock on the mantelpiece. ‘I haven’t long to give you. I have a great deal of work to get through before I go to bed.’
When she had taken the trays into the kitchen and returned, he motioned her to the arm-chair and stood with his back to the fireplace, looking down at her.
‘There’s only one thing to do. We’ll have to go to the police,’ he told her quietly.
‘Oh, no,’ she said, alarmed at once. ‘We mustn’t do that.’
‘Because you’re frightened of this gang? I can understand that, Julie, but there’s no other way. We must set a trap for them. We must round them all up and then you’ll be safe. We can’t do that without police aid.’
‘But suppose they find out?’ Julie said with a shiver. ‘Suppose Theo gets away?’
‘We’ll take care they don’t get away, and they won’t find out. See them on Wednesday and tell them how the safe opens. I’ll jot down the exact operation so you’ll know how it works, and you can copy it. We must catch them red-handed. I’ll see the police to-morrow. If Gleb wants you to help him in the actual robbery, you must do it. He must have no suspicion at all that we’re waiting for him. You’ll be all right, I’ll see to that.’ He sounded so confident that Julie’s courage stiffened.
‘But if nothing happens to me they’ll know I... I gave them away,’ she said uneasily.
‘It’ll be too late then for them to do anything. Now look, Julie, this is the only way to save yourself. You do see that, don’t you?’
‘Yes,’ she said reluctantly.
‘All right. You carry on as if nothing has happened. See Gleb on Wednesday and try to find out when he intends to rob the safe. That is vitally important. We’ll be ready for him. Do you think you’ll be able to go through with it?’
‘I think so,’ she said, thinking of Theo. Her voice lacked conviction.
He looked at her for a long moment.
‘Are you wondering what’s to become of you when all this is over?’
‘Well, I don’t know. I haven’t thought. I don’t know what I shall do.’
‘There’s no need to worry,’ he said quietly. ‘I intend to do something about that if you will let me. I want to give you an opportunity to find out if your idea of fun is really what you want.’ He thrust his hands into his pockets and continued to look at her searchingly. ‘I’ve been married for six years, Julie. I’ve had no love nor tenderness during those years. I’ve been blind for three years. Life has been pretty drab for me, and now I have recovered my sight I’m going to change all that. You’re very lovely. I’m tired of leading a life without a woman. I need someone like you. Forgive me if I’m blunt. Do you follow what I’m getting at?’
She could scarcely believe her ears, and stared at him, blood rising in her neck and face.
‘I’ll never marry again,’ he went on. ‘But I could give you security, your own home, and I would settle a thousand a year on you. I wouldn’t bother you a great deal and I believe we could make each other happy.’
She realized he was serious. A home of her own! A thousand a year! She was quick to realize what this meant. It was his price for her silence. He was offering her this to be sure she wouldn’t tell anyone he could see. She was sure of that, but that made no difference to her rising excitement. For this was what she wanted; what she had longed for and hadn’t thought possible. She had to control herself not to betray her astonished delight.
‘Think it over, Julie,’ he was saying. ‘There’s plenty of time. We have other things to do first. But I thought I would let you know what’s been going on in my mind. Ever since I first saw you I have been thinking of this.’
‘No, he’s lying,’ she thought. ‘I don’t care. If he wants my silence he can pay for it.’
‘I... I don’t know what to say...’ she began, but he waved her to silence.
‘Then don’t say it. Think about it. I’ll talk to you again when this is over, but I wanted you to know that if you wished I would look after you. Now run along, Julie, I have work to do.’
It was a pity he was so matter-of-fact about it all. If he had only made love to her it would have been so much easier. But he was so calm, distant and cold-blooded that she felt embarrassed. It was as if he knew she knew he was buying her silence, and didn’t care.
She was relieved to leave the room.
II
When Julie had recovered from the surprise of Wesley’s proposal everything else became of secondary importance. Even Theo drifted into the background of her mind as an unpleasant nightmare not to be thought of — anyway, not for the time being.
Wesley wanted her to be his mistress. He wanted to buy her silence. She was quite prepared to accept the terms. She would have in return for her silence security, money, clothes, a flat of her own, even, perhaps, a car. Wasn’t he enormously wealthy? Hadn’t he promised to give her a thousand a year?
It wasn’t as if he was some horrible, fat old man who would paw her about and be jealous of her. He was marvellous. Even before he had made his suggestion she had been attracted to him.
She had to admit he was a little disappointing and undemonstrative. He scarcely spoke to her at breakfast the following morning. When Gerridge had left the room to collect some papers, he did say abruptly, ‘You’re not worrying, are you?’
‘Oh no... not now,’ she said and smiled at him, but there was no answering smile. The face, partly hidden by the black-lensed glasses was inscrutable.
‘It’ll be all right,’ he said. ‘I wanted to know you hadn’t changed your mind,’ and he went from the room.
But if his attitude was disappointing there were plenty of nice things to think about. ‘I wonder where I shall live. He might find me a flat in Mayfair. It’s marvellous how everything has turned out. Only seven months ago I was working in a tuppenny library, and now I’m to have a place of my own and a thousand a year!’
Blanche’s bell shattered this day-dreaming.
‘Well, it won’t be much longer now,’ Julie thought as she went along the passage to Blanche’s room. ‘Then I’ll have a maid to wait on me.’
Blanche was in a poisonous mood. Julie could see that the moment she entered the room.
‘Get my bath,’ Blanche said curtly, ‘and don’t crash about the room like an elephant. I’ve a splitting headache.’
Julie didn’t say anything. She went into the bathroom and ran the water. Returning to the bedroom, she found Blanche out of bed and pacing the floor.
‘You’re to leave at the end of the week,’ Blanche snapped. ‘I don’t want any arguments. You’re to go.’
Julie could have laughed. As if she wanted to stay when a new life was waiting for her.
‘Yes, madam,’ she said, so cheerfully that Blanche stared at her in furious astonishment.
‘And if you try to make mischief you’ll be sorry for it,’ Blanche said. ‘Get out of my sight!’
Some time later, Julie heard Blanche go out and she heaved a sigh of relief. She now had the place to herself, and deciding she wouldn’t do any more housework she went into the lounge, settled herself in a comfortable arm-chair, and read the newspaper.
‘In a little while,’ she told herself, ‘this is going to be my usual routine. I shan’t have anything to do except enjoy myself. I may as well get used to it now.’