1956 - There's Always a Price Tag (20 page)

'Who was his doctor?'

I felt my heart give a little kick, but I managed to keep my face expressionless. A doctor was something Helen and I had overlooked.

'He refused to have a doctor.'

'Who suggested he should go to a sanatorium?'

'Mrs. Dester. He was glad to agree.'

Bromwich turned back to Marian.

'So for a whole week you didn't see Dester? The first time you saw him was when he was leaving for the sanatorium - right?'

'Yes.'

He brooded for a moment that seemed like an hour to me, then asked how Mrs. Dester was dressed.

This time he made notes.

'Did they have any ready cash in the house?' he asked me when he had finished writing.

'Not more than a couple of hundred dollars.'

'Know what Dester's bank account is worth?'

'About three or four thousand.'

'Mrs. Dester own an account?'

'Not to my knowledge.'

He scratched the side of his face while he stared blankly in front of him. Then he looked over at Marian and came out with a fast one that jolted me.

'Would you say from what you saw of him walking to the car that he was a sick man or would you say he was faking?'

Marian looked startled.

'He - he was very shaky. He looked as if he had been in bed some time and was unsteady on his legs.'

'Yeah, but that'd be easy to fake. How did he look?'

'I didn't see his face. His hat was pulled down and his collar was turned up.'

I felt a trickle of sweat run down the side of my neck, but I didn't dare wipe it away.

'Hey, Lewis...' Bromwich called, raising his voice.

The other detective came to the door.

'Take him up to Dester's room,' Bromwich said to Marian. 'Let him see Mrs. Dester's room also.' He looked at Lewis. 'Check to see what clothes they've got, personal stuff. I want to know if they've skipped.'

Lewis nodded and followed Marian up the stairs.

Bromwich turned to me.

'There's been no accident reported for the past eight hours,' he said, 'so that rules out a smash. If they had had a breakdown, we should have heard by now. It looks to me that as he can't pay his debts, he has skipped.'

'I can't see him doing that,' I said. 'He was pretty ill. Besides, he's well-known. He couldn't go to any place and remain long without being recognized.'

'She might have persuaded him,' Bromwich said. 'If they haven't skipped, then why have they disappeared? Any ideas?'

I wasn't going to walk into that kind of trap.

'I thought they must have met with an accident.'

'Well, they haven't. Any more ideas?'

'No, unless he was taken ill on the road and they've stopped somewhere not on the telephone.'

He gave me a long stare of disgust and shrugged his fat shoulders. We sat for a few minutes in silence, then we heard Lewis and Marian coming downstairs. Bromwich heaved himself out of his chair and walked into the hall.

Lewis shook his head.

'Doesn't seem to be anything missing. She has a stack of clothes and jewellery up there. They certainly haven't packed and run.'

Bromwich scratched his nose. He didn't look convinced.

'Well, okay. I'll notify all patrols to look out for them,' he said to me. 'If I hear anything I'll call on you. If you hear anything you call me - right?'

As he moved to the front door, he paused and looked at Marian and then at me.

'Do you sleep in this joint?'

'I have an apartment over the garage.'

Again he looked at Marian, then he shrugged his shoulders, jerked his head at Lewis and went down the steps to the car.

I didn't have to be a mind reader to know what had been going through his mind. It had been a smart move of mine to have moved back to the garage apartment. These cops were forever looking for the sex angle.

* * *

I didn't sleep much for the rest of the night. Not wanting to listen to Marian's theories, I had told her to go back to bed. I had gone over to the garage apartment where I lay on the bed and dozed. I did finally drift off into a light sleep towards seven o'clock and woke with a start at a few minutes after half past eight. I swung my legs off the bed and went into the bathroom to take a shower. I was surprised that I hadn't already heard from Bromwich that Helen had been found. The staff of a forestry station starts work early and Helen was bound to have been found by now.

Was the fat detective suspicious of me? Was he checking Helen's story before seeing me?

I felt pretty jittery and my hands were unsteady as I dressed. There was no backing out now, I told myself. I tried to assure myself that the prize of three-quarters of a million was worth the tension and the wait. In a couple of months, I told myself, all this would be behind me and I would be heading for Rome with Marian.

Suddenly the telephone bell rang. Here it is, I thought, my heart beginning to pound. But it was only Marian telling me she had made coffee and did I want any?

'I'll be right over,' I said, and hung up.

By the time I got over to the house it was just after nine. I didn't want the coffee Marian had ready, but I forced myself to drink it.

'Hadn't you better call the police and find out if they have any news?' Marian asked after a while.

We had been discussing endlessly it seemed to me what could have happened to the Desters without getting anywhere, and the time was now twenty minutes to ten. I kept asking myself why they hadn't been through to tell me Helen had been found. It was as much as I could do to remain still. Had Helen's nerve cracked and had she given herself away already and me too?

'Yes, I guess I'd better. I promised to call Mr. Burnett at ten.'

I went over to the telephone, got through to police headquarters and asked for Lieutenant Bromwich. I was told he was out and Sergeant Lewis was with him.

'Is there anyone who can tell me if there is any news of Mr. and Mrs. Dester?'

The sergeant who had answered the telephone said he hadn't any information to give me. Lieutenant Bromwich would get into touch with me when he returned.

Maybe they were out at the forestry station now, I thought as I hung up. Now I thought about it. I decided Helen would have been found around eight o'clock. There would be some kind of delay before the police were notified. Then Bromwich and Lewis would have to get out there. They would probably arrive around half past nine. They had to listen to Helen's story. They would want to check it. I couldn't expect to hear anything much before eleven o'clock.

'No one knows anything,' I said to Marian. 'Bromwich is out. He'll call when he gets back.'

'Do you think they have been kidnapped?' Marian asked suddenly. 'It's possible, isn't it?'

That jolted me. I wanted the police to learn of the kidnapping through Helen and no one else. Then I remembered they were probably hearing Helen's story right at this minute and I relaxed.

'Could be, but we mustn't jump to conclusions. It's a job for the police. Now look, will you carry on just as if Mrs. Dester is still here? I've got to call Burnett.'

'I don't want to stay here, Glyn,' Marian said. 'There's an atmosphere in this house that scares me. I don't like being alone here.'

'I can understand that, but you can't leave yet. The police will want to talk to you again. Mrs. Dester may want your help. You will wait until they are found, won't you? I tell you what we'll do. I'll move into your room and you take over mine. You won't mind being in the garage apartment alone, will you?'

'I'd prefer it.'

'Okay. Well, you pack your stuff and I'll take it over. You can help me move my stuff. You start now while I call Burnett.'

I wanted to get her out of the lounge. Talking to her was a strain while I had so much on my mind.

When she had gone I called Burnett and told him there was no news. He said he would get in touch with the Chief of Police who was a friend of his and get some action.

'Has the Press been on to you yet?'

'Not yet.'

'If they do, refer them to me. I'll handle them.'

That was a weight off my mind. I said I'd do it and hung up.

As I was moving to the stairs to warn Marian not to talk to the Press if they arrived, I heard a car pull up and I went to the front door.

Bromwich and Lewis were getting out.

I felt my mouth turn dry. Why hadn't they brought Helen with them? Had they arrested her? Somehow I kept my face expressionless; somehow I forced myself to stand still and not to give way to the impulse to turn and bolt out of the house.

They came up the steps. Bromwich looked tired, as if he had been up all night. He nodded to me, then walked into the lounge and sat down. Lewis remained out in the hall.

'This is a puzzler,' Bromwich said, stretching out his short, thick legs as he stared up at me. 'These two are playing some sort of game and I'll be damned if I know what it is.'

'What do you mean?' My voice sounded off-key.

'We've found the Rolls. It was ditched in West 9th Street. He's taken the suitcase. There's no sign of them.'

There's no sign of them!

That must mean the staff at the forestry station hadn't reported finding Helen. I crossed over to the bar for the cigarette-box, not wanting him to see my face. Could it be possible that the hut I had left Helen in wasn't often used? Was she still lying on the floor, bound hand and foot, waiting for someone to find her?

I felt sweat start out on my face at the thought. It wasn't likely. There were offices in the hut. She had only to bang on the floor with her feet to attract attention. Had she lost her nerve and asked whoever found her not to call the police? If that was the case, then where was she?

'They were seen by a State trooper around half past ten,' Bromwich went on, 'on Highway 101, heading towards the sanatorium. He passed the car which was travelling slowly. He saw Mrs. Dester at the wheel and Dester beside her. For some reason, they must have turned around and come back to Hollywood, ditched the car and made off. It looks to me as if they are running out on their debts.'

I heard myself say, 'But Dester was a sick man. He couldn't have walked far. If he had taken a bus or a train, he would have been noticed.'

'We're checking the bus stations and trains now,' Bromwich said. He took out a cigar and lit it. 'I'm wondering just how sick this guy was. Did you visit him when he was in bed?'

'Why, yes. That is I looked in from time to time. He was usually asleep.'

Bromwich looked sharply at me, frowned and shifted his position in the chair.

'Well, he could have faked he was worse than he was if he was planning a runout.'

'Miss Temple suggested just now that they have been kidnapped,' I said. I knew it was dangerous to bring this up. It would have been safer to wait until they found Helen, but all this talk about Dester running away from his creditors had to be checked.

Bromwich screwed up his eyes.

'Kidnapped? What makes her think that?'

'Well, they have both disappeared. '

'There's no ransom note.'

I could see he didn't like this idea. He got to his feet and began to pace up and down.

'Edwin Burnett, the attorney who acts for Mr. Dester, is having a word with the Chief of Police,' I said. 'He's calling for action.'

Bromwich stopped short as if he had walked into a brick wall. 'Having a word with the Chief?'

'Yes. Apparently he's a friend of his.'

'Sweet grief! So it's going to be one of those cases! Look, tell that girl to keep her mouth shut about kidnapping. If the Press get hold of that idea.' He broke off, snapping his fingers. 'My luck that Burnett's a friend of the Chiefs. I'm going to get run ragged. I can see that.' He started to pace up and down again. Then he paused to look at me, 'Has Dester any relations or friends he would visit?'

'He has no relations. I don't know about his friends.'

'That could be it, you know. He might have changed his mind about going to the sanatorium.' Then he stopped short and cursed under his breath. 'No. There's the car. Why the hell did he ditch the car?' He turned and began to pace up and down again. 'Yeah, this could be a snatch. The car points to it. I'd better report to the Chief before he yells for me.'

He went out of the lounge, jerking his head at Lewis as he passed him. Together they hurried down to the car and drove off.

I went over to the bar and gave myself a Scotch. Where was Helen? What had happened to her? The whole of our plan depended on her. I thought of Dester lying in the deep-freeze. If Helen didn't show up soon I would have the job of getting him out of the cabinet on my own. The thought turned me sick.

I had just finished my drink and was mixing myself another when two newspaper men arrived. I had trouble getting rid of them. They didn't seem to be interested in talking to Burnett. They wanted first— hand information from me, but I wouldn't let them in the house, telling them my instructions were to refer all inquiries to Burnett. They went off finally. They hadn't been gone ten minutes before four others turned up complete with a Press photographer. I got rid of them after a struggle, but not before the photographer had taken my photograph.

By this time it was after twelve, and there was still no news of Helen. I was by now fit to walk up a wall, and when Marian came down to ask me to carry her suitcases over to the garage apartment it was as much as I could do to be civil to her.

She offered to get me lunch, but I said I had to go out. I took the Buick and headed out towards Highway 101, but I didn't get far. I realized that if I were seen, it would be a complete give away. I had to let the police find Helen. I didn't dare look for her myself. I drove over to Burnett's office in the hope of getting some news from him, but I was told he was in court.

I returned to the house. There was still no news of Helen. There could now be three explanations for her silence: the police were holding her, waiting for me to make a wrong move; she hadn't been found yet, or she had lost her nerve, got free and bolted, leaving me to hold the bag.

I decided I had to go out to the forestry station after dark. I had to find out if she was still there.